Game Quest: Super Mario 64

by Phantom-Dragon

Rating: everyone
Tags: Crossover, Mario, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Main 6, Spike, Comedy, Other, Adventure
Length: 93407

Princess Twilight Sparkle and friends arrive in the Mushroom Kingdom to help Mario and his buddies rescue Princess Peach.

My first story for my revival of Tim Ribbert's Video Game Chronicles.

Co-Authors: Tim Ribbert and Dramamaster829.

The stars are powers.

Long ago, the great unicorn wizard, Starswirl, and his magical colleagues had discovered a magical cave of stories, written by the games – The Cave of Games.

Today, Princess Twilight Sparkle and friends have found the Cave of Games, unlocking the gates of worlds, and have awakened a great power from its thousand years slumber.

Now, the Equestrian Heroes are once again called forth to another adventure, where a great evil threatens the two worlds, and the Power Stars will choose their greatest defenders.

Pre-Readers: MarioBrony.
Editor(s): Dramamaster829

Published 2020-03-05 20:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2024-08-21 18:01:53 UTC

Enter the Dragon and Dinosaur

One Week Later

Back in Canterlot castle, it’s been a long week for Spike the Dragon. Ever since Twilight took off on another adventure with the girls, he was asked to stay behind to fill in for his friend. Ergo, resuming her responsibilities as Supreme Ruler of Equestria… All of them. So much that the poor dragon slumped along the floor, lying on the desk amongst a stack of numerous paperwork from all over Equestria and beyond. It was an exhausting process, not so much the work itself, but rather this wasn’t the first time he’s ever been left behind to clean up after his friends.

“Stay behind and clean the library, Spike,” Spike sighed, muttering. “Here’s a list of chores, Spike. Do this and that, that and this, this and that, that, that, that, that!!!”

The young dragon ranted on, to no one in particular. Spike slowly approaches the nearby calendar, to check off another day.

“Story of my life. I barely have time to go out and hang with Gabby… Or Discord and Big Mac on our usual Guy’s night.”

With a long heavy sigh, Spike walks off toward his bedroom, completed exhausted after a torturous week of being Supreme Ruler… Or in this case, the ‘substitute’ Supreme Ruler. Finally arriving, he collapsed right onto his bed.

“Twilight and the girls should be back by now! Wish I knew what was taking them so long…”

Feeling extremely tired, Spike eventually closes his eyes hoping for a nice soothing sleep. It was then after a moment he found himself in a starry void. It didn’t take long to realize Spike was in a dream.

“What is this place?” Spike asked, his voice echoing.

“Spike?”

Spike recognized that voice, looking around for a certain lavender alicorn. Even if this were a dream, Spike figured where she is then her friends couldn’t be far.

“Twilight!” Spike called, seeing something. “Twilight! Is that you?”

Spike ran through the starry void until he caught sight of his alicorn friend. But alarmingly enough, he was seeing both Twilight and their friends suddenly dragged into the darkness by an unknown force.

“SPIKE!!!” Twilight cried out, reaching her hoof out. “HELP US!!!”

“TWILIGHT! GIRLS!” Spike shouted.

The little dragon ran after the ponies, but it felt like running on a treadmill getting nowhere close to the end. He could only helplessly watch as his friends were swallowed up by the darkness. Suddenly, shadowy figures lunged out and blinded the young dragon as thousands slowly crept around him. Before long, Spike found himself atop a mountain, surrounded by a sea of clouds. As Spike looked around, his eyes catch a hooded figure looming over him.

“Are you the one called Spike?” The hooded figure asked.

“Y-Y-Yes? That’s me,” Spike answered, shakily. “W-W-Who are you? Where am I? Where are my friends?”

“Your friends are in trouble, little one. There’s no time to waste; save them, before it’s too late!”

“What do you mean? What’s happened to them? Where are my friends?”

“Go to the Cave of Games, to the Mushroom Kingdom. Find the stars; defeat the darkness! Now go… Go… GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The loud shout made Spike close his eyes, surrendering himself to the darkness. The little dragon gasps himself awake, breaking out in a sweat and looks around finding himself back in his bedroom.

“WHOA!” Spike gasped.

Then the little dragon turned toward the window, as somewhere in the horizon Twilight and her friends journeyed to find this ‘Cave of Games’. A look of determination formed on Spike’s face, as the little dragon realized what he needed to do.

The next day, Spike had called for the royal assistant, Raven Inkwell, to delegate many of the responsibilities with some of the Canterlot Elites, including Fancy Pants, in his absence.

Once the matters have been settled, Spike took his leave, following the map of Equestria, into the uncharted West, where he is certain he would find the Cave of Games, to begin his search for Twilight and the others.

The Mushroom Kingdom

Outside the castle, a green dinosaur banged against the door, as if demanding entry. Still, an answer there came none. Suddenly, the creature felt light shimmering off his back, turning his head as a portal appeared from behind him. Before the dinosaur’s very eyes, a little purple dragon emerges through the vortex, which disappeared as quickly as it came.

“Wow, so this is the Mushroom Kingdom?” Spike asked, looking around.

The surroundings before the Dragon’s gaze left him in awe, particularly toward the large castle in front of him.

“There’s the castle; my friends must be in there.”

With a flap of his wings, Spike flew towards the front door, passing the green dinosaur. Curious, the creature watches as the young dragon flew toward the doors, placing his claws along the knobs to turn them. To Spike’s surprise, this proves unsuccessful as neither of the doors would budge open.

“Hello?” Spike called.

The dragon proceeds to knock on the door loudly, hoping to get an answer… But none would appear.

“HELLO! Anyone there? May I please come in; my friends are in there!”

“Yoshi?”

“Hmm?”

Spike turns around and finally noticed the dinosaur standing before him. In appearance, the dinosaur is green in color, with patches of white along the underside, a large round nose, a row of orange spines along his head, orange shoes, and a saddle-shaped shell on his back.

“Oh, hi there!” Spike greets the dinosaur. “I’m looking for my friends; they’re ponies. Have you seen them?”

In response, the dinosaur cocks his head to the side, as if confused to whom the young dragon was referring to. This seemed to disappoint the dragon, who realized the communication barrier would be a slight issue.

“Oh… I guess you don’t know who they are, huh buddy? Well, believe it or not, they’re ponies. ‘Little’ ponies, specifically, about this tall… Kind of colorful… They’ve also got these markings on their flanks; those are Cutie Marks. Two of them have wings, one has a horn, one has a horn AND wings, and the others are… Normal… Sort of… Have you seen them pass through by any chance?”

In response, the little dinosaur shook his head to the side, as if it was his way of saying ‘no’.

“Darn it!” Spike stomped his foot, frustrated. “Look, I came here because they went missing. And some hooded figure told me to come and look for them… Don’t ask.”

In response, the dinosaur let out a chirp making slight gestures with his claws. Spike looks at the dinosaur closely, realizing the creature was pointing toward the front doors leading to the castle.

“Are you telling me you have friends in there too?” Spike asked.

The little dinosaur nods his head, continuing to make gestures with his claws.

“So, seems we both have friends missing. Wherever they are, that castle must hold the answers. Maybe if we work together, we’ll be able to help each other. After all, that’s what Twilight would say," Again, the dinosaur appeared to be confused. "Who's Twilight? She's one of my friends. You’ll like her. So, what do you say?”

With a loud chirp, the dinosaur nods his head in agreement.

“Awesome! Name’s Spike, Spike the Dragon,” Spike introduced himself. “And you are?”

“Yoshi!” The dinosaur chirps, putting a hand over his chest.

“That’s your name? Yoshi?”

The dinosaur nods, with a happy chirp.

"Great! Nice to meet you, Yoshi!" Spike shook hands with the dinosaur. “So, any idea how we get in?”

“Excuse me!”

The young dragon and dinosaur turn their attention toward the owner of the voice, revealing themselves to be two turtle-like creatures. Both of whom wore goggles, riding in what appears to be a tuft of cloud (Oddly with a face on it), both holding a fishing pole with a single camera attached at the end of the line.

“Are you by chance friends of the magical ponies who arrived in our beautiful mushroom kingdom?” One turtle asked.

“Yes, yes I am,” Spike nodded. “And you are?”

“We are the Lakitu Bros.,” The second turtle answered, enthusiastically. “We’re the cameraman reporters for the Kingdom News Network! And you, my little dragon friend, are the scoop of the century!”

“Please, forgive my brother’s enthusiasm,” The First Lakitu explained, shaking his head. “He’s always had an eye for the big story.”

“Excuse me for having a keen eye for a story,” The second Lakitu huffed. “Anyway, as I was just asking: Your friends, those strange ponies who recently arrived in our kingdom awhile back. It was my understanding you weren’t with them when they arrived. What brings you here? Where are your friends now?”

“Actually, that is why I’m here,” Spike replied. “My friends have been missing for over a week, so I came all the way here from another… Another ‘kingdom’ to find them. You could say a gut feeling told me to come to your castle.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

“Oh yeah. Yoshi also told me some of ‘his’ friends are in the castle too. But… We’re kind of locked outside.”

“The door’s locked huh?” The first Lakitu pondered. “Y’know, come to think of it, I remember seeing a bunny pass by carrying a key in its mouth. Maybe that key could unlock the doors.”

Spike and Yoshi both turned to exchange looks, before Yoshi shrugged in response.

“Well, what choice do we have?” Spike asked, rhetorically. “Where is this rabbit?”

“Last we saw, it was heading into the hedge maze, over there,” The Lakitu Bros. pointed.

Spike and Yoshi turn towards the hedge maze, just to the right, not far from the castle itself.

“Well then, I guess that’s where we’ll go,” Spike declared. “Come on, Yoshi.”

Spike and Yoshi both head towards the hedge maze, with the Lakitu bros. following close behind. Upon arriving at the maze, both Spike and Yoshi look around before they spot a small yellow rabbit, carrying a key in its mouth.

“There’s our rabbit!” Spike pointed, shouting. “Hey!!! Hey, you!!!”

Spotting the two reptiles, the rabbit sprinted away into the maze with a kick of its legs.

“Quick Yoshi! After it!”

Both dinosaur and dragon give chase inside the Hedge Maze, with the Lakitu Bros. watching and broadcasting the whole chase on T.V. Spike and Yoshi ran as fast as they could, but the bunny rabbits hopping put a great distance between them leaving the two huffing and puffing trying to keep up on their short little legs. The rabbit soon came upon a fork in the maze and turned toward the left, Spike and Yoshi silently look toward where the rabbit went and the other path it didn’t take. They face each other silently, point to the two directions, and split up hoping to cut off the rabbit.

Soon it’s an all-out chaotic chase amongst everyone involved as the Lakitu Bros. keep a close watch. All three soon found themselves going through multiple directions and taking various paths through the maze. Comedically, the three ran past each other like something out of a ‘Scooby Doo’ cartoons taking lefts and rights, backwards and forwards, not even noticing they were running past each other. At one point the bunny was lounging on Yoshi’s back as he ran, then was clutching Spike’s tail like skiing, at one-point Spike and Yoshi crashed into each other before recovering and running back the way they came.

At one point, as the rabbit rounded a corner, Yoshi appears right in front of him sending him to a screeching halt. Yoshi prepared himself to catch him, unaware that Spike was sneaking up behind the rabbit to grab him. Then, Yoshi latches out his tongue, the rabbit hops to the side, and the tongue latches onto Spike. Before the little dragon could say anything, the dragon found himself swallowed up by Yoshi and found himself inside the dinosaur’s mouth. Yoshi feels a struggle in his jaws, while the rabbit giggles to himself before hopping away. After a few minutes, Yoshi swallows Spike whole, not realizing what he did.

But next thing we know, he feels a stirring inside him as a giant egg pops out of him. Yoshi turns toward the egg, as it starts to shimmy and shake. The lid of the egg pops off and what Yoshi sees surprises him. Spike emerges from the egg, fortunately not covered in Yolk, and while he doesn’t say a word, he does give Yoshi an annoyed glare. The little dinosaur’s cheeks flush red and he shrugs sheepishly.

Eventually, the rabbit was hopping until he noticed that no one seemed to be following him. Thinking he was in the clear, the rabbit slows down to take a few deep breathes following a lengthy chase through the maze. Little did he know, he feels something wet latch onto him and by the time he realized what happened… The bunny gets dragged off through the hedges. At the end of the maze, Spike emerges as Yoshi comes out with his mouth full while something struggles between his cheeks.

“Aaaaargh! No, don’t eat me!” The rabbit plead. “All I did was tease you a little. C’mon, let me go!”

“I’d be questioning why you’re talking, but I really don’t have time for this,” Spike said, turning to Yoshi. “Okay buddy spit him right out.”

Yoshi did that just that, spitting the rabbit out of his mouth and sent the little furry devil rolling along the grass.

“Aiyeee!!! I thought it was the end for little old me…” The rabbit moaned. “My entire life flashed before my eyes. Talk about scary!”

“We didn’t mean to frighten you little guy,” Spike assured. “We just want the key to get into the castle.”

“Oh, you want the key?” The rabbit asked. “Well, why did you say so? Here. Take the key; it’s just slowing me down.”

With that said, the rabbit hands the key to both the dragon and dinosaur, giving a silent thanks before turning back toward the castle where the real question for their friends would proceed. In the meantime, the Lakitu Bros. had been reporting ‘everything’ that’s been happening.

“Breaking news for all you lovely viewers at home! This is the Lakitu Bros. reporting live! Out of the blue, the Mushroom Kingdom has another visitor from another land! A young dragon who claims to be friends with the ponies has arrived, and he’s already teaming with the local dinosaur, Yoshi, to find their missing friends! Will they prevail and find their friends? And why was Princess Peach’s castle locked up? Only time will tell. This has been the Lakitu Bros.”

Meanwhile, back with Spike and Yoshi, the former inserted the key into the keyhole of the front door. With a turn and twist of the key, the doors click unlocked, thereby granting access for both Spike and Yoshi to enter and begin their mission to find their friends.

Peach’s Castle

Once they eventually got inside, Spike and Yoshi searched around the interior of the castle.

“Where is everyone?” Spike asked. “This place looks completely deserted!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in response, as if voicing his agreement.

The two proceed to search the castle, hoping to find any trace of their missing friends. But then, something else caught Spike’s eye.

“Hey look! There’s someone over there!”

Up ahead, Spike saw what appeared to be a little person, dressed in puffy white trousers, a blue open vest with gold linings, and upon his head it appears to be a large white mushroom-shaped cap with red spots. Spike and Yoshi cautiously approach the person, in case he had hostile intent.

“Hey! Excuse me,” Spike called out. “You got a second?”

“Oh, hello there!” The person greeted, before noticing Yoshi. “Hi Yoshi! Is he with you?”

“Yoshi!” The dinosaur confirmed, nodding.

“I’m Spike,” Spike greeted. “Spike the Dragon.”

“Nice to meet you, Spike,” The creature greeted, shaking hands with Spike. “I’m Toad, are you the same ‘Spike’ whose friends with those ponies?”

“Yes, I am,” Spike nodded. “Do you know where they are?”

“Last I saw them, they were helping Mario and his buddies retrieve the Power Stars from Bowser, after he stole them and trapped the princess, along with us, inside the walls!”

“Mario?” Spike asked. “Who is Mario? And who’s this Bowser?”

“Mario is the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom,” Toad answered. “He and his brother, Luigi, were plumbers from a place called Brooklyn, before they found a warp pipe that took them here, to our Kingdom. After that, they helped us rescue Princess Peach from Bowser, the evil Koopa King, who has been threatening to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom for years! Mario battled and defeated the evil Bowser, saving the Princess the first time around. Since then, Mario and Bowser have been mortal enemies ever since.”

“You don’t say,” Spike pondered. “But what’s this got to do with my friends and Mario going missing?”

“Oh, it was just horrible. Princess Peach invited Mario to come to the castle for cake, when Bowser showed up and stolen our Power Stars. In doing so, he trapped all us Toads inside the castle walls, so we couldn’t escape and ask for help. Then, he locked the Princess somewhere deep in the castle. Now he’s using the magic of the stars to create an evil land of monsters within the castle’s walls and paintings. Mario, his buddies, and your pony friends went into the castle to retrieve the stars, but they haven’t come back since.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, frightened.

“That’s awful! We’ve got to save them!” Spike said to Yoshi, who nods in agreement. “Mr. Toad, can you tell us where they went?”

“Last I saw of them, they headed to the room on the left with the painting of the Bob–Ombs!” Toad pointed, panicking. “Ooh, where are they?! Are they taking a nap somewhere? Please Spike, it’s up to you and Yoshi to find them and retrieve the stars! We are all depending on you!”

“We’ll do whatever we can to help!” Spike replied.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

With that, both Yoshi and Spike quickly rushed toward the first room. Upon entering the room, they stood confused as if perplexed to see that their friends were nowhere in sight. Turning to the right, they spotted another Toad.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi called out.

“Yoshi! Mario and the others jumped into that picture!” Toad pointed. “But… They haven’t come back out, despite the castle’s plight!”

“Whoa, hold up!” Spike raised his claws. “They actually ‘jumped’ into that painting? Actually, I really shouldn’t be surprised by this.”

“Who are you?” The Toad asked, noting Spike.

“I’m Spike,” Spike replied. “I’m friends with Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. Speaking of whom, I’m looking for her and our friends. The ponies were just with Mario and his buddies.”

“Oh, well you’re either in luck or unlucky. As I said, they jumped into the painting, along with Mario and the others! If you hurry, you might still catch them.”

“Will do, thanks!”

Turning to Yoshi, the dinosaur and dragon both nod their heads, as they both made a running start. Setting their sights on the painting, they charge forward and dove into the painting, disappearing into its magical work of art.

Bob-omb Battlefield

Some times earlier

Flying at a great distance across Equestria, Spike beat his wings heavily in search of the “Undiscovered West”.

"Phew, I should've hit the gym more often," Spike said to himself, as he felt as if his wings were about to fall off from so much flapping.

After what felt like an eternity after leaving Caterlot, Spike finally arrived in the ruined city once Crystia, looking around at what little remained.

"This must be the place," He panted heavily, after his long flight. "Now, if I were the Cave of Games, where would I be?" Spike looked around at the crumbled monuments that represented the once proud city. "Twilight?" Spike called out.

His voice echoed across the barren land but answer there came none, “Rarity? Rainbow? Girls?" He called again. "Are you here? It’s me, Spike! Please don’t jump out from behind anything because I don’t think I can handle any surprises! Hello?”

No response, not a word or a syllable. With a sigh, Spike slumped down against the base of a huge statue of an alicorn – Or at least what’s left of it. Spike huddled himself up close, watching to see the sun just about to set over the horizon. The air around him starts to grow cold, causing him to shiver.

"Good thing I packed a blanket with me, just in case," Spike said to himself.

Spike rolled his backpack down, pulling out a small thick blanket out, rolling himself up in the comfortable fabric. Keeping himself warm from the cold, Spike turned his attention toward one of the ruined houses. The little dragon rushed in, curling himself in the corner of the house, under the protective roof, allowing himself to be consumed by the spell of sleep and his world turned dark.

It was only after the sun completely vanished over the horizon, a mist rolled in through the ruined city, Spike was fast asleep.

“Are you the one called Spike?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly awoken by a voice, Spike slowly stirred, blinking his eyes awake. The little dragon found himself staring into the eyes of a cloudy being resembling a pony.

“Whoa!” Spike exclaimed, backing against the wall. “Where did you come from?”

“Are you a friend of the ones called the Elements of Harmony?” The being asked, catching Spike’s attention.

“You know where they are?” Spike asked, hopefully.

“If you wish to find your friends, follow me.”

The pony dissolved into mist, floating across the gentle breeze, guiding the young dragon to the sacred cave he searched for. Along the outskirts of the city, the gate was still left open, allowing entry for Spike and any other creature into the cavern. Inside, Spike was further bewildered at the magic that lies within.

“Whoa, this place is amazing!” Spike marveled at the cave interior. “The air’s kind of… I don’t know what to say, but I can just almost touch the ceiling without flapping my wings!”

Indeed, Spike floated through the air, discovering this was due to the cave’s lack of gravity. After having some fun, Spike turned his attention back to the misty pony, who stood before a magical mirror projecting a portal within its frames. It somehow reminded Spike of the one back in Ponyville, one that lead to a world dominated by ‘humans’ where an old friend, Sunset Shimmer, resides.

“Who are you?” Spike asked. “Where are my friends?”

"I am the Spirit of Games," The Spirit informed the young dragon. "One week ago, I was acquainted with your friends, when they first arrived into the cave, seeking a cure for the Darkness that had infected this place for so many years. It was I who taught them how to activate one of Starswirl's old portals to begin their adventure within a game, which you see before you. But they have yet to return since that fateful day."

“I figured that out from that dream I had,” Spike nodded. “You wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with that, would you Spirit?”

The spirit appeared to look solemnly for a moment, before steering the subject back on topic.

“Questions for another time, young dragon. Your friends are in great danger; you must not waste time. Find them before the stars are lost, or the Darkness will consumes their light, and history repeats itself again. GO!”

With that said, Spike leapt into the portal, thus beginning his quest to rescue his friends and hopefully finish the game they started.

“Good luck, young dragon,” The Spirt muttered. “You and your friends will need it.”

Present

Location: Bob-Omb Battlefield

After jumping into the painting, everything was all white for Spike and Yoshi. Eventually, their visions cleared up and they find themselves landing into a new world.

"Whoa!" Spike gasps, as he and Yoshi looked at their new surroundings.

Spike and Yoshi looked around from where they stood, finding themselves standing beside a large black cannon, which stood perched along a stone platform. It looked as if they are in a large battlefield, with a tall mountain loomed left along the distance. A floating island hovers a short distance away before the dragon and dinosaur.

“Yoshi, I don’t think we’re in the Mushroom Kingdom anymore,” Spike commented, to which Yoshi nods in agreement.

“You there, sirs! Watch out!”

Spike and Yoshi turn their attention toward two short little creatures resembling a typical cartoon bomb.

“Wander around here and you two might get plastered by a water bomb!”

In appearance, the creatures have beady round white eyes, their frames colored pink, silver-colored caps along their heads, gold legs, and a silver turn knob on their backs. The only difference with these bombs is that they had no fuse.

“Did that little bomb just talk to us?” Spike asked Yoshi, who nods.

Both dragon and dinosaur cautiously approached the little red bomb creature.

“Excuse me, Mr. Bomb Guy?” Spike greeted.

"I'm a Bob-omb," The bomb creature confirmed. "A Bob-omb Buddy to be precise."

"Oh, sorry," Spike apologized. "Mr. Bob-omb Buddy. Could you maybe help us with something? We're looking for some friends of ours. Colorful ponies with cutie marks on their flanks? One's an alicorn, one's a unicorn, two pegasi, and two earth ponies? They're with a guy named Mario and his buddies. You've seen them?"

The Bob-omb Buddy was silent for a moment, before he answered, "Actually, yes I have! They were here a little while ago!"

"Great! Where are they?" Spike asked excitedly.

"They left to confront the Big Bob-omb at the top of his mountain, over there!" The Bob-omb directed both Spike and Yoshi's attentions to the mountain, as he continues, "This meadow has become a battlefield ever since the Big Bob-omb got his paws on the Power Star, from the evil Koopa King, Bowser. Just a little while ago, your friends were following a mustached man with a red cap, who I believe must be the famous Mario. They had all left for the mountain. But they haven't returned. I wonder whatever happened to them..."

Both Spike and Yoshi turned to exchange looks of concerns with each other, "Sounds like our friends are in big trouble," Spike frowned, with Yoshi sharing his concern. "But if they went to the mountain, then that's where we'll go!"

With that, Spike and Yoshi were about to take their leave, when they were stopped by another Bob-omb Buddy, "Danger! We're in the midst of a war between evil black Bob-ombs and us Bob-omb Buddies. Here, take a look at this map." With that, the Bob-omb Buddy whipped out a map, showing it to both Spike and Yoshi, as he explains.

"When you go down the road and cross the 2 bridges, you'll be in their territory. And you see the Star on the top of the mountain?" He asked, pointing at the flashing star on the map. "That's where the king of the Bob-ombs is. He's very powerful and throws Bob-ombs from the mountaintop. Be careful if you're heading toward the mountain!"

The Bob-omb Buddy then hands the map over to Spike, "No worries. We'll be careful," Spike assured. "Thank you for everything; we'll take it from here. C'mon, Yoshi! We've got friends to save!"

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped, as the two took their leave.

"Good luck!" The Bob-omb Buddies cried, bidding the duo adiue.

Spike and Yoshi were heading down the road, away from their new Bob-omb buddies, when they were suddenly approached by a pair of strange looking creatures that looked like living fungi. In appearance, the creatures are colored brown, with two feet but have no arms. They have large faces that occupy most of their mushroom caps, while their stems attach their heads to their feet. A defining feature are their black bushy eyebrows that form a scowl. They also have two upward-pointing fangs that sometimes resemble braces.

"Uh hello?" Spike greeted the creatures nervously. "Don't mind us, we're just passing through."

The creatures turned to each other and exchanged confused glances, before one of them asks, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to look for some friends," Spike replied. "They're with a guy named Mario."

"...MARIO?!"

The way the creature asked made Spike nervous, as he nodded slowly.

“The Mario?” The creature asked again, his eyes glaring.

From behind Spike, Yoshi took a fighting stance as if he knew what was coming.

"Then you're no friend of ours!" With that, the two creatures charged after the two heroes.

“Whoa!” Spike screamed, practically frozen before the creatures’ sudden charge.

Luckily, Yoshi quickly stepped in defense for his new dragon friend. The dinosaur quickly shot his long sticky tongue out, snatching one of the attacking creatures and swallowed it whole, laying a green-spotted white egg in the process.

“Holy guacamole!” Spike commented.

The young dragon watched as Yoshi picks up the egg and hurls it toward the other attacking creature. The egg made contact, bouncing off the creature’s face, knocking it off its feet, and in a blink of an eye the creature disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving only a single gold coin with the symbol of a star engraved on its face.

“What the—”

Spike watched as the egg itself lands on the ground, cracking upon impact revealing another coin, much like the other.

“Are those… Bits?” Spike asked.

The dragon was completely flabbergasted, as he approached to pick up the coins left behind by the enemies Yoshi defeated.

“What just happened?”

Coins: 2

"You two have defeated a couple of Goombas. That's what you did," A Bob-omb Buddy explained.

"Goombas?" Spike questioned.

“Ah, you’re not from around here, are you? I’ll make it quick and simple: The Goombas are those fungus-like monsters you’ve defeated. They used to be residents of the Mushroom Kingdom, but many of them defected over to Bowser, along with the Koopa Troopas. Now they serve Bowser, using the Power Stars to take over our worlds.”

"I see," Spike nodded, holding up a coin. "But what's with these coins?"

“These gold coins are the main currency of the Mushroom Kingdom,” The Bob-omb Buddy replied. “However, they are known to hold magical properties. Don’t ask how, that’s just the way it is. Bowser uses them mainly to give his minions the power to constantly replenish their life-forms. So even after you’ve defeated some of them, they’ll be certain to come back.

Spike scratched his head, unsure of how to make of this strange world’s laws of reality.

“Uh… Yeah, thanks for that. Anything else we should know?”

“Yes, actually!” The Bob-omb Buddy explained. “According to legends, these coins are pieces of the Power Stars. When Bowser first attempted to steal the Power Stars, many of them broke up into 100 pieces and are scattered across the worlds. If you collect a total of 100 coins, then you will obtain a Power Star!”

“Whoa, really?! That’s so cool!” The young dragon smiled, excited. “We better start collecting more of those coins if we want a Power Star.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

“In that case, you better take this, if you’re going to collect some coins.” The Bob-omb Buddy handed both dragon and dinosaur a large brown bag.

“Anyway, you two are heading off to confront the Big Bob-omb, yes?”

The two heroes exchange nods.

“Then let me warn you: When you make your way up his mountain, beware of the evil Bob-ombs. You can tell because they’re dark in color and they’ll lit their fuse and chase you down when they see you. When they do, you should run, because they’ll explode if you’re not fast enough to get away. And unless you want to get hit by a hard ball of water, I advise you both to keep watching the sky. The Big Bob-omb has ordered his troops to fire them from his mountains, at anyone deemed an ally of Mario and enemies of Bowser.”

"Sounds like Bowser's got a lot of enemies," Spike commented to Yoshi who nodded in agreement. "Well, thanks for the tip buddy. If you'll excuse us, we've got a Power Star and some friends to rescue."

"Good luck you two," The Bob-omb Buddy said, watching Yoshi and Spike go their way.

The pair crossed a wooden bridge, which took them up toward another part of the battlefield. As they turn left, following the path, they stop when—

“ARF! ARF!”

AH!!” Spike yelled, as he and Yoshi fell off their feet.

Before their eyes, they stood startled by the sudden attack of a living ball-and-chain with big circular eyes, large gaping mouths, and razor-sharp teeth that repeatedly snaps its jaws at them. The creature was barking loudly, like that of an attacking guard dog. The young dragon repeatedly beat his chest to ease his rapid heartbeat.

“What the hey?!” Spike gasped.

After both Spike and Yoshi managed to compose themselves, they looked behind the Chain Chomping creature to see that it was guarding what appears to be a cage of some sort. Their eyes widen in startling shock, when they looked to see that behind the iron bar is a Power Star.

"Look! A Power Star!" Spike pointed, with Yoshi chirping with excitement. "But how do we get it?" The two friends looked to see that the chain-chomper was bound to a wooden pole, by the end of its chain tail. They also noted the way the monster looks at them as if it was out to get them.

Scratching his head, an idea forms in Spike’s head, "Hey Yoshi! I have a plan!" He beckons the dinosaur to lean his head closer for the young dragon to whisper his plan into his ear.

"Yoshi?" Yoshi questioned.

"Trust me, it'll work," Spike replied, muttering under his breath, "I hope."

Spike walked towards the Chain Chomp, while making sure he was out of reach, "Hey! Chomper!" Spike taunted, sticking his tongue out. "Nah-nah-nah-nah~ You can't catch me~"

Irked, the Chain Chomp lunged towards Spike, barking aggressively in vain, paying no attention to Yoshi who quietly snuck up from behind and walks towards the peg that was keeping it in place. Floating over the peg is a single red coin, which Yoshi took, before he went to work on the peg.

Gold Coins:2

Red Coin(s): 1=2

Total Coins: 4

The dinosaur leapt up in the air, above the peg, before with a flip, he curled himself up, so that only his bottom would land first in a thunderous ground pound.

Once... twice... three times, Yoshi stomped the whole wooden pole into the ground, freeing the chomping creature from its peg. Upon realizing it was no longer bound to the pole, the Chain-Chomping creature started to bounce around the area, chasing after Spike.

"I guess I didn't think this through, did I?" Spike asked rhetorically, before he took off, running for his life. "HELP!"

"YOSHI!" Yoshi chirped, running behind the Chain Chomp.

Spike ran as fast as his little legs could carry him, running into a field where some Goombas and some evil Bob-ombs took notice of the little dragon. But they were just as scared when they saw the Chain Chomp pursuing him. All the Goombas and Bob-ombs scattered as fast as they could to get away, as the Chain Chomp chased after the little dragon. However, they weren’t so lucky to get away, as Yoshi swallowed one of the Goombas, laying it out in an egg, before throwing the egg after the Chain Chomp. Unfortunately, Yoshi missed, and the egg ricochets off the remaining Goombas and Bob-ombs, causing the fungus-like creatures to dissipate into puffs of smoke, while the walking bombs explode, each leaving behind a single star coin. Yoshi didn’t hesitate to collect them all, earning a total of ten coins he and Spike have collected so far. After he was finished, Yoshi looked up and saw another red coin, poised atop a chunk of stone.

Gold Coins:10

Red Coin(s): 2=4

Total Coins: 14

The chase went on for a few minutes, until at last, the Chain Chomp had Spike cornered in front of the cage. Bouncing on its chin for a moment, the Chain Chomp launches itself toward the young dragon, who was suddenly snatched away by a long retractable tongue from the side. Yoshi pulled Spike out of harm’s way, causing the Chain Chomp to fly towards the cage, destroying the bars, and granting both Yoshi and Spike access to the Power Star. Dazed from the impact, the Chain Chomp gave up and jumped away, leaving Spike and Yoshi behind.

Not wasting another second, Spike and Yoshi lunged toward the Power Star, grabbing it. The star dances around them, as both dragon and dinosaur share a quick victory dance.

“Oh yeah!” Spike cheered. “We got a Power Star!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

Once the festivity was over, the two continued their way up the mountain, where the Big Bob-omb would be waiting for them, along with another Power Star. Turning to the right, the two heroes crossed a bridge that immediately started to tilt on their side due to their weight. Both Spike and Yoshi quickly beat their feet as they climbed up toward the other end, where they jumped off the edge of the tilting bridge and landing on the other side, smack dab of the evil Bob-ombs’ territory. Four soldiers patrolling the area spotted both the dragon and dinosaur.

One of them lit its fuse and rush forward to attack both heroes. Reacting fast, Yoshi stuck his tongue out and caught the attacking Bob-omb and spat it back toward another, causing them both to explode into two gold coins, which Spike picked up along the way.

Gold Coins:12

Red Coin(s): 2=4

Total Coins: 16

Just then, the two boys heard what sounded like a falling bomb. They looked up to see what appeared to be a large water balloon falling towards them.

"LOOK OUT!"

"YOSHI!"

Spike and Yoshi both ran in different directions to get away from the water bomb, which bounced a couple of times after Spike, before it exploded into bubbles.

"Whoa, that was close," Spike didn't have time to catch his breath, when heard another incoming attack from another water bomb. The young dragon looked up and his eyes widened, as he stood paralyzed at the incoming attack. "AH!"

Reacting fast, Yoshi saw another Bob-omb, which he quickly snatched with his tongue, before spitting the living bomb at the oncoming water bomb. They both exploded on impact, saving Spike, and receiving a gold coin in the process.

Gold Coins:13

Red Coin(s): 2=4

Total Coins: 17

"Phew, thanks Yoshi," Spike sighed in relief. "C'mon, let's go! In there!" Spike points to an open gate just across a stone bridge, which connected the land they’re on. Just across a large gap that led the way up the mountain.

Just as they entered the gateway, another water bomb fell towards them. Thinking fast, both boys look to the side and snatch two startled Bob-ombs, both lighting their fuse in response. Before the bombs could detonate, Spike and Yoshi threw them at the incoming water bomb, causing the watery projectile to explode into bubbles, and rewarding them two more gold coins.

Gold Coins:15

Red Coin(s): 2=4

Total Coins: 19

Afterward, Spike and Yoshi made their way through the gate, but danger still lied ahead. Turning to the right, before them were three large rolling iron balls that rolled along one slope to the right, before rolling back down to the left. Spike was able to fly over the balls, but Yoshi had to time the rolls before he was able to get across, barely unscathed. Later, they progressed down the road, turning left at the corner, where additional iron balls rolled towards them.

“YOSHI!!!” Yoshi screamed, alarmed.

Both Yoshi and Spike start weaving toward the side, evading the rolling balls, as they trekked up the mountain. Along the way, they happened upon another Bob-omb standing next to a tree, and large orange brick boxes of some sort. Upon seeing the two intruders, the Bob-omb lit its fuse and chases after them.

“That’s it! I’ve had enough!” Spike declared.

The young dragon spat out a green fireball that explodes upon contact with the assaulting Bob-omb, causing it to explode into another gold coin.

Gold Coins:16
Red Coin(s): 2=4

Total Coins: 20

Before the two could continue their climb up the mountain, Spike looked at what else was lying next to the tree, "Hey Yoshi, check this out!" Spike pointed, as he picks up a large red hat with the letter M written in the white circle.

"Hmm... Who would leave their hat lying around, like this?" Yoshi chirped excitedly, making several more gestures with his hands. "Huh? What's wrong Yoshi?"

"Mario!" Yoshi chirped, pointing at the hat.

"Oh! This is Mario's hat?" Spike asked, to which Yoshi nods. "I guess we’re getting close to him and the others. But in the meantime, I’m sure he won’t mind if I wear it for a while." With that, Spike puts the hat on. No sooner did he put the hat on, when the young dragon experiences a sudden surge of magical power, as his whole body was coated in an aura of rainbow. "Hey! What's happening to me?" Spike asked, as Yoshi looked on with amazement.

At last, once the magic show had died down, there stood Spike, as a completely different person. No longer was he a little dragon, but an Italian mustached man in a red suit, blue overall, and brown shoes.

"Whoa... I feel a little... different," Spike shook his head, recovering himself from the shock of the transformation. "Yoshi? What just happened to–Uh, Yoshi?" Spike looked at Yoshi, noticing how the dinosaur was looking at him up and down with a bewildered expression. "What? What is it?"

"Yoshi," Yoshi began, before he pointed at Spike. "Mario?"

"Mario? No, no, no, I'm not Mario," Spike waved his hands, coated in white gloves as he insisted. "It's-a me, Sp–What?!" Spike looked at his hand, which were covered in white gloves. "Huh?" With that, Spike inspected himself, patting his hands on the side of his head to find that his frills have become human ears. The disoriented former dragon then traces his hands up to his nose to find it had been enlarged to a large round shape, which comes with a large bushy mustache.

“Whoa! I’ve got a mustache!” Spike jumped in surprise, noting the impressive height. “Whoa! I can jump-a good!”

With a kick of his legs, Spike performed a couple jumps, when out of impulse, on the third jump, he leapt high into the air, curling his whole body up in a roll, before he landed perfectly on his feet.

“Whoa! Hey Yoshi!” Spike smiled. “Did you see what I just-a did?!”

“Sure did!” Yoshi answered in perfect sentences, much to Spike’s delight.

“Whoa!" Spike exclaimed. "Yoshi! You just-a talked?!”

“I’ve always been talking,” Yoshi answered. “You just didn’t understand a word I said, until now.”

“Oh, sorry. But-a still, why now-a did-a we start-a to communicate-a?”

“I don’t know,” Yoshi shook his head. “Maybe it’s because now that you’ve turned into Mario, you can understand a word I’m saying? I think it's because Mario and Luigi have always been able to understand whatever we Yoshi say, no problem. Maybe it's because when they were babies, we Yoshis have taught them our language, or something.”

“Makes-a perfect-a sense-a,” Spike-Mario nodded, before he asked, “But what’s-a with this-a silly accent-a?”

“I don’t know,” Yoshi shook his head. “Mario and Luigi have always talked funny.”

“You don’t-a say,” Spike, as Spike-Mario, wanting to test his strength, went up to the brick box and punched it, breaking it into rubbles and revealed three gold coins, which he and Yoshi collected, for a total of 23 coins.

Gold Coins:19
Red Coin(s): 2=4

Total Coins: 23

“Whoa!” Spike-Mario exclaimed, flexing his arms. “I’m strong!”

“You sure are!” Yoshi nodded. “We’re gonna need that if we’re gonna have troubles with the Big Bob-omb. C’mon, let’s go!”

Yoshi and the newly Spike-Mario resume their run up the mountain, dodging to the left and right, jumping over iron balls, until they finally reach the end of the path. They ran passed a cave along the mountain walls, where the iron balls came from. When the two heroes turned left, they hopped over a large gap in their path, where they discovered another Bob-omb, manning the cannon that shot all the water bombs earlier, and at the Bob-omb Buddies.

“Hey!” Spike-Mario pointed. “Looks-a-like we found our shooter!”

“We better put a stop to this, now!” Yoshi said.

Not wasting another second, Spike-Mario approached the unsuspecting Bob-omb, who quickly lit its fuse in alarm. But Spike-Mario manages to stuff the ‘literal’ ticking bomb into the cannon, causing them both to explode, leaving behind a gold coin, bouncing next to a row of five gold coins.

After collecting the first row, the two boys walk across the wooden bridge, over the next gap, where they found another row of five gold coins, which gives them a total of eleven gold coins found.

Gold Coins: 19+ 11 = 30
Red Coin(s): 2=4

Total Coins: 34

The boys continued their climb up the mountain, evading more rolling iron balls until they at last reached the top of the mountain, where they confronted the Big Bob-omb himself.

In appearance and up close, the Big Bob-omb was at least ten times the size of a typical Bob-omb. Much like his evil henchmen, he is dark in color, with a large white bushy mustache on his face, wearing a bejeweled crown atop his head, large white gloves resembling boxing gloves, and yellow pointy shoes, all connected by purple segments to his round explosive body. It didn’t take long for it to catch Yoshi and Spike-Mario approaching him.

"I'm the Big Bob-omb, baron of all blasting matter, king of ka-booms the worldwide!" He then looked down at the two boys, before he sets his sight on Spike-Mario, "Look at my splendid mustache. It's fit for a king! Ho ho! Your mustache makes you look like the peasant you are. What a sad little thing." He mocked. Even though Spike-Mario knew the mustache he had on him isn't his, he still felt rather insulted.

The Big Bob-omb then turns to Yoshi, "Incredible! You've made it this far even without a mustache. I commend your courage. The both of you."

"Huh, that's really-a flattering of you to say that," Spike-Mario began. "But anyway, we didn't came all the way here just for praises, your bombship. We're here for your Power Star. And while we're at it, what have you done to my friends?"

"Friends?" The Big Bob-omb stroked his mustache as he pondered, before he had an epiphany, "Oh! You mean those little colorful ponies who were with some other mustache wannabe gents?" The Big Bob-omb chuckled cruelly. "Well, seeing as how I'm going to blow you up into smithereens, I might as well tell you. Your friends were poking their noses around my land, meddling with my affairs with the almighty King Koopa, Bowser. Let's just say a few of my colleagues had them locked away somewhere."

"No!" Spike-Mario gasped in alarm, snarling, "Tell me where they are!"

"I'll never tell!" Big Bob-omb chortled. "Oh, and while I'm at it, I'll never give you my precious Power Star. You must defeat me in battle if you want it! You'll be quite helpless facing my Bob-omb minions. Now, put your tongue back in your mouth." He said to Yoshi. "It's quite undignified." Then, he turned to Spike-Mario, "And there's no way I'd lose to a puny mustache like yours. Let's battle!"

Super Mario 64 OST: Boss Fight

With that, the battle begins when the Big Bob-omb stomped his foot on the ground, nearly knocking both Spike-Mario and Yoshi off their feet. Then, as if by some sort of magic, the Big Bob-omb suddenly pulled two of his bob-omb soldiers out of thin air and started throwing them at the two heroes.

Spike and Yoshi's eyes were widened in alarm to see the soldiers' fuses were already lit as they chased them across the summit of the mountain. But then, Yoshi stopped and stuck his tongue out at one of the bob-omb soldiers, swallowing it in his mouth, before spatting it back out at the other attacking soldier, and they both exploded upon impact.

"Aw, no coins?" Spike-Mario moaned. Yoshi shot him a deadpanned look in return, as Spike-Mario blushed. "You're right. Not a good time."

Turning their attention back to the fight, Spike-Mario and Yoshi watch as the Big Bob-omb conjures another henchman and proceeds to throw it at the boys. Reacting fast, Yoshi shot out his tongue at the lit soldier and shot him back at the tyrant bombastic monarch, just as he was about to summon another of his lit henchman in hand.

BOOM!

The countered bob-omb exploded upon impact with the Big Bob-omb, who immediately bounced across around the summit, several times, before he finally came to a stop.

"Ouch! That's smart!" Big Bob-omb groaned, rubbing across his sore behind.

A brief moment with the narrators
Or is it his face? His entire body’s a face, it seems…

Oh, get on with it!

Fine…
This has been a moment with the narrators

The Big Bob-omb stared with intense anger toward the heroes, “You will pay dearly for that, dinosaur!” He huffed, toward Yoshi.

The Big Bob-omb starts chuking more Bob-ombs at the heroes, thought most of his anger was channeled toward Yoshi, who didn’t hesitate to swallow more Bob-ombs with his tongue, before spitting them back toward their king. However, the Big Bob-omb anticipated this, as he quickly rolled to the side, evading the bombs thrown at him, before conjuring several more Bob-ombs to counterattack the ones redirected at him, courtesy of Yoshi. Yoshi shot another lit Bob-omb at the Big Bob-omb, who quickly anticipated the attack by throwing one of his bob-omb soldiers at the incoming living bomb, and together, they explode upon impact, creating a thick cloud of smoke in the process.

"Yoshi?!" Spike-Mario coughed. "Yoshi? Where are-a you?"

"I'm over here!" Yoshi called out through the smokes, when he suddenly finds himself picked up by the tail. "YOSHI?!" Yoshi turned to see he was in the grip of the Big Bob-omb.

"Now I've got you!" Big Bob-omb chortled, as he proceeded to spin the dinosaur around at the speed of a tornado, before he releases his grip and hurled the screaming dinosaur across the flat top summit.

"YOSHI!" Spike-Mario shouted, running as fast as he could, before with a tremendous jump, the dragon in plumber's clothing leapt into the air, grabbing his dinosaur friend by the tail before he was thrown completely off the mountaintop. "I got-a-ya!"

"Thanks!" Yoshi breathed a sigh of relief. He turns his head and shouts: "LOOK OUT!"

The Big Bob-omb leapt into the air and almost stomped on both heroes, if they hadn’t rolled out of the way in time. The Big Bob-omb turned his attention to Yoshi and was about to grab the dinosaur again, when he felt a punch from behind. He turns around and spots Spike-Mario shaking his fist, groaning in pain from the recoiled damage.

"Oh!" Spike-Mario groaned.

Suddenly, he was grabbed by the Big Bob-omb and held him up to his face.

"Is that all you got?" The Big Bob-omb scoffed, hurling Spike-Mario across the summit.

"AAAAHH!!! Spike-Mario screamed, as he rolled across the summit, nearly falling off the edge, had Yoshi not grabbed him by the leg with his tongue.

Just as the two heroes recovered from the adrenaline, the Big Bob-omb conjured another of his henchmen and hurled the lit Bob-omb at the heroes. Then, out of impulse, Spike-Mario leapt in the air and grabbed the flying Bob-omb, mid-air, before with a flip, he tossed the Bob-omb at the Big Bob-omb, who quickly rolled to the side to dodge the fire.

“You’ve got some moves, I’ll give you that,” The Big Bob-omb said.

He threw more lit Bob-ombs at Spike-Mario, who ran for dear life. Just as the soldiers exploded, Spike-Mario narrowly evaded as he performs a cartwheel flip, before proceeding to do some backward somersault to escape the explosion.

“Whoa! This-a-Mario-a guy really does have some-a moves!” Spike-Mario exclaimed.

Pausing for a moment to catch his breath, Spike-Mario turned his head and watched the Big Bob-omb conjure another lit Bob-omb in his hand, which he prepared to throw toward the heroic dragon-turned-plumber. Thankfully, with quick timing, Yoshi snatched the Bob-omb out of the evil bomb king’s hand and spat the living bomb at his adversary.

BOOM!

The Big Bob-omb bounced across the summit, before he stops and rolls back up on his feet to resume the fight. The Big Bob-omb proceeds to throw more of his lit henchmen at Spike and Yoshi, but in this third round, he charged furiously at the two, intent on grabbing them both within his own gloved grip. Spike and Yoshi both jump out of the way in opposite directions, evading the Big Bob-omb, before they grab one of his own lit henchmen and tossed them back at their leader.

However, the Big Bob-omb had no intent on letting himself be blown up again. In response, the Big Bob-omb rolled forward, deflecting his lit soldiers off his shiny surface, while making his way towards Spike and Yoshi. The two heroes turned to run, but the Big Bob-omb grabbed them by the tail and shirt. With our heroes in his grips, he was just about to toss them off his mountain, only he forgot about one of his minions, who was still running with a lit fuse on his head. Before the Big Bob-omb could react, the minion ran into his boss and exploded, knocking the Big Bob-omb off his feet and onto his back, while both Spike and Yoshi were tossed into the air and they landed safely back onto their feet.

“Ow! That hurts!” The Big Bob-omb moaned. “How did I lose to a bald-faced reptile and a puny mustache like you?”

Exhausted from the fight, the large Bob-omb tyrant finally relented and surrendered.

“Let’s just keep this between you and me. I’ll give you my precious Power Star in exchange.”

End of Fight Music

With that, the Big Bob-omb exploded into clouds of sparkles and dusts, revealing only a single Power Star standing where he once was. Tired but triumphant from the battle, Spike and Yoshi immediately ran up towards the star, both grabbing it, and the star dances around them, as both dragon and dinosaur shared a quick victory dance together, "Yeah! We got a Power Star!" Spike cheered.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped in agreement.

After defeating the Big Bob-omb, Yoshi and Spike headed down the mountain to tell their Bob-omb Buddies the good news. Along the way, they found a red coin, on the slope of the mountain.

Gold Coins:30
Red Coin(s): 3=6

Total Coins: 36

Along the way, both Spike-Mario and Yoshi stumble upon a row of eight gold coins circling around a flower bed, in a field just outside the mountain’s gateway.

Gold Coins:38
Red Coin(s): 3=6

Total Coins: 44

After collecting some coins, Yoshi and Spike made it back to their Bob-omb Buddies camp. The leader and his fellow buddies gather around the two heroes.

"Hey guys! We're-a back!" Spike-Mario shouted happily.

"Thank you!" The leading Bob-omb Buddy exclaimed happily. "Oh! And I see you've caught up to Mario! How are you mister? Doing alright?"

"Oh, actually, I'm not-a really-a Mario," With that, Spike-Mario took his hat off, and with a glow of rainbow auras, he reverted back to the little dragon, Spike. "It's me, Spike."

"Oh..." The Bob-omb Buddy sadly noted. "I take it, then you haven't had much luck finding your friends then?"

"Nope..." Spike and Yoshi both shook their heads sadly. "The Big Bob-omb said that the real Mario and my friends are locked away, somewhere. But he didn't say where."

"Yoshi," Yoshi chirped sadly.

"Well, cheer up my friends," The lead Bob-omb Buddy said. "Thanks to you two, the Big Bob-omb is nothing but a big dud now! So that's just one more big victory on this exciting adventure you have just embarked on. And who knows? With luck, you'll be able to find and rescue your friends, save the castle, and Princess Peach!"

Both Spike and Yoshi looked up in surprise at the Bob-omb Buddy, "You guys know about the princess?" Spike asked.

"Of course! All of us who are against the evil Bowser and his evil powers have allied ourselves with the benevolent Princess Peach and her champion, the Mario Bros. And any friends of theirs is a friend of ours, and are willing to lend you whatever we have to achieve victory in our battle against Bowser."

"Yeah! For the princess!" A Bob-omb Buddy shouted, to which he and the others soon followed, chanting, "For the princess! For the princess! For the princess!"

Spike and Yoshi both turn to look at each other, feeling themselves encouraged by the chanting from their Bob-omb Buddies, as they can feel their fighting spirit relit. With a look of determination on their faces, both Yoshi and Spike exchange nods, and Spike puts Mario’s hat back on, as he once again becomes Spike-Mario.

“Let’s-a do this!” Spike-Mario shouts, punching his fist into the air.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi cheered.

“What’s on the agenda?” Spike-Mario asked. “So far, we’ve collected two power stars. The first one we got from a chain-chomping creature—”

“That’s a ‘Chain Chomp’, one of the Bob-omb buddies confirmed.

“Right, the ‘Chain Chomp’,” Spike-Mario resumed. “And the second one we have was after we defeated the Big Bob-omb. So far, we’ve collected at least about 38 gold coins, along with these three red coins, but that’s hardly enough for a 100 count to put together a Power Star. Do you guys know where we should go next?”

The Bob-omb Buddies all exchange looks, murmuring with each other, before one of them steps forward.

“Well, one of the evil Bob-ombs did mention of a star, hidden inside a box, atop the floating island up there.”

The Bob-omb Buddy directs Spike and Yoshi’s attention up to said island.

“Maybe that’s where you could find another Power Star?”

“It’s worth a shot,” Spike frowned. “Though, it looks a little high up.”

“You’re a Dragon, aren’t you?” Yoshi asked. “Couldn’t you just fly up?”

“I guess I could,” Spike replied nervously. “Though, honestly, I usually let Rainbow Dash do all the flying work. I’ve been behind on my wing exercises, so I can’t exactly say I can fly ‘that’ high.”

“Well, if you need help getting to high places, you’re more than welcome to use our cannons,” One of the Bob-omb Buddies offered.

“Your cannons?” Spike-Mario asked.

“Of course! We’re peace-loving Bob-ombs, so we don’t use cannons. But if you’d like to blast off, we don’t mind. Help yourself. We’ll prepare all the cannons in this course for you to use.”

With that, there was a mechanical hum as Spike and Yoshi turned toward the platform, where the Bob-omb Buddies’ cannon once stood, as the lid slid open, granting the heroes passage to the cannon.

“Ready for blastoff!” The Bob-omb Buddy declared. “Come on, hop into the cannon! You can reach the floating island by cannons. Bon voyage!”

Yoshi and Spike turned to look at each other, exchanging worried looks.

“Well, wish me luck, Yoshi!” Spike shrugged.

Spike-Mario took off the red cap as he reverts back to being Spike, as he jumped into the cannon, which hummed as it rises up from its slow, turning a 90 degree angle, before the barrel slowly tilts down, as the Bob-omb Buddies went to work adjusting its angle, to ensure it was aiming for the island.

“Sweet Celestia, and Twilight, please don’t make me regret this!” Spike plead, practically crying his eyes out.

The cannon soon adjusts, setting its target toward the floating island.

“Fire in the hole!” One Bob-omb Buddy shouts.

“WAIT!” Spike screamed.

But it’s too late as the Bob-omb buddy fires the cannon, launching the dragon out with a fierce…

KA-BOOM!

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

Spike flew towards the floating island, his wings beating and flapping futilely against the rushing wind, as the island drew closer and closer. At the peak of his height, Spike closed his eyes, as he beat his wings, stopping himself in mid-air, preventing him from falling to the ground.

“Am I dead?” Spike whimpered.

Slowly blinking his eyes open, the dragon found himself floating in the air, just an inch away from the island. Spike quickly beats his wings toward the edge, as he slumps against a lone tree on the island catching his breath.

“Phew, I made it.” Spike panted heavily, before he lets the adrenaline catch up to him and he hollered, "Whoa, that was...AWESOME! Whew! I should shoot myself out of a cannon more often! Hmm… Better not let Twilight know about this."

After taking a moment to regain his focus, Spike turns his head and discovers a question block floating over where another cannon is located on the island. Spike flies up to the box for a close examination, reaching his claws out to touch it. In a blink of an eye, the box suddenly explodes into confetti, revealing another Power Star.

“Oh yeah!” Spike cheered.

The dragon flies toward the Power Star, collects it, and it dances around him.

“I’ve got a Power Star!”

After the festivity died down for a moment, Spike turns his attention and spots another red coin, floating above the tree. Spike proceeds to add it to his coin collection.

Gold Coins:38
Red Coin(s): 4=8

Total Coins: 46

Spike soon noticed a series of coin rings, floating in the sky, just in front of the island.

“Whoa!” Spike marveled, seeing so many coins.

Just then, a shimmer of sparkles drew his attention towards a signpost on the island, as if beckoning for him to read what it has to say. The sign reads:

If you pass through a coin ring or find a secret point in a course, sometimes a red number will appear. If you trigger five red numbers, a Secret Star will show up.

Spike looked up at the coin rings before him, seeing they formed five rings. Each ring is made up of nine gold coins, with the ninth being the center of each ring. With fierce determination, Spike did a few stretches with his arms, legs, and his wings as he readied himself.

“Okay, just five rings,” Spike said, to himself. “A dragon’s gotta do what a dragon’s gotta do!”

With a kick of his legs, Spike sets himself in a running start, until at the last second, he kicks off, leaps into the air, flapping his wings and became airborne.

He flew through the center of the first ring, causing a red number 1 to magically appear in thin air. Next, he flew downward to pierce through the center of the second ring, before he pulls up and flies through the center of the third ring. Though he narrowly misses the center of the fourth ring, he managed to fly up and touch the center of the fifth ring. Afterwards, Spike made a sharp turn and clips through the center of the fourth ring he missed earlier, earning himself a magical red number 5.

A bright light soon pierces through the air, catching Spike’s eyes to the ground as a Power Star appears in a field not too far away.

“Awesome! I struck Power Star!” Spike hollered, in delight.

Spike proceeds to collect the rest of the remaining floating gold coins, for a total of 45 coins.

Gold Coins:38 + 45 = 83
Red Coin(s): 4=8

Total Coins: 83 + 8 = 91!

With his task complete, Spike flew down to the field to collect his prize, along with the fourth Power Star, where he also happened to find Yoshi, who surprisingly collected another Power Star – the fifth – which just appeared moments before Spike’s arrival.

“Yoshi!” Spike exclaimed, happily. “Whoa, what just happened? How did you find that Power Star?” Yoshi went on chirping excitedly, to which Spike didn’t understand. “Whoa, whoa, wait. Hold that thought.” Spike pulls out Mario’s hat, which he puts on, transforming himself into Spike-Mario. “Okay, start-a from the beginning. If you’ll-a please.”

“Oh, you would not believe what I’ve been through, shortly after you left,” Yoshi began.

Moments earlier

After Spike left for the island, Yoshi was left alone to look around, finding some more coins, when he was approached by a Bob-omb Buddy.

“Excuse me, Yoshi?” The Bob-omb Buddy began. “I couldn’t help but notice you and your friend have been collecting a lot of coins.”

Yoshi nods in confirmation.

“Might I suggest you keep a sharp eye out for red coins? When you collect up to 8 of them, a star will appear.”

“Yoshi! (Really?)” Yoshi chirped.

“So how many red coins have you collected so far?”

Yoshi answers by holding three of his fingers, saying he and Spike have found three red coins.

“Well, you’re in luck!” The Bob-omb Buddy confirmed. “We Bob-omb buddies aren’t just colored red for no reason. We have the power to detect the locations of red coins, everywhere! Here, show me the map.”

Yoshi held out the map to the Bob-omb Buddy, who worked his magic, making small red dots appear on the map.

“Here are some of the red coins that you and your dragon friend have yet to collect. There’s one right next to where we are.”

The Bob-bomb buddy directs Yoshi’s gaze to some rotating platforms, acting as elevators of some sort, with a single red coin floating above them.

Yoshi and the Buddy then turn their attention back to the map, seeing one of them had disappeared, just above the floating isle.

“It looks like your dragon friend already got one. Which leaves only four more here in this course. It’s all up to you now, Yoshi.”

“Yoshi! (Thanks for everything!)” Yoshi chirped.

Soon, Yoshi was on his way with the next red coin not hard to find. As a matter of fact, it was just where the Chain Chomp once was.

Gold Coins: 83
Red Coin(s): 5 = 10
Total Coins: 93

Yoshi then jumps across the tilting bridge, back into the field where he and Spike battled the evil Bob-omb soldiers, where he finds another red coin under the bridge, guarded by a Bob-omb guard. Yoshi made quick work off the Bob-omb, swallowing the living bomb, before spitting it back out toward a wall, causing it to explode into a gold coin, which Yoshi collected along with the red coin.

Gold Coins: 84
Red Coin(s): 6 = 12
Total Coins: 96

Later, Yoshi studied the map noting the last two red coins are located along the next field, surrounded by barb wire. Yoshi made his way back to the surface, heading towards the designated location. Upon arriving, Yoshi was surprised to find a shadowy star in the center. Turning to the nearest signpost, Yoshi reads:

The shadowy star you see before you are the ‘Star Marker’. When you collect all 8 red coins, a Power Star will appear here.

Yoshi didn’t hesitate to collect the final two red coins, thus triggering the appearance of the Power Star from the Star Marker, as the sign promised.

Gold Coins: 84
Red Coin(s): 8 = 16
Total Coins: 100!

Yoshi didn’t hesitate to collect his Power Star, just as Spike arrived to collect his own, which appeared not long after Yoshi.

Present

“And here we are!” Yoshi concluded.

“Wow!” Spike-Mario said, amazed. “Boy, we’ve been-a busy! Points for teamwork! Nice-a job, Yoshi!”

“Yeah!” Yoshi cheered.

Spike and Yoshi share a high five, before realizing that their shared achievements have been tripled, when the coins they had collected all floated out of their bag, merging into one big Power Star, making their total Power Stars to six.

“YEAH! We’ve got a Power Star!” Spike-Mario and Yoshi said, in unison.

After collecting their sixth Power Star, Spike and Yoshi return to the campsite of their friends, the Bob-omb Buddies, who were all cheering excitedly for their new friends’ success.

“Well done, my friends!” The lead Buddy congratulated. “You have collected six Power Stars. The both of you have grown stronger, receiving more power from the castle. But the battle has only just begun. Other enemies have the rest of the Power Stars. Recover the stars to open doors to new worlds and save your friends! My Bob-omb Buddies are waiting for you in other worlds. Be sure to talk to them and they’ll set up cannons for you.”

“Will do, thanks!” Spike said.

Just then, a rectangular shaped doorway appeared out of thin air, revealing the room in the castle both Spike and Yoshi came from.

“Looks like this is our way home, Yoshi,” Spike declared.

As he and Yoshi took their leave, the dragon suddenly remembered something.

“Hey, wait! Do you guys want-a your map-a back?”

“It is yours to keep now,” The Bob-omb leader declared. “I have a very good feeling you will need it if you are going to find the rest of the Power Stars, and rescue all of your friends.”

“We are forever in your debt,” The Bob-omb Buddies said. “Take the stars and be on your way. May the Princess’s light guide you on your path to victory!”

“Will do!” Spike-Mario nodded, smiling. “Again, thank you guys for-a everything!

He turns to Yoshi, who could hardly contain himself, shaking himself eagerly and excited for their next adventure.

“Alright-a, Yoshi! Let’s-a go!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

Yoshi and Spike raced toward the portal, returning them back to the castle.

Location: Prince Peach’s Castle

The portrait of the Bob-omb Battlefield rippled as Spike and Yoshi appeared from the enchanted painting, landing back along the checkered platform of the room.

The Toad, who guided them to jump into the portrait earlier, was surprised and joyful to see them.

“Oh! You’re back!” Toad exclaimed, happily.

Toad ran up to meet with both Spike and Yoshi.

“Wow!” Spike panted. “What a rush!”

Spike eventually noticed he was no longer human, but his true dragon self.

“Huh? I’m me again?”

He looks at himself, then to Yoshi, and eventually back to the portrait as a theory pops in his head.

“Guess I can’t be Spike-Mario when outside the painting, huh?” He pondered, shaking his head. “Too bad. I was having fun being Spike-Mario. But what matters now is we’ve got the Power Stars!”

Yoshi nods his head in agreement.

“Now question is: Where to next?”

“How about you take the stairs up to the princess’s room?” Toad suggested. “And while you’re at it, you can use the stars to unlock all of the sealed doors in the main lobby. That would be a good start.”

“Will do!” Spike nodded.

Soon Spike and Yoshi left the room toward the main lobby. Once there, the two heroes quickly head up the stairs toward the second floor and ran straight towards the door framed by white structures along the far right, with a star symbol and the number 1 imprinted on it.

Spike and Yoshi approach the door, when one of the Power Stars they collected materialized in front of them and the door. The pair watch the star spin several times, bathing the door in a shower of sparkling light, before it disappears. Reacting to the Power Star, the door slowly opens, granting safe passage for the two heroes.

Author's Note

Power Stars collected so far.

Bob-omb battlefield: 6 stars (including the one via 100 coins)

Up Next:
The Great Mission to Rescue Mario and Pinkie Pie!

The Great Mission to Rescue Mario and Pinkie Pie

Upon walking into the room, both Yoshi and Spike were baffled by what they discovered. They were standing in a large round room, with a single red carpet that takes them from the door they had entered to another door on the other side. On the left and the right sides are stained glass windows of a blonde lady in a pink dress, picking roses – no doubt, it's Princess Peach. What's baffling about the room are four strange doors – two on both sides of the door along the other end.

The two doors on the left are framed with green and red outlines, each marked with the letter ‘L’ and ‘M’ respectively. The two doors on the right are framed with yellow and white outlines, with the yellow door marked with the letter ‘W’.

"What are all these strange doors?" Spike asked, as he and Yoshi went up to investigate them.

The two heroes walk over to the door marked with an M, pulling on the knobs to find it was locked. But someone was calling for help on the other side, "Oooowhooooaaaaa…"

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped in alarm, before he goes over to the door marked with an L to find that it was also locked. But the dinosaur could hear someone was shrieking on the other side.

"Doooooohoohoohoho!"

"Mama Luigi!" Yoshi chirps sadly, before both he and Spike quickly went to third door to find it was also locked.

The two leaned their heads against the door to hear someone is growling on the other side.

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!" The occupant growled, before he loudly proclaims. "MUST. RAGE. NAP!" With a fart and a squeak, the occupant loudly(and obnoxiously) snored as he quickly fell asleep.

From the outside, Spike and Yoshi slowly turned to each other, looking rather uncomfortable at what they heard, before they shrugged their shoulders and turned to the next door.

Like the previous three, the fourth door was also locked, and it's eerily quiet on the other side.

After they were done investigating, Spike and Yoshi walked to the center of the room, "Well Yoshi," Spike began. "I think it's safe to say we found your missing friends."

Yoshi nods in response as he pointed to the letters on each door, "Yoshi, Yoshi." He chirped.

Spike followed the dinosaur's fingers as he nodded, getting on what he's on about, "Yeah, he was kind enough to mark each door for us. Thank you for noticing," Spike sighed, turning to the blank door. "Hmmm... I wonder if he was going to reserve that room for you and me if we got captured... I don't even want to think about it..." He shuddered, before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Now how do we get them out? Where are the keys?"

Yoshi nodded, agreeing to the dilemma he and the young dragon found themselves in, when a shower of gold light sparkles caught his and Spike's eyes. The two followed the sparkles, to reveal a sign hanging on a wall in the room, as if beckoning for the two to read its message.

"Greetings. I am Princess Peach. My castle is in great peril!! I know it's because of Bowser again. Will he never tire of terrorizing us? He stole the castle's Power Stars and disappeared into the walls along with us! Retrieve all of the Power Stars from the walls and the paintings in the castle. But there are some secret stars that Bowser had overlooked. Here is a hint: there are secret paths in this room, and one of them leads to a Secret Star! Find the Secret Star! It will help you on your quest."

Once they were done reading the message, Spike and Yoshi looked around in the room, searching for the secret path to the said Secret Star, "But how are we suppose to find a secret star that even Bowser doesn't know?" Spike asked.

Thinking, he leans against the stained-glass window on the right, only to fall through, "WHOA!" He wailed, as he disappears into the window.

"YOSHI!" Yoshi chirped in alarm, as he sprang up on his feet and chased after the little dragon.

The Princess's Secret Slide

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!” Spike wailed.

The little dragon fell through the window, landing on the floor of another room.

"Whoa! Where am I now?"

“YOSHI!”

Alarmed, the little dragon looked above and quickly ducked to the side, just as the green dinosaur arrived.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

“Hey, Yoshi!” Spike greeted, happily. “Glad I’m not here by myself.”

The two looked around at their new surroundings, to see that they've landed in some part of the castle, with nothing special, but a long slide. "Looks like this is the place," Spike deduced. "This must be where the Secret Star is hidden. But where?"

Yoshi spots and points to another signpost, which he and Spike hurry over to read:

Welcome to Princess Peach's Secret Slide! Bowser doesn't know about the hidden Star here. If you can slide under 21 seconds, then you'll win something even more special than just a single Power Star!

Spike and Yoshi peer down at the long slide, unsure of what awaits them on the other end.

"Are we really going to do this?" Spike asked.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi nodded.

Before Spike could respond, Yoshi kicked his feet and slid down the slide.

“Hey!” Spike shouted. “Wait for me!”

Spike dives after the dinosaur, skidding along down the slide.

Speed of Light – Joe Satriani

“Whoa!” Spike hollered.

Spike and Yoshi slide down, turning left toward a trail of gold coins, which they followed as they turned another left, finding themselves sliding down a slope that took a steep drop.

“WHOA!!” Spike screamed.

“YOSHI!!” Yoshi screeched.

Ahead, the two saw the slide made a turn toward the right. The only problem: There was no rail to keep the two from falling off the slide, into the bottomless pit below.

“Turn right! Turn right!”

“Yoshi!”

Both Spike and Yoshi make a quick right turn, only to find the slide makes a full circle, taking the boys down a bumpy set of slides. Along the way, Spike and Yoshi happen upon a sparkling green mushroom, which disappeared the moment they touched it, with a red number and letters that read: “1-Up”.

“Huh?” Spike asked. “What was that?”

Yoshi casually shrugged his shoulders, before the boys resume their focus on their trip down the slide.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Spike screamed, holding onto Yoshi.

Just as they hit the rails, the slide took a sudden winding turn, and our two heroes end up bouncing off the walls, like two spinning pinballs.

“WHOA!” Spike yelled. “STOP THIS CRAZY THING!”

“YOSHI! (I CAN’T!)” Yoshi wailed.

After what felt like 9 seconds, Spike and Yoshi finally cease spinning and tumble-rolled down the last stretch of the slide, where a black-and-white checkered pattern marked the finish line. Upon crossing, a fanfare of trumpets played from somewhere, signaling the end of the boys’ little race.

After a moment to collect themselves, Spike and Yoshi look up to the monitor screen appearing from the wall, displaying their time record: 0’29”18.

"Aw, darn it!" Spike stomped his foot in frustration. "Looks like all that spin took our time off."

"Yoshi," Yoshi nodded, before he and Spike turn to see the block floating in the air, above a platform.

They both walked up to the block and touched it, causing it to explode into confettis, revealing the Secret Star they came for.

With that, Spike and Yoshi grabbed the star, which dances around them as Spike cheered, "Yeah! We got a Power Star!"

"Yoshi!"

Power Stars: 6 + 1 = 7

Next thing they know, a large hole suddenly appears below them, as the pair comically fall through the hole.

Princess Peach's Castle – Main Lobby

Emerging from the other end, Spike and Yoshi find themselves back in the main lobby.

“Huh?” Spike exclaimed, flabbergasted. “What’re we doing back here?”

“Yoshi?”

“Yoshi? Spike?”

The boys turned toward Toad, approaching them from the main entrance.

“What’re you doing back here?!” The Toad exclaimed. “I thought you guys were up there.”

Toad motions toward the princess’s room, which our heroes came from.

“We were!” Spike replied. “At least we found a Secret Star.”

“You guys found a Secret Star?” The Toad gasped.

“Yoshi!”

“Sure did,” Spike nodded. “I think we also found out where Mario and his pals are.”

“You’ve found Mario and his buddies?” The Toad asked. “That’s great news! But where are they?”

Spike and Yoshi both face each other for a moment, before Spike answered.

“Believe it or not, they’re in the princess’s room. Apparently Bowser locked them up and threw away the keys. Now they’re behind these weird doors.”

“Yoshi,” Yoshi nodded, sadly.

“Aw, that’s too bad,” Toad frowned. “But if Bowser’s really locked them up, he must’ve given the keys to a few of his lackeys. If you guys keep searching for the stars, I know you’ll find the keys and free Mario and his buddies!”

“Let’s hope so,” Spike shrugged. “Hopefully, we’ll find my friends too.”

Just then, a thought occurred to the little dragon.

“By the way, Toad, how many Power Stars are there?”

“Well, there are a 150 Power Stars, and 8 of them are hidden in 15 courses, throughout the castle. Some of them have been hidden away from Bowser so he couldn’t get to them,” Toad calculated. “And it looks like you’ve found a few of them. If you could manage to find them all, we’ll be able to turn the tide against Bowser and banish him and his goons from the castle. Hopefully for good this time.”

“150 stars?!” Spike exclaimed. “Boy, that’s a lot of work, even for both of us!”

Yoshi couldn’t help but nod in agreement.

“Hey, y’know, if you guys are tired, then it’s best if you work on freeing Mario and his buddies for the moment,” Toad suggests. “You know what they say? Divide and conquer. And if you work as a team, you can get the work done quicker!”

Spike and Yoshi turn to each other, nodding in agreement.

“Well then, what’re we waiting for?” Spike asked. “C’mon Yoshi! Let’s go free Mario!”

“Yoshi!”

The two raced back up the stairs, returning to the princess’s room. When they arrived, they saw it was exactly the way they left it. Nothing had changed. Spike approaches the red door, marked with the letter “M”.

“Hey, uh, Mr. Mario?” Spike called. “If you can hear me, me and Yoshi are gonna get you outta there!”

Spike and Yoshi turn to the door in the middle, opening it to the side and entered. Inside, they appeared to be in a little kid’s room, with walls painted pink, the white floors decorated in multicolor polka dots. Everywhere they look, Spike and Yoshi saw the neatest looking trinkets: A toy piano in the corner, stacked with a red-and-green Koopa shell, next to a large drawer containing colored boxes – up to 40 boxes, but the game only has 36 mini-games – with other box loads of toys, Bob-ombs, stars, and mushrooms, with a mushroom-styled table sitting to the left, and just by the entrance where the boys came from.

“What is this place?” Spike asked.

“Oh, this is the Rec Room,” A voice answered, revealing himself to be a Toad. “This is where the princess loves to play games in the big drawer behind me, since she was just a child.”

“Really?” Spike asked, looking at the drawer. “She must really like playing games to have this many.”

“She sure does,” The Toad nodded, sighing. “Whenever she wasn’t running the kingdom, she would often come here to relive her days when she was a little girl… That is, if she’ll ever play again. What with her imprisoned in the walls by Bowser with the rest of us and everything, even if she does get rescued, it still won’t matter without the keys to her drawer.”

“How so?” Spike asked.

“It all went so fast,” The Toad answered, continuing. “One moment, I was just in this room, cleaning the place up when Bowser attacked the castle and I… Somehow, I’ve lost the keys to the drawer. If the princess finds out about this, I’ll be chewed out big time.

“Ah c’mon, I’m sure the princess will understand. It’s not exactly your fault.”

“Maybe, but I’m not taking any chances. Can you guys help me? I know you’re already busy with finding all the Power Stars and everything, but I really need your help to find the keys. Can you do it? Pretty please?”

Spike and Yoshi face each other, before turning their attention back to Toad.

“We’ll keep an eye out for them,” Spike shrugged. “Though, I can’t make a promise we’ll find them.”

“Fair enough,” The Toad nodded, understandingly.

Turning to the left, Yoshi approached a portrait of what appears to be some islands, surrounded by a large ocean. Spike reached to touch the portrait and saw it rippled, like the one to the Bob-omb Battlefield.

“Looks like another star is here, Yoshi,” Spike declared.

Together, he and Yoshi jump into the portrait, vanishing out of sight in their next pursuit for another Power Star.

Sunshine Isles

Upon arriving in the next world, Spike and Yoshi splashed into the large, shallow waters. Gasping for air, the two reptile heroes discovered it wasn’t deep as they stood on a small island, between two large palm trees. Looking ahead, they saw four more islands, three small ones surrounding the larger one in the center.

“Whoa!” Spike gasped. “Nice place! I’m thinking of coming back here for a vacation sometime.”

The young dragon breathed in the fragrant smell of the beach, turning to the right where he and Yoshi spy a clear crystal ball, in the shape of a disco ball. Spike also finds a sign beside it, reading it:

“The clear ball you see in front of you is a Star Sphere. When you get all 5 Silver Stars, the Power Star will appear inside the Star Sphere.”

“Silver Stars, huh?”

Spike reached into his backpack, whipping out the map he and Yoshi got from their Bob-omb Buddies before spying five Silver Stars flashing. Two of them were on the large island in the center, with one moving around above the water, and two others located on two separate islands.

Spike and Yoshi proceed to follow the map, beginning their search for the five silver stars. Thankfully, the water was shallow enough for the boys to wade in, and they weren’t required to swim to the islands. The first star they found was on the big island, at the top of its hill, the lone silver star dancing next to a palm tree.

To get there, though, Spike and Yoshi found themselves contending with two Goomba on the island, as well as a ravenous plant, with razor sharp teeth, like a Piranha’s. Luckily, the plant was fast asleep, leaving only the Goombas to worry about, which Yoshi made quick work off, swallowing one into an egg before stomping the other into a gold coin.

Following the unpleasantries, they collected their first star. Spike turns and spots the second star dancing atop the palm tree on another island behind the center one.

“I’ll get it!” Spike volunteers, flying off to collect the star.

After completing the small task, Spike turns toward a small cave at the base of the center island, where the third silver star lies. Spike quickly collects the star from the cave, turning around to meet Yoshi, who somehow managed to catch up.

“Okay, Yoshi!” Spike smiled. “That’s three silver stars and only two more to go!”

Spike quickly whips out the map for him and Yoshi to study. According to the map, the fourth star is located on a small isle that is a hop-skip-and-jump away from them. After collecting the fourth star, the boys look back at the map to see the fifth and final star moving towards them.

“What the—”

Suddenly, Spike and Yoshi look up to see that the final star was in the clutches of a large bird, specifically a condor.

“Hey! Excuse me, Mr. Bird?!” Spike called out, to no avail. “Hey, hello! We need that star! Come back here! Can we please have it?”

But it was fruitless. The bird kept flying away, carrying the silver star in its talon.

“It’s no use, Yoshi! How are we—”

Spike’s eyes widen in alarm when he spots Yoshi holding his egg up, aiming it directly at the bird.

“N-N-N-No, Yoshi! Don’t—”

But it was too late. With a swing of his arm, Yoshi tossed the egg at the bird, landing a direct hit. In a flurry of eggshells and feathers, the bird dropped the silver star into the water, with a single gold coin. The bird, meanwhile, was left disoriented and in a daze, after being attacked by a flying egg. Shaking its head a moment to recover, the bird cocked its head and sights the assailants who attacked it.

With a loud caw, the bird swooped down toward the dinosaur and dragon, its claws outstretched. Spike and Yoshi quickly duck their heads in the water, as the bird flies over them.

“Way to go, Yoshi!” Spike frowned. “You just had to make it mad!”

The two look up to see the bird making a turn, making another dive at them.

“RUN FOR IT!”

Both Spike and Yoshi kick themselves into a run, splashing the water with their feet, running for dear life to escape from the angry bird.

*Rimshot*

While running, they passed the final silver star, which bounced along the water where it was dropped by the bird. Before the bird could snatch at one of the heroes with its talons, Yoshi and Spike made a sudden stop as they lunged for the final star, while the bird flew overhead again.

“Got it!” Spike panted.

As promised, a Power Star materializes inside the clear ball, which both Spike and Yoshi quickly noticed on the map.

“Quick, Yoshi!” Spike shouts, frantically. “Back to where we came from!”

Both Spike and Yoshi got up on their feet, running back toward the island they were on. The angry bird, however, was still in hot pursuit.

“I’m sorry about what my friend did to you, Mr. Bird,” Spike called out. “But we really need that star!”

Spike and Yoshi kept running to reach the Power Star. A loud caw drew their attention, as the bird made another dove towards the pair.

“Yoshi! Duck!”

The two quickly duck their heads, barely evading the bird’s sharp claws, as it flew overhead. Realizing it missed its targets again, the bird flapped its wings and climbs back up into the air again. Taking advantage of the bird’s absence, Spike and Yoshi both lunge towards the crystal ball on the first island, smashing it to pieces, and reclaiming the Power Star.

“Phew!” Spike gasped, tiredly but triumphant. “We got the Power Star!”

Power Stars: 7 + 1 = 8

“Yoshi!” Yoshi yelped in alarm.

The little dinosaur points toward the bird, diving towards them again. Spike looks up with wide eyes.

“Yikes! Tweety’s back!”

Before the bird could snatch either of the heroes with its claws, a portal to the castle quickly opens up, and the two heroes dive into it. The portal closes itself before the bird arrived, vanishing into thin air, causing the bird to miss and crash into a palm tree.

Princess Peach's Castle | The Princess's Room

"WHOA!"

Spike and Yoshi fall out of the painting, crashing back into the REC room, where the Toad was waiting for them.

"Oof!" Spike grunted. “Might have to do a raincheck on that vacation!”

"Oh! You're back!" Toad exclaimed happily, as he went over to help the two up. "So how'd it go?"

"If you don't count the part where we almost got attacked by a very big angry bird," Spike glared at Yoshi, who shrugged in response. "We had a great time. We just scored ourselves another Power Star! Which makes it number 8."

"Number 8?" The Toad exclaimed. "Oh, that's wonderful! Now you can open the sealed door that requires 8 Power Star!" He pointed to the door that is in the back of the REC room.

After a moment to catch their breath, Spike and Yoshi walked up to the door, with the number 8 printed on the star. Just like what happened before, outside of the princess's room, a star materialized before the door, spinning several times, bathing the door in a shower of sparkling light, before it disappears. Reacting to the Power Star, the door slowly opens.

Spike and Yoshi both looked at each other for a moment, slowly opening the door, walking in to find an empty room. There was nothing in the room, except for a large glassy window that stood in front of them, and to the right is a portrait of a man with a large round nose, with blue eyes, black mustache, and wears a large red cap with the letter M in the white circle, matching red shirt beneath a blue overall with gold buckles.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped excitedly, pointing at the portrait.

Spike didn't need to think twice at who they were looking at, "I take it that's the Super Mario guy I've been hearing about?" Spike asked.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi nodded excitedly, and he was the first to dive into the painting, which rippled following his entry.

"Hey, wait for me!" Spike called, as he dove after Yoshi.

Goomboss Battle – Obstacle Course

Upon arriving, Spike and Yoshi found themselves standing on a tall tree trunk, with a ramp pointing down to a checkered platform. Looking ahead, Spike and Yoshi could see the entire layout of the new course they had entered. Everywhere they looked, they see the entire course is made up of several platforms that stand over some strange purple fogs, and a large abyss on the sides. Some of the platforms appeared to be stationary, while others looked like they could tilt either way, and some were rising up and down, amidst the fog. In the center of the stage is a mesh grate the heroes can hang and swing from, as well as some brick blocks, much like the ones in the Bob-omb Battlefield.

At the far right of Spike and Yoshi appeared to be a long platform that leads them to a tall tower, with a wall of red meshed grates.

"Wow, this place is huge," Spike commented. "Mario must be around here somewhere," He said as he whips out the map, looking at the layout of the course, and looked to see a large red x marked at the top-right corner of the map, over a tall tree. "Hmm, how convenient. X-marks the spot?" He asked Yoshi.

The two heroes proceeded to slide down the tree trunk they were standing on, down onto the checkered platform, where a lone Goomba spotted them and charged at them from the left. Again, Yoshi made quick work of it, when he swallowed the attacking creature and laid it out in another egg.

Spike and Yoshi continued to be on their way, hopping onto a tilting platform that resembled an upside-down pyramid. The platform began to tilt onto their side, only for Spike and Yoshi to jump off the other end, onto another checkered platform, where another Goomba was standing. Unfortunately for the Goomba, both Spike and Yoshi landed on top of its head, flattening it to the ground as a pancake, and it disappeared in a puff of smokes, leaving behind a gold coin.

Spike turned to look at Yoshi, who could only shrug in response. The two heroic reptiles then pressed onward, coming up to three rising platforms that moved up above the strange purple fogs, and moved back down, beneath the fogs.

Curious, Spike took a quick sniff at the strange fogs, and immediately regretted it. He coughed viciously as he recoiled from the foul stench, "Ew! That's terrible!" He groaned, while Yoshi walked up beside him, stroking his hand comfortably over the dragon's back to calm and sooth him.

Afterwards, the two were on their way. Both dragon and dinosaur proceeded with great cautions not to be on the platforms, just as they were dipping back, beneath the fogs. Once they were on the other side, they arrived on another platform, where they had another encounter with some Goomba guards.

The Goombas charged towards Spike and Yoshi to attack, but Spike and Yoshi retaliated, with the young dragon breathing a green fireball, while Yoshi lobbed his egg at the two creatures, and they disappeared in puffs of smokes, leaving behind gold coins.

After their battle, Spike and Yoshi were on their way to what appeared to be a tall beanstalk, growing from potted soil, taking them up to a floating round platform, connected by a rope bridge which leads to the trees, which according to the map is where the red x is marked.

To get there, Spike and Yoshi had to sneak pass another Piranha Plant that was sleeping. Then, when Spike and Yoshi came to the beanstalk, they find themselves surrounded by a Lakitu, much like the Lakitu Bros. they met outside the castle.

"Hey look! It's one of those Lakitu Bros." Spike pointed. "Yo, Lakitu! What brings you here?" But rather than answering, the flying Koopa held out a red spiky ball, which it lobbed at the two reptiles. "HEY! What's the big idea?"

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped, holding his arm out, protectively over Spike.

The two watched as the ball unrolled, revealing itself to be a small, spine-shelled quadrupedal turtle with menacing eyes. The small turtle slowly advanced upon the heroes. Spike looked up at the Lakitu that attacked them, who reached into its cloud, pulling out another spiky ball, which it was about to throw at the heroes. Reacting fast, Yoshi stuck his tongue out to swallow the spiny creature, before spitting it back at the Lakitu, who exploded into smokes, leaving behind five gold coins.

"Whew, it's raining coins," Spike smirked.

The two heroes proceeded to climb up the beanstalk, up to another platform, where they walked across the rope bridge, fighting off some more Goombas.

Somewhere in the trees, a lone pink pony played herself a harmonica, while sitting in a cage. Just then, she starts to bounce as her whole body trembled, tingling out of control. She turns to see a sight for sore eyes.

“Hey! Is that Spike with a green dinosaur?”

Springing up to her hooves, Pinkie Pie desperately banged against the bars.

“SPIKE!” Pinkie called. “IT’S ME, PINKIE PIE! COME BACK!”

Unfortunately, Pinkie was so far away, and her call was too faint for Spike to hear. Reluctantly, Pinkie watched miserably as Spike and Yoshi were on their way to rescue Mario.

“Look at me!” Pinkie Pie sobbed. “Please!”

But all the pink party pony could do is watch helplessly, while Spike and Yoshi left. Her mane deflates even further as her coat slowly turns gray.

Back with Spike and Yoshi, the two had arrived at their destination, at the top of a tree, looking down at a dark hole.

Spike looked back at the map, "This must be it," He said to Yoshi, who nodded in agreement.

Without wasting another second, Spike and Yoshi jumped into the hole.

Goomboss Battle

Upon arriving from the other end of the hole, Spike and Yoshi were both shocked and startled to see standing before them was a large goomba, who appeared to stand almost as taller and larger than the Big Bob-omb. In appearance, the giant goomba has bushy white eyebrows and mustache that framed his crazed, angry face, with a bejeweled red crown atop his head, and appeared to be wearing a red and white striped pants.

"Whoa!" Spike moaned. "That's a big Goomba!"

"Bwa ha ha ha!" The Giant Goomba chortled. "I am no ordinary Goomba... I am Goomboss, the Great Goomba, the grand pooh-bah Goomba. That Mario always stomp on us. But now the tables have turned. I have locked him away in a room. I bet he's crying like a baby. I have no business with the two of you, now scram! There's no way a couple of prehistoric wimps like you could beat my stupendous stomps!"

"What a boom box," Spike said, mocking the giant Goomba.

"WHAT?!" Goomboss bellowed, as he stomped his feet and gave chase after the dragon and dinosaur.

Super Mario 64 Boss Battle

Spike and Yoshi quickly beat their feet as they took off running away from the giant Goomba, "Wait, what am I running for? I have wings!" Spike smacked himself in the head, as he quickly flapped his wings and took to the air. The young dragon flapped his wings, putting some distance between him and Goomboss, before he dives down, sticking his little foot out for a kick.

"HI-YAH!" Spike screamed, as he dives towards Goomboss, landing a kick to his face.

"Hahaha, that tickles," Goomboss chortled, unfazed by the little dragon's attack.

"Oh yeah?" Spike then inhaled a gust of air, before he breathes a burst of green fire at the enormous Goomba monarch. "How's that?"

Goomboss stood, unamused with his face covered in black soots and burns, and the tip of his mustache burning slightly, "Was that your best shot?" Goomboss scowled. "Now let me show you mine." With a large stomp, three Goombas suddenly appeared in puffs of smokes before Spike and Yoshi, guarding their leader.

Though, both Spike and Yoshi's eyes were widened in alarm to see the Goombas before them aren't regular Goombas. One of them appeared to have wings, while the other two wore green helmets, with pointy spikes atop their heads.

"Seize them!" Goomboss ordered boomingly.

With that, the three Goomba henchmen give chase, with the two Spiky Goomba chasing Yoshi, while the winged Goomba pursued Spike. Spike tried to blast the flying Goomba out of the air with his green fireballs, but the winged Goomba did some arial spins, gracefully and effortlessly evaded the dragon's fires. The two Spiky Goombas chased after Yoshi, each attempting to jab their spike helms at the green dinosaur's behind, to which Yoshi avoided by running faster, and jumping in the air at the last second, just as a spiky Goomba lunged forward.

Eventually, Yoshi finds himself surrounded, with two Spiky Goombas on his left and right, a bottomless abyss in front of him, and a pool of purple toxic fogs behind him.

Goomboss came stomping up, having caught up to the dinosaur and chortled, "Nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide," With another stomp of his foot, he roared. "GET HIM!"

With that, the two Spike Goombas charged after Yoshi, who jumped at the last second to evade the two spikes. He looked down to see the worst has yet to pass, when the two Spike Goombas pointed their spikes at the dinosaur, just as he was about to land.

Yoshi quickly kicked his feet in the air, desperately fluttering himself in the air, as he puts some distance between him and the Goombas. But he couldn't keep the motion going forever as his legs gave out, and Yoshi was about to fall on top of the Goombas' spikes.

"YOSHI!" Spike shouted, as he came diving towards the green dinosaur, shoving him to the side, away from the two Spiky Goombas, saving the dinosaur's behind.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped, thanking Spike, before noticing the winged Goomba that was chasing Spike was diving bomb towards them.

Reacting fast, Yoshi shot his tongue out at the dive-bombing Goomba, swallowing it completely in his mouth, before he laid another green spotted egg, like before. Picking the egg up in his arm, Yoshi lobbed it towards the remaining attacking Goombas, ricocheting off of the Spike Goombas, causing them to disappear into puffs of smokes, before the egg smacks into Goomboss's face, breaking into little eggshells upon impact.

Angered from the dinosaur's attack, Goomboss's whole face turned boiling red, "How dare you strike me!" Puffing with rage, Goomboss grew twice as big than he was before, as he towers over Yoshi and Spike. With another stomp of his feet, Goomboss summoned another troop of Goomba henchmen to do battle with him.

This time, there were two winged Goombas and four Spiky Goombas. All six Goomba henchmen charged after the two heroes, who both charged forward to return the attacks. Spike took a deep breath as he a let out a burst of green fires on the arena, causing the Spiky Goombas to stop in their tracks, scared out of their minds to walk through the fire, while the winged Goombas flew over the flames. The two flying Goombas were about to tackle Spike, only for Yoshi to quickly snatch one of them out of the air, laying an egg and hurled it at its winged comrades and the other four Spiky Goombas.

Angered to see his henchmen have been defeated by a little purple dragon and a green dinosaur, Goomboss jumped up in the air, stomping the ground furiously, creating a tremendous earthquake that nearly knocked Yoshi off his feet. Yoshi looked up, eyes widened to see the furious giant Goomba charging towards him.

"YOSHI!" With a yelp, Yoshi took off running for dear life, with Goomboss chasing him.

Spike flapped his wings as he flew circles around the giant Goomba, "Come on! Try and get me!" Spike taunted. "Oh wait, you can't. Because you don't have any arms!" The young dragon then blew a raspberry, until his wings stopped flapping and they were crunched against his body, and he felt himself being crushed by an invisible force, as if he was in the grip of a giant hand. "Hey! What's going on? What gives?" Spike grunted, as he was brought to Goomboss's face.

"We Goombas may not have arms," The large Goomba boomed. "But what we lack in limbs, we make up for with great mental powers, like telekinesis." With a cackle and a flick of his head, Goomboss flung Spike away, crashing into Yoshi, and they nearly fell off the arena. Thankfully, Spike managed to save himself from the fall, with the aid of his wings, while Yoshi held onto the edge with all his strength.

"Hang on, Yoshi!" Spike said, as he struggled to pull his dinosaur friend back up. "I got ya!"

"YOSHI!" Yoshi screamed, alerting Spike to turn his head in time to see Goomboss approaching them.

"Game over... for you!" Goomboss chortled, raising his foot up to stomp on the two boys.

Thinking fast, Yoshi kicked his legs up against the structures of the arena, fluttering himself back up the ledge, taking both himself and Spike out of harm's way. With Goomboss mildly distracted for having missed his targets, Spike and Yoshi took the moment to attack him from behind, with Yoshi charging forward with a tail whip, while Spike breathed a massive fireball
that exploded upon impact, scorching Goomboss from behind.

Burning himself in an even brighter shade of furious red, Goomboss snarled, "No! I will not lose!" He puffed himself even bigger, as he stomped even more angrily, summoning a troop of nine Goomba henchmen, with the same pattern as before.

Goomboss leapt proceeded to stomp furiously, chasing both Spike and Yoshi, as he leads his army of Goombas after them. Yoshi took off running, with Spike flying alongside him.

"What do we do now, Yoshi?" Spike panted. "We can't keep this up forever."

Yoshi thought of a plan while running, before he turns to Spike, making gestures with his hands, and pointed to his mouth. Spike seemed to catch on what Yoshi was getting at, "You've got to be kidding me," He moaned, before looking behind them to see that Goomboss wasn't slowing down. "Well, what choice do we have? Just make it quick!"

Spike curled himself up into a ball, as he lets Yoshi swallow him in his mouth, before the dinosaur laid the young dragon out as an egg. Then with a turn of his whole body, Yoshi hurled the egg at Goomboss, hitting him in the face, shattering and freeing Spike upon impact.

Goomboss stopped dead in his track, furious to be hit thrice.

"Beaten by a couple of pipsqueaks like you..." Goomboss grumbled. "How did that happen? Is it just the Goombas' fate to lose?" The Goomboss was just on the verge to explode, as it states, "I have Mario locked up in a room, you know. This key will open up to his room! I still can't believe you beat me."

[End of Boss Fight Music]

With those final words, Goomboss exploded into a thousand Goombas that disappeared in a puff of smokes, leaving behind a single gold key, engraved with the letter M.

Spike and Yoshi didn't hesitate to pick up the key, punching their fists up in the air at their triumphant victory.

Once again, Pinkie Pie sat miserably in the cage, playing a depressing tune on her harmonica. Just then, Pinkie turned and saw Spike and Yoshi return from their triumphant victory over Goomboss. Discarding the harmonica, she frantically digs into her mane, tossing aside cupcake pans, random portraits, a future script of ‘Game Quest’…

GIVE ME THAT! *Snatches the script*

“Sorry!” Pinkie shouts to the sky.

Finally, she pulled out a megaphone and shouts:

"SPIKE! IT'S ME! PINKIE PIE! UP HERE! SAVE ME!!"

"What the what?" Spike stammered, as he and Yoshi stopped in their track. "Hey Yoshi. Did you hear that? That sounded like..." Spike and Yoshi looked up, before their eyes widened up to see one of Spike's missing friends, Pinkie Pie, waving her hoof out for him and Yoshi, from her cage. "Pinkie Pie?!" Spike exclaimed, as he and Yoshi looked up to see the pink pony herself, in her cage, atop one of the trees.

"Sweet Celestia! Pinkie Pie!" Spike shouted as he and Yoshi ran up to the tree, holding the pink pony in her cage. "Is that really you?"

"Omigosh! Omigosh! Omigosh! Spike! Is it really you?!" Pinkie Pie chirped happily. "How did you find me?"

"Well, it's a long story," Spike replied. "But how do we get you out of there?"

"See that switch over there?" Pinkie Pie pointed to a large strange transparent pink box, with an exclamation point in the center. "Step on it, and it'll unlock my cage!"

Spike and Yoshi did just that. Upon pressing the switch down, Pinkie's cage immediately unfolded, freeing the pink pony from her prison.

"I'M FREE!" Pinkie Pie bounced happily, as she tackled Spike into a spin and they both rolled on the ground, with Pinkie Pie snuggling her cheek against Spike. "Oh, Spikey! I'm so happy you came and rescued me! I thought I'd never see you again!"

"I'm glad to see you too, Pinkie Pie," Spike groaned from the death gripping hug. "But can we go now? We've got to free the others. Starting with Mario."

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie Pie smiled.

After they left the course of Goomboss, Spike, Yoshi, and Pinkie Pie hurried back to the room with the four locked doors, where they stood before the door that holds Mario captive. Yoshi held out the key as he inserted it into the keyhole, and with a turn, the door was unlocked with a loud click.

Spike and Yoshi both opened the doors up, just as the jumpan himself exited with a holler and a front flip, as he makes a grand entrance, "YIPPEE!!!" Mario hollered, as he took his hat off. "Mario!"

"Hey Mario!" Pinkie Pie greeted happily, to which Mario turned around and smiled.

"Hahaha, Pinkie Pie! You save-a Mario!" Mario laughed, as he hugged the jumpy pink pony.

"Oh no, it wasn't me, Mario!" Pinkie Pie smiled. "It was Spike and his green dinosaur friend, Yoshi, over there. They saved you, right after they saved me from the Goombas!"

"Oh?" Mario looked up, surprised and shocked to see a little purple dragon, standing next to his dinosaur friend, Yoshi. "Oh? You battled-a Goomboss and rescued-a me?"

"Sure did," Spike smiled.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped in agreement.

With that, Mario smiled as he shook the little dragon's claws, "Way to go! Number one!" He congratulated Spike.

"Thanks!" Spike blushed, as he and Mario stopped shaking hands. "Anyway, it's nice to finally meet you, Mario! I've heard so much about you! I'm Spike by the way."

"Nice-a to meet-a you, Spike!" Mario tipped his hat. "So, you're a friend of Princess-a Twilight and the ponies-a then?"

"Of course!" Pinkie Pie smiled. "We always knew that Spike would be there for us! He always knew what to do if we're ever in danger!"

"Yeah." Spike frowned. "After you guys disappeared for a week back in Equestria, I was sent here by some hooded figure. Oh!" The dragon exclaimed, as he remembered, "Speaking of which. Pinkie. Where are the others? The ponies I mean."

"I don't know." Pinkie Pie shrugged her shoulder. "Trapped somewhere. When were on our way to confront the Big Bob-omb meanie, we were bamboozled by Bowser and his evil buddies. I was locked away in that cage, before you and Yoshi rescued me. But the others are somewhere in the castle. Either that, or they're in another castle," She giggled at the last part.

"Then let's-a go!" Mario insisted. "We've got to find some Power-a Stars and save Princess-a Peach, and free my brother, Luigi, Wario, and the rest of the little-a ponies!"

"YEAH!" The heroes punched their fists in agreement.

"C'mon, Mario!" Pinkie Pie hollered happily. "Let's-a go!"

"Yahoo!" Mario hollered, as he and Pinkie jumped together, leading the way, with Yoshi and Spike following.

Author's Note

Power Stars collected so far.

Princess's Secret Slide: 1 star
Silver Star Isle: 1 star

Total: 6 + 2 = 8 Power Stars!

Up next: "Footrace with Koopa the Quick and the Big Bob-omb's Rematch"
Then after that: "Whomp's Fortress | The Great Mission to Rescue Applejack"

Footrace with Koopa the Quick and the Big Bob-omb's Rematch

“So… Lemme get this straight,” Pinkie Pie began. “You’re saying we’ve been gone for a week back in Equestria? Some hooded figure appears in your dreams and tells you to come here looking for us? And that’s how you and Yoshi met?”

“In that order: Yes, yes, and ‘triple’ yes,” Spike answered.

“Wow, this is heavy even for me!”

“Mamma-mia!” Mario exclaimed, slapping his forehead. “We’ve-a been locked-a up for a week-a? It felt-a like only an hour-a!”

“You know what they say,” Pinkie Pie commented. “Time flies when you’re having fun!”

“Maybe for you,” Spike frowned. “Back in Canterlot, it was a mess! All that talk about ‘index’, ‘capital revenues’, yikes! I’m just the royal advisor; I’m not the substitute Supreme Ruler of Equestria… Didn’t work for me the first time!”

“Yoshi?” Yoshi chirped, with piqued interest.

“Anyway, we need to find the Power Stars and rescue our friends,” Spike insisted. “Any idea where we should go next?”

“Oh!”

Suddenly, Spike and the others turn as Pinkie Pie shivered. The pink pony’s entire body vibrates, as her nose wiggles aggressively.

“Ooh!” Pinkie Pie gasped. “That’s a new one!”

“Wh-What is it, Pinkie?” Spike asked. “Another of your ‘Pinkie Senses’?”

“Yep! And it’s tingling!”

Pinkie Pie quickly points to a stained-glass portrait of Princess Peach in the room.

“Oh! You guys missed a Power Star in there!”

“Yoshi?” Yoshi cocked his head to the side.

“Actually, Pinkie…” Spike began. “We’ve already found a Power Star; there was only one.”

“Are you sure?”

In a streak of pink blur, too quick for the naked eye, Pinkie zips into the stained-glass window. Ten seconds later, she reappeared at the entrance.

“Hey guys, look! I got a Power Star!”

Pinkie Pie reached into her mane, pulling out said star.

“Wuh-WHAT?!” Spike gasped.

“YOSHI?!” Yoshie squawked.

“Mamma-mia!” Mario exclaimed. “How did you do that?”

“It’s all in the Pinkie Senses!” Pinkie Pie smiled. “They never lie.”

“Yes-a, but-a how did-a you just… And then… Huh?!”

Before Mario could question Pinkie, Spike pokes him along the side.

“Mario, take it from me. It’s better you don’t ask, it’s just Pinkie Pie being… Pinkie Pie.”

Mario looked up at Yoshi, who simply shrugged in response. Not wanting to put the young dragon’s advice in doubt, he turns back to Pinkie Pie.

“Well-a, nice-a job-a Pinkie Pie!” Mario congratulated.

Soon enough, the plumber took the star, adding it to the heroes’ current collection thus far.

9 Power Stars!

“But how did you find it, Pinkie?” Spike asked. “Last time Yoshi and I went in there, we could only find one on Peach’s Secret Slide.”

“On the contrary, there’s one more,” Pinkie pointed out. “You just had to slide toward the end in less than 21 seconds!”

Before long, Pinkie Pie’s whole body acts up once more, directing her tail to point in random directions.

“Ooh! Either I’m getting the shivers, or my Pinkie Senses are telling me the next Power Stars are this way!”

Following her tail (Literally), Pinkie Pie raced out of the room, with Mario, Spike, and Yoshi giving chase. The pink pony bounced all over the castle, until she entered the room containing the magic painting of the Bob-ombs. And like before, Pinkie Pie dives into the painting, which rippled upon entry.

“Wait-a for-a me!” Mario shouts.

Soon, the overweight plumber jumps into the painting, with Spike and Yoshi close behind.

Bob-omb Battlefield

Bob-omb Battlefield Music

At first, all the heroes could see was a blinding white light. Until at last, they reach the other side and soon arrive onto the Bob-omb Battlefield.

“We’re back!” Spike shouted.

“Ah, Spike! Yoshi!”

The lead Bob-omb Buddy approaches the two heroes, noting they aren’t along this time.

“Welcome back! I see you’ve found your friends!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi nodded.

“Well, most of them,” Spike sighed, before making introductions. “Anything, this is my friend, Pinkie Pie, and of course, you know Super Mario. Mario, Pinkie Pie, this is the leader of our friends, the Bob-omb Buddies.”

“At your service,” The lead Bob-omb Buddy bowed.

“Howdy!” Pinkie Pie smiled.

Just then, she looks up and noticed a rather large Koopa standing on the side of the path, turning his head left and right.

“Hey, is that a Koopa?”

“Yeah,” Spike nodded. “A really BIG Koopa.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, in agreement.

“Oh, that’s only Koopa the Quick,” The lead Bob-omb Buddy explained. “He just arrived a few moments ago, soon after you and Yoshi left. Don’t worry, he’s not looking for trouble… Just Mario.”

“Really?” Mario asked.

Curious, Mario walks toward the large Koopa as the others follow.

“Ello! It’s-a me, Mario!”

“Well, if it isn’t Mario!” The giant Koopa said. “Long time no see. You’ve put on a few pounds last I saw you.”

Miffed, Mario looked down and put his hands around his stomach before he turns toward the Koopa with a scowl.

“Too much pasta and lounging, huh?” The turtle continued. “You should really get some exercise. Who’re your friends?”

“I’m Spike the Dragon, that’s who,” Spike introduced himself.

“Yoshi,” Yoshi pointed at himself.

“Hi! Name’s Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie Pie bounced. “Throwing parties my game and making friends smile… Is also my game!”

“Ah, nice to meet you all,” Koopa greeted. “I’m Koop the Quick. Koopa’s the name, speed’s my game.”

“Really?” Pinkie Pie asked, curious. “I always thought turtles are slow.”

“Oh, stereotyping, huh? Well lemme tell you something, Pinkie.”

“That’s my name! Don’t wear it out!”

There was an awkward silence as Koopa looked at Pinkie with a blank face, the pony in turn merely giggled. But eventually, Koopa resumes…

“I happen to be the reigning footrace champion of the entire Koopa Clans. Why, I’m so fast, that not even Green Mustache Guy could keep up!”

“Mama Luigi?!” Yoshi chirped, before squawking angrily. “Yoshi!”

“Whoa, whoa, easy there, Yoshi!” Spike stopped his dinosaur friend. “Don’t let him get to ya!”

“Yeah, we’re not looking for trouble, Mr. Koopa,” Pinkie Pie bounced. “We’re just here to find a Power Star so we can—”

“Power Star?” Koopa asked. “You mean something like this?”

Soon enough, the Koopa presents a shining gold star, sparkling in the sunlight.

“Whoa!” The heroes gasped.

“Yeah, that’s it!” Pinkie bounced excitedly. “Can we have it? Please? It’s really important.”

Koopa tucked the Power Star away, as he scratched his head.

“Uh… I don’t think it’d be that simple,” He began. “See, King Bowser gave me this star with the instruction that I keep it safe from you. But… I might give it to you, if…”

“If what?” Spike asked.

Koopa thought for a moment, before he snapped his fingers.

“Hey, how about a race to the mountaintop where the Big Bob-omb was? If you beat me, then I’ll give you the Power Star! But if you lose… Well, I’m a good sportsman. If you lose, then we’ll race again, until you beat me. Sound fair?”

Mario turned to his Equestrian friends and Yoshi, who all exchange nods and agreements.

“Let’s a go!” Mario cried.

“Done!” Koopa nodded. “When I say ‘Go’, let the race begin!”

That settled, both Mario and Koopa took their position as the others stood on the side. Koopa proceeds to initiate the count down.

“On your mark… Get set… GO!”

Super Mario 64 – Slider Music

With a kick of their legs, both Mario and Koopa take off running down the path, up the bridge, round the bend, passed the Chain Chomp, and cross another bridge where the evil bob-ombs once made camp. Meanwhile, Spike, Yoshi, and Pinkie Pie ran behind the two racers, cheering for Mario.

“Let’s-a go, Mario!” Pinkie Pie cheered, dressed in a cheerleader’s outfit and waving red pompoms. “Let’s-a go!”

Spike rode atop Yoshi’s back, while holding up a stick as if it were a microphone, once again assuming the announcer role (ala ‘Fall Weather Friends’).

“Wow, what an amazing footrace, between Mario and Koopa the Quick! Neither of them appear to be slowing down as they race neck and neck!”

But as Mario and Koopa cross the second bridge, Koopa leapt off and landed into the ravine below.

“What’s this?!” Spike exclaimed. “Koopa the Quick just went off course and… Is he?”

They notice Koopa proceeding to climb the slope of the mountain.

“He is! Koopa’s attempting to take a shortcut! A very steep shortcut. But can he make it? And what of Mario?”

“Go Mario, go!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

As the three friends followed the Jumpman, Mario rushes through the field before entering through the gates of the mountain. Soon, Mario turned right and weaved through the rolling iron balls, until he met up with Koopa, and they proceed to run neck-and-neck.

“And we’re back, with Mario and Koopa resuming their epic race!” Spike announced. “He and Koopa the Quick are now running up the mountain and-Uh oh! It’s an avalanche! An avalanche of giant rolling iron balls! And they’re all rolling towards Mario and the Koopa! Koopa jumps over a ball, and Mario-Whoa! Unbelievable! Mario just did a triple somersault over that giant ball, and he takes the lead! Koopa the Quick has fallen behind, but we can tell he’s really giving his all to catch up!”

“Mario! Mario! He’s the Jumpman!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “If he can’t do it, no one can!”

Soon, Mario ran up the spiraling mountaintop, where a flagpole was planted, with the image of a koopa shell printed on the small yellow flag, waving to the winds at the top.

“And Mario is the winner!” Spike cheered. “Mario is number one!”

Spike and his friends applaud happily for the plumber hero.

“Yoshi!”

“YEAH! MARIO!” Pinkie Pie whooped.

“Thank you!” Mario smiled.

Soon, Koopa the Quick came, huffing and puffing, struggling to catch his breath.

“Huff… FFF… Puff… Whoa!” Koopa panted. “You… Really… Are… Fast! A human rocket!”

Before long, Koopa took out the Power Star he had been keeping.

“Here you go. You won it, fair and square!”
“Oh yeah!” Mario cheered happily.
The plumber takes the Power Star from the Koopa, as the star itself danced around Mario, showering him with golden sparkles.

“Here we go!” Mario shouts.

He got down on one knee, while holding two fingers up in celebration.

“YEAH!” Spike and Pinkie Pie cheered, merrily. “WE GOT A POWER STAR!”

“YOSHI!” Yoshi finished.

But the celebration was cut short when Pinkie Pie’s tail starts twitching.

“Ooh! Twitchy tail! Something’s about to fall!”

In that moment, a large shadow looms above their heads, causing everyone to look up toward a large round ball of darkness falling towards them. The heroes and Koopa leapt out of the way, just as the ball lands with a thunderous stomp that nearly shook everyone off the mountaintop. As the dust clears, there stood the leader of the evil Bob-ombs himself.

“Big Bob-omb?!” Spike shouted.

“Yoshi?”

“Yes, it’s me, the Big Bob-omb!” The Big Bob-omb said, in a loud booming voice. “The King refuses to be dejected by a single defeat. I’m back with a new star from Bowser! I’ve also restyled my mustache. I’m unstoppable! If you want the Power Star, you’ll have to knock it out of me! But the only way to do that is to pick me up from behind and fling me down… And that will never happen! Bring it, shorty!”

Super Mario 64 – Boss Theme

With a stomp of his foot, the Big Bob-omb thunders toward the heroes, while Koopa the Quick stares wide-eyed at the imposing figure.

“Nice knowing you, fellas!” Koopa said, taking off. “You’re on your own!”

As Koopa the Quick makes a hasty retreat off the mountain, Spike, Yoshi, and Pinkie Pie quickly backed away, intimidated by the large Bob-omb.

“Pick him up?” Spike whimpered. “There’s no way we could ever pick up a guy that big!”

Spike spoke too soon, however, when Mario ran towards the Big Bob-omb, jumped over the giant’s head, performed a front flip in mid-air, before landing behind the giant walking bomb and lifts him off his feet with all his might.

“What the what?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, slacked jawed.

“Is this for real?!” Spike asked.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi nodded casually, having seen this numerous times.

Back in the fight, Mario hurls the Big Bob-omb in the air before he lands on the ground with a tremendous stomp.

“OH!” The Big Bob-omb grunts.

Though he felt the wind knocked out of him, the Big Bob-omb got back up with a roll, angrier and more furious than ever.

“So, you do have some fight in you then. But nobody throws me around and gets away with it! Now it’ll be my turn to throw you!”

With a kick of his feet, the Big Bob-omb rolled towards Mario, who quickly leapt to the side, dodging the attack. But the Big Bob-omb saw this and made a sharp turn, rolling back at Mario, who quickly leapt in the air to dodge the attack.

While the fight goes on, Yoshi turns toward the mountaintop corner seeing a red cap, similar to Mario’s, lying on the ground. An idea came to Yoshi as he taps Spike’s shoulder.

“Yoshi!”

“What is it, Yoshi?”

Spike follows Yoshi, who points to the red cap. Realizing what Yoshi was getting at, Spike nods as he ran off to pick up the red cap.

Meanwhile, the Big Bob-omb pursues Mario, until at last, he caught the red plumber in his boxing gloves. Suddenly, he felt himself lifted off the ground and hurled into the air before he came down with a thunderous thud.

“OOF!”

Rolling himself back on his feet, the Big Bob-omb turned and was flabbergasted at the sight of two Marios in front of him.

“There’re two of you?!” Big Bob-omb exclaims.

“There’s just-a one of me!” The two Marios said, in unison.

“Just… One?”

“You must-a be seeing things.”

With a shake of his head, the Big Bob-omb smacked himself in the face repeatedly, trying to clear his head, while one of the Marios quickly snuck behind him, unnoticed. When the Big Bob-omb looks up, he smirks deviously seeing only ‘one’ Mario.

“Now I’ve got YOU?!”

The Big Bob-omb was taken by surprise, when he was picked up off his feet and thrown into the air again, for the third and final time.

“Ow! That hurt!” He moaned, in defeat. “Your sneaking skills need help, but you’re pretty strong. I’ve always wanted a servant like you. Here is your Star, as I promised… Take it… Farewell.”

The Big Bob-omb explodes into a puff of smoke and confetti, and in his place was the promised Power Star.

Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door – Battle Won

“YEAH!” Pinkie Pie cheered, happily. “Way to go, Mario! And uh, Mario?”

“Oh, Pinkie…” The second Mario shook his head.

The second plumber removes his cap and in a puff of smoke reveals himself to be Spike all along.

“It’s-a me! Spike!”

“Spike?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “But… What… When… HOW?!”

“I don’t know,” Spike shrugged, holding the red cap. “I think it has something to do with this magic red cap. Whenever I put it on, I turn into Mario.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi nodded.

“And when I’m Mario, I carry his powers, skills, and even the ability to speak to Yoshi like normal!”

“Really?!” Pinkie Pie smiled. “That’s so awesome! Lemme try!”

Quick as a wink, Pinkie Pie pops the hat onto her head and instantly transforms into Mario.

“Ello! It’s-a me, Pinkie-Mario!”

“Ha-ha! That’s-a so nice!” Mario laughed. “Now, let’s-a go!”

Back on track, Mario walks over to pick up the Power Star, and like before, the star dances around Mario, showering him with golden sparkles.

“Here we go!” Mario shouted.

Once more, the plumber gets down on one knee, holding two fingers up in celebration.

“YEAH!” Spike and Pinkie Pie cheered happily. “WE GOT A POWER STAR!”

“YOSHI!” Yoshi finished.

Princess Peach's Castle

The painting of the Bob-omb Battlefield rippled as Mairo and friends return to Princess Peach’s Castle. They both shared a short dance and ‘woo-hoos’ in celebration for their most recent adventures. With the two Power Stars they collected, that made it a total of 11 Power Stars!

11 Power Stars!!!

“Yeah! We did it!” The gang cheered, clapping hands together in a high-five sandwich.

“Now that was an adventure!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “This is the most fun I’ve had in… Ever!”

“Oh yeah!” Mario smiled, toward his friends. “You were all-a number one! Nice-a job!”

“You were awesome too, Mario!” Spike smiled. “They don’t call you ‘Super Mario’ for nothing!”

“Yoshi!”

Just then, Pinkie Pie’s body vibrated vigorously again.

“Ooh! My Pinkie Senses are tingling!”

Pinkie bounced excitedly around the room, before exiting and leading the group to another room on the first floor. This time, she lead them to a door that has a red number one printed on the front with a golden star in the center.

Upon touching the door, the Power Stars they’ve collected appeared, showering the door with golden sparkles, before disappearing. Reacting to the stars’ power, the door slowly opens granting the heroes entry as they walk into the room and before their eyes is a painting of a huge fortress, floating in the sky, surrounded by a sea of clouds.

“Oh!” Pinkie Pie began, as her body vibrates vigorously. “My Pinkie Senses are grooving! More Power Stars are in there… Oh! And I think they’re telling me… One of our friends is in there!”

“You mean one of our pony friends, Pinkie Pie?” Spike asked.

“Yep!” Pinkie Pie confirmed. “Come on, let’s-a go!”

With a whoop and a bounce of her tail, Pinkie Pie jumped into the portrait, disappearing in a flash.

“Here we go!” Mario shouts, jumping in next.

Spike and Yoshi both turned to each other, exchanging quick nods before jumping into the painting.

Author's Note

Power Stars collected so far.

Previously, there were 8 Power Stars.

Now:

Princess's Secret Slide: 1 secret star
Bob-omb Battlefield: 2

Total: 8 + 3 = 11 Power Stars!

Up Next: Mario and friends storm the Whomp's Fortress to rescue their friend, the strong and honest Applejack.
Then After That: The gang takes a dive in Jolly Roger Bay to find a sunken ship, fight a giant eel, and rescue their loyal companion, Rainbow Dash.

Jolly Roger Bay – Part 1 | Plunder Into The Sunken Ship

At first, all Mario and friends could see was a blur of bright light that blinded them. Eventually, their visions cleared up, allowing them to open their eyes toward the sky. Sure enough, they found themselves soaring above a sea of clouds, with two colorful rainbow rings, hovering high above a large tower, surrounded by four taller towers, with pointed roofs of orange, red, turquoise, and light blue.

Spike flapped his wings to both keep himself airborne and prevent himself from plummeting into the clouds below. To his astonishment, he saw Mario had wings on his cap, with Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Yoshi all having wings on their backs. And there they were: All flying beside him.

"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed, seeing his friends were all flying with him. "You're flying!"

"We're what?" Pinkie asked.

She turned her head to the magic wings upon her back, shocked that she could make them flap. The same could be said about Applejack, Yoshi, and Mario who seemed just as surprised.

"Omigosh! Omigosh! Omigosh! Omigosh! We're flying!"

"Are we dead?" Applejack asked. "Is this the afterlife? What they call Heaven?"

“Welcome to the Tower of the Magic Feathers!” A voice greeted them. “Step on the red ‘!’ Switch at the top, inside the rainbow ring. When you trigger the switch, all of the red ‘!’ Blocks you find will become solid.”

“Okay!” Pinkie Pie chirped.

She immediately centers herself inside the rainbow ring.

“HERE WE GOOOOOO… AH!!!!”

Pinkie Pie had attempted to ground pound the switch from the air, but her aim was a little off by an inch, and she ended up smartening her bottom on one of the tower’s battlements.

“Who put that block there?” Pinkie winced.

The party pony cringed from her sore landing, keeling over painfully. The rest of the heroes quickly land on the tower, as they ran over to inspect their party pony friend.

“Pinkie?” Applejack asked, concerned. “Are ya alright?”

“Yeah… I’ll be fine,” Pinkie grimaced. “I should have all feelings in my pinkie senses in the next course.”

The friends all exchange odd glances to each other, still uncertain with Pinkie’s antics, and shrugged. They proceed to run up to the large switch in the center of the tower, which they all jumped atop of, pressing with all their might through their combined weight. A flash of red star-shaped confetti explodes from the switch as a result.

“You stepped on the ‘!’ Red Switch!” The voice announced. “All of the Red Blocks you will find in the castle have become solid. The power of flight is now yours.”

“YAY!” Pinkie cheered, bouncing excitedly. “We can fly! We can fly! We can fly!”

But Pinkie Pie spoke too soon, when her feathers suddenly flashed repeatedly, before they disappeared.

“Hey! What happened to my wings?!” Pinkie asked, flopping to the ground.

It wasn’t long before the rest of the heroes, minus Spike, all lost their magical wings as well.

“The power only lasts for a short while,” The voice explained. “With the magic feathers, Mario and friends can take to the skies! Triple jump to take off and crouch to land.”

“Oh, okay,” Pinkie said. “Let’s-a do that-a again!”

“Actually, now that we got this here new power,” Applejack began. “Shouldn’t we be headin’ back to the castle now?”

“Not so fast, A.J.,” Spike said, stopping her. “We’ve got a start to collect first.”

Spike points to a Star Marker not too far from the switch they just pressed.

“I take it that we’ve got some red coins to collect then?” Pinkie Pie chirped.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi confirmed.

“But where do we find ‘em?” Applejack asked.

“Up there!” Mario points.

They turn in his direction, toward some ring of coins in the air, circling around the tower, each with two red coins.

“Here we go!”

Mario proceeds to punch a red box open, revealing a magic feather, which he uses to grant wings on his hat. Then, with a hop, a skip, and a cartwheel, Mario jumps into the air and went airborne.

“Alright, Mario!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “Go get the coins!”

Mario points his nose upward, as he targets the floating coins, from the highest point in the sky. But for some reason, he couldn’t gain any more altitude.

“What’s wrong, Mario?” Pinkie asked. “Why aren’t you flying any higher?”

“This is the initial height of the triple jump takeoff,” The voice lectured. “With the magic feather, no one can fly higher than the liftoff, after their third jump. They must fly at a steady rhythm of diving and climbing in order to remain airborne.”

“Then how are we gonna get them red coins?” Applejack asked, before turning to Pinkie Pie. “Look at me. I must be goin’ nuts talkin’ to some disembodied voice.”

“Yoshi?” Yoshi asked, tilting his head.

“If you want to collect the red coins, then your options would be to return to the castle, and come back later to start from the beginning,” The voice explained. “Do you wish to leave this course now to try again?”

Applejack turns to her friends, then back to Mario, who just landed back on the tower while the wings on his cap disappeared.

“What’re the other options?” Applejack asked.

“Let’s say it will take some good teamwork,” The voice replied. “Each of you have different skill sets. But when joined together, I’m confident you will succeed.”

“But how do we do it?”

“You must figure that out.”

The heroes ponder together, brainstorming for a plan.

“I could fly up there and get the coins,” Spike muttered. “I’ve never flown that high though, the air seems to be a little too thin.”

“Yoshi,” Yoshi chirped, long and hard.

“I could buck someone and launch ‘em in the air,” Applejack said.

“Mario and I are the best jumpers,” Pinkie Pie commented. “Though, not as good as Luigi, but I can still learn.”

“Hmm…” Mario thought, before snapping his fingers. “I’ve-a got it!”

“What is it, Mario?” Pinkie asked. “You’ve got a plan?”

“Oh yeah!” Mario answered. “Here’s-a how we are-a gonna do it!”

Mario brought his friends together into a huddle, explaining the plan.

[We’re the kids of America]

Later, the heroes, minus Yoshi, Applejack, and Spike, all don up their magic wings, and were stacked up on top of each other to begin their plan.

Spike found himself riding on Mario’s shoulder, while the plumber rode on Pinkie Pie, who stood atop Applejack, who lied on her back.

“You sure about this?” Spike asked, nervously.

“Oh yeah!” Mario replied. “Pretty sure!” The plumber then looks down at Applejack. “Are you-a ready Apple-a-Jack?”

Applejack’s face was colored red from the vast amount of air she was holding in, as she strained to keep her legs up.

“Eeyup!” Applejack replied. “Y’all ready for liftoff?”

In response, Mario and friends, minus Yoshi, all exchange confirmations.

“Then, here we go!” Applejack shouted.

With a loud grunt and a burst of strength, Applejack kicked her legs up, thrusting her winged friends into the air.

“Wings, don’t fail us now!” Pinkie Pie hollered.

Pinkie Pie proceeds to flap her wings, whilst Mario jumped off Pinkie’s back, climbing even higher in the air.

“Now, Spike!” Mario alerted the young dragon.

Spike quickly breathed a burst of fire, pushing himself and Mario even higher, like a rocket, until at last, they’ve reached the peak of the coin rings spiraling around the tower.

“We did it!” Spike hollered.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi cheered.

“YEAH!!” Pinkie and Applejack hollered.

“Way better than the classic, but traumatizing, Yoshi Dismount you’re infamously known for,” Pinkie Pie commented.

“What?” Spike asked.

“Never mind…”

“Let’s-a go!” Mario shouted.

With Spike still on his back, they proceed to fly through the coin rings, collecting all eight red coins. A Power Star soon appears from the Star Marker on the tower, and everyone charged towards it, grabbing the star, and added it to their collection.

“Oh yeah!!” They sang, dancing with the Power Star showering them with sparkles. “We’ve got a Power Star!!”

“YOSHI!!” Yoshi finished.

“Well done,” The voice announced. “You have unlocked the Power of Flight, you have collected a Power Star, and more importantly, you have learned to work together.”

“Well, of course!” Pinkie Pie smiled. “Teamwork is always going to work.

“But the battle is far from over. Now, return to the castle.”

Without warning, a doorway back to the castle appears.

“Resume your quest to find your friends. Find all of the Power Stars, save the princess and the Mushroom Kingdom.”

“First, we want answers,” Applejack spoke up. “Who are ya?” Why are ya helpin’ us?”

At first, there was a moment of silence before the voice spoke.

“I am simply called the Guide. I have been watching over the progress of your adventure since the Cave of Games. It has been my duty for many moons to provide guidance for new adventurers, who have begun their quests to brand new worlds such as this.”

“Cave of-a Games?” Mario asked, intrigued.

“Well, um… Guide,” Applejack began. “If that’s true, then can ya tell us where we should go next? And can you tell us where our friends are?”

“Your friend, Rainbow Dash, is behind the door marked with the number 3, on the first floor of the castle,” The Guide answered. “That is all I can say for now. Now go, rescue your friend.”

“Wait!” Spike called out. “But where are the rest of our friends? Where’s Twilight? Where’s Rarity? Fluttershy? Where can we find the keys to freeing Mario’s brother, Luigi? Or even this Wario guy?”

“Find and rescue your friend, Rainbow Dash,” The Guide instructed. “Only with her speed and athleticism will you rescue your friend, Fluttershy. Go now. There’s little time to waste.”

The friends all turn toward one another, exchanging agreements.

“Alrighty then,” Applejack replied, leading her friends. “C’mon ya’ll! Let’s go!”

“Let’s save Dashie!” Pinkie Pie chirped.

One by one, the heroes enter the magical doorway, taking them back to the castle.

Princess Peach’s Castle

Upon exiting the doorway, the heroes find themselves falling from the ceiling of the main lobby. But fortunately, they land safely on their feet.

“Mario!” Toad exclaimed happily. “And friends! You’re all okay!”

“Oh yeah!” Mario smiled, giving Toad a thumbs up. “We are-a number one! We’ve got the Power of Flight, and-a we found-a Power-a Star!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

“Which gives us a total of… 20 stars!” Spike counted.

20 Stars!

“By jove! Good show there, Master Mario!”

An elderly southern English voice caused our heroes to turn toward an elderly toad approaching them.

Unlike the usual toadstool folks, whom the Equestrians have been seeing lately, this Toad has a tan complexion and a beige cap with brown spots, and a puffy, white mustache that’s as big as Mario’s, and a small pair of black glasses that framed his beady eyes. For attire, he wore a light purple vest with gold buttons with Toad emblems. Layers on top of the vest is a purple, sleeveless jacket hanging down like a tuxedo with gold trim and a red bow tie. Underneath he wears white bottoms and brown, padded boots. In his right hand, he carries with him a stick-like cane that has a brown mushroom cap on top with beige spots on it.

“Ello, Toadsworth!” Mario greeted the elderly toad. “So nice-a to see you’re-a okay!”

“Well, I was just about to lose hope, ever since that brute, Bowser, attacked our castle and imprisoned the princess, along with you and your brother,” Toadsworth replied grimly. “But then, a few of my colleagues have informed me Yoshi had recently entered our castle with a little dragon, and its thanks to him you and a couple of your friends are back in business!”

“Ya got that right!” Applejack smiled, shooting Spike a grateful smile.

“That’s our Spike!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Always there when we need him!”

“Aw, heh-heh,” Spike blushed.

“Way to go, Yoshi!” Mario patted the dinosaur’s shoulder. “Number-a one!”

“Ah, you must be the visitors who have come to help Mario in his quest to rescue the princess from Bowser, yes?” Toadsworth smiled. “May I have the pleasure of knowing who you are?”

“I’m Spike,” Spike waved.

“Applejack!” Applejack introduced herself.

“And I’m Pinkamena Diane Pie!” Pinkie smiled. “But you can call me Pinkie Pie! Nice to meet ya!”

“Charmed to meet you all,” Toadsworth nodded. “I am Toadsworth, the princess’s steward. I’ve looked after her for over sixty years since she was a baby.”

“Oh!” Pinkie Pie gasped. “So, you’re her father, or her grandad?”

“Oh-ho ho, no!” Toadsworth chuckled. “I’m not her father, but I always regarded Princess Peach as if she was my daughter.”

Toadsworth then cleared his throat, as he strengthens his glasses, and his expression turns solemn.

“But I will be honest with you all. Nothing will please me more than to see the princess return to us, unharmed. Can I trust you all to do this?”

“We promise!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Cross our hearts and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in our eyes!”

“What she said,” Applejack followed.

Unsure, if not bewildered by Pinkie’s chant, Toadsworth decided to let it slide and gave the heroes a quick nod.

“Jolly good then,” He said. “Now please, hurry! Save the princess!”

“We will!” Spike nodded.

The rest of his friends exchange agreements, nodding with determination.

“Let’s-a go!”

Mario pumped his fist in the air, as the heroes run toward the door, on the right side of the lobby, with the number 3 printed on the front. No sooner do they arrive, when the Power Stars they’ve collected all materialized and shower the door with golden sparkles. Reacting to the stars’ powers, the door slowly opened, granting the heroes entry.

Upon walking in, they discovered the entire room is a large aquarium, with four large tanks – two on the left and right sides – that contains a myriad of colorful fishes. The walls were decorated with blue sky and fluffy white clouds with beady eyes. Hanging on the wall, in front of the heroes is a painting of a large ship, that appeared to be submerged, as if it were underwater.

“Wow!” The heroes exclaimed, in unison.

“Hey look!” Pinkie pointed to a corner. “It’s another Toad!”

Applejack, seemingly more bewildered, turned to Mario.

“How many Toads are there?” She asked. “Why do they all look or even sound alike?”
In response, both Mario and Yoshi shrug their shoulders.

“Hiya Toad!” Pinkie greeted, bouncing toward the Toad. “How do you do?”

“Being imprisoned in these walls can drive a fungus crazy,” He replied, with a sigh. “When I really start to freak out, I think to myself, ‘Well, I’m going to be here for a while, so I might as well stare at the fish. They are oddly hypnotic’. Then I actually start to like being captured…”

There was a moment of awkward silence, as the group turned to each other. All at once, the Toad wailed.

“Aaauugh!” IT’S MADNESS! I’ve got to snap out of this! You have to free us before we’re all completely brainwashed!”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down!” Pinkie Pie reassured. “No need to lose your head.”

The Toad breathed deeply, slowly as he nods in agreement.

“You’re right,” He sighed. “But for now, why don’t you gaze at the fish with me? You look tense, come relax.”

“Maybe later,” Applejack politely declined. “We gotta rescue our friend, first. See ya!”

With Mario leading the charge, the heroes dart towards the painting.

“Yah! Hoo-hoo! Ya-hooo!” Mario hollered.

With a triple jump, into a front-flip on the third jump, he lunges forward…

BOOM!

“Oh…”

Mario missed the portrait by an inch, crashing into the wall, falling on his haunches.

“Mario?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay,” Mario sighed.

Shaking the shock of his epic fail, Mario composed himself before turning around to face the painting.

“Now then, as I was-a saying: Let’s-a go!”

Mario jumps into the painting, which rippled from where he entered. The rest of the heroes soon followed, jumping in after the jumpman.

Jolly Roger Bay

[Jolly Roger Bay OST]

Like before, during their previous trips through the other paintings, all they could see was a blinding white light. As their vision was restored, they found themselves standing on the shores of a lake, surrounded by walls of spiky rocks reaching toward the sky, which was dark and cloudy, a layer of fog spreads across the water.

“Wow!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “This place ain’t no Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland, that’s for sure. But if Dashie’s here, it’s adventure time! But without a shapeshifting bulldog named Jake with a human boy named Finn. Even without those two, it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing a talking whale, a little boy named Flapjack, or even an old Irish captain with wooden hands anytime soon.”

When Pinkie turned toward her friends, she was met with an awkward silence.

“What?”

“Pinkie Pie, you watch too many cartoons!” Applejack shook her head.

“Only the good ones,” Pinkie Pie winked.

“So… Where should-a we begin-a?” Mario asked, getting on track.

Spike quickly whips out his map, studying the flashing stars indicated on the map.

“Let’s see,” Spike pondered, pointing to a large black spot up top. “According to this, there are three Power Stars, somewhere in this dark spot.”

Spike traced his finger across a pathway from the dark spot, to what appears to be the inside of a cavern, where another star flashes.

“And it looks like there’s a star in this cavern, and oh!”

Spike noticed another star, closest to him and his friends, flashing next to his finger.

“Here’s one right in front of us!”

“What?!” The friends exclaim.

The whole group looks up, searching across the water and somewhere amidst the cliffs of the rocky walls, searching for the Power Star.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

The little dinosaur points in the air, toward something sparkling and shining behind some tall pointy rocks.

Pinkie Pie digs into her mane, before pulling out a pair of binoculars, which she uses to get a good look, past the rocks, and delightfully spotted a Power Star, dancing on the ledge of a cliff, waiting for the heroes to collect.

“Power Star ahoy!” Pinkie Pie pointed.

The party pony proceeds to share her binoculars with her friends, while directing them toward the star.

“Great! We found our first Power Star,” Applejack said. “Now, how do we—”

“Ooh! Lookie!” Pinkie pointed.

To the right, they spotted a large red ‘?’ block floating in mid-air.

“It’s one of those magic boxes we’ve unlocked! We can get some magic feathers from it and fly toward that star! Yay!”

With that said, Pinkie Pie proceeds to jump over to the box, without stopping to notice the two Goombas guarding it.

Upon seeing the pink pony, the Goombas charge forward to attack. But Pinkie bounced atop of them, flattening them into Goomba pancakes. They disappeared into puffs of smoke, leaving behind two gold coins.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 2

Red Coins =

Blue Coins =

Total = 2

“Yippee!” Pinkie Pie bounced excitedly.

The Party Pony proceeds to break the box open to collect the power within. The rest of the ponies, however, notice something unusual about the box.

“Uh, isn’t the box supposed to have an ‘!’ mark on it?” Applejack asked. “Why dose this one have a ‘?’ mark on it?”

“Don’t know, don’t care!” Pinkie replies, breaking the box open. “Whee-hee! This is gonna be—Huh?”

Pinkie Pie was perplexed seeing, instead of a feather, the content of the box was a strange looking flower that has 7 red petals with white dots, surrounding a yellow bulb that appears to have two beady eyes.

“What in tarnation is that?” Applejack exclaimed.

“Yoshi?”

Mario stroked his chin, observing the flower, before realizing what it is.

“Mamma mia! It’s-a Power Flower!” Mario answered. “It’s one of the Mushroom-a Kingdom’s-a Power-Ups.”

“Power-Ups?” The Equestrians exclaimed.

Sure enough, they watch the Power Flower contact Pinkie Pie, enveloping her in its magic. Then, without warning, Pinkie Pie’s whole body inflated into that of a balloon, and she started to float up in the air.

“Hey, what’s happening to me?” Pinkie asked.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in alarm.

“Pinkie Pie?!” Her friends all shouted.

“What’s happening to you?!” Spike shouted. “What’re you doing?”

“I don’t know!” Pinkie Pie replied. “But I do feel a bit light-headed… Hahaha, get it? ‘Light-headed’! That’s hilarious!”
“What kind of flower is that?” Applejack asked.

“Oh, don’t-a worry,” Mario replied. “The effect is only-a temporary.”

“Oh, that’s a relief,” The country pony replied. “But what’s it do? Does it turn us all into balloons?”

“Hey A.J., check this out!”

Spike points to a sign, which was showered by an aura of golden sparkles, much like the one he and Yoshi saw before, back in the princess’s room. The sign reads:

This is a ‘?’ block. Unlike the ‘!’ Blocks that you’ll be seeing throughout the rest of your adventure, you will find that these blocks contains special items called Power Flowers. These bewitching blossoms strengthen each character in a different way. Depending on their dispositions, characters can float, turn into metal, disappear, breathe fire, or any other amazing powers!

But beware! Some blocks are duds and the effect of the Power Flowers only lasts for a short while.

“Wow!” Spike smiled excitedly. “That sounds awesome!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, in agreement.

“I’ll say!” Pinkie Pie smiled.

Before they knew it, she was blowing a bit of air from both her mouth and nose, moving her in the air.

“Hey! I can use this power to reach the Power Star!”

“Remember Pinkie Pie, the flower’s power won’t last!” Applejack reminded the pink pony. “Ya gotta hurry!”

“I’m on it!”

With a puff of air, and a push of her hooves, Pinkie floated away, bouncing in the air, toward the Power Star. With a twist of her tail, she propels herself forward. Just as she got close to the cliff, Pinkie started to puff in and out, losing altitude, until finally the effect of the Power Flower wore off. As a result, Pinkie reverted back to normal… Well, ‘Pinkie Pie Normal’, that is.

Luckily, Pinkie Pie grabbed onto one of the nearest rock towers, preventing herself from plummeting into the water. With a turn and a twist of her body, Pinkie aimed towards the ledge, before leaping off with a kick of her legs and landed on the cliff.

“YAY! I made it!”

Without a second to waste, Pinkie Pie lunged towards the star, grabbing it out of the air, collecting their first star in the course.

“YAY!” Pinkie danced happily, with the star dancing around her. “I’ve got a Power Star!”

After the festivity was over, Pinkie Pie jumped back onto the rock tower she jumped from, sliding her way back down the water, and finds the rock surrounded by a ring of 8 gold coins, which she immediately collects.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 2 + 8 = 10

Red Coins =

Blue Coins =

Total = 10

“COWABUNGAAAA!!!” Spike screamed, in fright.

Suddenly, the little dragon came speeding across the water, riding what appears to be a shiny turtle shell. The little guy was trying desperately to keep both his balance and grip on his new shell. A surfing dragon on the water took the party pony by surprise.

“WHOA!” Pinkie exclaimed. “Hey Spike! Where’d you get that rad shell?”

“Mario found it!” Spike exclaimed. “While you were getting the first Power Star, we were searching for coins so we can get a hundred or more to make another Power Star appear.”

“Did ya find any?” Pinkie called out.

“Well, we found 3 coins… Whoa! And a blue coin switch Mario ground-pounded, which made 8 blue coins appear on the water. They almost disappeared, but luckily, Yoshi and I found this shiny sail and I’ve been surfing away collecting blue coins ever since!”

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 10 + 3 = 13

Red Coins =

Blue Coins = 5 x 8 = 40

Total = 53

“Wow! We’re halfway there already!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Let’s get back to Mario and the others!”

“I’d be glad to,” Spike replied, surfing in circles. “But first thing’s first.”

“What’s that?”

“HEEEEEEEEEELP!!!” Spike wailed. “WHERE’S THE BRAKE ON THIS THING?!”

Pinkie Pie watched as Spike kept surfing across the water, out of control, moving fast. She noticed to her right Mario and the others swam after the speeding dragon. Eventually, they climbed onto a floating wooden platform, which rested between two large stone platforms on the right side of the lake.

Applejack stood on the platform, steadying herself, her lasso at the ready. With a spin of her tail, Applejack twirled her rope, waiting for Spike to come her way.

“Spike! Catch!”

Applejack threw the rope toward Spike, who caught it in his claws.

“WHOA!”

Spike yelped, as he fell off the shell and landed into the water with a huge…

SPLASH!

Spike quickly resurfaced, as he and his friends watch the shiny shell, zip across the water, before crashing into one of the rocks and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“Phew! That was radical,” Spike sighed, in relief. “But I’m glad that’s over.”

With Spike’s shell fiasco out of the way, everyone resumed their tasks of collecting gold coins and searching for Power Stars. Mario swam underwater, finding a ring of 8 gold coins circling around a boulder, close to some sealed clams.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 13 + 8 = 21

Red Coins =

Blue Coins = 5 x 8 = 40

Total = 61

When Mario swam back toward the surface, he turned towards Yoshi and their Equestrian friends standing on a stone platform. They stand in front of another tall pointy rock, reading a sign that said:

Climbing's easy! When you jump at trees, poles, or pillars, you'll grab them automatically. Crouch to stop climbing. Leap toward your back to jump off in that direction. When you reach the top, do a handstand! Jump off from the handstand fora high, stylin' dismount.

Above the tall pointy rock, a single red coin dances at the top. Spike was just about to fly up and grab it when Pinkie stopped him.

“Let me get it this time, Spike!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “I always wanted to try a handstand!”

“Uh, Pinkie,” Applejack began. “Not to disappoint ya or anythin’, but we don’t even have ‘hands’.”

“So?

“So… We can’t do it.”

“Oh, fiddlesticks! Just because ponies ‘don’t’ do handstands, no pony said we ‘can’t do one.”

Before Applejack could argue, Pinkie leapt towards the pole-like rock, climbed up toward its peak, the bang of her mane immediately wrapped itself at the point securing her in place.

By that time, Mario had just regrouped with his fellow heroes, while his friends looked in shock and awe as Pinkie Pie lifted her lower body into the air and snatched the red coin from the air with her tail.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 13 + 8 = 21

Red Coins = 1 x 2 = 2

Blue Coins = 5 x 8 = 40

Total = 63

“Alright, Pinkie Pie!” Spike cheered, with a thumbs up.

“Thank you!” Pinkie Pie smiled happily.

Soon, Pinkie dismounts off the rock in a graceful jump, landing back on the platform with a bounce of her tail to cushion her landing. Afterwards, the heroes jumped back onto the wooden platform, crossing to the next stone platform across, collecting a pillar of five floating gold coins beside it.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 21 + 5 = 26

Red Coins = 1 x 2 = 2

Blue Coins = 5 x 8 = 40

Total = 68

The heroes proceed to climb up, onto the stone platform and found a large ‘!’ Switch, in front of a set of three moss covered wooden platforms suspended in the air. Each with a row of five gold coins.

“Hmm… What does this do?” Pinkie pondered.

The party pony steps on the large ‘!’ Switch, which triggers the appearance of several orange blocks, connecting the floating wooden platforms, allowing the heroes to cross and collect a total of 15 coins.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 26 + 15 = 41

Red Coins = 1 x 2 = 2

Blue Coins = 5 x 8 = 40

Total = 83

Upon arrive on the last wooden platform, our heroes searched around through the fog for the next Power Stars.

“You sure this is the place?” Applejack asked.

The country pony and everyone else turned toward Spike, who whipped out his map. He found the flashing stars on the map, on the very spot they stood on.

“It has to be,” Spike replied. “Unless…”

“Yoshi!”

“The stars are-a under-a-water!” Mario deduced.

“DUH!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “Even I would’ve known that.”

“Too bad Twilight’s not here,” Applejack commented. “We could really use her magic to help grow fins and gills to swim. Ah well. Guess we’re gonna have to do this the ol’ fashion way.”

The country pony stretches her legs, preparing to dive into the water, with Mario following her example.

“Not so fast, every pony!” Pinkie called out.

The party pony walks over with a couple goggles, with snorkels attached, and placed them over Mario and Applejack’s faces.

“There! Now you’ll both have something to breathe easier when you’re underwater! Good thing I brought the snorkel kit, in case of snorkeling emergencies.”

Both Mario and Applejack nod in gratitude before kicking their feet and dove into the water.

Beneath the surface, the bottom was very deep. It was so dark and murky, both Mario and Applejack swam deeper nearly blind, just to search for the stars. At first, all they could see were schools of fish that immediately scattered and swam away from the two divers. But as they swam deeper, the outline of a large massive shape started to form before their eyes.

As they swam closer to investigate, Mario and Applejack were shocked, if not amazed, to find a sunken wreck of a pirate ship. After inspecting the front bow of the ship, they circled around to examine the starboard and port bow of the sunken vessel. Eventually, they swam back toward the surface to regroup with their friends.

“Find anything?” Spike asked.

“There’s a large sunken ship down there,” Applejack pointed. “I’ll bet ya mah hat one of them stars is inside that there vessel.”

“Oh yeah!” Mario nodded.

“Then, let’s go get it!” Pinkie Pie hollered.

The party pony quickly dons up a pair of swimming goggles and snorkels for herself, Spike, and Yoshi, as she slips on some scuba flippers for her hooves.

“CANNONBALL!!!”

Jumping into the air, Pinkie curled her whole body into a ball, before hitting the water with a big splash.

After putting the map away in his backpack – folded and slipped in a zip lock bag – Spike jumps into the water, with Yoshi following. Together, the heroes took deep breathes and proceed to dive deep into the water to explore the wreckage of the sunken ship Mario and Applejack found. Everyone was amazed at this discovery, as they swam towards the ship for a closer look, certain they would find a Power Star within.

Spike swam close to an open window, when he was met by a pair of large icy blue eyes piercing from the darkness. It scared him so senselessly, Spike made a hasty retreat, zipping past Applejack and Pinkie Pie. At first, the two ponies looked puzzled, with Pinkie Pie shrugging and Applejack turning to face the wreckage.

“Sweet Celestia! LOOK!” Applejack pointed.

Fully emerged from it’s lair, a monstrous eel appeared. In appearance, the eel had icy blue glowing eyes, jagged teeth, covered in maroon-red violet scales with yellow stripes on its back fins. In terms of size, it looked to be as big as the ship, so big it might’ve likely capsized.

The eel opened and closed its mouth, breathing the water through its gills, before it gave chase towards the heroes.

“BWAAAAAAHHHH!!!” The heroes screamed, releasing bubbles.

The group immediately kick their feet making a hasty retreat for the surface. Once they were far away and well out of reach, the eel slithered back to the sunken ship it called home.

After swimming for their lives, Mario and friends were back along the shores of the stone platform. They were recovering from the traumatic shock they experienced, struggling to catch their breath. Spike and Yoshi were so scared they hugged each other close for comfort.

“You didn’t tell us there’s a giant, dragon-eating eel down there!” Spike panted.

“We didn’t know there was even such a thing,” Applejack panted. “How are we supposed ta know somethin’ like that would be hidin’ in that ship?”

“No pony says finding sunken treasure would be easy,” Pinkie Pie panted. “What do we do now?”

“Well, no way we’re going back down there,” Spike shivered. “Not with that sea monster on the loose!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, frightened.

“Ain’t like we got a choice, sugar cube,” Applejack frowned. “Somewhere at the bottom, inside that there ship, are Power Stars. We gotta find them fast!”

“Don’t forget Rainbow Dash is here too!” Pinkie Pie reminded. “That disembodied voice, the Guide, said she’s here! We’ve to rescue her, before… BRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!”

Suddenly, without warning, Pinkie’s whole body trembled. The party pony shuddered uncontrollably, her whole body vibrating vigorously in random areas.

“Oh! My Pinkie senses are tingling! Dashie’s down there!”

“Down there?!” Everyone gasped.

They turned toward where Pinkie’s tail was pointing, down into the water with looks of terror and dread in their eyes.

“In the sunken ship?” Spike gulped. “Guarded by a giant, hungry, monster eel?!”

“My pinkie senses never lie,” Pinkie Pie frowned. “If Dashie’s down there, she could be in big trouble! Bigger trouble than that sea monster! She needs our help!”

“As much as I hate to admit it,” Applejack frowned. “Pinkie’s right, we’ve got to get her outta there!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

“Oh yeah!” Mario nodded his head. “Luigi would’ve-a done the same-a thing for-a me, just as I would for-a him!”

“You bet your red hat he would,” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Especially when you find yourself captured by ghosts in his new mansion.”

“What?”

PINKIE! STOP SPOILING THE FUTURE FOR EVERYONE!

*Clears throat* As we were playing…

Ignoring another of Pinkie Pie’s usual antics, the rest of the heroes turn to Spike.

“What?” The young dragon asked.

“Well, what do ya say Spike?” Applejack began. “Are ya with us? Rainbow Dash needs all the help she can get.”

Of course, Spike was too scared to answer. Looking back toward the ocean beneath them, he knew that monster eel is likely waiting for them to come back for lunch. All the same, Spike couldn’t help but worry for Rainbow Dash’s safety. Rainbow Dash, one of his and Twilight’s best friends. Not to mention one of their most loyal. She’s always been there for him and the others, whenever they’re in trouble or in a tight spot. Looking down, Spike knew if it had been him in the cyan, rainbow-maned Pegasus’s situation, she would’ve risked her life to save him.

His expression shifts to sheer determination, as Spike turns to his friends.

“Of course I’m in!” Spike nodded. “But… Tell me we have a plan to get past the monster.”

Applejack pondered for a moment, before turning to Pinkie Pie.

“Hey Pinkie?” Applejack began. “You wouldn’t happen to pack some silly straws, now would ya?”

“Good idea!” Pinkie Pie beamed. “I always carry silly straws with me, in case of silly straw emergencies.”

She proceeds to pull out five colorful, oddly shaped straws for each of the heroes.

“What a plan! We’ll drink the whole lake dry, so the eel can’t swim and chase us!”

“Actually, I have a different plan in mind,” Applejack explained. “Okay, here’s what we’ll do: One of us needs to swim down there and lure that eel varmint out the ship. Once that oversized sea critter is distracted, we’ll sneak into the ship, find the Power Star, and rescue Rainbow Dash!”

“Sounds like-a plan,” Mario replied. “But-a who’s-a gonna be the bait?”

“Not me,” Spike shook his head. “I’ve already been live-bait to a Winterzilla.”

“Can’t make promises, Spike,” Applejack replied. “Which is why I asked Pinkie for these straws. Whoever pulls the shortest straw has to do it. Ya ready?”

“The rest of the heroes exchange uneasy agreements.

“Okay Mario. You’re first.”

Mario picks a straw and pulls out a long straw, sighing with relief.

“Your turn, Pinkie,” Applejack said.

She holds the straws out while the pink pony picked a straw… Which was also long, as she sighed with relief. The process continues as Applejack turns to Yoshi, who selects another long straw and then Applejack turns to Spike… Who pulls out the short straw.

“Oh! Why me?” Spike moaned.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie took Spike’s claw and shook it hard.

“Wow, Spike!” Pinkie Pie smiled, encouragingly. “I always knew it’d be you! You’re a born hero!”

“I’m a born loser,” Spike frowned.

The little dragon turns toward the rest of their friends for help. Applejack had a look of regret on her face, as she hid behind her hat. Mario took his hat off in respect, while Yoshi sadly waved to Spike.

Spike, unable to talk his way out, turned back toward the dark water. He knees shivered and quake, and for a moment, he lost the will to go through with it. Spike slapped himself, hard across his face to regain his composure. He punches his fists together, as if he were praying.

“For Rainbow Dash…” Spike said to himself, then screaming. “FOR TWILIIIIIIGHT!!!”

Spike dove toward the water, screaming as he disappeared beneath the water in a big splash. Shortly after watching the young dragon dive in, Yoshi approached the edge, looking at the ripples of the water before turning toward the rest of the heroes. Knowing and sympathizing the dinosaur’s concern, the rest of the heroes nod, encouraging him to help Spike. That settled, Yoshi jumped into the water and swam after Spike.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi hollered.

“Better see what’s going on down there, just in case,” Pinkie Pie said.

She reached into her mane and pulls out a long telescope, which she dips gently into the water to see what’s happening.

Spike swam deeper through the depths of the lake, drawing closer to the sunken ship. He swallowed a lump in his throat, as he turns his head to the side, keeping watch for the giant eel. He looks up, and his eyes widen in alarm as a massive shadow swam toward him.

Thankfully, much to Spike’s relief, it was only Yoshi. The two friends look back toward the window of the ship, exchanging concern as they crept closer to the opening.

“H-H-Hello?” Spike muffled, through his snorkel. “Anybody home?”

When no reply emerges, Yoshi turned his head and noticed a few strands of seaweed. He plucks one and rolls it into the shape of a burrito. Then, both Yoshi and Spike dangle the seaweed burrito over the window, by the end of a fishing line while they were a safe distance. Sure enough, and without warning, the eel strikes, lunging out the window and snatched the burrito in its jaws. Spike and Yoshi beat their chests to ease their rapid heartbeats.

“Whoa!” Spike yelped. “That could’ve been me!”

Yoshi nodded when suddenly, a rumbling sound drew them back toward the ship as the eel fully emerged from the ship’s window. Spike and Yoshi float in awe at the sea creature’s magnificent size. However, they were more shocked to discover a Power Star at the end of the eel’s tail.

“He’s got a Power Star!” Spike shouted, surprised.

“Yoshi!”

Yoshi quickly took the snorkel out his mouth, immediately swimming forward and shot his tongue out, snatching the Power Star off the eel. Thus, earning himself and Spike their second Power Star of the course.

But their moment of triumph was short-lived, unfortunately, when the eel turned its head and immediately spots the dinosaur and dragon duo. With a twist and a turn of its whole body, the eel charges toward the pair.

“BWAAAAAAHHH!!!” Spike screamed.

The little dragon and Yoshi quickly swam away, swimming in circles around the ship, luring the sea monster away.

Back along the surface, Pinkie Pie watched the eel chased after Yoshi and Spike.

“The eel’s taken the bait!” Pinkie Pie said. “Time we plunder the ship!”

“Alrighty then,” Applejack nodded. “But I hope Spike’s alright…”

“He’ll be fine, he’s got Yoshi with him!”

“Still…”

“Don’t worry about it. We gotta rescue Dashie if we want to save Fluttershy!”

Still unsure, Applejack reluctantly agreed, as she stood up and tipped her hat.

“Good luck, Spike.”

“Okie-dokie, here we go!” Mario hollered.

The plumber leads the charge, diving into the water as the two ponies follow. They swam deep through the dark depths of the lake, getting closer to the shipwreck. The giant eel was so busy chasing Spike and Yoshi, it didn’t notice the three figures sneaking aboard the sunken boat.

Inside the ship, with her very life hanging by a thin thread, the cyan rainbow-maned Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, was kept prisoner. Like her friends, Rainbow Dash was captured by Bowser and his goons, the moment they, along with Mario and his buddies, minus Wario, arrived in the Bob-omb Battlefield.

While the other ponies were imprisoned somewhere in the castle, Rainbow Dash had been locked away with the sunken shipwreck of Jolly Roger Bay. Her wings were wrapped to the side of her body by steel chains, said chains held her down a platform, beneath the deck of the ship, under a floating yellow bow with a ‘!’ mark. To further add insult to injury, Rainbow was chained to the point only her nose could breathe above the flooded deck.

Many hours passed, though it felt like days. With each passing second, the water level slowly rose higher, nearly swallowing her completely. Rainbow Dash pleaded for this slow torture to end, as she began to lose consciousness. Moments before passing out, however, Rainbow Dash could’ve sworn she saw a blur of familiar pink entering the ship with a blur of red and blue.

Author's Note

Give it up for my co-authors Tim Ribbert and Dramamaster829 and this story's new Pre-Reader, MarioBrony!

Jolly Roger Bay

Power Stars Found: 2

Grim Grinning Ghosts Come out to Shy Away

A Brady Bunch parody opening

Twilight: “Here’s the story, of an alicorn princess
Who was exploring a magic cave of games!”

Pinkie Pie: “She brought along all of her friends”

Spike: “Minus one dragon.”

Rainbow Dash: “And then we got captured...”

Mario: “Here’s the story of an Italian plumber
Who rescues Princesses from another castle”

Luigi: “I’m-a his brother.”

Wario: “I must rage nap!”

Yoshi: “Yoshi Yoshi Yoshi!”

Everyone: “And then one day
The princess and the plumber
Would come together to rescue another princess from another castle
And that’s how the Game Quest started
And they became the Gamer Bunch!

The Gamer Bunch!
The Gamer Bunch!
Now let’s unpause the game with a start!

And now, our feature presentation!

???

“Where are you?” A quiet, lonely voice cried. “Where did you go? Where is everybody? Where are you?”

Somewhere in the haunted house, a lonely soul wanders, searching endlessly for the way out, and the companionship she once had.

She didn’t remember what had happened. She only knew that one moment, she was with her friends, when suddenly, her world went dark and she finds herself in the house, plagued with ghosts.

Until now, a ray of hope appeared before her.

“Is that you? My friends?”

A Few Moments Earlier

“Just-a curious,” Mario began. “What’s-a all this talk about this voice calling its-a-self, the Guide. And what does it-a mean about this Cave of Games? What is-a that?”

Unsure of how to respond, the ponies and dragon all exchange looks with one another. They knew sooner or later they’d eventually tell Mario and his friends the truth about how they came to this world.

“It’s a long story,” Applejack replied. “Ya may find it hard to believe.”

Mario simply sat on the floor, crossing his legs together to get comfortable.

“I’m-a listening,” He said, encouragingly and eagerly.

Seeing how the plumber was anticipating the truth and would not have it any other way, Rainbow Dash sighed.

“Fine, we’ll tell you,” She said anxiously. “But can we make this quick? We gotta rescue Fluttershy, like right now!”

Finding the right words, and trying their best to comply with Rainbow Dash's wish, Spike was the first to start.

"So, about a week ago, Twilight and I were visited by our old friend, Starswirl the Bearded," He narrated.

"And he's really old!" Pinkie Pie joked. "You should see how long his beard is!"

"Pinkie!" Applejack scolded, while Spike continued.

"As I was saying, Starswirl told us about the Cave of Games, which is what we used to travel from our world to this world."

Mario and Yoshi both nodded in acknowledgement, before Applejack took over.

"But we didn't exactly came to the cave jus' to visit yer world or anythin'," The country pony explained. "The real reason we came there in the first place was because, and I don't know how else to put it, but the cave is sick."

"Oh?" Mario pondered. "How sick are we-a talking about-a here?"

"The cave's been infected with some sort of dark magic that's already claimed three ponies, before us," Applejack answered. "Friends of Starswirls, to be precise. That's why we're here, to find a way to fix the cave and find out more about this...this darkness."

"Hmmm," Mario pondered. "I see. So you're looking for-a way to fix this Cave of-a Games and repel the Darkness-a then. But what about the Guide? What is it?"

"Perhaps, I should answer that," The Guide spoke. "I, like some others, am a guardian of the Cave of Games. And for centuries, it has always been my duty to provide guidance to adventurers who have come to seek such excitements via the Cave of Games. My only restriction is that I cannot give a straight answer, unless it is to answer a question about my purpose and what my role is."

"Ah, good to know," Pinkie Pie replied.

"Yoshi!"

"Anyway, that should answer enough of your questions now," Rainbow grunted impatiently. "Now can we go now? We gotta save Fluttershy!"

Though miffed at how impatient the pegasus is, the heroes knew she means well, and was concerned about Fluttershy's well being.

"Okay," Mario nodded. "C'mon! The courtyard is-a this-a way! Let's-a go!"

With that, the heroes all followed the red plumber who took them through a wooden door, that wasn't marked by a star. They hadn't gone far, however, when they saw what appeared to be a large spherical ghost creature, with stubby arms, a large tongue that falls out of its menacing grin that is lined with jagged sharp teeth.

"What the what?!" Rainbow Dash pointed at the ghost, watching as it quickly turns tail and flies through a door at the end of the hall. "D-D-D-D-D-Did you see that?!" She stammered.

"Like it went through the wall!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Nothing stopped it!"

"Of course-a not!" Mario began. "It's a-Boo!"

"A what?" Spike asked.

"A Boo!" Mario repeated.

"Gesundheit," Pinkie said.

"No, no, no. I didn't-a sneeze. A Boo is a type of a ghost-a-like-a creature. But don't-a worry. They're much more scared of us than we are of them. But don't-a let that-a fool-a you. They're still very mischievous spirits and have often pulled lots of too many-a pranks on both-a me and my brother, Luigi."

Soon the heroes arrived in the courtyard, where they find the place, much to their shock, swarming with more Boos.

"Holy guacamole!" Spike shouted.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped in alarm.

"Mamma mia!" Mario exclaimed. "It's-a Boo-palooza!"

"Grim grinning ghosts come out to socialize~" Pinkie Pie sang.

"And one of them's got Fluttershy!" Rainbow snarled. "Alright you, ghouls!" The pegasus flapped her wings into action. "What have you done to Fluttershy?! TALK!" In response, the Boos immediately vanished into thin air. "What the–Hey! Where'd they go?!" Rainbow quickly turned her head in every direction, searching for the phantoms, when a Boo suddenly appeared from behind.

"DASH!" Mario shouted. "Behind you!" But it was too late.

CHOMP!

"YOW!!" Rainbow Dash yelped, as she jumped up with a start from the sudden bite to her flank. "HEY!" Rainbow turned around to see the Boo, covering its face and blushing up a storm. "Why'd you bit me on the–Uh...what're you blushing for?" Then, another Boo appeared behind Dash.

CHOMP!!

“AAH!!” Rainbow Dash yelped.

“Why ya flank biting ghouls!” Applejack snorted as she charged in to save her friend. “Take this!” Applejack threw her hoof out in a punch, which the ghosts avoided, as they disappeared.

“Where’d they go?” Applejack asked.

Just then, a Boo revealed itself, “There’s one!” Spike pointed.

Reacting fast, Rainbow Dash threw a punch in the Boo's direction, but it disappeared.

"How do we fight something we can't see?" Applejack asked.

"It's a-simple," Mario demonstrated by walking out into the courtyard, when a Boo reappeared behind him. Then, as if he could sense the ghost's reappearance, Mario did a backflip, jumping over the ghost and landed behind it, before he threw a punch, and a kick, causing the ghost to disappear. "Wait-a for it-a to appear."

With this newfound knowledge, the heroes quickly turn the tide against the Boos.

"Playing hide and seek, are you?" Spike asked, when he hears a cackling coming from behind him. "TAG! You're it!" He roared, shooting a ball of fire at the Boo, causing it to disappear in puffs of smokes and it left behind a single red coin. "Hey look!" Spike exclaimed, picking up the red coin. "I've got a red coin!"

The rest of the heroes all nodded in acknowledgement, as they continued their fight with the Boos.

"Surprise!" Pinkie startled one of the Boos into disappearing in a puff of smoke and leaving behind a red coin. "Peek-a-boo!" She surprised another to disappear and received another red coin. "Ag-ug-ug-ug-ug-ug!" She laughed, like a sailor man.

Applejack was being chased by three Boos, when Rainbow Dash lunged out from the side and kicked them all into puffs of smokes, leaving behind three red coins for her and Applejack to collect.

"Oh yeah!" Rainbow Dash whooped. "Who wants to bite me now?"

Just then, two Boos appeared behind Rainbow Dash and Applejack, which didn't go unnoticed for either mares.

"WATCH OUT!" The girls pointed to the ghosts behind each other, before they quickly ran up to each other and linked their hooves together, and spin themselves around to land a kick at both Boos, earning two more red coins for a total of 8.

With that, a Power Star materialized itself in the courtyard.

"Whoo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie bounced happily. "We've struck Power Star!"

With that, the heroes all raced to collect their reward, which danced and showered them with magical golden sparkles.

"Here we go!" Mario cheered, as he poses on one knee and holds two fingers up.

"YEAH! We got a Power Star!" The Equestrian Heroes sang.

"YOSHI!" Yoshi chirped.

With that, the Power Star disappears as it adds itself to their star collection, bringing their total of 28 to 29.

29 Power Stars

Just then, a loud cackling was heard.

"Oh!" Rainbow Dash challenged, throwing her hooves out. "You cowardly Boos are back for more? You want a piece of me? Rainbow Danger Dash?! Well, bring it on!"

As if answering Dash's challenge, a large Boo appeared, cackling and sticking its tongue out at the heroes.

"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed. "That's a Big Boo!"

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped in agreement.

"That's exactly what it is!" Mario replied, watching as the Big Boo held out a familiar green hat. "Mamma mia! It's-a got-a Luigi!"

"Which means it also got Fluttershy too!" With a flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash charged toward the Big Boo, which quickly disappeared before she could land a hit to it.

The Big Boo then reappeared and was about to sink its teeth on Dash, when it was tackled from behind, by Applejack. With that, the Big Boo disappeared in a puff of smoke, and it dropped what appeared to be a small bird cage, with a small house inside.

"What in tarnation?" Applejack exclaimed, flabbergasted, as she and the rest of heroes gather around to look at the small cage on the ground. "A cage?"

"A cage with a house inside?" Spike asked.

"But why would the Boos be carrying this around?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Hmmm," Mario held his hand out to touch the cage, and he immediately shrank and was sucked into the cage, as if he was pulled in by a vacuum cleaner. "WHOA-HO-Hoo-hoo-HOW!" Mario wailed, as he disappeared into the cage.

"MARIO!!!"

Then, without warning, the rest of the heroes all suddenly find themselves shrinking as they all got sucked into the cage.

Author's Note

Up Next: The heroes go ghost hunting to find their next Power Stars and to find Fluttershy. But they will find more that meets the eyes.

After That: To rescue Mario's brother, Luigi, our heroes and the red plumber go head-to-head with the evil King Boo.

Big Boo’s Haunt — Part 1 | The Great Mission to Rescue Fluttershy

“Ah… it appears we have visitors… let’s give them a… hearty welcome… shall we?”

Big Boo's Haunt

Arriving upon the new course, deep with a tiny cage, Mario immediately somersaulted to break his fall and landed perfectly onto his feet. Before long, the others arrived.

“LOOK OUT BELOW!” Pinkie shouted from above.

Shaping her tail into a spring, Pinkie Pie bounced safely upon landing. Rainbow Dash quickly spread her wings to slowly descend her all, while keeping Applejack close. Yoshi nearly hit the ground when he quickly kicked his feet beneath him. Appearing to flutter in the air, the little dinosaur slowed his descent and landed safely upon the ground. The last to arrive is Spike, who used his wings to slow his fall.

Having landed safely upon the new landscape, our heroes find themselves face-to-face upon a large mansion. The very image of this grotesque structure gave the group a rather menacing vibe.

“Whoa!” Pinkie Pie gasped. “What a dark, spooky house that is!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Applejack shuddered, looking around. “I’m getting’ goosebumps jus’ for bein’ here.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi quivered frightfully.

“Oh no…” Mario frowned. “Poor Yoshi’s a-scared to be going into the house. He’s a little bit-a ‘jumpy’ around-a-spooky-ghosties.”

Spike held his claws up to embrace Yoshi’s, calming his green dinosaur pal.

“Come on, guys!” Rainbow called out. “We didn’t come this far to be scared off by ghosts! Somewhere in that house, Fluttershy’s in trouble and she needs our help. We’ve got to get her out of there right now!”

“And let’s not forget!” Spike pointed out. “We’ve still got some Power Stars to collect; we better keep our eyes open.”

To prove his point, Spike displays the map highlighting all the locations of the Power Stars blinking upon the map. The heroes exchange nods of agreement as they march toward the house. Along the way, they stumble upon a sign that read:

“You don’t stand a ghost of a chance in this house. If you make it out alive, you deserve… a Ghoul Medal…”

“A Ghoul Medal?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Is that the best they could come up with for a joke? Talk about lack of creative writing.”

“I don’t reckon it’s meant to be a joke, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack replied, when Pinkie’s body vibrated. “Lemme guess… Pinkie senses?”

“Yup! They’re almost make me want to dance… almost. If they weren’t telling me Fluttershy’s in there… and in BIG trouble! With a capital B-I-G!”

“Then let’s go in there and save her ASAP!” Rainbow insisted. “Come on!”

The heroes quickly venture toward the house, entering through the two double front doors. The exterior designs of the doors appeared to resemble menacing faces of ghosts, an image that would turn ‘any’ passerby away. Mario cautiously opens the doors, slightly ajar, before allowing passage for himself and the Equestrian Heroes.

“Is-is that you I hear?” A voice whispered. “Is that you? My friends? You came for me!”

First Floor

Upon entering the manor, our heroes found themselves upon the largest room in the house. There were five doors on this floor: Two on the left, two just ahead, and a single door just to the right. Furthermore, they could see there appeared to be a second floor above them, except for ‘one’ tiny problem… no stairs.

“Seems the only way to find Fluttershy is if we split up!” Rainbow declared. “You guys check the bottom; I’ll search the top!”

Just when the Pegasus was about to fly away, a grasp at her tail stopped her and Rainbow was hauled back.

“Not so fast there, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack frowned in disapproval. “We don’t know what kind of hocus-pocus we’re dealin’ with from these ghosts. Splitting up is out of the question!”

“But we have to find Fluttershy and fast!” Dash argued. “We keep checking these rooms one-by-one, we’ll never find her! And even if we do, it’ll probably be too late!”

“I’ll-a go with-a Dash then,” Mario volunteered. “I’ll keep an eye on-a her and make-a sure she doesn’t-a get into too much-a trouble.”

“How are ya gonna get up there?” Spike pointed, noting the lack of stairs.

“Like a-this!”

Demonstrating his point, Mario stepped back and ran forward with two jumps. On the third, he kicks off into the air with a spectacular flip at a tremendous height and landed perfectly upon the second floor.

“Ha-Ha!”

“Wow!” Everyone applauded.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, stared slack-jawed in utter silence.

“Well, you-a coming-a Dash?” Mario asked, with a wink.

Snapped out of her stupor, Rainbow Dash zipped upward to join the red plumber.

“Guess that’s settled then,” Applejack shrugged. “Be careful you two!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

“And take this map with you!” Spike said, tossing the map to Rainbow. “You’ll have better luck finding some Power Stars up there more than we do down here.”

“We’ll be okay,” Mario replied.

“We’ll catch you guys later!” Dash called back.

Soon, Rainbow Dash and Mario disappeared into the rooms above, their search for Fluttershy having just begun. Little did anyone know that their friend was much closer than they thought.

“Dash?! Is that you?!” Fluttershy called out. “Mr. Mario? Spike?! Hello? I’m right here!”

But it was no use for the frightened Pegasus. For whatever reason, her words fell on deaf ears even as her voice appeared to echo from her spot. Somewhere within the house, either hidden in the walls or looming overhead, she could watch as her friends prepared to find her.

“All right, guys… where should we begin?” Spike asked.

Applejack turned towards the first room on the left. Following her lead, she and her group enter the room slowly. All they could find was a piano in the corner, sitting right next to a book, and sheds of moonlight shining through the nearby window. But what really caught Spike’s eye was a lonely red coin sitting behind the piano.

“Hey look!” Spike pointed. “A red coin!”

“I’ll get it!” Applejack volunteered.

The cowgirl trots toward the piano to grab the red coin, while Fluttershy looked on.

“APPLEJACK, NO!!!” Fluttershy shouted.

But it was too late. The piano suddenly sprang to life, snapping its lid open, revealing fangs! It sprung forward trying to eat Applejack.

“AAAAHHHHH!!!” Applejack screamed.

She jumped atop the piano, grabbing onto the balcony ledge above, climbing up as she gasped for air.

“Ah ain’t ever allowin’ no Pian-ee near Sweet Apple Acres!”

Reacting quickly, Pinkie Pie picks up a knocked down chair and summons a whip from her mane. She proceeds to crack the whip inches away from the monstrous piano.

“Down Simba!” Pinkie Pie shouted, cracking her whip. “Down Simba! Get away from us!”

While Pinkie Pie kept the piano busy, cracking her whip against the beast like a lion, Spike used this moment of distraction to silently sneak behind the monstrous instrument. While the creature was occupied, the little dragon proceeds to pick up the red coin.

“I got it!” Spike shouted, adding the coin to their collection.

Coins Collected

Gold Coin:

Red Coin (costs 2 coins): 1

Blue Coin (costs 5 coins):

Total: 2

"Let’s get outta here!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

Dropping her items, Pinkie leads her friends toward the next room, running away from the piano.

“Come on down, A.J.!” Pinkie called out.

“Be there in a moment!” Applejack replied.

Regaining her composure, Applejack jumps back down and regroups with her friends. Before long, our heroes find themselves within the next room as Fluttershy looked on from a seemingly invisible state.

“Oh… oh dear goodness!” Fluttershy panted heavily.

“Phew!” Spike gasped. “That was a close shave…”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Applejack sighed, hugging Spike. “If we ever get outta this mess, I ain’t ever lookin’ at pianos the same way again…”

“Or even books?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Books?”

Demonstrating, Pinkie Pie points to three random books that appeared to pull themselves out from the shelves.

“What the hay?” Spike asked.

The little dragon watched as the books began to open themselves, revealing fangs before lunging toward the group.

“INCOMING!!!”

“Watch yer head!” Applejack shouted.

The cowgirl swung her hind legs towards the books, bucking them into puffs of smokes. Her efforts are rewarded through three blue coins.

In the meantime, Yoshi searched the top of the bookcases in the room. The green dinosaur spots two red coins, each on top of the cases.

“Yoshi!” He chirped in alarm.

Spike, his attention drawn, looks up and spots what his dinosaur friend was pointing toward. Nodding in acknowledgement, Spike flaps up as he and Yoshi proceed to collect both red coins to add to their collection.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins:

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 3

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 3

Total: 21

“Alright, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie cheered, bouncing happily onto the catwalk. “Press your luck and you get the Applejack buck! Wahoo!”

Just then, in that exact moment, Pinkie’s entire body vibrated. In that moment, two Boos suddenly emerge from the wall, right behind the pink pony through a portrait of a Boo. Applejack’s eyes went wide as the Boos stalked toward her friend.

“PINKIE! BEHIND—”

“Peek-a-boo!” Pinkie Pie giggled, startling the Boos. “I see you!”

To say these ghosts were caught by surprise was an understatement. With a backflip, Pinkie jumped behind the Boos, curling her body toward the ground with a pound attack. In an instance, the two ghosts disappear leaving behind two blue coins.

“Goodness!” Fluttershy squeaked, surveying the scene.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins:

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 3

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 5

Total: 31

“Alright, Pinkie Pie!” Spike shouted, with a thumbs up. “Just a few more coins and we’ll have ourselves a Power Star!”

“FOOLS!!!!”

All of a sudden, somewhere in the house, a loud voice boomed and rang through their ears.

“Ghosts… don’t… DIE! Heh, heh, heh! Can you get out of here… alive?”

“Oh, oh dear goodness!” Fluttershy spoke up.

Our heroes suddenly turn their heads toward her direction, screaming in alarm.

“AAAIIIIYEEE!!!” Spike scream. “A GHOST!!!”

“And it’s no Boo!” Pinkie Pie shrieked, her mane flaring up.

“Yoshi!”

“Let’s get outta here!” Applejack called out.

Applejack and her fellow heroes took off running, screaming as they bolted out of the room. Left behind, a confused Fluttershy turned her head side-to-side and behind seeing nothing behind her.

“Ghost?” Fluttershy asked. “Guys, wait for me!!!”

Hovering in midair, Fluttershy pursued her friends hoping to catch up.

Meanwhile, on the Second Floor

Moments after leaving their friends at the main entrance, Rainbow Dash and Mario inspected the first floor. They soon found themselves in a library; however, they did not realize that this was no ordinary library.

“Too bad Twilight’s not here,” Rainbow Dash said. “She’d love to her hoofs—WHOA!!!”

Faster than Rainbow could launch herself in mid-air, a book flew off the left shelf, cutting across the Pegasus’ snout.

“What the what?!”

“Hmm…” Mario pondered, twirling his mustache.

Using his wits, Mario took his cap off and hurled it across the hallway like a frisbee. The action triggered several books to fly across the halls, as if they were launched like arrows off a crossbow.

“Whoa!” Rainbow gasped. “This is just like one of Daring Do’s adventures! Like that one time she evaded the deadly poison dart traps of a tomb to..”

In response to Rainbow Dash’s enthusiasm, Mario shot the Pegasus an unamused glance, silently telling her to get back on track.

“Right! How do we get through this?”

“We jump-a like-a Mario!” Mario answered.

Doing a few stretches with his legs, Mario runs down the hall, jumping in the air to dodge the first book flying from the left. Then he lunges forward, ducking a second book flying from the right. The plumber soon rolls forward into a ball, evading two books coming at him from both sides. Just as he reached the other side, Mario picks up his hat and dons it back upon his head.

“Alright, Mario!” Rainbow Dash complimented, clapping her hooves.

“C’mon-a Dash!” Mario gestured.

With a competitive smirk, Rainbow Dash kicked herself into the air, performing flips and spins all the while evading the flying books. Before long, she landed right in front of a rather impressed Mario.

“Show off!” Mario smirked, clapping his hands.

With that settled, Mario and the Pegasus resumed their task at hands… or in Rainbow’s case ‘hooves’. They had just turned a corner, only to find…

“Augh!” Rainbow Dash groaned. “A dead end!”

“Not-a quite-a Dash,” Mario replied.

The plumber approaches the shelves, noting there were three books: One at the top, one in the middle-left, and one at the bottom-right. Suddenly, the books push themselves out all on their own.

“Hmm… there must-a be another puzzle to this.”

“Yep, it’s Daring Do all over again,” Rainbow nodded in agreement. “If only she were here, she’d enjoy this.”

Mario reached his hand out to touch the book on the left, which suddenly flew from the shelf and smacked him on the head.

“OH!” Mario grunted on impact.

“Mario!” Dash shouted. “You okay?”

“I’ll a live,” Mario groaned, shaking his head. “But that’s the wrong-a book.”

“Here, let me give it a try.”

Dash reached out and touched the book at the very top, which slides right into place. Dash closed her eyes, bracing herself for an attack. Only to find… nothing happened.

“Phew! I got the right book!”

Rainbow touches the book on the left, which inadvertently triggered the trop before bonking her on the back of the head.

“OOF!!!” Dash grunted.

The Pegasus fell back on the floor, her eyes starting to see stars.

“Uh, Mario? Did you get the license on that book?”

“Pull yourself-a together, Dash!”

Mario slapped the Pegasus back to her senses, as he approached the books and press the right sequence: Starting from the top, to the bottom-right, and then the middle-left. Following that order, the shelves slid to the left revealing a hidden passageway. Both Mario and Rainbow Dash quickly beat their feet and hooves to enter the door, discovering another Power Star waiting behind it.

“SCORE!” Dash shouted happily.

She flew over to collect the star, which danced around her.

“Here we go!” Mario cheered.

“YEAH! We got a Power Star!” Dash hollered.

Upon collecting the Power Star, the heroes’ total went up with a huge…

30 Power Stars!!!

“I wonder how everyone else is-a doing?” Mario asked.

“Hope they’re having as much fun as we are.”

Meanwhile, back with the other heroes

After their recent frightening encounter in the library, at the first floor, Spike and Yoshi found themselves in a room. A large eyeball was in the center, along with a Boo. But the two boys hardly noticed the ghost, as they ran circles around the eyeball, causing it to spin uncontrollably with a dizzy spin, before it disappeared in a puff of smoke. In its place, the eye left behind a blue coin.

As for the Boo, it made the mistake of making itself visible, watching as the frightened dragon and dinosaur ran around the room before crashing into each other. The Boo found himself sandwiched in the middle, causing it to disappear, leaving behind yet another blue coin.

“Ow, my nose!” Spike groaned.

Before long, he and Yoshi look up to see the coins they unintentionally collected.

“Hey, look! Two blue coins! Boy are we lucky!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, as they collect their spoils.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins:

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 3

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 7

Total: 41

Then, just like before, a loud voice boomed somewhere in the house.

“Ghosts… don’t… DIE! Heh, heh, heh! Can you get out of here… alive?”

“… Dude, that’s creepy,” Spike shivered.

It was then the little dragon realized he and Yoshi were the only ones in the room.

“Yoshi… where are Applejack and Pinkie Pie?”

“Hmm?” Yoshi shrugged.

“They’re in the other room,” Fluttershy spoke up. “But there’s a large drop in there if they’re not careful! We’ve got to save them, fast!”

“Hmm…” Spike thought. “I bet our friends must be in another room! C’mon Yoshi, we better go find them. I just hope they aren’t in too much trouble.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

The two boys make their exit from the room, as Fluttershy was left dumbfounded, if not frustrated.

“Why doesn’t any pony ever listen to me?!”

“Scream all you wish, shout all you might, my little pony,” A voice boomed. “They are all deaf to you. HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!”

“What?”

Fluttershy turned her head toward the voice, only to find there was no one in the room except her… or so it appeared.

“I thought I heard somepony,” Fluttershy sighed, leaving the room. “Guess it’s up to me save Applejack and Pinkie Pie… I hope.”

Applejack and Pinkie Pie

Following their recent scare, Applejack and Pinkie Pie found themselves separated from Spike and Yoshi. The two mares ran blindly into a room, but Applejack was fortunate enough to stop themselves. A good thing too, for our girls were just mere seconds from falling off the ledge of a large hole in the center of the room.

“WHOA!!!” Applejack exclaimed.

Both Applejack and Pinkie Pie threw themselves against a wall, taking the time to catch their breath.

“Whoo-wee! That was too close!”

“Eeyup!” Pinkie Pie replied.

Before long, the Party Pony spots a red coin, spinning on the ledge right next to them.

“Hey look! It’s another of those red coin things!”

She jumps over the ledge and collects the coin, earning our heroes their fourth red coin.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins:

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 4

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 7

Total: 43

In that exact moment, a Boo suddenly appeared from nowhere and lunged toward Pinkie Pie, when—

“Hi!” Pinkie greeted, popping from behind.

Startled, the ghost explodes in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a blue coin to add to their collection.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins:

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 4

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 8

Total: 48

“Ghosts… don’t… DIE!” The voice boomed. “Heh, heh, heh! Can you get out of here… alive?”

“Dramatic, much?” Applejack asked.

Not waiting for an answer, Applejack and Pinkie Pie hopping onto a ledge and were on their way toward the next door. Not far behind, Fluttershy followed her two pony friends who remained oblivious to her presence for some reason.

Eventually, all three ponies found themselves in a large room with a large drop in the center. Other than that, there was only a single bridge to cross over and a Boo circling the area. The ghost seemed to be on patrol when it caught sight of both Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Before either pony could make a move, the ghost suddenly disappeared into thin air.

“Where did that varmint go?” Applejack asked.

The cowgirl set one hoof upon the bridge, when…

“AAAH!!!” Applejack yelped.

The platform Applejack stepped on broke off, crumbling down into the deep, dark pit below. So startled, Applejack nearly fell over into the abyss herself.

“APPLEJACK!!!” Pinkie screamed.

The pink pony lunged forward, grabbing the country pony by the tail, and hauled her back up.

“Oh, goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed, approaching her friends. “Are you okay, Applejack?”

“I’ve just about had it with this here house,” Applejack muttered. “Thanks for asking anyway, Pinkie.”

“Um, I didn’t say anything…” Pinkie said awkwardly.

Just then, Spike and Yoshi emerged from the door just on the other side of the bridge.

“Applejack? Pinkie Pie?” Spike called out.

“Spike?!” Applejack exclaimed, seeing the two. “Spike! Yoshi! Over here!”

“There you two are!” Spike sighed. “We’ve been looking all over for you!”

Spike and Yoshi quickly raced across the bridge to reunite with their pony friends.

“Wait, boys!” Applejack and Fluttershy shouted. “Don’t cross the—”

But it was too late! Spike and Yoshi were already on the bridge, when suddenly…

“KA! KA! KA! KA!”

The Boo from earlier materialized itself, startling Spike and Yoshi midway.

“AAAH!!!” Spike and Yoshi yelped.

The Boo gave the two such a fright that they fell off the bridge and toward the darkness below, along with the falling platforms they had walked on.

"AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuggggggghhhh!"

“SPIKE! YOSHI!!!” Applejack and Pinkie Pie shrieked.

They reached their hooves out desperately but could only watch as their two friends faded deep into the darkness below.

“NOOOOO!!!” Fluttershy wailed in horror.

The three outraged ponies turned toward the ghost that scared their friends to their doom.

“Why you no good scoundrel!” Applejack snorted. “C’mere you!”

Kicking her legs, Applejack lunged toward the Boo. In response, the Boo disappeared, as Applejack ended up falling into the abyss.

"DANGNABIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTT!!!!"

“APPLEJACK!” Pinkie screamed, jumping after her friend. “Don’t worry, possible cousin! I’ll save you!!!”

Pinkie’s shouts faded after seconds of falling, as the Boo laughed itself silly at its latest scare. Just then, the ghost found itself face-to-face with an angry Fluttershy.

Invisible – Wallflower Blush

“That… was not… funny!” Fluttershy shouted, with an intensive stare. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself! I mean I know you’re ghosts and all, and that you’re a little shy, but why go and scare my friends into a dark black HOLE?!! Why you’re just a… BIG… DUMB… MEANIE!!!”

Fluttershy bellowed so loudly at the Boo, the ghost itself was frightened beyond all reason.

“THERE! I SAID IT!!!” Fluttershy continued. “Why, I’d have half a mind to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget! But NOOO!!! I can’t! Why?! Because I’ve been wandering aimlessly for a giant house for hours and MY FRIENDS DON’T EVEN KNOW!!! Well, you know what? I’VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU AND YOUR MISCHIEF MAKING BUDDIES!!! Why can’t you all just get along with some other creatures… Or just… GET… OUT!!!!”

Fluttershy’s latest rant made her face angle so scarily, the Boo screamed itself to death before vanishing into a puff of smoke. All that was left behind was a blue coin. Fluttershy had a moment to compose herself, as she returned to normal.

End of Background Song

“Oh! Oh my,” Fluttershy whimpered. “Guess I don’t know my own strength sometimes.”

Fluttershy looked down upon the blue coin, which she noticed her friends had been busily collecting.

“Well, guess he won’t be needing this anymore,” Fluttershy spoke, picking up the coin. “After all, my friends do go through so much trouble for these coins. Every little bit helps I suppose.”

Coins Collected

Gold Coins:

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 4

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 9

Total: 53

“BOOOOO-M!!!” The voice echoed. “Here comes the master of mischief, the tower of terror, the Big Boo! Ka! Ka! Ka! Ka! Ka! Ka…”

“Oh! Oh dear!” Fluttershy whimpered.

The yellow Pegasus loomed down toward the large hole her friends had fallen into. Eventually, she spreads her wings and slowly glides down.

“I hope they’re okay; I’ve just got to help them somehow! Hold on my friends! I’m coming!”

Author's Note

Power Stars: 29 + 1 = 30!

What is happening? How can our heroes not see Fluttershy? And what else could be haunting the house, besides the Boos?

Big Boo’s Haunt — Part 2 | The Great Mission to Rescue Fluttershy

In the last chapter:

Coins Collected

Gold Coins:

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 4 x 2 = 8

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 9 x 5 = 45

Total: 53

Game unpaused

Meanwhile, back with Rainbow Dash and Mario

“BOOOOO-M!!!” The voice echoed. “Here comes the master of mischief, the tower of terror, the Big Boo! Ka! Ka! Ka! Ka! Ka! Ka…”

“The Big Boo?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Rainbow Dash and Mario just left from the library they came from, having collected their very first Power Star in this course.

“Oh no!” Mario shuddered worriedly. “That’s-a big-a trouble! We got to find our friends and-a fast!”

Before the two heroes could begin their search, a frightful sight stops them in their tracks.

Basement

“YOSHI!!!”

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!"

Spike and Yoshi held onto to each other, plummeting into the dark depths of the hole they fell into. After experiencing such a jump-scare earlier with a boo, they fell into the deepest abyss where time felt irrelevant. They keep falling for what feels like an eternity, until finally they crash toward the bottom with a big…

SPLASH!!!

The water breaks as the two crash into the depths, until Spike and Yoshi quickly swims to the surface gasping for air.

“Ptooey!” Spike spat the water out. “Wow! My life flashed before my eyes back there.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

Both dragon and dinosaur soon learn they were about to have company soon.

“DANGNABBIIIIIIIIIITTTTTT!!!” Applejack screamed.

“CANNONBALLLLLLLLL!!!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

The two Earth ponies’ cries echo in the dark, before they crash down into the waters with a mighty splash beside the boys. So big in fact, it washed the friends along the nearest deck. As the group gasps for air, Pinkie resurfaced before them, a snorkel in her mouth, goggles over her eyes, and scuba flippers on her hooves.

“PINKIE!!!” The gang shouts angrily.

“Hi guys!” Pinkie smiled obliviously.

A certain Yellow Pegasus floats toward the ground, joining her friends.

“Oh Pinkie! Spike! Yoshi!” Fluttershy cried, shaking her head incredulously. “Thank goodness you’re all okay! You as well, Applejack!”

“I’m just glad we’re all okay,” Spike said. “Where are we now?”

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy answered.

“Ah don’t know, sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “But let’s be careful. Remember: There’s still ghosts about. And they’ve got Fluttershy and Mario’s brother, Luigi.”

“But Applejack!” Fluttershy shouted frantically. “I’m right here!”

“Hold on!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “Do you hear that?”

Sure enough, within the silence, the heroes hear a jingle of a merry-go-round.

“Ooh! A merry-go-round! I love merry-go-rounds!”

“Pinkie, focus!” Applejack scolds the pink pony. “Just where is that music comin’ from?”

“It’s behind that door!” Pinkie pointed.

Sure enough, a door is in full display right behind our heroes. Suddenly, Pinkie vibrates ever so vigorously.

“Ooh! My Pinkie Senses are even more tingly! There’s a Power Star or two, just behind that door!”

“Let’s go get those stars!” Spike said.

The little dragon turns the door open, Spike and Yoshi the first to walk in. They venture into a room with a rotating platform that spins clockwise, surrounded by large portraits of boos.

“Wow, a merry-go-round,” Applejack commented.

“Told ya so!” Pinkie Pie sing-songed.

“In the basement of a haunted house? What are the odds?”

“Never mind,” Spike interrupts. “Remember: we’re here to collect the Power Stars and save Fluttershy!”

“But I’m right here!” Fluttershy screamed. “I’M… RIGHT… HERE!!!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi points to the door on the other side.

“You’re saying we should check that door over there?” Spike asked.

Yoshi nods in confirmation, the only response Spike needs.

“Okay… let’s go!”

Both the dinosaur and dragon were about to carefully step upon the spinning platform when Applejack stops them.

“Hold on boys,” She cautioned. “Let’s not go rushin’ into things. Last thing we want is another of them ghosts jumpin out and scarin us like before.”

Knowing that Applejack is right, referring to that time on the bridge, Spike and Yoshi nod in agreement.

“What should we do now?” Spike asked.

Applejack ponders for a moment before an idea pops in her head.

“I’ll go check things out. Y’all stay here.”

With a cautious step, Applejack rode upon the rotating platform. Just as she made her way to the other door, several boos suddenly appear from one of the portraits.

“Not this time!” Applejack said.

She tilts her hat to the point her eyes seemed hidden. The boos immediately close in on the seemingly blinded pony; however, Applejack was waiting for this. Taking the boos by surprise, Applejack turns and spins her legs into a tornado kick. The legs clock the boos into puffs of smoke, leaving behind two blue coins.

“Yeah, Applejack!” Spike and Pinkie Pie cheered.

“You rock!” Fluttershy cheered invisibly. “Whoo-hoo!”

“Whoo-whee!” Applejack smirk confidently, standing on the rotating platform. “How do ya like them apples?”

Suddenly, without warning, a sudden burst of flame roars from the mouth of a boo portrait, roasting the apple pony.

“AAAAAAHH!!!”

“OH NOOO!!!” Spike and Pinkie Pie wailed in horror, their claws and hooves on their cheeks.

“OH DEAR GOODNESS!!!” Fluttershy wailed.

“YOSHI!!!”

"I'M ON FIIIIIIIREEEEE!!!!" Applejack screamed.

“Stop, drop, and roll!” Pinkie Pie advised.

Then, at the last second, Pinkie reaches into her mane and pulls out a fire extinguisher.

“Good thing I always keep a fire extinguisher, in case of ‘fire’ emergency.”

Pinkie starts spraying her friend, completely covering Applejack in foamy flame retardant from head to tail. After the smoke clears, Applejack stood before her friends with a white foamy beard, a mustache, and eyebrows, giving her the appearance of ‘Santa Hooves’.

“Are you okay, Applejack?” Spike asked, inspecting the apple pony.

“Yep. I’ll be alright, Spike,” Applejack replied, before gasping. “BEHIND YA!!!”

Two more boos suddenly appear, advancing toward the heroes while their backs are turned. However, before they could get closer, one of the ghosts suddenly stops in its tracks.

“No!” Fluttershy grunted, holding the boo back. “Don’t… hurt… my… friends!”

The boo tried to turn itself invisible, but it was too late.

“HI-YA!!!” Applejack and Pinkie Pie yelled.

They jump on the boo, causing it to disappear into puffs of smoke leaving behind a blue coin. The other boo lunged to attack, just as another came in to fill for its defeated ally. Applejack and Pinkie Pie both fought off the boos, with a kick and a ground pound they learned from Mario himself.

With the boos defeated, the heroes pick up the five blue coins, earning them a total of 78 coins collected.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins:

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 4 x 2 = 8

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 9 + 5 = 14 x 5 = 70

Total: 78

“Alright!” Spike cheered, after counting the coins. “Just 22 more coins to go, and we’ll have ourselves a Power Star!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped triumphantly.

“So, that’s what all the coin collecting business is about,” Fluttershy nodded in acknowledgment.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie’s whole body vibrates even more violently.

“Ooh! Pinkie alert! Pinkie alert!” Pinkie Pie chirped, before her eyes widen in fright.

“Oh dear goodness!” Fluttershy gasped.

“What’s the matter?” Applejack asked.

The apple pony turns her head, as the pupils in her eyes immediately shrunk to the size of pinpricks. Spike and Yoshi both share a look of worry.

“There’s something big and scary behind us, isn’t there?” Spike asked.

The ponies nod as both dragon and dinosaur turn to look behind them, their eyes widen as an even bigger boo towers above them.

Super Mario 64 – Stage Boss OST

"RUUUUUUNNN!!!"

The heroes try to make a break for the door, but a sudden burst of dark flames erupts from the floor blocking the heroes’ access to the door.

“We’re trapped!” Fluttershy screamed.

“Then we’ll just to fight that ghost!” Applejack insisted. “After all, y’all know what they say. The bigger they are…”

Applejack trots towards the big boo, before she leapt in the air for a flying kick. But the ghost quickly turns invisible, making itself intangible, causing Applejack to fly into a wall.

“OOF!” Applejack grunts, crashing into the wall.

“Ooh!” The heroes cringe.

“The more bones they break?” Pinkie Pie finished.

Applejack rolls to the side, just as the Big Boo closed in on her.

“Hey! Leave my friend alone, you big bully!” Spike shouted.

The little dragon shoots an explosive fireball at the ghost. The Big Boo turns its attention on the dragon who attacked it, proceeding to hover towards him. Before it could do anything, a lasso flies out and ensnared the giant specter by the tail.

“Not so fast ya big varmint!” Applejack grunted.

The cow pony grips her rope tightly in her mouth, mustering all her strength to pull the big boo away from the young dragon, slamming it into the walls. The impact immediately breaks the boo apart into several tiny boos.

“What in tarnation?!” Applejack exclaimed.

“It’s a big boo made up of boos!” Pinkie exclaimed, before giggling. “A Big Boo of Boos! Now that’s funny!”

The heroes watch as the scattered boos attempt to regroup, regaining their gigantic form.

“Quick!” Spike shouted. “Stop them before they turn back!”

“Yoshi!”

The four heroes run around the merry-go-round, chasing after the boos while avoiding the flamethrowers spewing from the boo portraits. Fluttershy was rather confused in all the chaos since she didn’t know what to do.

“Oh dear goodness!” Fluttershy said frantically. “What should I do? What can I do?”

“I got ‘em!” Spike shouts, chasing a boo.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, chasing another boo.

Unfortunately, both boys failed to realize the boos lead them into each other. At the last second, the two boos vanish into thin air, causing Spike and Yoshi to crash into each other.

“OOF!” Spike and Yoshi grunt, upon collision.

“Oh, goodness!” Fluttershy shouted, inspecting the boys. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Spike replied. “Thanks… huh?”

His eyes widen, Spike looks around the room.

“That’s funny. For a moment I thought I heard Fluttershy.”

“That’s because I am here!” Fluttershy shouted in frustration. “I… AM… HERE!!!”

Back in the first, Applejack and Pinkie Pie manage to stomp and jump on two boos, causing them to disappear into puffs of smoke. The other boos manage to regroup into the big boo. However, it was much smaller than before.

“Hey, check it out!” Applejack pointed. “The more boos we take out, the smaller it becomes!”

“Then let’s shrink it down to size!” Pinkie Pie suggested, pumping her hoofs up.

Eager to fight, the Big Boo lunged toward the heroes for a bite. Applejack ensnared its tail again, mustering all her strength to slam the giant ghost into several tiny boos. The heroes all pounce forward to attack the remaining ghosts.

Applejack punched a boo from behind before quickly bucking her legs and slamming another trying to sneak up on her. Pinkie Pie pulls out a pair of nunchaku from her mane. With a karate yell, Pinkie smacks her nunchaku around, hitting several boos surrounding her. After recovering from their collision, Spike and Yoshi pick themselves up to see a single, remaining boo floating away from their pony friends. Reacting quickly, Spike and Yoshi sneak up on the boo and pounced.

“GOTCHA!!!” Spike shouted.

The two tackle the ghost into smoke.

End of Fight Song

As the battle ends, the flamethrowers cease fire, the dark barriers shielding the doors lifts, and a Power Star appears from where the last Boo once hovered.

“Whoa!” Spike shouted. “We struck Power Star!”

Spike points to the star floating away, stopping in front of the other door. Fluttershy watches as her friends waste no second, charging towards the star, and snatching it out of the air. Thus earning their 31st Power Star collected. The Power Star danced around the heroes, showering them with sparkles of gold.

“YEAH!” Spike and the ponies cheered. “We got a Power Star!”

“YOSHI!!!” Yoshi chirped.

“Yay!!!” Fluttershy cheered quietly.

After collecting the Power Star, the heroes take their leave through the door, and enter a hallway with the floors flooded in water. Thankfully, the water only floats toward their feet, thus allowing the heroes to walk. They take a turn to the left, where they suddenly see a large block of dark bricks, with a single gold coin floating above it.

“Hey, check this out!” Spike inspected the block. “Never seen a block of brick like this before.”

“You think maybe it could hold some coins inside?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Oh yeah,” Spike replied. “All we have to do is break it.”

“No problem!”

Pinkie pulls on her mane, causing it to form into the shape of a drill at the end of her bang. Pinkie proceeds to drill her mane against the dark block, sending sparks flying in the air. Applejack shakes her head incredulously.

“Pinkie Pie’s just full of surprise, ain’t she?”

Her friends share her agreement with a nod. After a period of drilling, Pinkie Pie looks up and was dumbfounded to see the dark block remain unscathed.

“That’s strange!” Pinkie said, looking at her bent-up mane. “I had this in for a tune up!”

“A tune up?” Spike asked.

“Yoshi?” Yoshi shared his friend’s confusion.

“Pinkie Pie will always be ‘Pinkie Pie’,” Fluttershy shook her head.

“Let’s try this again!”

Pinkie cranked on a piece of her mane, like a lever, causing her tail to vibrate like a jackhammer. Pinkie Pie proceeds to bounce atop the brick, which remained unscathed.

Yoshi shook his head. He gets anxious for him and his friends to resume their search for the Power Stars and rescue their friends. Though, he seems more antsy about rescuing Luigi. The green dinosaur turns to the right, noticing a familiar red cap sitting in the corner. Yoshi walks away to collect it.

“Hey Yoshi!” Spike called out, Fluttershy following. “Where are you going?”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi answered, holding the red cap.

“Ah, sweet!” Spike pumped his fist. “Another of Mario’s hats! Wow, how many does this guy even need?”

Brushing the question aside, Spike puts on the hat, once again transforming into Spike-Mario.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped, marveling the dragon’s transformation.

Spike walks back to the block, just as Pinkie ran out of gasp. The pink party pony flops in the water, completely exhausted.

“Okay, my little-a ponies, stand-a back!” Spike-Mario shouted. “Let’s-a GO!!!”

Spike-Mario cracked his knuckles, before proceeding to swing his arm into a wheel. He throws the punch at the dark block…

CRACK!!!

However, the dark block remains unscathed, barely even a scratch. The same can’t be said for poor Spike-Mario’s fist.

"OOOOOOWWWWW!!!"

Spike-Mario winced from the recoiled damage, rubbing his sore knuckles.

“Ooh! I’ll bet that smarts!” Yoshi commented.

“Oh… my!” Fluttershy cringed, trying to inspect Spike’s injured wrist. “Are you alright? Does it hurt so bad? Let me see!”

“Sure wished Maud Pie was here,” Pinkie Pie said. “She’d pummel that whole block into pebbles in ten seconds flat!”

“Let me have a look at that,” Applejack offered.

Applejack steps forward, giving the bricked block a few knocks.

“Hmph! Can’t be as hard as the time ah was buckin’ trees when ah was Apple Bloom’s age. Welp, here goes nothin’!”

Setting herself into position, Applejack aims her hindlegs at the block of brick and thrusts her legs out into a strong kick.

“Ooh!” She winced, from the bricks’ thickness. “That’s one strong piece of block!”

“But look!” Spike-Mario pointed.

Before their eyes, several cracks appear on the brick.

“You’re-a breaking it!”

“Quick Applejack!” Pinkie Pie shouts excitedly. “Do it some more!”

With another grunt, Applejack mustered up every ounce of her strength to buck the brick. Once, twice, three times she bucks the block into rubble to reveal a star switch hidden beneath the block. Amidst the rubble, the heroes earn themselves 3 gold coins, plus a coin floating above the brick.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins: 4

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 4 x 2 = 8

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 14 x 5 = 70

Total: 82

“A switch?” Applejack asked.

Spike-Mario looks down upon the switch, as both he and Yoshi immediately recognized it from their previous adventures in Whomp’s fortress and Jolly Roger Bay.

“Hey! It’s-a another of those-a Star-a Switches!” The dragon-turned-plumber exclaimed. “If you press it, a star-a appears!”

“Really?!” The ponies exclaimed.

“And that also means that there’s a Star Sphere somewhere!” Yoshi added.

“That’s-a right-a, Yoshi!” Spike-Mario nodded. “It-a means there’s-a Star Sphere nearby.”

“Really?” Applejack asked. "Where?”

The country pony soon did a double take.

“Wait! Since when can ya talk to Yoshi?”

“It’s all-a thanks-a to this-a hat!” Spike-Mario pointed. “Whenever I’m-a Mario, I can understand-a what-a Yoshi says! And I can do this!”

Spike-Mario jumps into the air, performing a front flip before landing back on his feet.

“Wahoo! Oh yeah!”

“Wow!” Fluttershy gasped in awe.

“Nice form, Spike!” Applejack smiled. “But what’s with the funny accent?”

“I don’t-a know,” Spike-Mario shrugged. “It came with the hat!”

“Well, enough of that, where’s the Star Sphere ya mentioned before?” Applejack asked. “Ya said the Power Star will appear in there when we—”

“You mean that crystal ball behind that wired wall?” Pinkie Pie pointed.

Sure enough there was said crystal ball, right behind a wired grate.

“Yeah! That’s it!” Spike-Mario nodded. “But we have to be-a fast! Because once-a we step on the switch, we have to break the crystal-a ball before time runs-a out!”

“That’s right!” Yoshi confirmed.

Though to the ponies, he said, ‘Yoshi!’.

“Ya mean, as soon as we step on this switch,” Applejack pointed her hoof. “We need to run all the way through the merry-go-round and out the other side just to break the crystal ball?”

“You got it!” Spike-Mario gives a thumbs up.

“Then let’s do it!” Pinkie Pie said.

She stomps her hoof on the switch to activate it, as the Power Star appears. The sound of a ticking clock is heard signaling the start of a race against time. Without wasting a second, Pinkie Pie took off running through the merry-go-round before reappearing on the other side, running along the platform, and reached for the crystal ball before time ran out.

Pinkie Pie lunged forward, breaking the crystal ball and therefore earning their 32nd Power Star.

“YEAH!!!” Everyone cheers, as the Power Star dances around Pinkie Pie. “WE GOT A POWER STAR!!!”

“Yoshi!”

“Yay!” Fluttershy cheered.

After collecting the Power Star, Pinkie Pie regroups with the rest of the heroes.

“Where to next?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I don’t know about you guys,” Applejack began. “But it looks like we won’t find any more coins or Power Stars down here. And neither Fluttershy nor Luigi are around here.

“But I’m right HERE!!!” Fluttershy screamed desperately.

“A.J.’s right!” Pinkie Pie noted. “Though, for some reason, I can’t help shake this feeling Fluttershy is closer than we think.”

Little did Pinkie know, Fluttershy shouted in frustration and flops her head into the flooded floor. Kicking and screaming, the poor Pegasus throwed a tantrum greater than a school filly’s.

“Either way, let’s get back up and meet with Rainbow Dash and Mario,” Spike-Mario suggests. “Hope they’ve found some Power Stars up there.”

The heroes begin to take their leave through a door. After she’s had her tantrum, Fluttershy manages to calm down as she looks up, just in time to see her friends leave.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Fluttershy shouted, following her friends.

The heroes walk down the flooded hallway, heading for the door on the other side. The heroes were well on their way when the settings around them suddenly take a turn for the eerie.

A mist suddenly rose from the water, the hallways suddenly lit in an ominous dark purple light highlighting the fog in an eerie shade of purple. At the same time, the water turns red as if it was blood.

“What the—What’s going on?” Fluttershy whimpered. “What’s happening?”

The rest of the heroes back against each other, watching as the shadows around them suddenly dance on the walls like they were on fire.

“What’s going on, Applejack?” Spike asked, hugging Yoshi close. “Pinkie Pie?”

“I don’t know, Spike,” Applejack trembled. “But whatever you do, don’t be afraid.”

“I’m afraid that train’s already left the station…”

“No! Stay!” A voice called. “Don’t leave again!”

Our heroes turns behind them, as the sight before them immediately sent shivers up their spines.

Meanwhile, few minutes ago with Rainbow Dash and Mario

Appearing before the cyan Pegasus and the red plumber is a huge boo. The Big Boo lunged toward the two heroes; its jaws stretched wide to reveal sharp fangs. It snaps its jaws at both Mario and Rainbow Dash, who jump to the side and dodge the attack.

“You don’t scare us ghost!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

She lunges toward the Big Boo, who quickly disappeared and dodged the attack. The Big Boo reappears and proceeds to attack the Pegasus, before Mario jumps and throws a kick, knocking the big boo away.

However, upon contacting the red plumber’s punch, several boos are knocked loose, causing the Big Boo to shrink down to size.

“Huh!” Rainbow Dash grinned. “For a Big Boo, it’s got a ‘big’ weakness!”

With a flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash lunges toward the boos, catching them by surprise. She kicks her legs, cutting across the air, bucking the boos into smoke.

Desperate, the Big Boo lunged towards Rainbow Dash, intent to catch her from behind. The giant ghost chased the speedy Pegasus around the room. Rainbow Dash flew towards a wall, from which she immediately bounces off, catching the ghost by surprise, flying towards the specter with a kick to its face. The straight blow knocks more boos, shrinking the Big Boo further.

Keeping up the momentum, Rainbow Dash bounces off around the room, repeatedly attacking the Big Boo and its army. Until finally, only one boo remained to which Dash finished off with a powerful flying kick. After the fight, Dash pants heavily trying to catch her breath.

“Ha-ha!” Rainbow Dash chuckled. “The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

Just then, materializing out of thin air, a Power Star appears and floats to the second floor.

“Wow! We struck Power Star!” Rainbow Dash panted heavily.

The Pegasus plops against the floor, when it suddenly carried her up to the second floor, revealing that it was a staircase.

“Way to go, Rainbow Dash!” Mario smiled, collecting the Power Star.

The Power Star dances around him, as he cheers.

“Oh yeah! We got a Power-a Star!”

The heroes’ collection of Power Stars increases to 33. Mario and Rainbow Dash resume their search for their friends, the Power Stars, and coins along the second floor.

Second Floor

Mario and Rainbow Dash first check a door on the left of the library’s doorway, which they entered earlier. Inside was barely a room. The whole floor is an all-red steel grate, with holes in them. On the other side, a single red coin spins in the air.

“I’ll get it!” Rainbow calls out.

Flying over, she collects the coin thus earning the heroes their fifth red coin collected.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins: 4

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 5 x 2 = 10

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 14 x 5 = 70

Total: 84

Soon, both Mario and Rainbow Dash enter the next room, where a large eyeball rotates next to an open room filled with six coffins.

“A giant eyeball?!” Rainbow grimaced. “Yuck!”

“That’s-a Mr. I!” Mario lectured. “When they see you, they shoot balls of light at you. But they’re very easy to beat! Watch!”

With a stretch of his legs, Mario kicks off into a run, circling around the giant eyeball. The eye spins itself silly, to the point it was dizzied into submission. The Mr. I shrunk down into puffs of smoke, causing a blue coin to appear in its place. Without a second to waste, Mario and Rainbow Dash collect the coin.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins: 4

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 5 x 2 = 10

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 15 x 5 = 75

Total: 89

After dealing with the eyeball, Rainbow Dash and Mario turn to the room of coffins. The Pegasus shudders at the sight of the coffins, knowing there are dead creatures concealed inside. Add to the fact there’s six of them, Rainbow Dash felt uneasy, unable to imagine what they look like. Still, Rainbow forces herself to make a brave face as she investigates the room.

“Hello?!” Rainbow Dash called. “Any Power Stars in here?”

As if answering the Pegasus’ question, a coffin suddenly stood up startling the Pegasus.

“AAAH!!!”

The coffin stood for a moment, before vibrating violently, and fell back down with a slam.

BOOM!!!

“AAAH!!!” Rainbow Dash yelped, her wings flaring in fear. “What was that all about?”

“I don’t-a know,” Mario replied. “Let’s just look fast, so we can get-a out of here!”

Another coffin suddenly stood up, before vibrating violently much like the first one. Then it slams down on the floor. The third coffin lifts up revealing a red coin underneath.

“Mamma mia!” Mario exclaimed, pointing at the coin. “A red-a coin!”

Before the coffin falls back down, Rainbow Dash quickly snatched the red coin, as the large box nearly fell back on the floor.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins: 4

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 6 x 2 = 12

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 15 x 5 = 75

Total: 91

PMaTTYD: Awakening OST

Suddenly, without warning, the fires along the torches in the room suddenly erupt to life, startling Mario and Rainbow Dash out of their wits.

“What’s happening?!” Rainbow asked.

PMaTTYD: The Sky Falls Into Shadows OST

“I don’t-a know,” Mario shuddered. “But—MAMMA MIA!!!”

Mario points to five of the coffins suddenly engulfed in a menacing aura, resembling dark flmaes.

“Oh, this can’t-a be-a good!”

“Since when are coffins ever a good sight?” Rainbow grimaced.

She and Mario watch a lid slide off from a coffin, followed by another.

“Uh, M-M-Mario?!” Rainbow quivered. “W-W-What’s going on?!”

“I-I-I don’t-a know!” Mario replied.

Mario and Rainbow watch as a hand burst from a coffin, as a large mass of shadow stood from the now empty case.

Rainbow Dash and Mario back away from the mass, stepping out of the room, watching as more shadows spill from the coffins and onto the floor like fog rolling. Rainbow Dash kept her gaze locked onto the shadow, when she suddenly feels an earsplitting ringing in her head, causing her to fall to the ground and holding her hoofs up to her ears.

“AAAH!!!” Rainbow winced, at the agonizing, high-pitch. “What is that?!”

“AAAHH!!!” Mario screamed, holding his hands up.

Without wasting a second, Mario and Rainbow Dash immediately left the room, shutting the door behind them hoping the strange shadows don’t escape. Once outside, both Mario and Rainbow Dash regain their composure, catching their breath and easing their pounding headaches.

End of Music

“What was that?!” Rainbow Dash asked.

“I don’t-a know,” Mario replied. “But I hope we don’t have to see it again!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Rainbow nods in agreement. “C’mon, let’s keep searching the place so we can get out of here… and fast!”

“Oh yeah!”

Mario and Rainbow Dash continue exploring the house. Little did they know that it won’t be the last time they ever saw the dark magic they just experienced.

Super Mario 64 – Big Boo's Haunt OST resumes

Rainbow Dash and Mario walk into a room, finding themselves in what appears to be another library. All seems quiet at first, until two books scrolled themselves from the shelves and open their pages to reveal fangs. The two books turn toward Rainbow Dash and Mario, lunging towards them without warning. The two heroes didn’t hesitate to throw punches and kicks at the cursed books, causing them to disappear into puffs of smoke, leaving two blue coins behind.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins: 4

Red Coins (costs 2 coins): 6 x 2 = 12

Blue Coins (costs 5 coins): 17 x 5 = 85

Total: 101

The coins the heroes collected dissolve into sparkles of light, as they join together and material into a single Power Star.

“Whoa!” Rainbow Dash gasped. “Have we collected 100 coins already?!”

Mario nods in response.

“Awesome!”

Both Mario and Rainbow Dash collect their 34th Power Star, which danced around them.

“YEAH!” Rainbow Dash sang. “We got a Power Star!”

“Here we go!” Mario hollered in triumph.

After the festivity, the two heroes looks behind the shelves to find another red coin, making it their 7th collected. They walk out through a door, which led to a small balcony in the main room where Rainbow Dash once fought the Big Boo. And there, floating about the balcony is the 8th and final red coin, which Rainbow Dash didn’t hesitate to collect.

Upon collecting the last red coin, Rainbow Dash and Mario stare in amazement, as a Power Star materialized itself on the other side of the room.

“I’ll get it!” Rainbow volunteered.

With a flap of her wings, Rainbow zipped off to collect the 35th Power Star. Like before, the star danced around Rainbow Dash, who does a victory dance.

“YEAH!” Rainbow Dash cheered. “We got a Power Star!”

“Oh yeah!” Mario hollered from the balcony. “Okay, Rainbow-a Dash! Let’s-a go!”

Mario ventures back into the library, with Rainbow Dash following behind. The two reexamine the map, seeing the final Power Stars above them. Furthermore, the map showed an entrance up the top of the mansion just inside the very same library they stood in. They are just about to investigate, until…

“Rainbow Dash?! Mr. Mario?!”

“BWAH!!!” Rainbow Dash and Mario scream in unison.

Startled by the voice, Rainbow Dash and Mario look up and before their eyes is the very pony they’ve been searching for.

“Whoa! I can’t believe it!” Rainbow Dash smiled, tearfully. “Fluttershy!!!”

Rainbow rushes up toward the buttercup Pegasus and wraps her arms around Fluttershy in a huge.

“I can’t believe it’s actually you!”

“Rainbow Dash!!!” Fluttershy exclaimed happily. “I missed you so much! It was so horrible! I woke up and found myself all alone in this horrible house! I’ve never felt so scared in all my life!”

“It’s okay now, Fluttershy,” Rainbow smiled, comforting her friend. “It’s okay! We’ll be out of here soon and it will all be just one big freaky nightmare for all of us.”

“Why can’t we just leave right now?” Fluttershy asked. “This place is horrible!”

“And we will, but first we must find the rest of our friends and collect the last Power Stars!” Rainbow explained. “Don’t worry, we’ll make this quick so we can get out of this place! I promise!”

“Okay, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy nodded in acknowledgment. “Oh! I just remembered! Mr. Luigi needs help! He’s in trouble!”

“Luigi?!” Mario exclaimed, rushing toward the Pegasus. “Where is he?!”

“He’s up there!” Fluttershy pointed to the ceiling opening. “In the attic! He’s been held prisoner by those horrible ghosts! I barely escaped, but…”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy!” Rainbow assured. “We’re on it!”

With a flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash flies toward the ceiling. She finds a door, opens it sideways, and quickly enters the attic.

“Let’s-a go!” Mario said.

The red plumber follows Rainbow Dash by jumping on a wall, kicking off, and landing onto the platform of the door entering behind the Pegasus.

However, upon entering the attic, Mario is shocked to see Rainbow Dash ensnared by chains pulsating with intense dark-fiery auras from the shadows. Once more, the familiar earsplitting sensation rang in his head, causing Mario to fall to the ground and cover his ears. Mario strains to look up, seeing Rainbow Dash in pain. The fiery auras burn red hot and her whole body appears to contort, flashing out of proportion as if she were, in a term ‘glitching’.

“Mario!” Rainbow Dash groaned. “Help!”

Mario tries to free the Pegasus when he’s suddenly grabbed by the leg. The grip, cold and hard, freezes his legs on the spot. The red plumber barely moves, before a sudden jolt flares throughout his body as if he were pierced by a thousand needles pinning him to the floor. The last thing Mario saw, before his whole world went black, is Fluttershy’s hooves.

"Hush now. It's alright."

Author's Note

Power Stars collected thus far: 6
Remaining Power Stars to collect: 2

Power Stars: 30 +6 = 36

Big Boo's Haunt – Part 3 | The Great Mission to Rescue Fluttershy

In the previous chapter:

More than 100 coins were collected (all 8 red coins were found)

6 Power Stars recovered.
2 Power Stars remained.

Game Unpaused

“No! Stay!” A voice called. “Don’t leave again!”

Pinkie Pie, the first of her group to turn around and look, widens her eyes in immediate horror.

"AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"

Pinkie Pie is the first to gallop away, as the rest of her group turn their heads and immediately see what she’s running away from.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!" They all screamed.

They kicked up the waters with their feet, running away from the nightmare that was chasing them. Spike-Mario removes his hat to resume his true dragon form, allowing him to flap his wings as hard as he’s never flapped before. On the surface, the nightmarish figure chasing them looked like Fluttershy, except her eyes were missing, streams of blood poured from where they were, her hooves covered in blood, she drags long steel chains along the watery floor, and she carried a large wheel around her neck.

Spike had never felt scared in all his life until now.

“Move it or lose it guys!” Spike shouted, flapping harder. “It’s gaining on us!”

As for Fluttershy herself, she has no idea where her friends suddenly ran away from her. She turns her head, seeing if there is something behind her. But to her perplexed nature, there wasn’t anyone or anything behind her.

“What’s wrong?” Fluttershy asked. “Why are you running from me? Come back! Please! Come back!”

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!"

But it was no use. Fluttershy watches helplessly, as her frightened friends ran away from her. Not long after, they completely vanished behind a door. By the time the buttercup Pegasus arrives, she is aghast to see it opens to an endless void of darkness.

“Where did you all go?” Fluttershy asked.

After they enter through the door, the friends keep running. They are too frightened to escape from the nightmare, they failed to realize it is really their friend, Fluttershy.

“Is it still after us?!” Applejack asked.

Spike turns behind him, seeing no one behind them.

“I think we lost it!” Spike confirmed.

Our heroes eventually slowed down, as their run comes to a grinding halt.

“I think we’re lost ourselves!” Pinkie Pie stated.

The party pony points to the fog, which grew thicker as it surrounds them in complete darkness.

“Where are we? Who turned out the lights?”

“BRRRRRR!!!” Spike shivered, rubbing himself from the sudden chill. “Why did it get so cold all of a sudden?”

“Uh… is it jus’ me… or does any pony get the funny feeling we’re bein’ watched?” Applejack shuddered.

“I feel it too!” Pinkie Pie vouched, in agreement.

“Ditto!” Spike shivered.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

"Very perceptive!!!" A loud ominous voice echoed, shaking the heroes to the core. "We have been observing you for quite some TIME!!!"

The Dark Crystal – Arathim Ascendancy Theme

Frightened out of their wits, the heroes turn their heads, searching and blindly locating the source of the voice in the dark.

“Who’s there?!” Applejack asked. “Who are you?! Show yerself!”

"WE are the DARKNESS!" The voice answered. "WE welcome you to our GAMES of ESCAPE and SURVIVAL!"

"SURVIVAL!"

"SURVIVAL!"

"AAAAUUUUGGGHHH!!!" Rainbow Dash's voice screamed.

“Rainbow Dash?!” Applejack exclaimed, frightened. “DASH! What’s wrong? Are y’all right?”

"WHOAAAAAAA-AAAAAAA-AAAAA!!!" Mario wailed.

“Mario?!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

“Help me!” A third familiar voice screamed. “Please! SOMEPONY, HELP ME!!!”

“TWILIGHT!!!” Spike shouted, in worry.

"HEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPP!!!!!" A fourth voice shouted desperately.

“Mama!” Yoshi chirped.

“What you done to our friends?!” Applejack stomped her hoof fiercely.

"IF you ever want to see your FRIENDS again, then you MUST accept our game, or YOU will all be LOST in the DARKNESS FOREVER!!!"

"FOREVER!!!"

"FOREVER!!!"

The friends tried to look toward each other. But being in complete darkness, it was impossible.

“What other choice do we have?” Spike asked rhetorically.

“Alright! We accept your game!” Applejack answered. “But just so we can get out of here and find our friends!”

“Hold on!” Spike called out. “What kind of game are we playing? And what does it have to do with rescuing our friends?”

"To reach your FRIENDS, you must first ESCAPE our TRIAL of NIGHTMARES and HORRORS untold! FAIL the trial and YOU will be lost in the DARKNESS for ETERNITY!"

"ETERNITY!"

"ETERNITY!"

"BUT if you succeed, then the REWARD will far outweigh the RIIIIIISSSKK!"

“Fine by me,” Applejack replied. “Let’s jus’ get this over with!”

"ONE MORE THING!"

Out of thin air, a green magical aura materializes into the shape of an hourglass.

"You must succeed the task BEFORE the sands in this hourglass runs out or the game is OVER!!! HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!"

The air around the heroes grew colder, as if the wind seized the heroes in its cold clutches. The breeze spirits them away, lifting them off the flooded floors of the basement.

“Hey! What’s happening?!” Spike asked. “Where are we going?!”

“YOSHI!” Yoshi chirped in alarm.

“I don’t know!” Applejack replied.

She reaches a hoof out to keep her hat on and the other to keep a firm grip on her friends.

“HOLD ON, EVERYPONY!!!”

“WHOAAAAAA!!!” Pinkie yelled.

She and her friends find themselves spinning in the air, as if they were in a tornado.

“Auntie Pie! It’s a twister!”

The heroes spun around, flying blindly in the dark wind, as they were spirited away to some unknown location to begin their given task.

Meanwhile, back with Rainbow Dash and Mario

“What happened?” Rainbow Dash mentally asked.

As she slowly regains her consciousness, her vision returning just the same, she finds herself staring into the pupils of a giant eyeball.

“What… what the what?!” Rainbow Dash asked aloud.

“AAAUGGHH!!!” Dash screamed in surprise.

Rainbow Dash tries to fly away, only to realize and find herself bound by a web of dark chains.

“Huh? Hey, what gives?! Where am I? What’s going on? What’s happening to me?!”

“Rainbow-a Dash?!” Mario called out.

Rainbow strains to hurt her head, as her eyes catch the red plumber chained next to her.

“Are you okay? Where are we? What’s-a going on?”

“Good… you are finally awake.”

Mario and Rainbow Dash look ahead, as Fluttershy steps out from behind the giant eyeball.

“Fluttershy?!” Rainbow asked. “What’s happening? Can you get us out of these chains?”

“All in due time, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy spoke, with a sinister grin. “The game is set, and it is just begun. We need you and Mario alive… for now.”

“Wh-what?!” Both Mario and Rainbow exclaim, outraged.

“What are you talking about?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What game? We don’t have time for games! Stop playing with us and-AAAAUGGGH!!!”

Rainbow wailed in agony, her body once again flashing and contorting out of proportions.

“SILENCE mortal!” Fluttershy demanded demonically. “You are in no place to make demands. For you are not of this reality. And your other friends in the basement are no exception.”

After a moment of her torture passed, Rainbow looks toward Fluttershy.

“You’re not Fluttershy! Who are you? What are you?!”

“I am the Game Master!” The demonic-possessed Fluttershy rasped. “And soon your executioner should your friends not reach you in time. Till then, our acquaintance, Mr. Big I, will make your death slow and sufferable…”

The demon-possessed Fluttershy took her leave, as the giant eyeball turns its gaze toward Rainbow Dash and Mario. The eye fires burning orbs of light at the two. Upon being hit, Mario and Rainbow Dash felt intense heat enveloped their whole bodies in flame unlike anything they’ve ever felt before. To Rainbow Dash, it felt more painful than being struck or electrocuted by lightning.

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash hears a crack of electricity hissing in the air, followed by a jolt of energy waves flowing through the chains, surging into her body, and Rainbow Dash felt a new painful sensation, like a thousand fiery needles piercing into her skin, threatening to tear her apart.

Rainbow Dash never felt so much pain in her life; all she wanted was for it to be all over.

[mon]A/N: This is the best I could find for Twilight's Canterlot library at night

At first, all Spike and his group could see is darkness. But after coming to their senses, the heroes felt solid ground. They wearily open their eyes and got up to look, only to find themselves in a dusty old library.

“Where are we?” Applejack asked.

“From the looks of it, I’d say a library,” Spike answered. “And judging from the cobwebs and dust, an abandoned one at that…”

Suddenly, Spike’s eyes widen as if he realized something.

“Wait, hold on! I know this place! This was Twilight’s old library! We’re back in Canterlot!”

“We are?” Applejack and Pinkie exclaimed in unison.

“Yoshi?”

“What are we doing here?” Applejack asked. “We’ve got to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom! Our friends are still there and they’re in big trouble!”

“Do not fear, young adventurers,” The Guide’s voice spoke. “I am still with you. I shall lend you my guidance to the best of my ability.”

“Oh, great… Guide!” Spike replied. “Tell us. How can we—”

“Before you ask your questions, I must warn you,” The Guide interrupted. “In the Darkness’ games, I am bound by the rule to offer guidance and hints… for only three questions. Three questions, three answers. And your questions must be unanimous. Choose wisely.”

“O-kay then,” Spike replied, understanding.

“What does it mean, ‘unanimous’?” Applejack asked.

“It means it has something we all fully agree on,” Spike explained. “Twilight told me about it… once.”

“Okay then, what do you think we should be askin’ the Guide then?”

“We should ask it on where we begin?” Pinkie Pie suggested.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi nodded in agreement.

“Works for me,” Spike said.

“Okay Guide!” Applejack called out. “We’ve decided our question. Where should we begin?”

“To find your way back and rescue your friends,” The Guide answered. “Some studying should help make sense.”

“To find your way back and rescue your friends,” Applejack repeated. “Some studying should help make sense…”

“Studying… studying…” Spike repeated, turning to the dusty books. “Maybe we should start looking through some books? I mean that’s what Twilight would do when she studies.”

“Worth a try,” Applejack nodded.

She and her friends proceed to approach the bookshelves to investigate. Along the way, they happen to pass a large hourglass, which Spike took notice.

“Hey! I remember this old thing!” Spike chuckled.

Just then, he noticed the hourglass was coated in an eerie green glow, in which he remembers the time they have to complete the Darkness’ game.

“Oh no! We have to hurry!”

The heroes quicken the pace, the task in their hands and hooves, investigating the bookshelves of the abandoned library. At first, nothing happens as the heroes pull some books off the shelves. Suddenly, Applejack discovers a book seemingly out of place.

“’Game Quest Story Documents’?” Applejack read the title on the binding. “I may not read books like Twilight, but I know this isn’t somethin’ you’d find in an Equestrian library.”

Applejack proceeds to pull the book from the shelf, but finds it stuck in place.

“Hmm… book’s stuck.”

With a strong pull, the country pony unknowingly pulled a switch causing the entire bookshelf and the platform it stood on to spin around taking the ponies, dragon, and dinosaur on a wild ride.

“HEY!” The ponies and Spike exclaimed.

“YOSHI!” Yoshi yelped in surprise.

“What jus’ happened?” Applejack answered.

“A good question I wish had a good answer!” Pinkie replied.

“Or even a bad answer!” Spike added.

Just then, Spike and his friends hear an unpleasant clicking and clanking of chains, looking up in fright.

“Uh oh!” Pinkie began. “I think we just found that bad answer!”

Standing before them is Fluttershy, in her nightmarish appearance, who has been chasing them throughout the entire course of the mad house.

“Sweet Celestia!” Spike shouted. “That thing can follow us anywhere?!”

“Yoshi!”

“Ya mean it can try!” Applejack started. “C’mon y’all! Let’s beat it!”

The heroes turn tail and run down the dark hallway.

“Wait! COME BACK!!” Fluttershy shouted.

A frustrated sigh escapes her lips, as Fluttershy chases after them. The chase takes place in a dungeon, as our fleeing heroes take refuge in some barrels.

“I wonder if we lost her?” Pinkie asked, inside her barrel.

Spike and Yoshi peek from their hiding spot for a quick look.

“I don’t see anything,” Spike answered.

But his words are eaten fast, when Fluttershy appears.

“YIPE!”

“YOSHI!” Yoshi screeched.

He and the dragon quickly rush off as the ponies realize what happened.

“Oh boy!” Applejack complained. “Here we go again!”

Applejack and Pinkie start to gallop with the barrels still over their heads.

“SPIKE! GIRLS! YOSHI! STOP!” Fluttershy called.

The butter-coat Pegasus ran out of breath, as she struggles to catch up to her frightened friends.

“Why are you all running away from me?! What did I do?”

“Maybe this’ll stop her!” Applejack grunts.

She hurls a large wooden square box toward Fluttershy, who quickly ducks her head and avoids the flying box.

“SWEET CELESTIA!!!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“Stop her?!” Spike asked rhetorically. “It didn’t even slow her down!”

“Maybe not,” Pinkie Pie stated. “But it sure speeds me up!”

The party pony quickly revs her feet into wheels and took off, leaving the group in the dust. Spike, Yoshi, and Applejack soon follow their pink friend, as the chase leads them out of the dungeon and into the halls of Canterlot Castle at night.

“We’re in Canterlot Castle!” Spike shouted. “C’mon, I know the way around this place!”

The heroes take off running through the intertwining hallways of the great castle, determined to lose what they assume to be a ghost. The whole chase resembles something from an old 80s cartoon featuring a talking dog and a team of teenage super sleuths.

“Split up!” Applejack suggested. “She can’t follow all of us!”

“No way!” Pinkie Pie argued. “Then she’ll follow me!”

“Why would she follow you?” Spike asked.

“They always follow me!” Pinkie Pie replied. “They always go after the comic relief!”

“Stop being paranoid and do it!” Applejack replied.

The farm pony is the first to break off from the group, running down the hall on her left. Spike, the second to break off, took the right with Yoshi being third and going left.

"NO! I told you she'd follow me!" Pinkie Pie wailed. "AAAAAAAUUUUGGGGHHH!!!!"

Pinkie Pie runs down the hallway, before entering a room. She quickly quadruple-locked the door, before turning to the other door and swings it open revealing Fluttershy, still looking like a dreadful nightmarish monster, standing there.

“Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy shouted.

"AAAAAUGHHHH!!!" Pinkie screamed.

Her mane sticks out randomly, her coat nearly drains out its color. She zips back to the other door she locked. Meanwhile, Fluttershy follows her frightened friend.

“Pinkie Pie!” Fluttershy repeated. “It’s me!”

Pinkie Pie unlocks all four locks but finds herself unable to pull the door open. It’s as if the knob is seemingly jammed in place. Mustering up every ounce of strength, Pinkie pulls the doorknob right out of its socket. With a frighten yelp, Pinkie Pie threw the doorknob at Fluttershy hitting the poor misunderstood Pegasus on the nose.

*WHAM*

“Ow! My nose!” Fluttershy whimpered.

Rubbing her inflicted nose, Fluttershy watches tearfully as Pinkie Pie ran out of the room.

“Scootaloo! Where are you?” Pinkie Pie shouted cartoonishly, running for dear life. She came screeching around a corner, just as Yoshi came from the other, and…

*WHAM*

Both Yoshi and Pinkie Pie crash into each other. As soon as they get up, Yoshi ends up riding on Pinkie Pie who continues to gallop down the hall before they regroup with Spike and Applejack. From there, all four members kept running while Fluttershy was almost out of breath.

"Why is everyone RUNNING FROM ME?!!" Fluttershy screamed in frustration.

Fluttershy never felt this angry since her first time at the Grand Galloping Gala. Suddenly, as if answering her question, Fluttershy turns her head to a mirror and was startled by her own reflection. The bashful Pegasus let out a yelp, as she backs away from the nightmare before her eyes, which also backed away from her. It was in that moment Fluttershy realized the nightmare in the mirror was actually her reflection.

“What?” Fluttershy gasped, in horror.

She slowly approaches the mirror, placing a hoof upon the glass. However, what’s more perplexing was that in her own perspective, the Pegasus’ hooves appear normal, no chains and her skin intact. A clear contrast to how she appears in the mirror.

“Is this why my friends are so scared of me?” Fluttershy asked herself. “Oh dear…”

Before long, the four friends kept running until the run straight toward the end of a hallway.

“Nice goin’ Spike,” Applejack frowned. “We’re at a dead end.”

“Well look on the bright side,” Spike shrugged. “At least we’ve lost her.”

“Don’t look now, Sugarcube,” Applejack pointed. “But she’s found us!”

Sure enough, Fluttershy appears, panting heavily.

“Spike… Girls… Yoshi!” Fluttershy panted, trying to catch her breath. “I’m not a ghost! Please, don’t be afraid of me! I’m not going to hurt you!”

But the poor Pegasus’ efforts to explain herself fell on deaf ears. Try as she might, her friends were too scared to listen.

“What do we do now?!” Spike panicked.

“Yoshi!”

Yoshi points to a hatch he opened in a wall, which he immediately jumped into.

“Hey! Yoshi’s found an old laundry chute!” Spike shouts. “Let’s go!”

Spike was about to jump in when he was pulled by the tail.

“Hold on, Spike!” Applejack stopped him. “There’s no tellin’ what’s waitin’ for us down there.”

“Maybe, but I’m not waiting for what’s up here!”

Spike jumps into the chute regardless of the circumstance.

"What did he say?"

“Geronimo!” Pinkie Pie shouted, jumping after her friends.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Applejack shouts, following after.

“Wait, no! STOP!!!” Fluttershy plead, arriving too late. “I’m not a ghost! It’s me! Fluttershy! FLUTTERSHYYYYYYY!!!”

The Pegasus’ wails echo down the chute, as the four heroes slide to escape.

At the bottom lie a couple baskets, containing old sheets of laundries. Applejack and Pinkie Pie land in one basket together, while Spike and Yoshi fall and land upon each other.

“Psst!” Pinkie whispered, inside her basket. “Is the coast clear?”

“Ah think so,” Applejack replied. “Let’s take a look.”

Spike and Yoshi both emerge from their basket, with the girls emerging from their own. Unfortunately, both girls emerge draped in white sheets, giving them the appearances of ghosts.

“Phew. I think we—”

Spike’s eyes widen in fright, when he and Yoshi look only to see two ghost girls standing over them.

“HOLY GUACAMOLE!!” Spike screamed. “TWO GHOSTS!!!”

“YOSHI!” Yoshi screamed, equally frightened.

Both dragon and dinosaur turn tail and run, only for the girls to throw the sheets off themselves as they grab the frightened boys by their tails.

“Hey, hold it!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

“It’s jus’ us, Sugarcube!” Applejack added.

“Pinkie Pie? Applejack?” Spike asked, in relief.

“Yoshi?”

“Uh, heh-heh… got to admit, you had us fooled,” Spike nervously chuckled. “Am I right, Yoshi? I knew it was them the whole time!”

“Yoshi… (Yeah, right…)” Yoshi rolled his eyes.

After regaining their composure, the heroes stand up and observe their surroundings. Only to realize, they were in another dungeon, with thousands of doors.

“Which one’s the way out of here?” Spike asked.

The heroes turn toward one another, exchanging glances before nodding and realizing what they were thinking.

“Okay Guide!” Applejack called out. “Here’s our second question! How do we find the door out of here?”

“Beware!” The Guide began. “Each door leads to more. Nightmares of untold horror waits behind each door. But only one on this floor is the exit to the upper floor.”

“Oh-kay…” Spike replied, confused. “But which one is which?”

“There’s like thousands of doors here!” Applejack exasperated. “It could be anyone!”

“Maybe we could try checking them out, one at a time?” Spike suggested.

The group splits up as they try investigating a door. Pinkie Pie walked toward the door, swinging it open on its frame revealing a pale humanoid creature, dressed in a black suit. But the horrifying truth of it was that it has no face. For Pinkie Pie, this means she can’t get it to smile.

"NO SMILEY FACE?!!” Pinkie Pie screamed. “AAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Pinkie Pie slams the door shut, escaping from the nightmare.

Yoshi walks toward another door, opening it to the side revealing a tyrannosaurus rex stomping through some trees, on a dark and stormy night. Suddenly, the large prehistoric tyrant caught sight of the small green dinosaur, unleashed a bloodcurdling roar, and charged towards Yoshi.

“YOSHI!!!”

With a frightened yelp, Yoshi slammed the door shut, which trembled and shake upon collision from the T-Rex on the other side.

"AAAAAAAUGGGH!!!" Spike screamed.

The little dragon came flying out of a door, nearly mere seconds away from being grabbed by a large hand.

Applejack only opened a door for a quick peek but was immediately terrified upon seeing the nightmare of a familiar monstrous eel lunging towards her. Applejack quickly slams the door shut, just before the eel could get her.

“This is hopeless!” Applejack shouted.

She looks up toward the air, seeing the magically projected hourglass showing that time’s running out.

“We’re running out of time! We’ll never find the right door!”

Pinkie Pie’s mane deflated a bit as she slumped next to Applejack.

“It’s all over!” She whimpered. “It’s been nice knowing you, Applejack! And it was nice knowing we could possibly be cousins!”

“Well, whatever happens Pinkie Pie,” Applejack frowned, pulling Pinkie closer. “We’ll always be apples to the core.”

Seeing his pony friends dishearten, Spike feels helpless himself.

“It can’t end like this!” Spike shouted, pacing around. “There’s got to be a way to find the door out of this place!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped. “Yoshi! Yoshi! Yoshi! Yoshi!”

“What? Hold that thought, Yoshi.”

Reaching into his backpack, Spike pulls out Mario’s hat, which magically transforms himself into Spike-Mario.

“Okay. You were-a saying?”

“I was saying we can’t just give up, Spike!” Yoshi said. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned from Mario and Mama Luigi, is that there’s a solution to every problem!”

“I’m not-a giving up-a Yoshi!” Spike-Mario replied. “I just wished we knew where to look first…”

“Well, from what your friend, the ‘Guide’ told us, there’s only one door on this floor that can take us to the upper floor,” Yoshi repeated. “But there are hundreds of doors! That’s a lot for just one floor…”

“Hmm…” Spike-Mario pondered, twirling his mustache. “Doors… floor… I wonder…”

Looking down at the floor, Spike-Mario brushed some dust away to reveal a line colored like a rainbow.

“Mamma mia! I think I found-a something!”

“What? What is it, Spike?” Applejack asked.

She and Pinkie Pie gallop over to see what the dragon-turned-plumber found.

“Ooh! Pretty!” Pinkie Pie commented.

“Hey! I think I get it!” Spike-Mario said. “The line on the floor is-a connected to the door that will get us out of here! We just-a need to dust the floor off the floor and uncover-a the line!”

“Then, what are we-a waiting for my plumber friend?”

With another pull on her mane, Pinkie Pie transfigured the end of her bang in the shape of a fan’s propeller.

“Exit, here we come!”

Pinkie Pie proceeds to blow the dirt away, uncovering the hidden line and bringing the heroes closer to the correct door. Along the way, Spike-Mario decides to strike up a conversation with Yoshi.

“By the way, did you just call Luigi ‘mama’?” He asked.

“Yeah…” Yoshi blushed, chuckling. “It’s kinda how I’ve always looked up to him.”

“Go on…” Spike-Mario urged.

“Well, when I was just a little hatchling, Luigi was the first person I saw after I hatched. I remember calling him ‘Mama Luigi’ and… the name’s kinda stuck ever since.”

“Wait, you mean… you were an orphan?” Spike-Mario asked, his eyes widen in wonder.

“I’m afraid so,” Yoshi frowned. “I never knew who my mom and dad are. When Mama Luigi first found my egg, he said I was in a box. No nest, no mama or papa Yoshi around.”

“Oh wow,” Spike-Mario replied sympathetically. “I’m sorry to hear that, Yoshi.”

“It’s fine,” The green dinosaur reassured. “I mean I’m not alone anymore. I’ve got Mario and Mama Luigi to hang out with! And Princess Peach was sweet and nice! She’s kinda like a mother to me, but Mario and Mama Luigi are the closest I have to parents… in a way.”

“Yeah, I can relate with you on that, Yoshi,” Spike-Mario nodded. “Like you, I was just an orphan egg when I was found.

Yoshi turns toward the dragon-turned-plumber, with a surprised look.

“I never knew who my parents were, or why I was abandoned… but back then, when Princess Celestia first found me, I was so cold I didn’t have the strength to hatch. But thankfully, Twilight used her magic to hatch me, and brought me into the world. So, I pretty much owed my life to her. In a way, she’s like my mom, although we have more of a brother-and-sister vibe.”

“Wow, really?” Yoshi asked, in amazement.

“Really-really,” Spike-Mario answered.

“Wow! I didn’t know we’d have so much in common!”

“Well, when you think about it. We’re not-a so-a different. We both come from eggs.”

“And we have scales.”

“And we can-a be-a very-a helpful to our friends!”

Both Spike-Mario and Yoshi share a quick laugh together, which didn’t go unheard for both Pinkie Pie and Applejack. Though the two ponies had trouble understanding a word Yoshi was chirping, judging by what Spike was relaying to the dinosaurs, they ‘can’ tell the young dragon was bonding with his dinosaur friend over common grounds. The two equines couldn’t help but smile warmly at the two.

“You know, it’s crazy,” Spike-Mario began. “But we could practically be brothers.”

“Brothers?” Yoshi exclaimed. “Huh, never thought of it that way before. I’ve never had a brother before.”

“Well, now you do!” Spike-Mario said, as he and Yoshi hold hands.

Soon, the heroes reach the end of the line, arriving at a door.

“I hope-a this is it.”

Applejack cautiously approached the door, grabbing hold of the knob, before turning to her friends. Pinkie Pie holds out her party cannon at the ready, with Spike and Yoshi in a battle stance.

“One, two… THREE!!”

With a swing of her hooves, Applejack flung the door open revealing a familiar hallway, back to the mansion.

“This is it!” Applejack exclaimed, in triumph. “We did it! We’re back!”

“Then, let’s-a go!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “We’ve got friends to save and a princess to rescue!”

“YOSHI! (YEAH!)” Yoshi chirped.

“Let’s-a do this!” Spike-Mario shouted, pumping his fist in the air.

Following close behind the group of friends is none other than Fluttershy. After the recent misunderstanding she endured, the buttercup Pegasus decides it’s best to stay quiet and follow her friends closely. All the same, it broke her heart to realize the reason her friends ran away from her is because of the nightmarish appearance she is cursed with.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"

A loud scream was heard from the other end of the hall.

“Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy shouted.

Unfortunately, she just made herself known to her friends.

“AAUGH!!!” Spike pointed. “It’s the night—”

However, the nightmare of Fluttershy galloped passed them and they stand perplexed.

“—mare?”

“Hold on, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy shouted. “I’ll save you!”

The rest of the heroes turn to each other, exchanging looks of bewilderment, and shrugging in confusion.

"Impressive! These CREATURES have succeeded in COMPLETING our game, and have earned their FREEDOM to resume their QUEST. But one last test awaits for them on the OTHER SIDE."

Big Boo's Haunt
Rainbow Dash and Mario

Secret Room

“AAAAAAAHHH!!!”

Rainbow Dash screamed at the top of her lungs, as the Big Mr. I continuously torture her and Mario.

“STOP!! PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP!!!”

The large eyeball, however, didn’t listen neither heed the demands from the Pegasus.

“STOP!!”

The eye turns as a portal opened up. Much to its horror, Fluttershy stood before it, still in her nightmarish appearance. Rainbow Dash, nearly drained and close to unconsciousness, stares wearily towards her.

“Fluttershy?!” Rainbow Dash asked. “Is that you? It sounded like…”

“Don’t worry, Dash!” Fluttershy reassured her beaten friend. “I’ll save you!”

Following close behind the Pegasus, the rest of the heroes finally enter.

“Fluttershy?!” Applejack exclaimed. “I… I don’t… is that really you?!”

“Say what?!” The rest of the group shouts, in bewilderment.

“That’s Fluttershy?!” Spike asked.

“Applejack! Every pony,” Fluttershy began. “I know I look scary right now, but you’ve got to trust me! We have to save Rainbow Dash and Mr. Mario now!”

She points her hoof toward the dark chains holding and torturing their friends, and the large eyeball blasting both the Pegasus and plumber with magical balls of light. Overcoming the shock at Fluttershy’s revelation, the heroes nod and went to work freeing their trapped friends and to stop the giant eyeball. Applejack gallops toward the wall, where Rainbow and Mario were shackled

“Don’t worry, Dash!” Applejack said. “I’ll have ya out in a bit!”

“A.J.! WAIT!” Rainbow grunted.

But it was too late. Applejack thrusts her legs out to break the chains, only to get electrocuted on impact. Her whole body flashed and distorts, the same way as it affected Rainbow Dash.

“AH-HA-HA-OW!” Applejack grunted, holding her smartened hooves. “Ooh! That smarts!”

“Those dark chains… whatever they are… pack a lot of energy to torture… ARGH!!” Rainbow Dash yelled, writing in agony. “Just get us out of here!!! HURRY!!!”

“But how can we free you guys without hurting ourselves?” Spike-Mario asked.

He turns toward the Big Mr. I, glowing and charging for another attack.

“HEY! Leave our friends alone, you big one-eye!” Pinkie shouted.

She fires her party cannon at the eye, which explodes confetti onto the beast. This in turn caused the eye to throw its aim off, misfiring its magical attack and shatters the dark chains, thus freeing Rainbow Dash and Mario.

“YOSHI!” Yoshi chirped in amazement.

“Alright, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack shouted. “Ya did it! Ya freed our friends!”

“Eh, what are friends for?” Pinkie Pie smiled.

“Don’t-a celebrate just-a yet!” Spike-Mario pointed.

The giant eyeball turns around, setting its sight upon the intruders.

“What do we do?”

“Everyone!” Mario called, helping Rainbow up. “Run around in a circle!”

“What for?” Applejack asked.

“Just do it!” Rainbow grunted. “Trust us!”

The rest of the heroes, including Fluttershy, kick their legs as they ran circles around the Big Mr. I, which spun around, following them, until it got dizzy.

“Stop!” Mario shouts.

Everyone skids to a halt as Mario points to Mr. Big I. The creature spins till it shrinks and disappears into puffs of smoke, revealing a Power Star. Without wasting a second, the heroes run towards the star, and collects it. The Power Star dances around the heroes, bathing in showers of gold.

Rainbow Dash and Mario suddenly feel themselves renewed and replenished from the torture they endured. As for Fluttershy, she suddenly finds herself bathed in the star’s magical glow, washing over her with a comforting warmth.

“YEAH!” The heroes cheer triumphantly. “We got a Power Star!”

After their celebration died down, the heroes turn toward Rainbow Dash and Mario.

“Hoo-wee!” Applejack exclaimed, in relief. “Thank Celestia we got to ya both in time!”

“I’m glad to finally be free of those chains,” Rainbow sighed. “Nothing to compared to almost drowning in a sunken ship…”

“But the most important-a thing is you all did it, ha-ha!” Mario laughed, heartily shaking Applejack’s hooves. “You save-a Mario and-a Rainbow-a-Dash! Way to go! Number ones!”

“Oh, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy said happily, approaching Rainbow Dash. “Thank Celestia you’re alright!”

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked, looking at her friend suspiciously. “Uh… I mean, you’re for real this time, are you?”

Fluttershy’s ears droop, she holds her hooves to her face.

“I know Dash, I know…” She sobbed. “I’m horrible! I’m hideous!”

“What?” Applejack asked. “But from where I’m standing, ya look okay now.”

“Don’t try and sugarcoat it, Applejack! I’m—huh?”

Fluttershy looks up, clearly confused.

“What did you say? And… can you hear me now?”

“Of course we can hear you, Sugarcube. Why couldn’t we hear you before?”

“Because ever since you’ve all come to this horrible house, I’ve been trying to warn you about this place! But you couldn’t hear me or see me! It’s like I was invisible! When you finally did see me, you all scared of me because I looked like a monster!”

“Ooh…”

Applejack’s group cringed with embarrassment, over unintentionally ignoring their frightened friend.

“We’re sorry about that, Fluttershy,” Applejack apologized, tipping her hat. “We had no idea.”

“Who knew those Boos could play such a mean trick like that?” Pinkie Pie asked rhetorically.

“Though, to be honest,” Spike began, removing his hat and scratching his head. “I don’t think that… that… Darkness was… I think it’s beyond the Boos!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi nods in agreement.

“Darkness?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Never mind that,” Applejack spoke, wanting to change topic. “What I want to know is… how is it that we can see Fluttershy now? How is that she looks normal?”

“You mean, I’m really me?” Fluttershy asked.

Pinkie Pie shows the Pegasus a mirror, as she gasps over her reflection.

“I’m me again!”

“Hmm…” Mario ponders.

Stroking his mustache, Mario approaches the Pegasus and observes her. In appearance, Fluttershy is still transparent, but she shined in a coat of golden sparkles.

“It-a looks like Fluttershy’s-a become invisible, by some terrible dark magic,” Mario deduced. “And it appears the Power Star has blessed her with some of its light magic to restore her, so we can at least-a see her!”

“… Makes sense to me!” Pinkie Pie shrugged.

“Not so fast,” Rainbow Dash began. “First, if you’re really Fluttershy, tell me something only I would know.”

“Only you would know?” Fluttershy ponders. “Oh! Remember that time we went to Cloudsdale High together? When we were in that Weather Making science class? I told you to put the spring dew, but instead you—”

“Okay! Okay! It’s you!”

The last thing Rainbow Dash needs is for her one friend to share any embarrassing past moments.

“It’s really you, Fluttershy! For real!” Rainbow Dash whimpered, her eyes welling up with tears. “Fluttershy!!!”

“Oh, Dash!”

Fluttershy held her hooves out to hug her friend. But strangely, they were unable to and phased right through each other.

“Oh! Oh dear…”

“Wh-What?!” Rainbow exclaimed. “What the what?!”

Mario looked more perplexed than ever before.

“Hmm, but if you’re the real-a Fluttershy,” Mario pondered. “Where’s the other one?”

“Right here!”

The heroes turns and sees the other Fluttershy, the one who kidnapped Mario and Rainbow Dash.

“What the?!” Spike asked, bewildered.

He and his friends turn toward one Fluttershy, then the other and vice versa.

“Two Fluttershy’s?!”

“That’s the evil Fluttershy who kidnapped and tortured us!” Rainbow Dash pointed.

The evil Fluttershy takes notice of the ‘real’ Fluttershy with a sneer.

“It would seem you found your lost friend,” The demon said. “But it matters not, for you recovered only ‘half’ of her, while we have her body.”

“WHAT?!”

The heroes exchange looks of shock upon this revelation.

“Then give it back to Fluttershy!!!” Rainbow Dash barked.

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie added. “That’s Fluttershy’s body! Give it back or we’ll fight you for it!”

“So be it then, foolish ponies,” The demon accepts the challenge. “This is not my body, after all.”

With a tap of her hoof, the demon summons several hands from the shadows, consuming the heroes into the darkness.

“Oh! Oh dear goodness!” Fluttershy quivered. “What’s happening?”

“I don’t know,” Applejack replied. “But be brave Fluttershy!”

And just like that, the heroes’ whole world went dark.

Soon, the darkness lifts, as our heroes find themselves outside the manor, standing atop the rooftop.

“Mamma mia!” Mario exclaimed, in surprise.

The heroes turn and see the demon-possessed Fluttershy, standing on the other end of the rooftop. What’s unsettling was that she is surrounded by a pulsing fiery aura of darkness. Then, appearing beside her is a Big Boo.

SAO — We Have To Defeat It

“You mortals have proven yourselves most formidable against a normal boo,” The demon snarked. “But can you handle against a more… dangerous phantom?”

Without warning, Fluttershy’s eyes spark an unsettling flash of purple light, pulsating a powerful dark magic infused into the ghost. The ghost underwent a dark transformation, as its white coat suddenly turned purple, and its beady black eyes becoming piercing glow of yellow, and its red tongue became sickly blue.

“That can’t be good!” Applejack frowned.

The demon-possessed Fluttershy approaches the transformed ghost.

“Now Dark Boo!” The demon instructed. “Destroy them all!”

With a loud roar, the Dark Boo lunges toward the heroes in a streak of shadowy blue, its gaping mouth stretching open to reveal jagged fangs. The heroes barely had time to dodge the ghost’s attack.

“Whoa! That thing’s fast!” Applejack commented, nearly losing her footing. “Whoa!”

“Look out!” Fluttershy shouted. “It’s coming back!”

The Dark Boo glares at the heroes for a moment and with an inhale, it exhales a loud supersonic scream that paralyzes the heroes.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" The heroes groaned.

They covered their ears, struggling to block the earsplitting sound. The worst has yet to pass, however, when the Dark Boo suddenly splits itself into an army of Dark Boos, surrounding the heroes. Then, all at once, they let out a supersonic scream to further irritate the heroes’ ears.

"AAARRRGGH!!!" Rainbow Dash screamed. "And I thought one was bad enough! I'm gonna go insane!"

“DASH! LOOK OUT!” Fluttershy shouts.

Having heard Fluttershy’s warning, Rainbow Dash looks up just as one of the Dark Boos lunge towards the cyan Pegasus.

“DASH!” Applejack shouted.

The cow pony jumps between the ghost and Rainbow Dash, taking the hit.

“A.J.!” Rainbow cried out.

She reaches her hooves out to catch her friend.

“YOSHI!!!”

Without wasting a second, Yoshi shoots his tongue catching Applejack by the leg, moments before she fell off the roof.

“Hold on, Yoshi!” Spike shouted, grabbing Yoshi’s tail. “I gotcha!”

The dragon grunts, trying to keep the dinosaur from slipping off the rooftop.

“Oh yeah!” Mario added, joining in.

As the boys try to rescue the dinosaur and their country pony friend, some of the Dark Boos sneak behind Spike and Mario. The Boos ram their heads against the heroes, knocking them off the roof.

“AAAH!!!” The heroes scream, as they fell off the roof.

“GUYS!” Rainbow Dash wailed in horror.

Luckily for them, however, they safely land on a balcony below.

“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash!” Applejack called out. “We’re okay!”

Rainbow Dash breathes a sigh of relief, which is cut short when a Dark Boo suddenly appears in front of her, startling her out of her wits with a scary face.

"AAAUGGH!!" Rainbow Dash screamed, almost having a heart attack.

“Peek-a-boo!” Pinkie Pie screamed, jump-scaring the ghost. “Ha-ha! Got you, didn’t I?”

In response, the Dark Boo swung its arm at the pink pony, slapping her across the face and she stops giggling.

SAO — Swordland

“Ow!!! That actually hurts!”

Pinkie rubs the spot the ghost hit her, then glares angrily at the Dark Boo.

“Alright, that’s it!” Pinkie Pie scowled. “No more Ms. Nice Pony!”

She pulls out a large bazooka, firing confetti at the Dark Boo stunning it momentarily. Pinkie leapt out, curled her body into a ground-pound, and defeats the Dark Boo.

Suddenly, two more Dark Boos appear from behind Pinkie Pie and unleashed bloodcurdling screams at the pink pony.

“Not this time!” Pinkie Pie shouts.

She reached into her mane and puts on a pair of earmuffs. She turns to Rainbow Dash, throwing another pair of earmuffs to the Pegasus.

“Dash! Catch!”

Rainbow Dash quickly caught the earmuffs, placing them over the ears and blocks out the Dark Boos’ screams.

“Thanks, Pinkie!”

The two ponies, plus their ghostly friend, Fluttershy, turns back toward the Dark Boos and witness them regroup into the big one from before.

“Let’s finish this thing and fast!” Rainbow said determined.

“Okie-dokie-loki!” Pinkie replied, in agreement.

As Pinkie reloads her party bazooka, the two ponies and the Dark Boo charge against each other. The Dark Boo lunged out at great speed, snapping its jaws at the ponies, who leapt to the side, dodging its jagged teeth. With a twist of her body, Rainbow Dash lands a spinning kick at the ghost, with Pinkie Pie landing a ground-pound atop its head.

“Fight all you want, little ponies,” The demon replied. “But you’ll never defeat the Dark Boo. You will never leave this place with another Power Star.”

“We’ll see about that, you… whoever you are!” Rainbow barked. “And we’re getting Fluttershy’s body back from you!”

“We shall see indeed,” The demon replied. “Now is anyone up for a game of ‘hide and seek’?”

Suddenly, the Dark Boo vanishes into thin air without a trace.

“Where’d it go?!” Rainbow asked.

“SUGAR RUSH FIRE!!!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

The party pony blasts rapid fires of powdered sugar from her bazooka all around the area.

“Sugar Rush Fire?” Fluttershy asked.

“Patent pending,” Pinkie Pie replied.

“The Dark Boo is concealed by the darkness,” The demon boasts. “Trying to attack him is pointless, little pony.”

“Oh… I wasn’t trying to hit him,” Pinkie smirked.

Rainbow Dash turns her head to the left, then to the right, before spotting a large figure coated in powdered sugar.

“NO!” The demon shouts, outraged. “What have you done?!”

“Hey, I’m not as airheaded as ponies think I am. Sometimes, a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. But Twilight once taught me a hoof-full is enough to make big invisible ghosts ‘un-invisible’!”

Pinkie Pie turns toward Rainbow Dash.

“Get him, Dashie!” Pinkie shouted.

“With pleasure!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

She flaps her wings, launching herself into the air and lands a powerful flying kick at the ghost. The Dark Boo, left disoriented and dazed briefly, retaliates by once again splitting itself into several more Dark Boos and turns invisible. Pinkie Pie holds her bazooka at the ready, just about to fire more powdered sugar when the demon-possessed Fluttershy pounced her from behind.

“Not this time!” The demon snarled, knocking the bazooka away.

Pinkie Pie watches helplessly as her party weapon fell off the roof.

“Oh no!” Pinkie Pie wailed. “RAINBOW DASH! WATCH OUT!!!”

“Pinkie!!!” Rainbow called out.

She turns around to save her pink friend; unfortunately, one of the Dark Boos suddenly appear in front of her. With a flick of its whole body, the Dark Boo whipped its tongue out at Dash, sliming the Pegasus across her face.

“ICK!” Rainbow groaned in disgust.

As she tries to wipe the ectoplasm off, one of the Dark Boos sneak from behind… and bites her in the flank.

“YEOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!”

Soon, the Dark Boos swarm the Pegasus from random directions. Biting, ramming, and drenching her with their slobbers in… unmentionable areas.

“DASH!!!” The other heroes shout desperately.

Upon its perch, the demon cackles as it looms over the overwhelmed group.

“Poor unfortunate mortal little creatures. So naïve. Like the ponies that came before you, and just as foolish as the previous three. You were all doomed from the start; now, you shall suffer their fate!”

“NOOO!!!” Fluttershy cried.

Spike clenches his first, his eyes narrow in a blinding rage.

“NO!” Spike stomps his foot. “This is not how it ends! I didn’t come all the way from Canterlot just to watch my friends be beaten by ghosts!”

With anger burning fiercely as the fire in his breath, his blood boiling ot, Spike’s maw lit with his green fire.

“I… WILL… SAVE… MY… FRIENDS!!!” Spike roared.

A great big fireball erupts into the sky, exploding with a blazing green light over the air.

“What’s this?!” The demon exclaimed, bewildered.

The specter watches as the green flame illuminates and reveals all the hidden Dark Boos.

“NO! What have you done?!”

“Wow!” Pinkie Pie complimented. “Great fireworks there, Spike!”

The young dragon blushed and scratched the back of his head.

“My turn!” Rainbow declared.

She flaps her wings to throw powerful, strong punches at all the Dark Boos, who all struggle to fight back. But without their stealth, their attacks and defenses diminish drastically. The ghosts are helpless as Rainbow makes short work of them in record time, until the very last Dark Boo is destroyed.

“IT CAN’T BE!!!” The Demon screamed.

[End of Fight Song]

“It can,” Rainbow smirked. “And it did!”

The last Dark Boo disappears into puff of dark smoke, retreating into the demon to reveal a single Power Star.

“Mamma mia!” Mario shouted. “A POWER STAR!!!”

Without wasting a second, Rainbow Dash quickly collects the star, which dances around her and showers her with gold sparkle.

“Yeah!” The heroes cheered. “We got a Power Star!”

“YOSHI!” Yoshi chirped.

“Whoo-hoo!” Fluttershy quietly cheered.

Just then, clapping hooves are heard, to which our heroes turn and see the demon-possessed Fluttershy mockingly applauding their efforts.

“Impressive,” The demon remarked. “Perhaps you are as wise as the ones who come before you. But the game is far from over.”

“Whatever,” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Whoever you are, the fight is over! Your Dark Boo is finished, and we’ve collected the eight Power Stars in this course! By my count, we’ve got every star in this place. Now give us back Fluttershy!”

“Oh… you can have her back physically,” The demon hissed. “But NOT in spirit! You want her… COME AND GET HER!!!”

The demon-possessed pony flaps her wings, the demon forcing her to take flight, with Rainbow Dash hot on its tail. At the peak of its flight, retracting the Pegasus’ wins, the demon forced her to free-fall toward the ground.

“FLUTTERSHY!!!” Rainbow Dash screamed in horror.

Rainbow flaps her wings faster and harder than ever before, diving down to catch the falling body of her friend.

“DASHIE!!!” Fluttershy wailed.

She watches helplessly as her beloved friend dived for her body. To further the Pegasus’ fright, a huge mass of darkness enveloped itself around the body, before a phantasm pulsing with intensive dark aura flew from her lifeless body. The phantasm presents itself before the Pegasus, hissing and snarling, intimidating the Pegasus’ spirit with is massive, mangled, disfigured aura.

“AAAH!!” Fluttershy panicked. “Who-who are you?! What are you?!”

“Everything you will grow to fear!” The phantasm hissed.

The spirit lunges toward Fluttershy, her spirit petrified with fear. She watches helplessly as the phantasm flew towards her with such intensive ferocity, knocking her to the side, watching as it disappears into the mansion. Fluttershy floated, at a loss for words.

“Fluttershy?” Applejack spoke up.

She climbs back onto the rooftop, comforting the ghost of her friend.

“Are you alright, Sugarcube?”

“I… I… I am now…” Fluttershy nodded. “I’m just… a little… shaken up…”

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash called.

The rest of heroes climb back onto the rooftop, meeting with the cyan Pegasus, who laid upon the now empty body of her buttercup friend.

“Fluttershy? Are you alright? Oh, please. Please, you can’t die on me like this! Wake up. Wake up! Please wake up!”

Fluttershy’s ghost approaches her empty vessel. She could hardly believe she had been a ghost this whole time during her imprisonment in the boo’s house. Upon seeing her own body, how peaceful she looked, a sense of relief washes over her. Fluttershy knelt herself down, dipping her nose to her body’s and she immediately finds herself waking up with a start.

“AAAAHH!!!” Fluttershy gasped.

The Pegasus breathed rapidly and heavily before regaining her full composure.

“Rainbow Dash! Applejack! Pinkie Pie! Mr. Mario! Spike! And… Yoshi, right?”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in confirmation.

“Welcome back, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash smiled.

She pulls her bashful friend close in a loving hug.

“Oh Dash!” Fluttershy sobbed. “It was a nightmare! I’m so glad I could come back to all of you!”

She went over to Applejack, wrapping her hooves around the country pony for a hug.

“There, there, Fluttershy,” Applejack comforted the Pegasus. “It’s all over now. We’re glad to have ya back.”

“Now turn that frown upside down, please?” Pinkie Pie said, hugging the Pegasus. “Auntie Pinkie’s here to make you all better.”

“I’m a year older than you!” Fluttershy shouted, turning toward Spike. “Oh Spike! I’m so happy you’re here!”

Fluttershy tearfully, but happily, picks up Spike and wraps her hooves around him in a love hug. That is rather like a suffocating bear hug for the poor dragon, who struggles to break free.

“Oh, and I’m so happy to see you too, Mr. Mario!” Fluttershy greeted the plumber hero. “It’s nice to properly meet you too, Yoshi!”

“It’s-a wonderful to see you again-a, Fluttershy!” Mario replied, with a thumbs up.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi shared his greeting.

“Choking!” Spike wheezed. “Not breathing!”

“Oh! Sorry Spike,” Fluttershy apologized.

She puts the young dragon down, giving him a chance to catch his breath.

Later, after Spike fully recovers, the rest of the heroes gather together on the balcony, where the young dragon was able to relay everything that happened since the girls disappeared from Equestria for a week. Especially how he came to the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue them, along with Mario and his buddies, all with Yoshi’s help.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped. “Were we gone for that long? Oh dear… poor Angel Bunny. I hope he didn’t get into too much trouble with all the other animals at the sanctuary! Oh! And it’s past me and Discord’s weekly tea social! We have to get back to Equestria now!”

“And we will,” Spike reassured. “But we need to find the rest of our friends. And apparently, we need to find all the Power Stars, if we want to save the princess and the Mushroom Kingdom.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

“Oh yeah!” Mario agreed. “The princess is in danger! We have to rescue her-a and-a stop-a Bowser!”

“Bowser will pay for locking us up!” Rainbow said, smacking her hooves together. “I’m eager to give him a good old fashion trouncing for payback!”

“But first thing’s first,” Mario spoke. “Fluttershy, where’s-a Luigi? Do you know where he is?”

“Luigi?” Fluttershy asked, looking down with shame. “I’m terribly sorry. But the truth is I don’t know where he is. I remember being captured by those awful ghosts, along with Luigi. But when I woke up, it was just me in this awful house. I haven’t seen Luigi anywhere except for a painting of him in the attic.”

The last part got the heroes’ attention.

“What did you say?” Spike asked.

“A painting of Luigi in the attic,” Fluttershy repeated. “Here, I’ll show you.”

The Pegasus guided the heroes into the attic, which is the room where Rainbow Dash and Mario were captured by the false Fluttershy. Sure enough, hanging on the wall, toward the heroes’ right, is a portrait of the green plumber himself.

“LUIGI!!!” Mario shouted.

He ran up to the portrait, which rippled upon the red plumber’s touch. Pinkie Pie herself vibrates violently, pointing her nose towards the painting.

“Yep! My Pinkie senses don’t lie! Luigi’s in there!”

“Then here we come!” Spike declared.

Once again, he dons Mario’s hat and becomes Spike-Mario.

“Alright-a everyone!”

“Let’s-a go!” Spike-Mario and Mario shout in unison.

Together, they dive into the painting, beginning their rescue for Luigi. The rest of the heroes exchange agreements as they soon followed.

“It’s adventure time!” Rainbow Dash hollered, diving into the painting with Applejack.

“Yee-ha!” Applejack hollered.

“Here we go!” Pinkie Pie shouted, jumping into the painting.

Fluttershy and Yoshi were the last to jump in. Though nervous at first, the Pegasus turns toward the green dinosaur, seeing the look of determination on the green dinosaur’s face, which the Pegasus returned.

“Wait for us you guys!” Fluttershy shouted, galloping into the painting.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi followed.

After they jump into the painting of Luigi, Pinkie bounces toward a door with a sign on it.

“The Room of Fear,” An eerie voice read.

Pinkie Pie simply shrugged in response.

“It can’t be that scary,” Pinkie said happily.

She enters it to discover a table with the most delicious-looking cake she ever saw.

“Mmm… that looks good!”

She bounces toward the cake, cuts a piece of it, and takes a big bite… only for her eyes to pop out, as she spat it out in disgust.

“AAAAAHHHHH!!! BROCCOLI-FLAVOR CAKE!!!”

Author's Note

All Power Stars in Big Boo's Haunts have been collected.

Power Stars collected thus far: 38!

Up Next: Our heroes go head-to-head with King Boo to rescue Luigi.

After That: Our heroes go skiing with the Mario Bros. on Cool, Cool Mountain for Power Stars.

King Boo’s Battle | The Great Mission to Rescue Luigi

Upon leaping through Luigi’s portrait, Spike-Maio and Mario find themselves falling through the blinding dark, before it fades away revealing a rotating wooden platform beneath them. With a curl of his body, Mario performs a front flip and lands safely upon his feet, with Spike-Mario faltering a bit on the landing.

“Where are we now?” Spike-Mario asked, as they looked around. “Hey! Where’d every-a-body go?!”

It didn’t take long to notice it was only him and Mario and no pony else.

“I don’t-a-know,” Mario replied.

“AAAAH HA HA!!!”

A loud cackle echoes throughout the room, startling our heroes.

“Mamma mia!” Mario shouted. “What was that?”

The laugh repeats itself, as Spike-Mario turns to his right.

“It’s coming from that door!” Spike-Mario pointed.

“Then let’s-a go!”

Just as Mario is about to race toward the door, he notices a sign in front of them.

“Hey, what’s-a this?” Mario asked.

According to the sign, it reads:

King Boo's Haunt
Eee hee hee...
There are no exits.
You may as well wander in here forever...
Listen carefully.

Can you hear me?
If you find me, you're history.
Eee hee hee...

After reading, Spike-Mario and Mario exchange looks toward each other.

“Let’s-a go!” Mario said. “He’s-a got my brother, Luigi!”

“Probably the rest of our other friends too!” Spike-Mario added. “We’ve got to find them!”

“Yeah!”

The two fist-bump together as they bound toward the door. However, something from the corner of Spike-Mario’s eyes caught his attention.

“Hey! A red coin!”

Spike-Mario points at a red coin sitting on a platform, right next to another door. Spike-Mario quickly picks up the red coin, making it the first one collected.

Red Coins collected: 1

After picking up the coin, Spike-Mario regroups with Mario as they enter the door following the loud laughter of the evil specter.

Upon entering, the two heroes find themselves in a large room, with a large bottomless pit, with four doors along four platforms on the walls, each connected by block bridges, leading back to a large block in the center of the room where another Mr. I sits. Looking ahead, Spike-Mario spots two more red coins. One is next to the Mr. I, while the other floats along the bridge to the right.

Mario quickly takes care of the Mr. I, running circles around the giant eyeball, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke and leaves behind a blue coin. Spike-Mario and Mario both listen for the evil cackle, which roars from the door along the left. Just as they were about to move, two more sounds are heard.

“HEEEEEEELP!!!” Rainbow Dash called, from the right.

“SOMEPONY SAVE ME!!!” Applejack wailed, from the front.

“Applejack! Rainbow Dash!” Spike-Mario confirmed. “They’re in trouble!”

“Okay!” Mario began. “You save-a Rainbow-a-Dash! I’ll-a save Apple-a-Jack!”

Spike-Mario proceeds to the door on the other side, while Mario makes for the door on the right. Upon walking across the bridges leading to the two doors, the platforms collapse into the darkness below. Along the way, both Mario and Spike-Mario pick up the two red coins, bringing up their collection to three red coins.

Red Coins collected: 3

Turning his attention back to the door, Spike-Mario turns the knob and steps in. The dragon-turned-plumber soon finds himself in a field of sunflowers, with large eyes… and singing.

“Rainbow Dash?” Spike-Mario called out. “Rainbow? Dashie? Where are you?”

“HEEEEELP!!!” Rainbow called.

Spike-Mario turns and discovers Rainbow Dash trapped in a web of vines.

“I’m being held against my will by these deranged flowers! THEY’RE TORTURING ME WITH UNBEARABLE CUTENESS AND THEIR FLUTE PLAYING IS HURTING MY EARS!!!”

In the meantime, the sunflowers continue to sing a tune reminiscent of ‘This Old Man’:

We are such happy flowers
We will now sing for hours
Aren't we unbearably cute?
Watch me solo on jazz flute

Suddenly, one of the flowers turns and greets Spike-Mario.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower!”

“… You’re creepy,” Spike-Mario said bluntly.

The dragon-turned-plumber springs into action, trying to free Rainbow Dash.

“Hang in there, Dash! I’ll get you out!”

Immediately removing his hat, Spike resumes his true dragon form. With an inhale, Spike exhales a steam of fire burning the vines and freeing the Pegasus.

“Come on, Dash!” Spike shouts. “Let’s get out of here!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice!” Rainbow said.

Spike takes the lead, as he draws the Pegasus back to the door. Rainbow quickly follows the young dragon, until the two are back through the way he came from.

Meanwhile, upon entering the door to rescue Applejack, Mario finds himself in what appears to be a dead orchard, with rotten apples littered across the grounds, and flocks of ghastly-looking fruit bats hanging from the branches.

“Mamma mia!” Mario cried out. “Apple-a-Jack? Where are you?”

“Over here!” Applejack answered.

Mario turns as Applejack gallops into a view, a swarm of large fruit bats chasing after her.

“I’m being chased by giant vampires!!!”

“This-a way, Apple-a-Jack!” Mario ushered.

The plumber leads the country pony through the door he came in. With a big swing, he slams the door in front of the bats, just as they followed the heroes out.

“Phew!” Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. “Thought I was a goner for sure that time…”

Soon, Mario and Applejack group with Spike, who just returned after rescuing Rainbow Dash.

“A.J.!” Spike exclaimed, hugging the pony. “You’re alright!”

“Sure am, sugarcube!” Applejack hugged back, facing Rainbow Dash. “Glad to see you too, Rainbow Dash.”

“I’m just glad to be out of that cringy valley of singing sunflowers,” Rainbow sighed. “Though from the looks of it, I’m guessing we’re all scattered again…”

“Afraid so,” Applejack nodded. “Somethin’s playin’ games with us and If I’m countin’ right, I’d say we’re down by three!”

It didn’t take long for the rest of the assembled heroes to share the country pony’s agreement.

“Mamma mia!” Mario exclaimed. “Pinkie Pie!”

“Yoshi!” Spike added.

“And Fluttershy!” Rainbow frowned. “We just got to get her back and fast!”

Before long, another loud cackle bellows.

“AAAAH HA-HA!!!”

The cackle echoes throughout the room, drawing the heroes’ attention to the door it came from. Without wasting a second, Rainbow Dash sprang into action, flying towards the door, with the rest of the heroes following. They barely make it across when the bridge collapsed after them.

Upon entering a room, the heroes see a floating platform in the center, above a deep hole, and a ‘?’ Block floating above the platform.

Around the room, Spike could it is filled with two patrolling Boos. Furthermore, Spike spots two more red coins. One on the platform to the east, next to a door where the laugh came from, and one in the air in the back-right corner.

“YOSHI!!!”

Yoshi’s scream echoed from a door, on a platform just to the west.

“Yoshi!!!” Spike shouted, flapping his wings into action.

“Spike! WAIT!!!” Applejack called out.

But it was too late. A Boo suddenly reappeared out of thin air, sticking its tongue out at Spike, and making the scariest face Spike had ever seen.

“AAAH!!!” Spike screamed.

The dragon rapidly beats his chest to ease his equally rapid heartbeat. Another Boo materialized itself behind Spike, floating quietly to scare him.

“Not so fast!” Applejack hollered.

The country pony ensnares the ghost by the tail with her lasso. Then, with a pull, Applejack violently thrashes the Boo against a wall causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke. Before the other Boo could react, Rainbow Dash pounced on it, landing a kick and a punch, defeating the ghost into a puff of smoke.

“All clear, Spike!” Rainbow calls out. “Go get Yoshi, we’ll wait for you guys out here.”

“On it!” Spike replied, with a thumbs up.

Spike turns his attention back to the doorway, where his dinosaur friend is hidden behind.

Upon entering the door, Spike finds himself in what appears to be a valley littered with the bones of dead dinosaurs. The sky darkened by the night, with trees so tall they block the moon’s light.

“YOSHI!!!” Yoshi howled in fright.

Reaching into his backpack, Spike puts Mario’s cap back on and becomes Spike-Mario, thereby allowing him to better understand Yoshi’s screams.

“Yoshi!” Spike-Mario called. “Where are you?”

“Over here!” Yoshi called out.

Without wasting a second, Spike kicks his legs into a sprint, following the direction of Yoshi’s cry until arriving to find the green dinosaur cornered by a larger dinosaur resembling a purple Tyrannosaurus Rex. Only this T-Rex has an orange underside with bumpy yellow spikes sprouting from its head to its tail, three fingers, and it was digging its tail along the ground.

“Help me!” Yoshi cried.

The little guy scrambled against the wall, desperately trying to escape the large dinosaur cornering him.

“Raaaah!!!” The large dinosaur roared. “Yoshisaur! Uhhmmmm… smell good! EAT!”

“Leave him along, you big bully!” Spike-Mario called out.

The dragon-turned-plumber hurls a pebble toward the dinosaur, hitting it in the eye. This enraged the dinosaur, turning its attention toward Spike-Mario and gave chase. With the dinosaur distracted, Yoshi makes his escape, while Spike-Mario ran through the woods to lure the large dinosaur away. He quickly runs into the woods, where he knew that the thick-tangled tree branches would make it nearly impossible for the large dinosaur to pursue any further.

Spike-Mario could hear the dinosaur roar with rage, as he finds himself regrouping with Yoshi.

“Yoshi!” Spike-Mario greeted the dinosaur.

“Hey, Spike!” Yoshi greeted, recognizing the voice. “Glad you came. I thought I was a goner.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” Spike-Mario asked.

He removes his hat, as he and Yoshi leapt through the door Spike came through. Upon returning to the room, Spike and Yoshi find Mario, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack waiting for them on the platform, the next door just across from them.

“Ello-a Yoshi!” Mario greeted the dinosaur. “Are you okay?”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi nods, confirming his well-being.

The little dinosaur pats Spike along the shoulder, a sign of thanks toward the young dragon.

“It was nothing,” Spike said modestly. “Anything happened while we were gone?”

“Oh yeah! A lot!” Rainbow Dash said excitedly. “Right after you left, we collected two red coins.”

“Which brings our-a total up to-a 5!” Mario stated.

Red Coins collected: 5

“And we couldn’t help but notice the ‘?’ block in the room,” Applejack stated.

It is then she noticed a ‘?’ block up above the floating platform.

“Much like that one that just appeared.”

“So, we just punch it and try out the Power Flowers that come with it!” Rainbow suggests.

The cyan Pegasus excitedly flew up to the box, kicking it open to reveal some of the magical flowers within.

“I can make copies of myself!” Rainbow demonstrated.

Eating the power flower, three Rainbow Dashes appear.

“Triple awesomeness! Oh yeah!”

The three Pegasus agree with each other, before the effect wears off and there stands only one. In the meantime, Applejack picks up another Power Flower.

“This magic flower lets me create shields of boulders!”

As a demonstration, Applejack ate the flower, causing two of her front hooves to coat in stone, which she holds together to create a large blocky stone shield.

“Whoa, girls those are some awesome powers!” Spike marveled, turning towards Mario. “I wonder what happens when you use a Power Flower, Mario?”

Mario turns away, slightly embarrassed, until Rainbow Dash snuck up behind him and stuffs a Power Flower into the plumber’s mouth, which magically inflates him into a balloon.

Rainbow Dash, unable to hold it much longer, falls to the floor laughing.

“BA HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

Soon, everyone follows, laughing at the red plumbers funny superpower. As soon as the effects wear off, the heroes resume their mission to search for their two missing friends, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. All the while, uncovering the rest of the red coins for their next Power Star, and rescuing Luigi.

Before leaving the room, however, Spike and Yoshi wait until a new ‘?’ block spawns in place of the old, which they break open to collect more Power Flowers for future use to discover their own hidden powers.

Spike and Yoshi quickly catch up with the rest of their friends, finding themselves in a room with a large hole in the center, with checkered platform lifts serving as the only means of transportation to reach the doors on all four platforms. Two red coins are seen, floating above the chasm below. The first to the heroes’ right, the second along the farthest left corner.

“AAAH HA HA!!!”

A cackle is heard, booming from the door on the left till three Boos made themselves visible. Not willing to fall for their tricks again, Rainbow Dash flaps her wings into action and attacks the ghost, exploding them into puffs of smoke. She quickly collects the two red coins in the room.

Red Coins collected: 7

With the ghosts gone and the red coins collected, the remaining heroes gather together along the checkered platform, which sprang to life as it carries them to a platform to the right. From there, the heroes step along another platform which takes them to the next on the left, where the door swings open and reveals Pinkie Pie exiting the room.

“PINKIE!!!” The gang shouts happily.

“Oh! There you are!” Pinkie Pie wailed happily. “I’ve never been so happy to see you all! All those cakes in there were awful! They’re the opposite of sweet! No vanilla or chocolate or even caramel! They’re either broccoli-flavored, spinach, or… ‘chicken’! THE HORROR!!!”

The rest of the gang turn, with exchange of bewilderment toward one another.

“Chicken… flavored… cake?” Spike asked slowly.

“Yoshi…” Yoshi cringed.

“Doesn’t-a sound-a tasteful,” Mario shook his head.

Wanting to change the subject and diffuse a rather awkward situation, Applejack turns toward Pinkie Pie.

“Anyway… have ya seen Fluttershy anywhere?”

“I thought she was with you!” Pinkie answered, alarmed. “OH NO! Unless… SHE’S BEEN KIDNAPPED BY THE GHOSTS AGAIN!!! We’ve got to save her and Luigi now!”

Just then, without warning, Pinkie Pie starts bouncing with her mane and tail vibrating all at once.

“Ooh! My Pinkie Senses are tingling! A Power Star and Fluttershy are… THAT WAY!!!”

Pinkie points with her tail toward the door where the cackling is heard. Our heroes hop onto the final platform leading them toward their destination.

Upon entering the room, the heroes look around and see that the entire room is not like the last four rooms they’ve been through. Instead, there is a long bridge just ahead, made of the same flimsy blocks which give way the moment either one steps on them. On the other side, hanging along the wall, is a portrait of a rather large Boo. Spike turns to the right, spotting another block of dark bricks.

“Hey Applejack!” Spike called out, tugging the country pony’s tail. “Care to do the honor?”

“With pleasure!”

Setting herself in position, Applejack thrusts her legs out, kicking the block. Cracks begin to form, until she fully breaks it apart revealing the final red coin.

Red Coins collected: 8

Upon collecting the last red coin, a Power Star materialized itself along the upper left corner of the platform where our heroes stand.

“JACKPOT!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

The cyan Pegasus leapt forward collecting the Power Star, thereby making it their 39th collected star.

39 Power Stars!!!

The Power Star danced around the heroes, as they jump and cheer.

“YEAH! WE GOT A POWER STAR!!!”

“YOSHI!!!”

After the celebration dies down, Pinkie Pie felt her senses tingle again.

“Ooh! Oh! Fluttershy’s here!” Pinkie Pie pointed. “She’s over there, with another Power Star! Whoa, and I’m grooving!”

“You mean, we’ve got to cross over this dangerous looking bridge?” Spike gulped.

Spike and Yoshi recall the time when they tried crossing a bridge, back in the house.

“And don’t forget, we’re still being watched by some Boos,” Applejack added. “And y’all remember how to fight them ghosts, right?”

The heroes face the area in front of them, seeing there weren’t any Boos. At least, not yet. Knowing better, they turn their backs and whistle casually. Just as they expected, three Boos turn visible and slowly advance toward the heroes from behind.

Pinkie’s sense immediately kick in, as she performs a backflip, jumps over the boos, and curls her body into a ground-pound, beating one of the ghosts into smoke. The rest of the heroes follow suit, repeating Pinkie’s stunts to fight off the rest. As soon as the Boos are taken care of, the six assembled heroes turn their attention to the bridge.

“Now how are we going to get across?” Spike asked.

“We can’t all cross the bridge at the same time,” Applejack replied. “It’s too narrow for all of us to cross and it looks like it’s about to collapse. I don’t reckon we’d all be able to make it across together.”

“Ooh! Maybe we can cross this chasm two at a time?” Pinkie Pie suggested. “Rainbow Dash can fly A.J. across, Spike and Yoshi can run across the bridge, while I can float Mario across with one of those Power Flowers. Spike, if you’d please.”

The heroes exchange bewildered looks as they exchange questionable glances, wondering how Pinkie could’ve known that… especially when she was trapped in one of the fear rooms the entire time.

“How did you know about that?” Spike asked.

“Eh, just a hunch,” Pinkie smiled with a squeak.

Shrugging, Spike hands the flower over to Pinkie, who consumes the flower causing her mane to puff up into a balloon as she carries Mario across the chasm. Rainbow Dash picks up Applejack, and as she carries the country pony across, Spike and Yoshi run for dear life across the bridge, which collapsed behind them.

Once all the heroes reach the other side, they can hear Fluttershy screaming and pounding her hooves on the other side of the Boo portrait.

“Help! Please!” Fluttershy cried desperately. “Somepony, help!!!”

“Fluttershy!” Applejack called. “Don’t worry, Sugarcube! We’ll get ya outta there! Stand back!”

Applejack proceeds to kick the portrait with Rainbow Dash landing some flying kicks toward the large portrait. Without warning, Pinkie Pie picks up Spike, clutching him by the stomach, with her other hoof holding him by the tail.

“Out of the way!” Pinkie warned.

Her friends step aside just as Pinkie pulls Spike’s tail, making him spew a stream of fire like a flamethrower… but the portrait remained unscathed.

“There’s no way to destroy this thing!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, frustrated. “How are we supposed to get Fluttershy out?”

“Um, hello?” Fluttershy whimpered. “I don’t mean to be pushy, but are you going to get me out? It’s really cramped in here! And… I’m getting awfully hungry…”

“We’ll get you out Fluttershy, don’t worry,” Applejack reassured. “There’s gotta be a way for us to get you out.”

Pinkie Pie looks up and spots a tiny hole in the Boo’s portrait, right where the mouth goes. Her face lit up, as an idea pops in her head.

“Hey! We can’t get Fluttershy out,” She began. “But what if she can get herself out?”

“How’s that even possible?” Applejack asked, with skepticism.

“Spike, another Power Flower, please?”

On request, the dragon gives Pinkie a Power Flower, With a spin of her tail, Pinkie Pie hovers above the mouth of the Boo in the portrait calling out to Fluttershy.

“Oh, Fluttershy! I’ve got a Power Flower for you! It’s really good!”

“That’s very nice of you, Pinkie,” Fluttershy replied. “But how’s that supposed to help me out?”

“Just eat it! Trust me!”

Pinkie Pie hurls the Power Flower through the mouth just before landing back along the floor with the rest of the heroes. A few seconds later, they could hear their friend consume the Power Flower behind the portrait.

“Ooh! I’m feeling a little… light…”

The next thing everyone knew, emerging from the portrait was Fluttershy, once more transparent and intangible.

“Fluttershy!” Rainbow smiled, holding her hoofs out for a hug. “You’re… a ghost… again?”

“Again?!” Fluttershy repeated, looking at herself. “Pinkie! What have you done to me?”

“Don’t worry, It won’t last long,” Pinkie Pie reassured.

As if on cue, the effects of the Power Flower times out as Fluttershy becomes solid.

“See? You’re you again!”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief.

Fluttershy wraps her hooves around her friends in a joyous hug, happily reunited.

“Oh, I’m so happy you saved me! It was scary and lonely in there! But thankfully, I found a Power Star!”

“We’re just glad to have you back, Fluttershy,” Rainbow smiled, before doing a double take. “Wait! What did you say you found?”

“A Power Star,” Fluttershy repeated, holding up said star. “Here it is.”

“Mamma mia!” Mario exclaimed.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi added.

The rest of the heroes join in the dance, as the star sparkles around Fluttershy.

“AWESOME! YOU GOT A POWER STAR!!!”

40 Power Stars!

“Fantastic!” The Guide’s voice spoke. “You have found 40 stars. Your powers grow with every star you collect thus far. You found all the stars hidden in this course. Now, onward to rescue the green man, Luigi!”

“Wow, 40 Power Stars!” Spike spoke, in amazement. “At this rate, we’ll have all 150 stars, beat Bowser, and foil his evil plans in no time.”

“Oh yeah!” Mario agreed. “But-a first, we need to rescue-a Luigi! Where is-a he?”

As if on cue, Pinkie starts vibrating again.

“Oh! My Pinkie Senses are telling me to take the elevator! Luigi’s up there!”

“Let’s-a go!”

The heroes quickly hop onto the checkered platforms taking them up to the next floor, just above the Boo portrait where they discover a hole at the end of the wall.

“This must be the way in,” Applejack commented.

In no time flat, she and her friends jump directly into the hole.

Upon landing in the room, the heroes look around only to find it was empty. Only a large mirror stands before them.

“Luigi?” Mario called out. “Luigi? Are you in here?”

The heroes approach the mirror which, to Mario’s confusion, his reflection suddenly shifts to resemble his brother.

“Luigi?!” Mario exclaimed, in bewilderment.

Suddenly, a loud cackle is heard, to which the heroes turn and spot a large Boo materializing itself. It resembles a typical Big Boo, except it wore a large jewel encrusted crown atop its head.

“Eee-hee-hee!” The Boo cackled. “I am King Boo, the spookiest of all the spirits! I locked up the wimpy green mustache man and I’ll do the same to all of you!”

“Just try to catch us again!” Rainbow Dash scoffed.

“Eee-hee-hee!” King Boo scoffed back. “Since I’m a ghost, I can turn invisible in the mirror’s reflection. You’ll have to attack me from behind to defeat me. But you’ll die of fright before that ever happens and then you’ll be one of us!”

“Oh no!” Fluttershy whimpered, frightfully recalling being a spirit. “I don’t need to repeat that again!”

Super Mario 64 – Stage Boss OST

The battle begins with King Boo advancing toward the heroes’ reflection in the mirror. Reacting fast, Mario performs a backflip over King Boo’s crown, before curling his body in a ground pound. King Boo stumbles briefly from the impact of the attack, before fading away into a ball of blue fire.

“Eee-hee-hee!” King Boo chortled, as he disappeared.

“Where’d he go?” Rainbow asked.

They looked in the mirror, searching for King Boo. But the ghostly tyrant is nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, Fluttershy felt a clammy sensation along the back of her neck as if sensing someone watching her. The Pegasus turns her head behind her, her eyes widen with fright.

“K-K-K-K-K-K…” Fluttershy stuttered.

“What’s the matter, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked. “Cold?”

“K-K-K-K-K-Kii-Ki-K…

Fluttershy holds a hoof up to point, guiding her friends’ attention behind them.

“KING BOO!!!” Pinkie Pie screamed.

King Boo breathes several balls of blue flame toward the heroes. One of the fireballs hit Mario at the seat of his overalls.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” Mario wailed.

He runs around the room with his butt on fire, while King Boo cackled in delight. He unleashes another burst of blame flame after the others. But then, Yoshi whips his tongue out and swallows one of the fireballs, as he and Spike breathe burst of fire at the ghost, stunning him long enough for Applejack to lasso him by the tail with her rope. As Applejack holds him in place, Pinkie Pie performs a double-jump above the ghost’s head, curling her body to ground-pound King Boo.

Infuriated, King Boo disappears in another ghostly blue fire before reappearing.

“Get him!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flying towards the ghost.

“DASH! WAIT!” Fluttershy called.

But it was too late…

BOOM!

“Ouch…” Rainbow groaned.

She hits her face in the mirror, realizing too late the King Boo she tried to pounce was a reflection.

“Ooh, I’ll be that smarts!” Pinkie Pie winced.

King Boo floats toward her own reflection in the mirror and bit her flank.

“AAAAH!!!” Pinkie yelped, clutching her flank.

Mario shakes his head as he recovers and steps back onto his feet to help his friends win the fight.

“Leave-a my friends alone!” Mario shouted.

Looking in the mirror, Mario determines King Boo’s exact location, as he runs toward the ghost to deliver a flying kick to the side, sending him rolling into a wall, disappearing in a puff of smoke.”

“Eee-hee-hee!” King Boo’s cackle echoed. “You can never really kill a ghost! We always come back! See you again. Eee-hee-hee!”

End of the fight

In a puff of sparkling gold aura, a golden key with the letter ‘L’ engraved appears. Without hesitation, the heroes race toward the key to pick it up. They punch their fists up in the air in triumph over their latest victory. Before long, the heroes are bathed in a blinding white light as the entire world turns white.

Later

A sparkle of glittering gold shimmers into the empty courtyard before the heroes suddenly appear before the fountain.

“We’re back!” Mario shouted. “Oh yeah! We’re-a back in Princess-a-Peach’s-a castle!”

“Oh thank goodness!” Fluttershy sighed in relief. “I’m glad to be out of that awful place. I was really scared!”

“Well, you don’t have to be afraid anymore, Fluttershy,” Rainbow replied. “Because now we can go and unlock Luigi!”

“Wait just a moment!” Pinkie Pie shouts.

Suddenly, she feels another tingling sensation from her Pinkie Senses, leading her to point her nose to a brick in the upper-right corner of the yard. Faster than Mario could say, ‘Mamma Mia!’, Pinkie takes off in a pink blur and destroys the block of bricks, revealing an opening underneath.

“Whoop!” Pinkie Pie whooped.

The party pony jumps right into the hole, before coming out and happily bounced.

“Might want to add another to the list of Power Stars collected because I—wait for it…”

With a spin and a dance, Pinkie Pie whipped out a Power Star from her mane, which dances and showers her with golden sparkle while she cheers:

“I found a Power Star!”

Thus, the Power Stars collected by the heroes increased to 41.

41 Power Stars!!

The heroes race out the courtyard, rushing back into the castle’s main hall, up the steps, and back to the Princess’s room. From there, they insert the key they recovered into the door with the large green letter “L” at the top. After opening the door, a tall thinly man in green attire, dark blue overalls, and a neatly groomed mustache steps out.

“Oh yeah!” Luigi exclaimed, glad to be free.

“Mama Luigi!” Yoshi chirped happily.

The dinosaur embraces his arms around the man, assaulting the plumber with wet kisses.

“Yoshi?!” Luigi exclaimed. “Okay, I’m-a happy to—”

“Mama?” Rainbow Dash snickered. “Mama Luigi? Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!”

Rainbow Dash fell to the floor, laughing her heart out, much to the green man’s annoyance. After the loving reunion between Yoshi and Luigi passed, Luigi turns toward Mario and his friends.

“Mamma mia, what-a happened, Mario?” The green man asked.

“We were captured by-a Bowser and his-a minions,” Mario explained. “Then we got-a trapped in those-a door.”

“It’s a good thing me and Yoshi came to save you guys,” Spike said, making himself known.

“Mamma mia!” Luigi exclaimed. “A dragon!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, vouching for Spike. “Yoshi, Yoshi, Yoshi, Yoshi!”

“Oh, he’s a friend?” Luigi asked, which Yoshi nods.

“Yeah, I’m a friend,” Spike confirmed. “I happen to be a close friend of Twilight and the girls here.”

“Darn tootin’!” Applejack smiled. “Whenever we’re in a pickle, Spike’s always there when we need him.”

“Anyway, now that we’ve saved you and Fluttershy, we can get back to collecting the rest of the Power Stars and find our other friends!” Spike insisted. “What do you say, Mr. Luigi?”

In response, Luigi gives the assembled heroes a thumbs-up.

“Okie-dokie!” He answered. “Let’s-a go!”

“This is so great!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “The Mario Bros. are back together again! Ooh! My Pinkie Senses feel a song coming on!”

Before long, Pinkie Pie pulls out a boom box and plays the Super Mario Bros. theme song, and proceeds to rap with the Mario Bros. and her friends.

Super Mario Bros. rap

Meanwhile, still trapped behind his doors, Wario growls and seethes with rage.

“MUST… RAGE… NAP!!!!” Wario declared, resuming his loud angry snoring.

Author's Note

Power Stars collected thus far: 38 + 3 = 41!

Up Next:
Our heroes go skiing to collect the next Power Stars on Cool, Cool Mountain.

After That:
Our heroes engage in an epic showdown with Bowser for the first time.

Cool, Cool Mountain

Previously on Game Quest:

Spike, Mario, Yoshi, and friends collected all the missing Power Stars in Big Boo’s Haunt. And soon they managed to find and save Fluttershy & Luigi.

With the Mario Bros. Back together again, our heroes set their sights on finding more Power Stars to rescue Princess Peach, defeat Bowser, and find the rest of their missing friends. Can they prevail? Find out now in the latest chapter of Game Quest!

Super Mario Bros. Super Show

Princess Peach’s Castle

Shortly after freeing Luigi, our heroes raced out of Princess Peach’s room. Soon enough, the team are back in the main lobby and ready to resume their quest to recover the Power Stars.

“So-a, help-a me get-a caught up,” Luigi began. “What’ve you been-a doin’ while me and-a Wario were locked up?”

“Long story short,” Spike began. “I came to the Mushroom Kingdom. And ever since, I’ve helped free Yoshi, who helped me free Mario, and next thing I know we freed Pinkie Pie.”

“And don’t forget that we saved you and Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash added.

“Yoshi! Yoshi! Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, explaining his take.

“MAMMA MIA!” Luigi exclaimed, surprised. “You’ve been-a busy! But how many Power-a Stars have you collected?”

“So far, counting the last two we’ve collected from Boos’ obstacle course on the way to save you… forty-one!” Pinkie Pie answered. “Give or take.”

“Forty-a one?!” Luigi exclaimed. “That’s enough to open-a big-a door!”

“What big door?” Spike asked.

“In the castle!” Luigi explained. “In the main-a lobby, there’s a big door with a big star on the front! Earlier, when we-a tried to open it up, it says we need-a twelve-a stars to open it up!”

“What?! Only twelve stars?” Spike asked. But… Toad… or at least a Toad told me and Yoshi there was a total of 150 Power Stars! And that we needed to collect them all.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi confirmed.

“No! Actually, you only needed a twelve of-a 150-a Power Stars to open the big-a door,” Luigi reassured. “You could-a rescued-a Princess-a Peach by then!”

“Doh!” Mario exclaimed, slapping his forehead. “That’s-a right! I completely forgot about that!”

The rescued ponies exchanged realization, as if they are suddenly remembering that.

“Then by all means, let’s open that there door and save the princess!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Yeah! Let’s save our friends and go home!” Rainbow Dash added. “C’mon, every pony! The door’s this way!”

The heroes raced toward said door, just on the left side of the main lobby along the upper floor. The heroes all stepped up to reach the door, expecting all the stars they’ve collected to materialize and unlock the door. However, it never came.

“Uh… where’s the part where the stars rain golden sparkles and open sesame?” Spike asked.

“Why isn’t it opening?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Suddenly, without warning, a fiery aura of darkness erupted and completely engulfed the door. Just then, a voice spoke:

”W̷̡̭͇͉̭̜͇͑̄̔͗̾͜͝ȩ̶̺͚̹̗̖̺̄̍͜ ̵̢̛̄́̌̾͝͝a̸͓̘̘͈͔̪̅͆͗̾͒̄̊͑̄̀r̵͇͎͍͈̭̹̙͎͛̓͌͛͊͗͜ę̸̖͙͇̮̰͛̀͒͒͗͊́͊̕ ̷̲̟͇̱̠̖͈͛͛t̷͕̼͒̇́̈͌̀̕ḩ̴̪̝̇͂̈̄̔͜͝ē̶̝̩̖̹̦̹͗̒̒̈́́̍̉̕ ̶̛̹̗̝̪̭̜̊̉̓̆͝D̵̢͙̪̜̺̲̘̣̳̐̿͒̂̆a̵̪͒͝r̶͙͈̫̰̗̐̓̃́̽́͂k̷̗̜̙̂n̵̢̡̲̲̋͒̒̊̃̔͌̓̌͠e̶̳̖̘̮̓̂͂̓̽̎̔͝s̵̱̽̚ŝ̴͇͠.̸̩͎̙̠̬̤̩̥́̍̇͛̕͝ ̴̧̡͕͈̩̔̓̈̏W̶̧̺̬̟̞̝̜̋̈̃͗̏̂́̑̕̕e̶̪̫̥͍̖̝̣̓̓̚͜ ̵̢̇̆͛̒͌̾̈́̚ă̸̧̡̹̗̗̺̦͖͕̦͌͌͗̑́̃̚r̵̜̕͝è̵̝̣̪̱̓ ̸̹̏̾̾́̀ẗ̸̳̲͍́ḧ̵̢̼̙́́͑̔͘̕͠ĕ̶̺̦͊̌̋ ̷̛̲͌̂͆̇͛ų̵̧̯̦̰̻͙̭͋̀̄̎͊̌l̵͈͍̳̳̜̃̔ṫ̵̤̝͇̲͑͗̎i̴̘̳̫͎͛̃̈́͌͆͗ḿ̷̨̳͚̮̰̳̈́̐̌̃͜a̷̧̨͕͙̝͉͎͉̠̝̋̓t̸̩͇̹̜̟͇̲̭̺͋̈́̊͛̉̋͂͜͝͝ȩ̴̨̱͈͍̪͉̈́̐͋̓̓̕ ̴̡̝̳͔̩̭̜̰́̓e̴̳̭͖̯͌̈́̈̈͒͐̎̑͘x̷̡̉͑͌̈́̍i̶̳̹̙̖͇͕͉̙͈̐͆̋s̶̻̯̉̃̄̂̂t̴̢̐̐e̷̻̝̫͐̒̚n̵̤̥̱̦̓̽́̔́̑̏̃͝c̵̻̀̄̿̏̒̚̚̚͘ë̶͚̅̆͠.̶͎̩͚̫͇̘̪͒̏̀̐̀͐̐ ̴̪̩̠̟̯͚̣͋̓̍̉̈́͠W̴̱͓̝͖̰̗̺̤̜̖͆̔ě̸͕͂̂ ̵͔̠̱̹̘̳̪̪͎̯͌͋̿̃̈́̕͘c̶̡̠͋͛́͊̾̍̍o̶̡̰̦͕̱̝̤͎͆̄ǹ̴͎̬̘̭̩̼͔̼̆̆̄̈́̅̐̌̚͘t̴̢͚̼̹̥̜̣͑̈́͗͛̉̌͘͝ȓ̴̠̣͊o̴̺̮̦̞̘̪͒͋̇̎͋̈́́l̶̨͉͋̈́̽̈́̚͜͜ ̴̧̳̥̞̤̰̲̔̾͐̈̓̿͗͒͘t̶̡̝͉͇̎̓̑͌͌̅̕͝ͅh̴͔͋̈́͝ē̶̢̬̻̼ ̶̥̖̮̰͈͖̟͍͈̲̚͠r̴͇͈̩̲̘̅͝ͅù̵̞̖̟̬̎͒͊͂̽̄l̴̖̘̳̣̫̦̲̪̍̓̎̅͗̑̋̿͘͠ȩ̵̲̪̤̳̊̀͐s̴̛̼̠͓̙͚͔̜̜̺̊̏̓͛̓͂̚̕ ̵̭̳̖̣͚͈̯̀̑̏̈́͋̉̓̐͐̈o̵͚̯̓̊͌̃̀̋̾̇̃f̶̨̛̙̈́͛̆̐̆͆̉̎̆ ̶̭͐̈́̈̅̍̑̐͒̓͝t̶̛̻̠̥͓̰͖̼̮̻̳̊̓́́͌͝ḩ̵̨̩͓̒̒̊̍̋̈͝͝i̸̛̠̱̜̓͆̎͝͠ŝ̷̳̞͊͊̀̋ ̵͎͙͙͇͔͎͔̈́̏̔̈̍̏͜w̶̞̽͆̈́̉̕ơ̶̡̯͙̤̞̙̝͔̪̝̈͗̑̏̾̀̍̈́͠r̷͔̪̩͔̤͊̈́̎́͛̏̂͘̚l̷̹̇͊͋͗̚̕ḍ̵̺̀͆̒̀̅̕̚͝ ̸̢̛̳͖̻̞̠͍̲͉̤̒͋̌̎̊̔͝a̶͙̱̾̄͐̎͐̿̏͒̎̔ṋ̴̈́̋d̶͈̬̝͙̰̺̬̜̥͐͒͋͝ ̶̞̦͍̱͓̰̺͕̈́̏̒̈͋͘͝t̷͇̑͑͐̑͐h̸͉̰̪͘ͅe̵̙̟̠̯͍̭̠̺͖̭̎͌͘ ̶̲̲͙͕͈͈̱̭͉̘͒̄̀̿̓̈̀̈́̍n̷̨̈́̆ę̷͈̳͖̺̬̮̂̃̽̎̕͜͠ͅẍ̵̘̮̣̜̆̒͊̒̂̃̏͘ţ̴̛̺̤͍̦͉̺̥̬̪́̃̆͂́͠͝.̸̯̓̓̃̌̒͘”

Though somewhat unclear, the heroes could still clearly hear that once again it’s the work of the villainous, mysterious force called ‘The Darkness’.

“Oh… my…!” Fluttershy squeaked in horror.

“Not again!” Spike moaned.

“M-M-M-Mario?” Luigi trembled, cowering behind his brother. “W-W-What is-a that?”

“I… I don’t-a know!” Mario replied. “But if called itself-a Darkness.”

“And has given us trouble back in Boo’s Mansion!” Rainbow Dash frowned. “What are you up to now, Darkness?”

Once again, a demonic voice (More distorted than ever) answered.

”W̵̙̰͝e̴̛̱̾̀͘ ̵̡̢̛̯͔̞̙̤͓̪͖̀͑͛͆̓͗̆a̷̬̲̼͉̲̟͗̔̅̀̀̈́͝ŕ̷̥̃̏ē̵͇̺̽̔̈́̈́̓̆ͅ ̸̡̮̟̞͇̳̱̲̦̭̍͑̈́͌̔̚t̸̺̬̑̓̇̂̔̄̚͝ḩ̵̛̛̺̟̫͓̬̆͋̒͑̏̽̀͌ę̴̨̧͕̠͉͔͇̪̗̿̋̕ ̴̧̛͍̍̓̈́̏́́͌͠͝ͅD̸̢͕̱͕̤̀̾́̀̄͋̽̂̔͆ͅa̸̢͈̝͕̦̗̠͔͌ŗ̴͖̠̤̘̩̣̲̺͓̈́̓̓̏̍̐́͋k̸̘̞͙͈̟͖̹͂̌́̄̋́̏̈́̚ñ̵̦͋̈́͐̈́̆̈́̕̚ë̸̟̗̠̖̱́͂̆͒́̓̂̉͘s̶̨̨͙͙̖̪̈́̍͋̀̉͊̋̀́͠s̷̯͎͚͈̖͈̻͓̐͂.̷̛̹̥̰̾ ̴̹̾̕̚͝W̵̩͖̏̈́̆͋̑̀e̵͎̟͈͌ͅ ̶͉̼̈́̓̅̇͝͠ǎ̶̗̫̙̼̙͍̜̲̲̓̃̽͜r̷̪̳̭̂e̵̡̝̥̘̪͖̰̥̣͒͗̌͒ ̶͍̺͖̖̉̈̿̔̓͝t̵͚̠̅̔̐̅͋̆̐̔͘ḧ̷̡̨͖̤̻͉̭́̈̊̈́̍͒̀̓̏͜͝ĕ̶̬́̅͝ ̷̨͕̱͙̖̰͎͂̅̆̈́͒̃̈́̚͘ư̵̢͚̻̝͇̓͑̒̈́́̉̊̕l̷̡̡̦̹̹̖͈̯͚̫̔̂̾t̴̢̘̝̩̱̬͔̀̅i̴̢̺̫̲͌̽̽̽m̷̢̨̨͈̺̮̙̭̀͑̃̊͗ͅͅa̷̢̖̲̗̹̮̻̙̪̹͆͋̎̃ţ̵͈̝̼͕̈́͜ȇ̸̼̣̪͉̱̾ ̸̛̭̹̤̹̞̉͊̌e̴̻̱̣̪̮͉̪̱̽̃̋̇̈́͑̌̔̉ͅx̴̦̖̞͎͈̿̒̎ͅi̴̭̎͋̿̐͂̓̈ͅs̶͎̮̝̳̳̳̆̀͝ͅṱ̶̨̜͉̫̤̐̽̊́̈̈͆͘̚ę̸̙̪͙̖̙̲̰͉̇̊̕͠ͅn̶̤͖͖͉͚͠c̸̘͌̿͑͋̌̔̎̚ḙ̷̘̠̺̜͔̬̣̉̽̌͊̕͘͠.̴̡̛̮̬̙͕̠̼͔̇̑͗͗̐̊͘ ̸̻͉̺̫̆̐̉͋͑͠W̸̧̨͕͔̟̮̗͊̏̈̌͒̀͝ẹ̴̢͖̬̪̣͇̉̑̎̽͗ ̸̦͙̫̙̣̠̰̟̓a̵̖̥͈̺͖͂̀r̴̡̧̡̯̙̠͋̈́̿̂̿́͘͝ĕ̸̼͋̾̎̎̄̒̾͝͝ ̸̤̠̙̻͕͎̻̝̓̂̂̿̓̊͝͝M̸̝̙̋̑͗̀a̵̗̰̦͎͉̰͉̻̞̱͑̇̅́̋̂͛͊͝͝s̶̛̠͔͉̎̋͑̄̊̈́͒̋̈́ţ̶̩̰̞̟̙͐̓̊͂̀e̶̛͚̞̻̝͊̈́̈́͜͝ŗ̵̰̠̯͎͖̫̇s̸̨͕̗̖̩͚̯̠͛̕͜͠ ̶̰͍̲̬̠͙͗̿͐̽̉̄̈́̚ơ̷̗̺̓̆̈́̂̃͊͊͐f̸̯͉͖̮̼̞͉̱̜͇̋̀͗͛ ̷̧̡͈͕̾̿́̈́̅́͒t̷͔̖̓̆̒͛͗̓͌͂̕h̸͖̟͚̰̺̍í̵̭̺͙̽́ş̶̠̰̲̺̣̫́̇͊͌̕ ̵̡̛͍̺̮̪̖͙̺̟̎̆̌̆͒͝w̴̳̺̺̫̦̯̟̼̖̃̈́͂̀͑̋͘ǒ̷̧̪̠̎̂͑͠r̵̝̱͕͑͐͛͛̆̎͌̿̊̕ḷ̸͋͆͌͌̆͜d̸̖̪̠̹̟̳̱̱̩͊͋̍̈́͝ ̵̫̹̭͍̼͐̊̋̅͆͌̽͐̽a̶̯̺̻̣͂͜n̶̛̛͖̦̝͓̈̽̿̑̚͠d̵̗̥̟̱̼͋̔̐ͅ ̷̮͙̪̲͈͚̻̫͎̀͜t̷̩̺͗̋̽̒̈̿͒̈́̆h̷̲̜͔̪͗͊̾̎̓̕e̷̛͈̗̐̒ ̸̨̩̙̝̻̳̣͖͖͕͋̎̑͐̾ǹ̷͔̟̼̰̃́͐e̸̟̤̥̙͎̰͌̑͗̎̾͜͝x̸̢̞̹̥̰̅̂͂̀̀͆ͅṯ̷̅.̶͇̣̗̹̘̩͐̓̊̌͂̀̿́ ̵̭̀̅̐̌W̸̱̫͊̒͆ě̸̼̥͉̃̐͑̓͐́͂̚̚ ̵̥̙̬̹͙̙͖͉̔̅̐̀ä̷̢͕̝̖͖͉͓́͐̽r̴̰͔̼̮̮̯̉̌̈́͜e̸̡̺̤̲̫̩͚̱̰͋̌̃͊̚ ̸̻̪̼̼̊̋t̵̮͇̟̟͈̘͛̈́̒̐̑͘h̸̳̏͆̾̊̿͋̕̕e̷̼̭̻͙̯̬̘͇̮̓́͗̀̆͑̅̂̈́͂ ̸̟̙̳̝̭̖͍̏̈́̍̓̓̚̚͜g̴̨̦̼̰̘̾̊̔͗̇̄̚͘̚ͅa̴̛̗̻̽̒̒̄̕m̴̟̊̇͌̃̋̓̽͋͘è̶̬͖̱̗̥̯̠̾́͋͜m̷̳̳̊̔̓͒̏́̈́̆̍ȁ̵͈̥̳͚̃̒̇̑̄͛̏̓̑s̵̬̹̰̟̬͖͎̳̲̘̐̆t̴̺̥̻͔̍̌̅̀̂̄̚͝ę̷̤̤͓͚̼͕̯̦͒̈́͂͘͝ŕ̴̙͍͇͇͈̭̝̤̋́͒͆̓̈́s̶̛̜͔͇̅̾̒͐̀̕̕.̷̫̆̔̌͋̈́͊̈́̽ ̶̢̲̯̼͚͑̌̓́W̸̢͍͔̲̟̳̩̝͒̔̈́̈́͜͝ȩ̶̡̪̼̀̿̐̽̂ ̸̙̰̩̝̞̮͉̯̯͆ả̶̡͙̬̬̠̮̱̯͖̣̎̈́̑̔͝r̵̖̠̮̣̗̩͓̾̊̐͌̒͆̂̓̚͜͜͝ę̷̦̜̼̝͈͉͙͕̎͜ ̶͕̬͉̪̟̹̣̬̙͍͋̈́ţ̸̛̰̯̜̳͍̣̪̎́̔̃h̴̨͙̱̦͔͚̭̏̊̊̀͜e̶̱͓̥̭̺͐̋̇́̎̄͝ͅ ̸̡̢͙͍͓̻̺̺̍͑̃̆͌̓̈́͜r̵͙̤̣͈̩̚ȗ̶̻͇̈́́͌̈́̓͝l̶̢̛͔̙͕͋̓̀̃̅̉̚ę̵̧̬͔̲̯͍̫̙͋̃̓͘̚ś̵̢͔̉͛͛̎͂̄͝.̴̗͔̖̖̮̹̭̣̲́͑͗̿̊̓͜ ̷̡̢̡͉̺͔̖͒͗͛W̶̧̘͕̤̺̝̣͕͆̍́̐̋͐̎͒͌̚ẽ̷̪͛̿̍̈́̕̕ ̶̨̜̫̥͉̰͈̫̖̀̄̎ͅǎ̵̼͎̝͉̯̔͑̇̕ṙ̷̟̭̒͐̏̃̕͜͝e̵̼͈͚͍͉͕̫̮̞̅̂̈́̀͐͗͊̈́̽͝ ̸̛̯͍̺͕̪̫͈̽̊͆͌̏̀̋̔͠ͅṯ̴̨͇̥̌̈́̑̾͆̈̌͂ḫ̵̢͍̗̺̠̝̪̼̄̔̐͂͘͜e̵̟̼̹͊̋̽̇̓̕͜͝ ̸̭̦͚͋̏̀̑̌̏̀͝r̸̛̖̻̰̖̣̖͙͐͂̊̄͛͋͘͜͝ͅü̶̡̡̜̥͓̟̰͍̈̋̌̿͛̌͠ļ̴̹̫͖͙̗̼̳̤͂ē̴̯͊̌̈́ŗ̵̰̤̻͉͚̲̩̀̓́s̴̻̯̳̫͖̰͓̽̊̅̓͜.”

The heroes were at a loss for words.

“Say what now?” Spike asked.

Pinkie Pie reached into her mane and pulled out a large, black-hooded robe.

“It says,” Pinkie began, deepening her voice. “We are the Darkness. We are the ultimate existence. We are Masters of this world and the next. We are the gamemasters. We are the rules. We are the rulers.”

“You’re the gamemasters?” Spike asked skeptically.

“You’re the rules and the rulers?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“So… you can measure us or something?” Pinkie asked, in her usual perkiness.

“What in tarnation you want from us?” Applejack asked. “We just wanna rescue a Princess and be on our way to find and rescue our other friends. Let us in ya varmint!”

”N̴̡̹̩͍̦̫̺͐̐̿͒̒̌̿́͜͜ǫ̸͙̗̠̓̊̈́̈́̑͂̆͑̕̚n̶̮̔̈́e̸̛̛͙͖̗̣͕̯̎̎̃͘͘ ̵̟͊̅̍͆͝s̴̛̜̬̼̮͋̀̽̀ḥ̷̼͍̦̩͕͖̥̳̐̎a̵̳̥̣̖͑͋͆͋́̀l̸͕̻̗̊͗̚͜͝l̶̻̳̫̫̭̑͌͝ ̸͔̩͙̮͉͓̞̭̥͒͂̈́͑̎̅̚͘p̶̨̘̪͉̱̳̞̌͋̈̀͊̔͝ą̴̢̘͇̞̜̽͌̄̄͂̄̈͘s̶͍͑̂̋͗̋̏̊̂̏͜s̶̯͕̰͓͈̖̤͍̭͇̈̃̈́͌̏ ̷̧̫̭̞̭̓͒͜u̵̼̞̙̓n̵̡͚̖͌ṱ̴̨̧̺͉̬̣̻͙̫̀̒͒̊̇́̾̆̀i̶̩͍͇̩̔͗̑͐͊̒̌͑̈͜ļ̸͍̺͙̼̒̈́̓̇́̐̚ ̶̧͕̟͇̝̫̪̦͓̈́͂̉͑͝͝t̸̘̤͈̭̲͛h̸͙͉̞̪̝̓̾̎̈̉̋̚͝͝ȅ̶̢̳̞͈͉͇͎͍͈̔̏̄̓͊̐͆ ̵͙͚̆̇͛̚͝n̷̮͇̼͕͔͚̮̦̭̓͜ṳ̷͔̊͊͋́̾͘͠͠͠m̷̬̀̓͂̀̐͑̈̐̊̂b̴̡̠͔̝̬̥̒e̴̬̖̅͠ṙ̷̢̹͕̯̣̻̆̽́̈́̅̒̔̿͜ͅ ̵̪͙̳̞̟͊̽͌̓̄̄̍̏̇̂ṏ̴̧͚̯͙͍̜̖̲́ͅͅf̵̢̝̣͍̿͛̔̈ ̴͔͚̩̝̻͍̄̒͒̑̒̊͊ṣ̸̢̧͍͙̥͔͇̮̭̃̇̀̀͆͌̿̂̾ţ̷̮͕͊ä̵̼͔̲͇̟̻͝r̵̙͕̭̖̝̘̫̙͕̊̏̈́̔͊̀͌͋͘͝s̶̱̫̖̘̫̀̎̓̂̂̀́̚͝ ̷̠͇͕̞̺͗͑̿̚h̵͈̬͈̥̍̆̆͑̃̈́à̴̛͙̘͕̙̈̊́v̴̧̨͓̺̺͇̫͛̒͐̓̏̿̽̈́̐̓ͅȩ̴͙͖̮̲̱̌̽͘ ̷͎̪͖͈̭̣͖̺̘̌̎͊̅̀͝ͅm̵̨̧̱͚̪̳̻̔͋̓̀a̸͙̽̀̽̓͐͆̑̅t̴̲͍̯͍̣̬̬̏͜ͅc̵̞̺͕͚̼̐̉h̸̼̀̅̒̕ḛ̴̛͚̜͓͖̭̿͝d̴̫̆̏̆̑̈́͑͆͘.̵̧̮̜̪͓͚͔͌́͊͜ͅ ̵̣̟́̕͝Ṭ̶̨̠̙̫͉̗͉̭̈́͊̍͌͊̈͋̉ͅh̶͖͚͈͎̏̊̒͑̓̓͛̕e̸̢̩̤͚̟̝͓͉̍͊̑̄͠ ̶̢̯͍̝̝͍̺͌̏̔̋̑͗̚̕̕n̷̗͑̊̊̋ù̵͓͍̙̩̩͛́̀̔̎̌̾̑̋͜m̶͙͖̟̊̎͊͒́̌b̶̥̼͎̝͕̩̠͕̬̈́̓̈̈́̉͐͗̀̌e̶̼̱̰̒͐̔̈́̇̔͘̕͝ř̸̩͖̩̠̱̻̘̼̮́͆s̶̖̝̰͎͓̤͇̅̾͐̽̈ ̵̫͇͖̬̖̓͌̏̋̍ǫ̴͈̫͔̖̣̭̂͛̇̚̚̕͠f̷̼̹̱̯͈͒̆̂̿̉ ̴͋͑́̓̈̐͋͜͝f̸͎̄̎̆̂̓̈́́̚̕i̴͕̯͓̼̚ͅͅf̸̧̧̡͇̞̣̫͇͈̓̐̏͛͜ẗ̷̠̟̗͚̭̳̲͙͓́͌͘͜ỳ̵̡̪̖̰̫̲͖̝̐͘ ̵̡̧̮͙̯͓͜͠m̵͉͔͖̬̘͑̌͂͐̚͠͝ù̴̡̮͚̺̥̹̺̬̈̀͆̀̄͂̔̌ͅŝ̴͓͉͊̏̈́͘͠t̸̳̺̠͚͓́̎͒̓̐̎͆̕ ̷̢̙͚͑̋͋͑̈́̇̎̀b̸̙͚͕̋͒͂̋͑͂̒͌́̏e̸̡͓̝͚̩͕͗̿̋́͆̿̾̂͐͝ ̶̛͚͍̬͓͌̊́̿͐͑̏̕ṃ̴̨͎̦̬͖͂̈̊̐̌̍͜͜͜ằ̷̡̭̬͇̥̞̜̪̋̇͑͗́ď̷̯͔̖͓̲̉͌̕͘e̵͚̲͓̺͕̊̅̌͗̂̇̕̚ ̶̯̊̃̓̓̐̕͠t̸̠͙̱̮͔̠̙̓͐ǫ̴̬̍͌͋̓ ̸̧͈̥̺͚̩̹͛̑͊̃͝p̸̲̗͋̊̈͜a̵̧̰̥̮͓͘ý̴̛͖̝͉̟̦̭͘ͅ.̷̿͆̏̈́̀́̌͗ͅ”

Though they had trouble understanding, the heroes managed to catch the hefty price of stars needed to pay.

“FIFTY?!?!” The heroes exclaimed.

”F̵̩̩̻̖̤͉̳̰̫̈́̿͌͌͆̽͒i̷̖̫͊̉̓͗̒̿̋̑̕f̶̲̱̰̻̞͓̙͈̿̈́̓t̴̲̺̲̎̾̿͐̃̉́̑̚̚y̷̪̭̌͗̐͌̕ ̴͔̊͆́s̷͈̘̜͓̃̀t̶͖̯͋̍̉a̵̖̖̬̓̍̂ͅŗ̶̩͖̼̼̹̺͎̈́̈́̽̈́͘ͅş̸̙̲̪̺̠̙̈́̇̀̽̆̎́̀̈́͝ ̸̣̜͎͈̾̈́͂̎͜a̷̢̙̞͕̝͙̯͇͙͑̒̌ņ̸̧̛̼̩͍̺͕͙͚̭͗̊d̵̝̳̞̞͔̤͉͇̲̀̒́̓͆̅̈́̏̏̚ ̶̢̧͖̲͎̦̚t̷̡̥͔̩̲͆͌̇͝ḧ̶͍͈̯̯́̐̉̌̓̀e̵̟̖̼̥̯̗͕͎̻̍̇͜͝ ̷͈͓͇̼͒̀ͅd̵̡̳̱̮̮̮͕̍̊̊̌̾̂̕ȯ̴̧̝̺̞͉̭̣̘̇̿̑̂̀̿̐́̚o̵̧̧͖͈͖͎̖̲͑̏̀̐̊r̴̨̢̧̥̯̲͎̲͑̔̒̉͋̿̄͋̊̂ș̶͎̾̃̌̀̐̔̈̚ ̴̞̼̰̖̟̹̝̓͐̒̀͗͋̏w̴͚̝̦̝̠̚i̴̡͙͔̻̹͕̖̒ḽ̴̑͑͆͜l̴̨͓̃̆̔̌͐͘͘ ̶̦͌̓́̓͒͂̈́̆̚͠b̸̫̯̏́̋̃̈́̏̇̌e̷̢̘͔̪̺͖̥̱͌͒́ͅ ̸̡̭͇̺͈̠͓͊a̸̝͓̦̰̖̮̩̱͓͒͆̒́̆̑̀̕̚̕ͅj̸̩̪̺̝͔͑͒̽̅͜͝a̸̘͑́̈́́̅̿ṛ̸̹̩̩̺̠̻̂̓.”

Confused, the heroes walked away from the door uncertain of the sudden change of development.

“What jus’ happened?” Applejack asked. “A little while ago, we needed only twelve! How could it be bumped tah fifty?!”

“Hmm…” The Mario Brothers pondered.

There was no mistake they are uncertain about the increasing number of Power Stars needed just to open a door. And somehow, the new force of evil called the Darkness was heavily involved.

“How about we just focus on collecting more of the Power Stars?” Spike suggested. “We have forty-one. Let’s just try and find nine more.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

“Good idea!” Mario nodded.

“But where do we begin?” Luigi asked.

“Ooh! My Pinkie Senses are tingling!” Pinkie Pie bounced excitedly.

Pinkie felt her mane vibrating, pointing her to a door with a gold star printed with a number ‘3’. Right next to the room of the Bob-ombs that Spike and Yoshi entered earlier to begin their adventure. Once again, the heroes watched as the stars they collected danced in front of the locked door, bathing it in gold sparkles. Reacting to the star’s powers, the door slowly opened, granting the heroes access into the room.

Once inside, the heroes were greeted to the sight of three paintings of two snowmen. One tall, one short.

“Ooh! I think we’re going to a winter wonderland!” Pinkie Pie bounced happily.

“Well, let’s a go!” Mario hollered.

“Okie-dokie!” Luigi nodded.

The reunited Mario Bros. Jumped into the painting, which rippled after they disappeared.

“Here we go again!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

The cyan Pegasus, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and the newly rescued Fluttershy jumped after the plumber heroes. Spike and Yoshi both turned, exchanging looks and nods, before jumping after their friends.

Location: Cool, Cool Mountain

Once again, upon jumping into the painting, the heroes could only see blinding white lights as they fell through a wormhole, toward the entrance of another world. Upon emerging, the heroes found themselves falling towards a snowy mountain range, before landing in a blanket of snow, atop a tall mountain, surrounded in a thick blanket of clouds, making it difficult to see where the mountain ends.

“Wow, it really is a Winter Wonderland!” Spike commented.

The chattering of his teeth and the shivering from the cold additionally confirms it.

“We’re really on top of a mountain now!”

“MAMMA MIA!” Luigi shouted, staring down the edge. “We’re so high up, you can’t even see the way down!”

“Oh my!” Fluttershy whimpered.

“Don’t worry y’all,” Applejack reassured. “We won’t be spelunking fer long. Let’s just find them Power Stars so we can open the door at the castle and rescue Princess Peach!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

“Okay Pinkie Pie,” Spike turned to the pony. “Do your stuff. Where’s our next Power Star?”

“Hmmm…”

Pinkie Pie points her nose to the ground, sniffing about like a hound dog. She points her nose toward a nearby cabin.

“In there!”

And next to the cabin, a signpost read:

“Santa Claus isn’t the only one who can go down a chimney! Come on in!” – Cabin Proprietor.

“Hmm…” Applejack pondered.

She looked toward the exterior of the cabin, discovering it lacked a door.

“Y’all think they’d at least built a door or somethin’.”

“No time for that, A.J.!” Pinkie Pie squealed, bouncing up the chimney. “Alright every pony! Let’s-a go!”

With a hop, Pinkie jumps into the chimney, followed by Spike, Mario, and Yoshi, as they collected five gold coins on the way in.

Coins Collected
Gold Coins: 5
Red Coins:
Blue Coins:
Total: 5

Just as Fluttershy made to follow her friends, the sound of chirping and crying caught her attention. The buttercup Pegasus followed the sound and discovered a lonely baby penguin, chirping desperately as if searching for its mother.

“Aw, you poor thing!” Fluttershy cooed.

“Hey Fluttershy, what’s the hold up?” Rainbow Dash called out.

She, Applejack, and Luigi arrived to check up on the Pegasus. But they moment they get there, that’s when they discovered a slight complication.

“Oh boy…” Applejack gulped nervously.

Upon entering through the chimney, Mario and his group found themselves inside the cabin. No sooner do they land in when they came face-to-face with a large blue penguin who nearly took up the whole room.

“Hey-ey Mario, buddy, howzit’ goin’?” The big penguin greeted, in a surfer’s accent. “Oh! And I see you’ve brought friends. Howzit’ goin’ my homies?”

“Whoa! You’re a big penguin!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Wait… you know Mario?”

“For sure!” The penguin replied. “He and I go way back. He’s a real surfer dude where I come from. I’m Big Penguin, but any friend of Mario’s can call me ‘Big’.”

“Nice to meet you, Big!” Pinkie Pie smiled. “I’m Pinkie Pie! And this is Spike and Yoshi!”

“Sup!” Spike waved his claws.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped a greeting.

“What y’all doin’ here?” Big Penguin asked.

“We are lookin’ for some Power-a Stars to save-a Princess-a Peach!” Mario explained. “Have you seen a Power-a Star anywhere?”

“For sure! I’ve got one right here!”

The Big Penguin revealed said star before the awestruck group.

“Wow! That was quick!” Pinkie Pie commented.

“Great! Can we have it, please?” Spike politely asked. “We’re in a real hurry!”

“Whoa! Not so fast, little dragon dude!” The Big Penguin shook his head.

He tucked the star beneath his wings much to the group’s confusion.

“Pardon?” Spike raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not givin’ this away jus’ yet,” The Big Penguin continued. “You want it? You have to race me for it.”

“Race?”

“Y’all look like the fast-sleddin’ king of peeps,” Big Penguin began. “I know speed when I see it, yes-siree—I’m the world champion sledder, you know. We start sliding down this icy slide, winding our way to the right, then to the left, where there’s a big loop, then we slide all the way to the finish line from there, without falling off. Whaddya say?”

“Uh…”

Spike looked down toward said slide, noticing it was missing some railings meant to keep sledders from falling off.

“Looks dangerous…” Spike observed.

“Yoshi! Yoshi! Yoshi! (And it looks like anyone can die from that)” Yoshi whimpered.

“Nah, it’s all good,” The Big Penguin reassured. “No one’s ever died in this course before. If anyone ever fell off, they just find themselves landing back at the checkpoint.”

“Huh?” Spike asked.

“Uh… never mind that,” Mario shook his head. “Okay. So if we-a beat-a you fair and-a square, we win the Power-a Star, right?”

“Correct-a-mundo!” The Big Penguin replied. “So, you ready to race?”

Mario turned back to the Big Penguin and nodded.

“Okay! Let’s-a go!”

The race began with the Big Penguin kicking off and sliding along his belly. Soon after that, Mario and his group followed.

Speed of Light – Joe Satriani

Spike, Mario, Pinkie Pie, and Yoshi slid along the icy slide.

“WHOA!!!” Spike screamed.

“WHEEEE!!!” Pinkie Pie cheered, laughing.

“This is like the time we slid back in the princess’s secret slide!” Spike hollered.

“YOSHI!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

Just then, Yoshi pointed toward a blue coin rolling down the slide.

“HEY! We’ve struck coins!” Spike pointed

Sure enough, while grabbing the blue coin, a whole trail of coins appeared. As our heroes raced against the big penguin, they also worked their hardest on collecting the coins all the way.. On the way, when a short drop on the slide appeared, Pinkie followed a trail of ten gold coins and jumped up to collect the remaining halves. Then, the heroes were on their way.

“Five more coins, comin’ up!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

Suddenly, she slipped and fell into the wall.

“WHOA!!!” She exclaimed, vanishing out of sight.

“PINKIE PIE!” Spike shouted, straining to see. “Wha—Where’d she go? Did she fall off?”

“Yoshi! (I don’t know)” Yoshi replied.

“Oh brother… I hope she’s okay.”

Back in the race, the Equestrian heroes were behind the Big Penguin, with Mario sliding neck and neck with the big bird. They made a sharp turn at the loop, before Mario slid down a long slope, collecting a huge trail of coins along the way, before he and the Big Penguin resumed racing, making more sharp turns along a twisty path. Then, upon sliding into a tunnel, Mario leaned his head forward and gave another push with his hands, thrusting him across an icy bridge, collecting a whole line of fifteen gold coins as he crossed the finish line.

Coins Collected
Gold Coins:

Mario’s group = 5 + 62 = 67

Red Coins:
Blue Coins:

Mario’s group = 1(x5)

Total: 72 coins

“Phew, what a rush!” Spike panted, rubbing his icy cold behind. “So cold…”

“Yoshi? (Who won?)” Yoshi asked.

“I-a won!” Mario pointed to himself. “I’m-a number one!”

“I know, Mario!”

The group turned around and saw Pinkie Pie.

“I saw you comin’ in first place!” Pinkie smiled.

“PINKIE PIE/YOSHI!!!” Spike and Yoshi exclaimed, hugging the pink pony.

“We thought you were a goner!” Spike exclaimed. “What happened to ya? You just disappeared, halfway…”

“I was collecting coins when I fell into a secret passageway and it took me here,” Pinkie Pie explained. “Didn’t know what to do, so I just waited here till you showed up.”

“Well anyway, you’ve broken my record!” The Big Penguin spoke to Mario. “Unbelievable! I knew that you were the coolest! Now you’ve proven you’re also the fastest! Here, take this star. You and your friends earned it.”

The Big Penguin presented the heroes the Power Star, which danced in the air and showered a glitter of golden sparkles.

“Alright!”

The heroes all made a grab for the star, which danced around them as they celebrated.

“YEAH! WE GOT A POWER STAR!!!”

“YOSHI!!!” Yoshi chirped.

Meanwhile, back with the others

While Mario and his group were busy contending themselves with Big Penguin’s race, Luigi and his group were outside the cabin, consoling a little lost baby penguin.

“There, there…” Fluttershy comforted the baby. “It’s okay, we won’t hurt you.”

This made the little penguin less scared of the Pegasus and her friends.

“There, that’s more like it. What are you doing all the way up here, little penguin? Where’s your mother?”

The little penguin chirped sadly and shook her head crying. It didn’t take long for Fluttershy and the others to get the message.

“Oh no!” Applejack frowned sadly. “Poor little one must be lost.”

Luigi and Rainbow Dash exchanged some sympathy.

“Oh no…” Luigi frowned sadly.

“Well, we’ve gotta help the little guy,” Rainbow Dash offered.

“It’s a ‘girl’, but yes of course!” Fluttershy agreed, before the penguin chirped. “Oh, she wants to tell us all that her name’s Tuxie. Nice to meet you, Tuxie.”

The penguin chirped happily, before Fluttershy picked up the little bird.

“Now, let’s go find your mama.”

Fluttershy gently put the baby penguin on her back and turned to walk away toward the slope. Luigi, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack followed close behind.

“Wow, she’s-a… sweet?” Luigi commented.

“That’s Fluttershy,” Applejack smiled. “She’s great with animals, always stoppin’ to lend a helping hoof to even the tiniest mouse.”

“Mamma mia!” Luigi nodded in acknowledgement.

Just as the heroes followed Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash turned her head and noticed a floating red coin, at the top of a tree, right next to the cabin.

“Hang on a moment!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “I see a red coin!”

She zipped over to snatch the red coin, adding it to the heroes’ collection.

Coins Collected
Gold Coins:

Mario’s group = 67

Red Coins:

Luigi’s group = 1(x2)

Blue Coins:

Mario’s group = 1(x5)

Total: 74 coins

“Good work, Dash,” Applejack complimented. “Just seven and we’ll have a star!”

“No sweat!” Rainbow replied. “We’ll find ‘em all before you can say snowball.”

“Snowball,” Applejack snarked.

“Hmph! Very funny…”

Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash made to follow Luigi and Fluttershy down the mountain. Just then, a mischievous idea suddenly popped into Rainbow Dash’s head. Scooping up a hoof-full of snow, Rainbow Dash packed them together into a snowball and threw it toward Applejack… right smack in the flank! Applejack’s eyes widened as she quickly turned toward Rainbow Dash, who feigned innocence. Rubbing the cold from her flank, glaring, Applejack knows better.

“Oh, yer in trouble,” Applejack replied.

She scooped up some snow into a snowball, and fired it toward Rainbow Dash, who narrowly dodged the ball.

“HA-HA!” Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out. “You missed me, you missed em! Now you gotta kiss-OFOF!”

A snowball right in the Pegasus’ face cut her off before she can finish. Both Rainbow Dash and Applejack proceeded to engage each other in a snowball fight, throwing barrages of snowballs at each other. One of the snowballs happened to hit a strange flying creature, appearing to have a spinning flower on its head. The creature immediately exploded in a puff of smoke, upon impact from the snowball, releasing three gold coins.

“What was that?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

“I don’t know,” Applejack investigated. “But… we’ve struck gold!”

Applejack picked up the three coins the creature left behind.

Coins Collected
Gold Coins:

Mario’s group = 67

Luigi’s group = 3
Red Coins:

Luigi’s group = 1(x2)

Blue Coins:

Mario’s group = 1(x5)

Total: 77 coins

No sooner was Applejack’s back turned when Rainbow Dash threw a snowball and struck her from behind… again.

“Cheap shot, Dash!” Applejack berated.

She retaliated with snowballs of her own against the Pegasus. Soon, their snowball fight resumed when Applejack noticed an even bigger snowball. The snowball itself rested on a platform, not too far from them. The apple pony quickly sprinted forward, intent on kicking the big snowball at Rainbow Dash, only for the latter to beat her to the giant snow.

“Not so fast! Oops…”

The moment Rainbow Dash placed her hoof on the snowball, she unintentionally pushed it off the platform.

“Uh oh…”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack watched as the snowball rolled down the mountain slope, quickly realizing where it was going…

“FLUTTERSHY!!!”

Alarmed, the two mares gave chase after the snowball, hoping to save their friends.

“FLUTTERSHY! LUIGI!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

In the meantime, Fluttershy and Luigi scoured the frozen wilderness with poor little Tuxie by their side. The little penguin was anxious to return to her mother, who’s supposed to be somewhere in this land of ice and snow. The only trouble was that this place was so big, they wouldn’t know where to start.

“Don’t worry, Tuxie,” Fluttershy assured gently. “We’ll make sure you return to your mother. That’s a promise.”

“And with-a one of the Super Mario Brothers by-a your side, nothing can-a go wrong!” Luigi proclaimed, raising his hand in the sky.

But soon the chills started to hit Luigi, the cold air caused Luigi to clutch around himself chattering his teeth. Still, the little penguin looked up toward the chilly pair and chirped happily. Fluttershy smiled, nuzzling the little penguin.

“Aww… you’re welcome sweetie.”

Just then, she heard a sigh which drew her attention. Turning around, Fluttershy suddenly saw Luigi forming a very sad face. She approached the plumber and sat by his side.

“What’s wrong, Luigi?” Fluttershy asked sympathetically. “You seem very sad; something bothering you?”

Luigi looked at her with the saddest eyes he ever made. Not that he wanted to worry his new friend, not when it gets in the way of collecting all the power stars. But still… the struggle to keep a strong face was real.

“N-N-No Fluttershy,” Luigi replied. “I’m-a fine…”

But Fluttershy can clearly see the plumber was trying to his sadness. But the butter-yellow Pegasus was not easy to sway.

“Now Luigi, don’t try to hide it,” Fluttershy spoke. “I know when some pony is sad. Please tell me what’s wrong.”

Eventually, Luigi caved in knowing it’s no use hiding his feelings from Fluttershy. Reluctantly, he took a seat beside Fluttershy despite the cold ground.

“W-W-Well-a Fluttershy, ever since my-a brother and I saved the-a mushroom kingdom, Mario gets-a all the praise and-a fame. I always felt-a like second place to him; I didn’t-a know why. So one-a day, I decided to clear-a out my head.”

A sigh escaped Luigi’s lips before he proceeded.

“But-a then I realized I could-a never be like-a my brother anyway-a possible. I tried-a getting off how I was-a thinking, but I just-a felt stuck. I always just-a wanted to stop-a living in my brother’s shadow. Have-a my own adventures, but—”

“You feel like a coward?” Fluttershy finished.

Luigi turned toward Fluttershy, a surprise look dawned upon his face.

“How do-a you know I was-a going to say that?” He asked.

“Because I’ve been there before,” Fluttershy smiled sadly. “I was always afraid of ‘everything’ around me. I’d be so scared of the smallest things, I felt like I could ‘never’ measure up to my friends. Then I realized, I was ‘wrong’ when all I needed was to be myself. Because that’s what makes me special. There’s nothing wrong with being afraid, Luigi. We all get scared time to time. But those who can overcome that fear can do incredible things! The same thing can happen to you, but only if you ‘really’ want to.”

Just as Fluttershy and Luigi started having a tender moment, the little penguin looked on, the ground beneath their feet started to shake. Slowly they turned behind them… right as a giant snowball rolled after them, growing bigger and bigger by the second.

“MAMMA MIA!!!” Luigi screamed, shaking.

“RUUUUUUUUN!!!” Fluttershy screamed.

Together, the two raced away from the pursuing snowball. The Pegasus carried little Tuxie onto her back as the little penguin watched the snowball and chirped fearfully. Along the way, both plumber and Pegasus collected a row of five gold coins, bringing their collection to a total of eight coins!

Coins Collected
Gold Coins:

Mario’s group = 67

Luigi’s group = 8
Red Coins:

Luigi’s group = 1(x2)

Blue Coins:

Mario’s group = 1(x5)

Total: 82 coins

In the midst of the chaos, Applejack and Rainbow Dash raced behind the snowball.

“Don’t worry, sugarcube!” Applejack called. “We’ll save you!”

“I’ll fly ahead and see if I can help!” Rainbow shouted.

The cyan Pegasus flew off to the side of the slope, intending to get ahead of the snowball to save Fluttershy and Luigi. Meanwhile, Luigi mustered all his strength in his arms to push forward. Just ahead was another row of five gold coins, which he didn’t hesitate to collect, bringing their collection up to thirteen coins.

Coins Collected
Gold Coins:

Mario’s group = 67

Luigi’s group = 13
Red Coins:

Luigi’s group = 1(x2)

Blue Coins:

Mario’s group = 1(x5)

Total: 87 coins

Behind the snowball, Applejack tried to stop it with her lasso, ensnaring the runaway snowball. Instead, she ended up pulled directly into the rolling ball, now finding herself rolling along while trapped within the mass of snow.

“Mother of Celestia! HELP!” Applejack wailed.

“Mamma mia!” Luigi wailed frantically. “It’s-a gettin’ close!”

“Don’t look back, Luigi!” Fluttershy screamed.

She flapped her wings like she never flapped them before, with little Tuxie holding on. In their blind flight of fear, the two frightened heroes didn’t realize they’ve collected a row of gold coins on the way down, bringing their collection up to eighteen coins.

Coins Collected
Gold Coins:

Mario’s group = 67

Luigi’s group = 18
Red Coins:

Luigi’s group = 1(x2)

Blue Coins:

Mario’s group = 1(x5)

Total: 92 coins

“Fluttershy! Luigi! Jump!” Rainbow Dash called out.

Looking up, Fluttershy and Luigi spotted Rainbow Dash standing next to a podium, where another large snowball rested. The cyan multi-colored mane Pegasus waved her wings and hooves to the side, beckoning them to move to the left.

“This way, Luigi!” Fluttershy shouted.

She held out her hoof toward the plumber, who grabbed it. Soon Fluttershy flapped her wings and jumped to the side mere moments from being squashed by the runaway snowball.

“Phew! That was-a close one!” Luigi panted heavily.

Mid-recovery Luigi turned to the side and spotted a red coin.

“Hey! A red coin!”

The green plumber picked up the crimson red coin and added to the heroes’ coin collection.

Coins Collected
Gold Coins:

Mario’s group = 67

Luigi’s group = 18

Red Coins:
Luigi’s group = 2(x2)
Blue Coins:

Mario’s group = 1(x5)

Total: 94 coins

“WHOA!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

She leapt to the side to avoid the runaway snowball, as it collided with he other. Together, they formed into a full body of a snowman.

“Phew, that was close!”

“D-D-D-Dash! Dash!” Applejack shivered.

Rainbow Dash turned and saw her friend poke her head from the front of the snowman’s body.

“C-C-C-Can ya g-g-get m-me out?”

“Gotcha, A.J.!”

Rainbow Dash flew up and pulled her friend out. Fluttershy, Luigi, and the baby penguin, Tuxie, regrouped with the mares shortly after.

“Oh! Oh dear goodness,” Fluttershy exclaimed. “Is everyone alright?”

“J-J-Just a lil’ c-c-c-cold!” Applejack shivered.

*POP!*

Applejack was soon pulled out of the snowman’s body in a matter of seconds.

“Thanks for gettin’ me outta there, Dash.”

“No problem,” Rainbow Dash replied.

“Perfect! What a great new body!”

A voice drew the heroes to turn their heads toward a giant, ‘now’ talking, snowman.

“Oh! Thank you so much. I was having an out-of-body experience after my last body melted away.”

“Goodness!” Fluttershy gasped. “That must’ve been awful.”

“Yeah, I’d hate to be a ‘no body’,” Rainbow Dash snickered.

Annoyed, Applejack nudged her friend over her crude joke.

“Anyway, thank you so much for this new body,” The snowman smiled. “Here’s a present for you. It’s sure to warm you up.”

With a puff of smoke, a Power Star appeared from the snowman and floated in the air for our heroes to grab. The Power Star danced around the heroes as they celebrated.

“YEAH! WE GOT A POWER STAR!!!” They cheered.

“Yay!” Fluttershy cheered quietly.

With the Power Stars count up to forty-three, the heroes were on their way to find the remaining Power Stars needed to open the door in Princess Peach’s Castle and confront Bowser.

“I’ll fly up and see if I can find some red coins,” Rainbow Dash said, ready to fly.

“You do just that, Dash,” Applejack replied. “We’ll keep an eye out for any of ‘em on the ground.”

“We’ll keep looking for Tuxie’s mom,” Fluttershy spoke, on behalf of her little group.

Rainbow Dash nodded before she flew away, leaving her friends to do what they needed to do on the mountain. Applejack’s group turned their attention to a rickety old bridge expanding over a big drop below. Just one problem: Two snowmen holding snowballs hopped around, patrolling the bridge. Unlike the giant snowman, these weren’t friendly. Soon as they saw the heroes, the snowmen hurled snowballs at them.

Seeing the danger, Fluttershy quickly shielded Tuxie with her hooves and wings.

“Goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed.

“Mamma mia!” Luigi exclaimed in fright.

“Y’all picked the wrong ponies to start a snowball fight with,” Applejack snorted.

With a tilt of her hat and a kick of her hooves, Applejack galloped toward the first snowman and punched his head off, before thrusting her legs and kicked the other snowman to pieces. With the snowmen’s defeat, three coins appeared in their place for a total of six gold coins.

Coins Collected
Gold Coins:

Mario’s group = 67

Luigi’s group = 24
Red Coins:

Luigi’s group = 2(x2)

Blue Coins:

Mario’s group = 1(x5)

Total: 100! Coins

With all the gold coins our heroes collected, they glowed in a shimmering sparkle from around the mountain. They floated into the air before merging together into a Power Star.

“Land sakes!” Applejack exclaimed happily. “We’ve struck Power Star!”

Applejack snatched the Power Star, as it danced around her, and she cheered:

“YEE-HAW!!!”

With that, the Power Stars collected totaled to forty-four.

“Way to go, Applejack!” Luigi congratulated. “At this-a rate, we’ll find-a fifty Power Stars in-a no time!”

Luigi’s group resumed their trip down the mountain, one to search for little Tuxie’s mom and all the while seeking more Power Stars.

Meanwhile, back with Mario’s group

After their race with Big Penguin, Mario’s group walked out the door. It just so happened that they were lucky to find a Power Star waiting for them outside.

“Mamma mia!” Mario exclaimed excitedly. “Another-a Power-a Star!”

Mario and his friends quickly rushed up to snatch the star, which danced around them as they celebrated.

“YEAH! WE GOT A POWER STAR!!!” The heroes cheered.

“YOSHI!!!” Yoshi chirped.

Suddenly, a loud squawking was heard, startling the red plumber and his friends to turn around. They soon noticed another big penguin, practically next to them, standing by a frozen pond. Judging from the tone of the adult penguin’s squawking, she seemed utterly distressed.

“What’s her problem?” Spike asked.

“I don’t know,” Pinkie Pie replied. “I’ll ask. Um, excuse me Miss Penguin? What’s—”

“Egad! My baby!!” The penguin squawked. “Have you seen my baby??? She’s the most precious baby in the whole world. They say she has my beak… I just can’t remember where I left her. Let’s see… I stopped for herring and ice cubes, then I… OOHH! I just don’t know!”

“Whelp… that answers my question,” Pinkie nodded.

Before Mario and the others could reply, they heard some familiar voices.

“Howdy Mario!” Applejack greeted. “Hey sugar cubes! Fancy meetin’ y’all down here. What’s all the hub-bub?”

“We were just asking this lovely penguin lady why she’s upset,” Pinkie Pie answered.

Said Penguin resumed squawking loudly, drawing every pony’s and everyone’s immediate attention.

“Oh my, she sounds upset,” Fluttershy whimpered, before turning to Tuxie. “Is that your mom, Tuxie?”

Upon seeing the adult penguin, Tuxie chirped excitedly.

“Mama! Mama!” Tuxie chirped.

She quickly raced toward the big penguin, whose squawk turned to relief and happiness.

“Aww!!!” The heroes cooed.

The group are beyond happy seeing this heartfelt reunion between a mother and daughter. The mother penguin looked up toward the heroes.

“You found my precious, precious baby! Where have you been?” She asked Tuxie.

Before long, she turned her attention back toward the heroes and squawked:

“How can I ever thank you all?”

The heroes made to reply but were immediately interrupted.

“Oh, I do have this… Star,” She said, producing a Power Star with her beak. ‘Here, take it with my eternal gratitude.”

“Alright!” Spike cheered.

The little dragon and his friends raced toward the Power Star, as Spike snatched it out of the air. Once again, as they’ve done during the start of this quest, the Power Star danced around them as they celebrated.

“YEAH! WE GOT A POWER STAR!!!” The heroes cheered.

“YOSHI!!!” Yoshi chirped.

“Yay!” Fluttershy cheered.

“Wow, that’s three Power Stars in a row!” Spike smiled. “At this rate, we’ll soon find—”

“Hold on, ‘three’ Power Stars?” Applejack asked. “From our parts, we’ve collected three Power Stars, counting the one that appeared once we’ve collected a hundred coins, and the one from mama penguin.”

“From our point-of-views, we just got three Power Stars,” Spike explained. “One from racing a big penguin in the cabin..”

“Another just for walking out of the cabin,” Pinkie Pie pointed to the exit.

“And-a three for returning a baby a-penguin to-a mama penguin,” Mario added.

“Hmm, by all accounts, that would mean…” Applejack counted the numbers. “We’ve only a few more Power Stars left to collect!”

“Mama mia!” Mario gasped in realization.

“Come on y’all, let’s keep lookin’ around fer clues. Rainbow Dash’s already off lookin’ for all eight red coins from the air. We’ll leave her at that. Which means we got two more stars fer us to find. So… where to next, Spike?”

Reaching in his backpack, Spike whipped out the magical map he and Yoshi received from the Bob-Omb Buddies (Back in the Bob-Omb Battlefield).

“Let’s see,” Spike began. “There’s a Power Star over on this side of the mountain, and if I’m looking at this map right, it’s just across the chasm…”

Spike pointed to a cliff, barely visible beneath a mountain ledge, with a small tree growing at the edge.

“Oh! Oh my…” Fluttershy whimpered. “It’s a long drop… and a long flight…”

“You’re-a telling me,” Luigi whimpered. “B-B-But you can-a make it across, right-a Fluttershy? You can-a fly us all over there, right?”

“Oh! Oh my goodness…” Fluttershy whimpered. “I-I-I-I’m not so sure about that… I mean, I can fly, yes. But… I’m very terrified of… heights… sorry.”

“Don’t be hard on yourself, Flutters,” Applejack comforted. “Ya can’t fly us all there.”

“But then, how-a do we all get-a across?” Luigi asked.

“Hmmm…”

The heroes pondered until Yoshi noticed something on the ground.

“Yoshi! Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, pointing to the ground.

“What is it, Yoshi?” Spike asked.

Following his dinosaur friend to look down, he spotted a familiar panel of a cannon.

“Hey! We can use this to get across!”

“But first we need a Bob-Omb Buddy to get it open,” Applejack pointed. “Now if I were one of ‘em little fellas, where would I be?”

“How about up there?” Pinkie asked.

Sure enough, she pointed toward said pink Bob-Omb standing on a floating island, in the middle of a gondola’s line.

“Just leave the talking to me!”

Pinkie Pie hopped onto a gondola and rode it all the way up to the Bob-Omb Buddy’s island, where she got off.

“Hi there!” Pinkie Pie greeted the friendly Bob-Omb. “I’m a friend of Mario, and we’d like to use your cannon to find a Power Star, if you’ll please.”

“Certainly!” The Bob-Omb Buddy replied. “I’ll get the cannon up and ready, right away!”

A few seconds later, the cannon’s panel slid open, granting the heroes’ entry.

“Ready for blast off!”

“Thank you!” Pinkie chirped.

The pink party pony turned around, ready to hop onto the gondola on its way down when she unknowingly stepped on a familiar star shaped panel.

“Ooh! A Star Switch!”

A familiar ticking sound was heard, and Pinkie Pie’s senses acted up.

“Ooh! Another Power Star has appeared!”

Following her senses, Pinkie Pie was able to pinpoint the precise location of the next Power Star.

“A-ha!”

Looking back at the gondola, Pinkie Pie jittered in anxiety, doubting the ride down will be quick enough before the new Power Star disappeared. Thinking quick, Pinkie Pie pulled on the tip of her mane, revving it like motorboat engine. Until at last, she cartoonishly turned her tail into a spring, literally springing herself off the Bob-Omb Buddy’s floating island, and back to her friends.

“Way to go, Pinkie!” Spike gave the thumbs up. “Now we can all—”

“No time, Spike!” Pinkie replied. “We gotta get the Power Star on the double!”

“Power Star?” Spike asked.

Just then Spike heard a ticking noise, and it sounded as if it was coming from the frozen pond across the way. Pinkie Pie was already there as she switched her tail into a jackhammer.

“Where’d that ticking come from?”

“Long story short, I stepped on a Star Switch,” Pinkie Pie replied. “And now a Power Star needs to be taken out before time runs out!”

“Wait, what?!”

The heroes all looked down; sure enough, a prism ball was beneath the ice. And inside the ball itself, a Power Star just appeared, and time was running out.

“C’mon y’all!” Applejack shouted. “Let’s step on it!”

Spike proceeded to breathe a burst of flame, melting the ice as Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi ground-stomped against the ice. And Pinkie Pie was doing… whatever the hay she was doing. Eventually, a crack formed along the ice, but our heroes weren’t getting through.

“Stand back y’all!” Applejack called out.

The country pony reared up on her hind legs, mustering every ounce of her strength.

“YEEE-HAAAWWW!!!”

Applejack stomped her fore hooves, breaking the ice.

“AAAAAHHH!!!” The heroes screamed.

They fell through the ice and landed into the water. Looking up, they could see the prism ball. Frantically scrambling to their feet, Mario leapt into the air and thrusted his leg out in a kick, smashing the prism ball, and earned the heroes another Power Star.

“Alright, Mario!” Spike cheered.

The Power Star danced around Mario, who danced in celebration.

“Here we go!” Mario cheered, with the peace sign.

After the festivity was done, the heroes emerged from the hole and climbed back to the cannon. Mario was the first to enter, followed by Spike. With a whir of machinery, the cannon emerged from the ground, turned around, and it aimed the barrel toward the tree.

“Ready Mario?” Spike asked.

“Let’s-a go!” Mario confirmed.

“Okay, Luigi. Aim!”

Under Spike’s instructions, the green plumber adjusted the cannon’s trajectory.

“A little higher… little lower…”

“To the right…” Pinkie Pie instructed.

“Now a little to the left…” Applejack added.

“Yoshi…” Yoshi chirped.

“Okay, I think I got it!” Luigi confirmed. “All set, Mario?”

“Oh yeah!” Mario replied.

“Aim… and POP GOES THE WEASEL!!!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

*BOOM!*

“WAAAAAAHHH!!!” Mario screamed.

He and Spike flew across the chasm, toward the tree. Reaching his hand out, Mario quickly grabbed onto the tree, swinging himself and Spike around to ease their flight before they nearly flew off the mountain.

“We made it!” Spike called out.

“Hooray!” The other heroes cheered.

“Yoshi!”

“Alright you two!” Applejack called. “Now go get that Power Star!”

“Will do!” Spike saluted.

“Oh yeah!” Mario agreed.

Both plumber and dragon turned left and found their path shrinking into a narrow cliffside. Along the cliffs were a couple more of the strange creatures with spinning flower tops. Upon seeing the pair, they proceeded to fly toward them, with a look of malevolent intent in their eyes. Reacting quick, Spike blasted a fireball at the creatures, causing them to explode into puffs of smoke and three gold coins. However, considering the heroes already collected their hundred-coin limit, both Spike and Mario weren’t interested in collecting extra coins.

That settled, both dragon and plumber were on their way until they arrive where the narrow cliffs widened into a flat platform. This gave just enough room for Mario to stretch his legs for a jump. Spike looked around toward their new surroundings when he discovered what they initially came for.

“Look!” Spike pointed.

High in the air, a Power Star floated above a platform that hung near the ceiling.

“I’ll get it.”

“Oh no, allow me,” Mario insisted, after a couple stretches. “It’s-a bout time I did some jumping. They don’t-a call-a mee the Jump Man for-a nothing.”

“By all means then,” Spike beckoned.

Spike sat on the floor, criss-crossing his legs, and watched as Mario got down into a crouch. He kicked off, running towards a pit before kicking himself off the ground. The plumber launched himself into a long jump across the pit, landing upon the other side.

“Nice! Stuck the landing and everything!” Spike cheered.

“I don’t always-a eat-a bowl of lasagna,” Mario replied.

He raced up the slope before wall-jumping off the wall and onto the next slope platform.

“Nice!” Spike cheered.

Setting his sight on the next wall, Mario kicked himself off into a run, performing a triple-jump all the way off the edge of the platform where he kicked off into the apex of the jump, hitting the wall, where he kicked himself off and onto the next platform.

“WHOO-YEAH!!!” Spike cheered.

Once on the last platform, the only obstacle Mario needed to overcome was to cross an icy, narrow bridge, connecting the platform he’s standing on to the Power Star’s. Mario took one careful step after another, with a few slips. Until at last, he reached the Power Star and jumped up to snatch the star out of the air. The Power Star danced around the plumber as he does a quick dance.

“HERE WE GO!” Mario cheered, with the peace sign.

“YEAH!” Spike joined in.

The Power Stars count was brought up to forty-eight.

“Now we only have one more Power Star to find in this course,” Spike noted to Mario. “It’s all up to Rainbow Dash now.”

“Oh yeah!” Mario nodded. “Let’s-a go back with the others. I think there’s another cannon, near the tree we-a landed in.”

Meanwhile, with Rainbow Dash

After leaving Applejack and the others, Rainbow Dash flew around the mountaintop in search for red coins. They’ve already collected two red coins, so Rainbow Dash made it her mission to find the rest. She found one red coin, close to where the giant snowman stood along the end of a gondola line. Closer still, she found another red coin at the top of a cliffside. But was dismayed to find it frozen in a block of ice.

“I’ll need Spike’s help on this one,” Rainbow Dash observed.

Her quest for the other red coins resumed. The fourth red coin she’s collected was at the end of a broken bridge, hanging above the mother penguin and her reunited daughter, Tuxie. The speedy Pegasus quickly found the fifth red coin hiding in the corner, close to a ledge of the mountain. The sixth was located in a cave just near where the fifth was hidden. Circling the air, Rainbow Dash cut through the air, and snatched her seventh red coin, above a tree, close to where her friends are.

“Hey guys and gals!” Rainbow greeted, startling her friends. “What’s happening?”

*BOOM!*

“INCOMING!!!” Spike shouted.

Blasted from the cannon, Spike and Mario hurdled straight toward Rainbow Dash.

“Uh oh…”

Before Rainbow Dash could react, Mario and Spike crashed right toward her, and they fell into the snow.

“Phew!” Spike sighed, blowing snow off himself. “Good catch, Dash!”

“Yeah… glad to be of some help…” Rainbow Dash grunted.

She picked herself up and dusted some snow off her, as Fluttershy raced toward her friend.

“Oh goodness, Dash!” Fluttershy exclaimed. “Are you alright?”

“How’d it go?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Did you find all the red coins yet?”

“Not yet…” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I would’ve gotten all right, except the last coin is frozen in a block of ice. Spike, I need your help to get it out.”

“Really?! I’d be happy to help!” Spike replied. “Show me where it is.”

In ten seconds flat, Rainbow Dash zipped Spike up to the cliff, where she found said red coin still frozen in a block of ice.

“I got this!” Spike declared.

He inhaled a gust of air then exhaled a burst of green fire, melting the ice, and freeing the red coin. Once Rainbow Dash claimed the coin, a Power Star appeared, not too far from them along a cliffside, where a Star Marker was located. With a flap of their wings, both Spike and Rainbow Dash flew over to claim the final Power Star they’ll receive in the course. The star danced around them as they celebrated.

“YEAH! We got a Power Star!” Rainbow Dash and Spike hollered together.

Princess Peach’s Castle

After completing the course, the heroes returned to Princess Peach’s castle, jumping from the painting of ‘Cool, Cool Mountain’ and together they landed back in the room.

“Phew!” Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. “It was so cold in there. So glad to be back in a warmer place…”

“Me too!” Luigi agreed.

“But on the positive side, we’ve got forty-nine Power Stars!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “It’s not as if our trip up the mountain was all for nothin’.”

“But we’re not exactly done either,” Spike shook his head. “We’re still short of one more Power Star to open the big door and save Princess Peach!”

“Mamma mia!” Mario and Luigi slapped foreheads.

“Yoshi…” Yoshi chirped in exasperation.

“C’mon y’all, we can’t give up now,” Applejack began. “Princess Peach, Twilight, and our other friends are countin’ on us. We just need one more Power Star, and then we can open that there door.”

“But where’re we going to find the fiftieth star?” Spike asked. “We’ve got one Power Star that hasn’t been recovered yet in Jolly Roger Bay. But I doubt any of us have the power needed to get it, let alone a power up…”

“Yoshi…” Yoshi shook his head.

Pinkie pondered for a moment.

“Hmmm… OH! WAIT! I remember a prism ball, back in the Goomboss Battle course. Y’know, where I was held prisoner along with Mario?”

“There’s a Star Switch there?/Yoshi?” Spike and Yoshi exclaimed.

Goomboss Battle

The Mario Bros., Yoshi, and the Equestrian Heroes (or what’s left of them) stood on the long platform east of the starting area. Standing before them was a wire shaft, where the Star Sphere was located along the top. Sitting beside the heroes was the Star Switch itself.

“Wow, there’s been a Star Switch here all this time…” Spike pondered, facing Yoshi. “You think this means there’s another Power Star here?”

“Yoshi,” Yoshi shrugged.

“Figures… since we’ve already found two Power Stars in that crazy course with King Boo…”

“Yoshi.”

“Sorry Spike,” Applejack interrupted. “Hate to break up your conversation with your new best friend, but we need to focus on gettin’ ourselves a fiftieth Power Star. Or we’re never gettin’ our friends back.”

With everyone’s attention back toward Mario, Pinkie Pie took her place at the Star Switch, before she faces the red plumber, who set himself ready.

“Ready?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Oh yeah!” Mario answered.

“Go!”

Pinkie Pie pressed the switch, triggering the Power Star’s appearance (in the Star Sphere at the top) and from somewhere a counter’s ticking was heard.

Mario immediately raced up the wall of the wired shaft, proceeding to wall-jump between the wall and the wired fences all the way to the top. He smashed the Star Sphere, and earned the heroes their fiftieth Power Star, just before the Star Switch’s timer ran out. Dancing with the star, the heroes cheered and celebrated their triumph.

“YEAH! WE GOT A POWER STAR!” They hollered.

Princess Peach’s Castle

Upon exiting the portrait of the course, which once served as the domain of Mario’s captor, the heroes were greeted by the sound of the Guide’s voice.

“You have found fifty Power Stars, well done. Now you can open the big door on the second floor of the castle. But beware, Bowser is just ahead, with a power of Darkness… and is that the sound of the princess calling for help?”

“Princess-a Peach!” Mario exclaimed. “Let’s-a go, everyone!”

“Right!” Applejack agreed. “C’mon, y’all! All together!”

“YEAH!/YOSHI!”

The heroes charged out of the room, making their way toward the big door surrounded by fiery dark aura. They watched as the Power Stars bathed the big door in shimmering sparkles of gold. Reacting to the lights shining from the Power Stars, the fiery dark auras dissipated… then a voice was heard.

“Mario, over here!” A woman’s voice wailed. “Help!”

“Princess-a Peach!” Mario shouted.

The Power Stars broke the lock Bowser put on the Star Doors, opening them aside. Soon as the doors were fully opened, our heroes walked up a set of stairs. Their eyes widened in alarm to see the portrait of Princess Peach at the end of the hall.

“Whoa!” The Equestrian Heroes shouted.

“Is that her?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Is that the princess?”

“Princess-a Peach!” Mario shouted.

He and Luigi took off running toward the portrait. Rainbow Dash and her friends ran after the two plumber heroes.

“Hey! Wait for us guys!” Rainbow Dash called.

However, as the heroes got closer and closer to the princess’s portrait, it suddenly shifted and changed to that of a fearsome dragon-like creature.

“What the—” Rainbow said, bewildered.

Then soon, she and the Mario brothers suddenly crashed headfirst into an invisible wall.

“OOF!”

The three heroes fell to the floor on impact, which then opened up into a trapdoor, swallowing the three heroes.

“WHOA!!!” Applejack screamed.

Upon seeing the trapdoor, Applejack quickly screeched her hooves to a halt and stopped just an inch from the edge.

“Phew!” She breathed a sigh of relief.

But it’s too soon as Yoshi came along and bumped her from behind.

“WHOA!”

Then Spike crashed into Yoshi, pushing Applejack even closer to the edge.

“AH!!!”

Finally, Pinkie Pie knocked the remaining heroes into the pit.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!”

The heroes’ screams grew quiet, the deeper they descended, until all was silent and still.

Author's Note

Power Stars collected thus far: 41 + 8 + 1(Switch Star from Goomboss Battle) = 50!

Up Next: Our heroes go head-to-toe in their first ever showdown with Bowser in the Dark World.

After That: Our heroes go exploring the Hazy Maze Cave to look for more Power Stars.

Also, a quick message I'd like to say to all the readers who've waited patiently and for so long.

I'm sorry I haven't been attentive as I needed to be, as Mr. E was for his Cinematic Adventures. I'm still learning. But rest assured, I will not repeat Tim Ribbert's mistake of quitting and ending this series prematurely.

I'm aiming to see it through, and make sense with the game stories.

...But I'm also trying to find a way to balance working on this story and my other fanfics.

Bowser In Dark World

Bowser in the Dark World OST – Super Mario 64

“AAAAAHHH!!!”

Our heroes screamed their lungs out before they all crashed into a pile atop a single platform. As the smoke cleared away, Spike and Yoshi found themselves on top of a mound consisting of their moaning, groaning friends. The last to land softly with a squeak was Fluttershy, who turned side to side in confusion. The three slowly climbed down the pile followed by their friends, in no particular order: Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Mario, Applejack… and Luigi lying face first on the platform as flat as a thin crust pizza.

“Ooh… mamma mia…” Luigi moaned.

Reacting fast, Mario peeled his brother off the platform like a band-aid. Straightening his brother to his feet, or tried to, Mario positioned Luigi’s finger into his mouth. Luigi took a deep breath and blew so hard… he literally ‘POPPED!’ himself back into shape much to his relief.

“Thank you!”

Once the group settled, they looked around only to find themselves a very cold, very dark world. A landscape completely devoid of any life to be seen.

“T-T-This place gives me the creeps,” Fluttershy shuddered.

“Fluttershy, with you, everything’s creepy,” Rainbow replied.

“BWA HA-HA-HA!!!” A booming voice roared.

“What was that?!” Spike looked around.

“You’ve stepped right into my trap, just as I knew you would! I warn you, friends, watch your step!”

Spike slowly turned toward his group of friends, especially all the ponies he’s rescued thus far.

“That must be Bowser,” Spike confirmed.

“Yoshi! Yoshi!” Yoshi nodded.

“Oh yeah,” Mario and Luigi confirmed.

“Gee… what gave that away?” Applejack asked.

“Just to recap so we’re on the same level,” Pinkie spoke up. “We get sent here to one of Bowser’s hideouts and we beat him at this stage then we’re likely to snag us another power star which brings us closer to the Princess and our friends?”

“Yeah… that’s pretty much it,” Rainbow Dash nodded.

Pinkie paused for a moment, looking ahead of the path before them in deep thought. Then she’s back to reality in seconds.

“Whelp! We won’t get any coins or stars standing around here. Off to fight the bad guy!”

Pinkie Pie bounces down the path when Mario rushes in front of Pinkie, stopping her in her tracks.

“Now take-a breather Pinkie-A Pie!” Mario spoke. “Me paisanos and I have face-a the Bowser multiple times in-a the past. He is-a very dangerous beast and we must-a be on our-a guard.”

“He is-a very scary…” Luigi chattered.

“Whatever the case may be,” Spike spoke. “If we all work together, we’ll take down that big bully and reclaim all our friends. No matter what, we must let nothing distract us from our—Oh look, red coin!”

Spike and Yoshi noticed a red coin, floating off the first platform to the right. Spike quickly flew over and grabbed the coin, adding it to their collection. He then quickly returned to the team, who stood in awkward silence as if waiting for Spike to finish.

“As I was saying,” Spike continued. “We must let nothing distract us from our end goal. Now… let’s go beat up a monster!”

“Let’s-a do this!” Mario shouted.

Taking the charge, Mario races forward with the others following close behind. They hurdle down hill before racing over a wooden platform to the other side. Before Mario could get far, Spike quickly pulled the plumber back from a spout of fire blowing from the other side.

“Woo! Thanks!” Mario replied.

“Don’t mention it,” Spike sighed.

“Ooh look, there’s another red coin!” Pinkie pointed to the side.

Sure enough, there was another red coin just floating in mid-air on the other side. There was also a panel on the floor with an exclamation point, but the fire went on and off over it every few seconds. Still, this gave Spike an idea.

“Yoshi, think you can keep a hold of that button for a while?”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi nodded.

Yoshi quickly used his tongue to hold the panel down, activating a space beneath the coin.

“Go get ‘em Pinkie!” Spike instructed.

“YES SIR!” Pinkie saluted.

Pinkie quickly reached out and collected the second red coin just before the fire shot out again.

“We’re gonna have tah time this just right,” Applejack observed. “On the count of three. One…”

“THREE!” Rainbow shouted, zipping away.

The group watched flabbergasted as Rainbow Dash zipped over the flame in rapid succession. Applejack frowned in annoyance.

“Or… we can do that.”

One by one, the remainder of the group crossed over the flames with Fluttershy needing slight urging to get over. They race forward and hop over panels that moved in a square motion (Though it was easy for Spike, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy to simply fly over. The group race uphill, all the while collecting gold coins along the way and passing another flame-shooting turret. At the very top of the hill they jump in unison on one of four panels circling toward the other side (grabbing a coin along the way). Timing it just right, they jump (or fly) across where they soon meet a trio of goombas in their paths.

“Not these chumps again!” Rainbow moaned.

“Let’s-a go!” Luigi shouted.

“Okie-do-kee!” Mario nodded.

Together, they charged forth and fought the three goombas in their way. Despite their best effort, they stood no chance against the combined assault of our heroes. A single punch or a buck or fire-breath on contact made all three of their enemies vanish in a puff of smoke.

“And these are supposed to be Bowser’s best troops?” Pinkie sighed. “Good help must be so hard to find these days.”

“C’mon everyone, let’s keep going,” Spike ushered.

Nodding in unison, they run away a wooden bridge leading up another pathway. Before their very eyes, some crystals stuck out along the path. And what appeared to be metal orbs producing electricity flew through several of them.

“Be-a careful not to touch-a those!” Mario warned. “Or we’ll be-a roasted raviolis!”

“Look y’all!” Applejack pointed. “A red coin!”

“No problem!” Rainbow Dash replied cockily. “I can get it.”

In a matter of seconds, Rainbow Dash swiftly grabbed for the third red coin, without getting shocked in the slightest. The rest had a slightly difficult time staying on the path, without getting shocked by those orbs. But so long as they followed Mario’s example across the path, timing the movement of the orbs just right, eventually they made their way to safety. They made the jump over some golden platforms that reversed and pulled forward at random. But for two Pegasi and a winged dragon, again it wasn’t hard for them to fly over. Along the way, they discovered a fourth ed coin which Fluttershy managed to grab before barely making it across.

A fifth coin was not too far away, floating just above one of the few moving platforms. While Applejack grabbed the coin with her lasso, Spike spotted another sixth coin on another platform (Which resembled a spinning top) near an electric orb. Spike flew over and hovered just slightly above the coin and plucked it before the orb could touch him. He saw a convenient wooden platform before him while the rest were hopping along several platforms. As Spike casually made his way across, a lone goomba spotted him. Just as it was about to charge, Mario and Luigi leapt over and double-punched him, sending the goomba flying off the platform.

“Hey… glug-glug-glug-glug!” Mario and Luigi shouted, with the secret handshake.

Gathered together, the two teams look up as the path consisted of several moving platforms where several coins and green mushrooms were close by. They turn toward one another, and fist/hoof bumped each other before they pressed on. They raced across the moving platforms, with Mario performing a triple jump and landed atop a platform above the goombas. Mario landed in between the pair, who aimed to attack. Mario performed a European uppercut on one Goomba and a sidekick to the other. With the pair knocked out, Mario’s team was safe to advance.

By the time, our heroes eventually the top of the stairs (Grabbing coins, yellow and red, and mushrooms along the way), they noticed another star switch beside the green pipe. Thinking fast, Applejack stepped along the switch and a star appeared in a crystal ball, just along the platform above the first tilting platform our heroes crossed.

“I’ll get it,” Mario volunteered.

Stretching his legs for a quick warm-up, he sprinted forward.

“Here we go!” Mario hollered.

Running down the stairs, right when they returned to become a ramp, the red plumber slid down. Before he reached the bottom, he leapt off and soared across with the adrenaline from the slide. Landing on one platform, he jumped onto the second, and performed a spectacular forward jump across the third, straight to the fourth, crashing into star sphere and earning himself the Power Star.

“Oh yeah!” Mario cheered.

Spike, Yoshi, and Rainbow Dash stood side by side and picked up some random signs. Spike and Yoshi’s had a ‘10’ written on front, with Rainbow Dash hold a ‘9’ with a smug grin. Shaking his head with a smile, Mario turned and spotted a Bob-omb Buddy standing on the platform he leapt over.

“Ello!” Mario greeted.

“That was an awesome jump you just did!” The buddy commented excitedly. “Are you looking for red coins?”

“Mm-hmm!” Mario nodded. “We’ve-a collected seven-a so far!”

“Well, you’re in luck! The last one’s right here!”

The Bob-omb Buddy produced the eighth red coin and upon Mario collecting it, it triggered the appearance of another Power Star, right next to the Warp Pip, where the rest of our heroes were waiting.

“C’mon Mario!!!” The group called out.

They stepped on a “!” switch on the floor, allowing the group easier time to climb uphill when some platforms appeared. Mario just barely hopped his way up the platforms before the last one disappeared beneath his feet, and he sighed with relief as Luigi patted his back. By the time they reached the top, a shimmer of golden sparkles appeared on a sign catching our heroes’ attention.

“What’s this?” Fluttershy wondered.

Taking a look at the sign, it read:

“Mario! It’s Princess Peach. You and your friends need to watch out for Bowser’s flames! To beat him, get behind him and grab his tail. Spin him around before you send him flying. The faster you spin him, the farther he’ll go! Try throwing him into the spike bombs that surrounded the fighting arena. That is the only way you can defeat him. So aim carefully. Good luck.”

“Well, we definitely don’t want those flames to touch us,” Spike confirmed. “Course, I know I’ll be fine given I’m a dragon. But the rest… hate to come home with the rest of us singed like sausages.”

“Yoshi…” Yoshi nodded.

“Grab him by the tail?” Rainbow repeated, raising a brow. “Well that shouldn’t be so hard.”

“Bowser may-a be aware; he will-a be on his-a guard!” Mario warned. “We work-a together, we can-a beat him.”

“I hope-a so!” Luigi said nervously.

Once they grab the next power star in their possession, they make their way down the Warp Pipe one-by-one, leading our heroes down to who knows where.

<>

Super Mario 64 – Bowser Boss Battle

The Equestrian Heroes and the remainder of their friends fall onto the platform where the fighting arena is. They look forward and their eyes turned to the size of pinpricks as the malicious Lord Bowser himself stomped toward the group and towered the heroes. A large turtle-like creature, with a spiked shell, mighty horns, razor-sharp teeth, and a shock of red hair. He also had black collars around his neck, shoulders, and arms with spikes sticking out. Without question, it is no wonder they call him the ‘King of Koopas’.

“GWA HA-HA-HA!!!” Bowser chortled. “I see you’ve managed to find and rescue your friends… well, most of them. But too bad for you because Princess Peach isn’t here. Go ahead—just try to grab me by the tail! You’ll never be able to swing ME around! A wimp like you could never throw me out! Never!”

“Wow… talk about having an oversized ego,” Rainbow remarked.

Applejack turned toward Rainbow with a look of annoyance.

“Really Rainbow?”

Suddenly, Bowser took a deep breath and hurled a fireball at the group.

“Guys, look out!!!” Fluttershy shouted.

The group each darted to opposite sides, dodging just before the fire exploded from whence they stood. They quickly recovered and tried to circle around Bowser who made sure to keep himself forward preventing them from coming behind. Having enough, Rainbow Dash raced toward Bowser’s face and delivered a few punches toward his face. Applejack skid to a half and galloped toward Bowser and bucked him in the leg. More annoyed than hurt, Bowser kicked Applejack forward and grabbed Rainbow, hurling her like a football.

“YAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Rainbow screamed.

“Don’t worry, Rainbow…” Pinkie reached out. “I got you!!!”

Pinkie stood ready to catch Rainbow Dash…

*CRASH!!!*

Rainbow Dash landed on top of Pinkie Pie, leaving the two mares lying on the floor with their eyes rolling around. Mario and Luigi turned back their friends before facing Bowser again. The monster grinned as he looked down toward the pair. Then, all of a sudden, the plumbers immediately performed a secret handshake of course much to Bowser (and everyone else’s) confusion.

“Patty cake, patty cake, pasta man!
Give me some pasta powers as fast as you can!”

Mario and Luigi then quickly bounced up and stomped Bowser upside the head. Bowser massaged a slight lump on his head but otherwise he wasn’t hurt. Yoshi and Spike then turned toward each other and silently nodded. Yoshi shot his tongue which Spike grabbed. Then Yoshi swung his head around and round spinning Spike like a lasso then Spike released and flew just over Bowser and landed right where his tail is. Without second thoughts, Spike grabbed the tail.

“Hmm?” Bowser muttered.

But before Bowser can do anything, a shower of golden sparkles rains on Spike as he grunted and swung Bowser around with all his muscle. Bowser screamed as Spike swirled him faster and faster and faster, while the rest of the group swirled their heads trying to follow it. Then with a mighty shout, Spike sent Bowser flying right toward one of the spiked bombs around the arena.

“So long-a Bowser!” Mario shouted.

"Bye-bye," Luigi waved his hat.

Bowser screamed, as he hurdled toward the bomb…

*BOOM!*

Bowser was sent back by an explosion toward Spike, who was still recovering from the throw. He looked up and his eyes shrank when he saw Bowser coming back.

“Mother…” Spike squeaked.

Before he was smashed like a pancake, Fluttershy quickly flew in and caught Spike before Bowser landed on his shell in the center of the arena. Spike looked up at Fluttershy and smiled at his savior before she lowered him onto the floor to safety.

"Spike...that was amazin'!" Applejack exclaimed.

"You...were...so awesome! /)^3^(\" Rainbow Dash squealed.

"Way to go, Spike!" Mario congratulated. "Number one!"

"B-B-B-But ho-how did you do it?" Luigi asked.

"I don't know what just happened," Spike breathed. "But I like it."

"Yoshi!" Yoshi gave a thumbs up.

After a grueling, yet surprisingly short battle the heroes slowly gathered around Bowser, his heavy breathing confirming the King of Koopas was still alive.

“All right Bowser, start talking!” Spike demanded. “What did you do with Princess Peach?!”

“We won’t-a rest till we-a rescue her and the rest-a our friends,” Mario added.

“Grr! I was a bit careless…” Bowser muttered. “This is not what I had planned… but I still hold the Power of the Stars… and I still have Peach.”

“You won’t be holding nothing when we turn you into jerk cider, turtle man!” Rainbow threatened.

“GWA HA-HA! You’ll get no more Stars from me, little ponies! I’m not done with you yet, especially you Mario bozos! But… I’ll let you go for now.”

“Really?” Fluttershy questioned.

“For now!” Bowser clarified. “Mark my words, you’ll all pay for this… later! GWA HA-HA… ouch!”

Before their very eyes, Bowser spun around, hovered in mid-air, and shrunk till he disappeared into the sky. And in Bowser’s place, a golden key bearing the horns of Bowser appeared. Mario quickly grabbed for the key and shouted with a cheer.

“WAHOO!!!”

“WE BEAT BOWSER!!!” The group shouted.

Though our heroes were still far behind from achieving their mission, with Peach and the remainder of their friends still hidden away in the castle, they stood triumphant against the evil Lord Bowser… for now.

Little did they know...a pair of red eyes watched from the shadows. They belong to a ghostly figure, who hissed.

"These Equestrians have proven themselves to be quite the formidable bunch, if they can stand up to Bowser. I shall follow their progress with great interest."

Author's Note

Our heroes have defeated Bowser in their first ever showdown with the Koopa King, and have acquired two Power Stars!

Power Stars collected thus far: 50 + 2= 52!

Up Next: Our heroes go exploring the Hazy Maze Cave to look for more Power Stars.

After That: Things start to really heat up when our heroes go to the Lethal Lava Land for more Power Stars.

To The Basement

“YAHOO!!!”

The familiar holler of Mario himself bellowed throughout the castle, by the time the group of heroes made their return since their latest battle with Bowser in the Dark World. The moment of their return, Mario reached into his pocket and pulled out they key earned as a prize for Bowser’s defeat.

“We’ve beat Bowser and got a key!” Pinkie Pie chirped happily.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

“But we ain’t done yet, sugar cube,” Applejack remined. “Remember, we’ve still got a mighty bit of work to do. Many more stars to collect, our friends still trapped, waitin’ to be rescued…”

“And Bowser’s still has-a Princess-a-Peach!” Mario added.

“Mamma mia!” Luigi commented.

“Yoshi!”

“On a positive note, least we’re making great progress!” Pinkie chirped. “We’ve got 52 Power Stars, which leaves us exactly 98 Power Stars left! Easy-peasy!”

“… How long have you been keeping track of that amount, Pinkie?” Rainbow asked.

“Including the Power Stars we’ve yet to collect?” Spike asked. “Especially that Power Star Yoshi and I have yet to collect in Jolly Roger Bay.”

“Elementary my dear Watson!” Pinkie smiled. “We’ve been keeping track since Chapter One… give or take a few extra…”

“Enough with the chit-chat, y’all!” Applejack interrupted, getting every pony on track. “Our next agenda’s figuring where that there key goes. What d’ya think, Mario?”

“Hmm…” Mario pondered, studying the key. “Well, we did pass-a lock-a door on the way here. Maybe that’s-a where this-a key goes!”

“Worth a try!” Spike replied.

Spike and friends proceeded to leave the room, heading their way back to the castle’s main lobby. Taking a glance back, Luigi watched Bowser’s portrait as it shifted and changed back into the portrait of Princess Peach herself. Fluttershy noticed Luigi’s gaze and glanced back.

“To think that Bowser could easily deceive us,” Fluttershy whimpered.

“That-a Koopa will-a stop at nothing,” Luigi replied.

“What does he even want with the princess, anyway?” Rainbow Dash asked. “What she ever do to him?”

“It’s not-a what she did to him,” Luigi began. “It’s-a what he wants with her that-a matters to him…”

“Like what?”

“Uh… let’s-a say… he doesn’t take rejection too well…”

“Huh?”

“DARN IT!” Rainbow Dash grumbled. “The key doesn’t fit! So much for this door.”

“Then-a maybe the key fits-a doors, in the base-a-ment,” Mario realized.

“Let’s git on down to the basement, y’all!” Applejack declared.

“Yeah, let’s-a go!” Pinkie Pie chirped, leading the charge.

Along the way, Spike decided to pass some time by striking some conversation.

“So… if you don’t mind my asking,” Spike told Mario. “What kind of rejections did Bowser get?”

“Oh, he’s a… let’s-a say has a bit of a one-sided affection… for the princess,” Mario stated.

“WHAT?!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Instantly, the pink party pony skid to a halt. The other ponies and Luigi crashed behind the pony in her tracks.

“Are you saying, Bowser… has a crush… on the Princess?” Spike asked.

“Yoshi,” Yoshi nodded.

“It’s-a true,” Mario and Luigi nodded.

“WHAT?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped.

“Uh, he does know that she’s not exactly his type, right?” Rainbow asked. “She’s not a Koopa…”

“Ain’t like we’ve never seen a hopeless romantic reptile before, Dash,” Applejack said.

Suffice to say, this did not go unnoticed by a certain little dragon who merely frowned in annoyance.

“Anyway…” Spike began, grumbling. “I take it the Princess didn’t exactly return his affections?”

“Nope!” Mario shook his head. “And being the stubborn-a Koopa he is, Bowser-a kidnapped Princess-a Peach and has-a-been-a doing it-a for a long time. Even-a before me and a-Luigi arrived in the Mushroom-a Kingdom.”

“Yikes!” Spike cringed. “I almost feel sorry for the big guy. But even I wouldn’t stoop that low over a rejection.”

“I doubt kidnappin’ would ever convince some creatures to fall in love with their captors,” Applejack voiced her opinion.

“Unless they’re experiencing Stockholm Syndrome,” Pinkie Pie brought up. “Like a princess who loves to read books and her best friends are talking furniture.”

“Speaking of which,” Rainbow began, changing the subject. “Bowser’s been kidnapping Princess Peach before you guys arrived in the Mushroom Kingdom?”

“Oh yeah!” Mario and Luigi agreed.

“So.. yer not from the Mushroom Kingdom?” Applejack asked. “Originally?”

“Nope!” Mario shook his head. “As I recall, Luigi and I were from a-Brooklyn, New York.”

“It’s in another world,” Luigi added. “It’s a nice-a place… when-a you don’t-a count the traffic.”

“How’d you guys come to the Mushroom Kingdom then?” Rainbow asked.

“Hmm…” Mario scratched his head. “It was-a long, long time ago. I think it was on-a Monday. Luigi and I were apprentice plumbers, when we were-a cleaning the clogged-a water sewers, beneath a gypsy fortune-a teller’s-a shop.”

See ‘Super Mario Trapped in the Perilous Pit

“Maybe a bit of-a magic leaked down into the sewers, or we must’ve-a turned the wrong-a pipe,” Mario continued. “But whatever-a happened, we were-a washed away and landed into what is-a called the Warp-a Zone.”

“The Warp-a Zone?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed dramatically.

“We’ve been-a drifting through time and-a space for a long-a time,” Luigi added. “Until eventually, we landed in the Mushroom-a Kingdom.”

And without-a bus-a back to Brooklyn, Luigi and I decided to set up-a shop, until we find our way-a home,” Mario concluded.

“I’m guessing you fella haven’t had much luck finding the way home then?” Applejack asked.

“Nope,” Mario shook his head.

“Oh, that’s sad,” Fluttershy frowned. “You two must miss your home very much.”

“Oh, not at all,” Luigi shook his head. “Believe me, we-a missed it at first. But the Mushroom-a Kingdom has-a become a home to us, as well.”

“Oh yeah,” Mario nodded. “And the Princess and the Toads have all been-a real good to us. We’re all like-a family!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, feeling left out.

“And-a Yoshi too!” Mario chuckled, patting Yoshi’s neck.

“Aw!” Fluttershy smiled. “You two are excellent brothers.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy!” Mario smiled. “Now, let’s-a go save our-a friends and a-Princess!”

With that settled, the heroes resumed their walk to the basement below. And yet, along the way, a confused Spike faced Yoshi.

“I thought you said Mario was found as a baby, on your island, a long time ago.”

In response, Yoshi merely shrugged, feeling just as confused as Spike was.

Upon arriving at the bottom of the steps, the heroes found themselves in front of the locked doors of the basement. Pulling out the key, Mario inserted the heroes’ prize from their first battle with Bowser into the lock, turning it open. Now with the door opened, the heroes walked into the basement finding another big door with a large Star imprinted to the lift, right next to a strange entry with a ramp, and a glass wall covering halfway. Ahead was a large hallway with walls of dark, mossy stones.

Approaching the big doors, the heroes were greeted by a fiery dark aura, with the voice of the Darkness echoing:

N̷̢̧̻̻̩̥̪͗̓͂̔͊͒ǫ̴͔͉͓̺̹̫̙̰̂̐̀̓̌̒ṋ̵̡͇̘͋̈́̊̌͗̒̐͊̾͝e̶̩̤̙̊͗̓̽̈́̐͘̕͠ ̷̘̯̘̈́̀̚ͅs̶̨̲̹̔̊̉͊̕͠ḧ̸̲̼͕̦̘̹̬̃a̶̧̙̩͕̅͒̉̄͘͝l̶͔̤̱̩͙̈̈́̈́̿͛̈͒̀͌l̷̲͚͉͎̳͍̫̥͓̝͂̐̑͌̅͘ ̸͎̮̘͖̫̙̦͉͉͎̏̒̇̄̋͋̚p̷̨̪̦̟͕̿a̷̛͔̘͗̓̃s̵̨̙̯͓̖̜͚̩͘s̵̳͖͔̪̣͍̺͎̮̻͒̏ ̵͈̹͖̲̺̬͓̘̬̎̓̚ͅu̷͕̔n̷͉̹͙͈̞͛̊͊̀̎̓̊͝͠t̸̘͇̦̒̄͜ͅḭ̷̡̜̱̝̖̻̮͇̋l̸̰̖̎͂͊̄̓͆͝͝ ̶̤̌̐̌̚͘t̷̖͙̊̐̋̊͝h̸̦̭̗̦̝͐̒̋̐̆͆͠ẻ̵̢̧̨̘͈̫̿͑͘ͅ ̸̨̣̲͖̞̦̲̠͚̈̄̎̿̂ņ̷̧̹̙͉̫̘͐͗͐̋́̆ṵ̵́̆̌͒̂m̴̺̱̘͈̍̄̽͋̕b̴͉̞͔̖̩̭͑̈́̂̃̏e̴̺̮̰͆͜͜͝r̵̡̥͇͖̙̐̀̒͋̂́ ̶͙̞̂̏͐͊ǫ̵͉̥̑́̏̄̿͝f̵̡̛͍̻̲̋̐̎̏̈́ ̸̛̠̊̈́͋͊̈̾̌͝͝s̸̢̧͙̪̞̞̠̼̣̲̉̾ẗ̵̛̬͖̫̖́̋͘͝ͅȧ̴̢̪̮̣̥̞̈̅̐̌̊̅̃r̸̡̜̬̎͛̌s̷̞̠͉̖̘̿͑̅ ̸̧̖̘̞̱̒̈́̒͆͘h̷͖͎̯́̆̍͘a̵͕̳͉͛͂̿̇̒̕̚v̵̢̪̥̜̖͉̮̈̿̀̒͌̚̚̚͠e̴̡̦͇͙̞̹̦͔͎̽͒̕ ̷̨̨̨͇̳̦̝̟̝͖͐̿̏́m̴̛̛̗̮̘̯̟̮̏̀͆̔̓̿̒͘͜a̷̧̢̠͎̱̲̟̠̜̰͛͊̍̂̔͝͝t̵̤͈̹̻͕̤̩͛c̴̡̻͓̘̈́͒̋͒̋̕h̸̭̘̞͔̽́̀̅͆̂é̵̡̛̾̿̈́̓͑̒̓͘͜d̷̨̼͔̝̙̮̽̽̓́̽͊̏̊͜ͅ.̵̱̳͒̅̎̿̐͛͌̽̀͘ ̴̨͔̺̯̲̭̗̙̄̈̓̋́͋͑͘͠T̵̛̰̯͂̀̅̍̌͝h̵͍̼̤̪̱͚͉̺͐́̊̃̕͝e̴̢̩̔̔͛̿́͗̚ͅ ̴̛̻̟̗̤̦̑̇̎̚n̶̤̰̣̠̐͒͂͑̽͛̓̽͛̚u̸̙̣͍̞̬̣̪̪̒̀̋͂̈̍̃m̵̱̈́̄̒̄́̇͂b̸̧͙̬̤̬̖̹͓̲̊͂́ͅę̷̬͗́͑͗r̵̛͕̗̥̥̤̼͕͉͋ṣ̵̨̩̯̓ ̴̢̮̘̖̽̿͒̒̓̔͒͛͂͘͜ͅo̴̙̻͑̀̕f̷͇̃͋̈͑̇͘̕ ̶̙̈́̈͝͝s̵̢͕̬͖̆̐͌̑̍́̕ė̶̛̯̣͕̑̾̿̒͂͗̊͜v̸͔̥̰̠̬̠̀̽̎͒̈́̉̕͜͝è̶̡̢͖̠̲͎̭̒͗͆̕͠͠ͅn̶͍̯̥̪͍͔͋̎̆̇̿ẗ̶͕̦̤̮̱̋̋̄̾͐͂̊͘y̸̞̣̪͍̞͚̟͍̞͍̿͌͌̾̀̂͋̽͝-̶̨͙̗̤͐̀͋͂̿̈́̄͝s̵͓̹͎͙͆͛͐̀̉̽̀̕i̶̞͎̯̒ͅx̵̢̮̤̾͌̈́̀́̉́̽̚ ̴̝͆̓̌̔̒̂̇m̸̳̙̳͈͚͈͍͈͎̹̔̊̾̈̊͐̆͘ư̶̭̖̳̮͇̓̈́͑̈́̀ș̵̭͎͈͒̎̌̈́̔̐̋͊̚͘͜t̸̮̬͂̀̌͊̓̄ ̸̧̼̝̟͈̱̪̺͚͘ͅḅ̵̊̔̊̓͠ę̶̻̰̙̹̺̦̭̯̋̋̀ ̴̖͓͖̱̯͋̔͊͛̋͜͝ͅm̸̠͚̺͚͍̦̺̦͕̈́ͅa̵̧̛̗̦͚̳̙͌̽͗̇ͅd̸͚͈͈͋͊̄͂͑̆͘͘͘e̸̡̳̭͍̗̜͓͓̗̊͌̓̍̿̽̄̓̕ͅ ̵͍̯̝̮̰̞̼̺̳͙́̃͛̾ẗ̷̛͎͖́̉͘o̷̧̩̭̮͚͉̻͍͚̮̓̋͑̔̇̇ ̶̨̲̪̝̱̝͓̯̳͋̃́̀p̶̛̻͎̗̗̜̏́̽͘ạ̸̡̳͇͚̳̞̺̩͈͐͑̐̄̌̒̕̚͠͠ŷ̸̡̭̣͎͓͚̟̣͖̗͂̃̕.̵̧͖͙̯͉̩͕̖͂̂͊͌͒̌̆͌͘͜͠ ̸̡̨̡̝̖̩̦͔̜͔̑̈̐̄̒͛̓͛̕͝Ś̴̹̟͇̠͙͔̰͊̿͗̐͊ę̸̛̮̘̘͇̫̉̔͛̄͛v̵̧̡̢̼͓͍̹͔͂͋̓e̸͉̟͈͑͋̿ņ̵̫̰̗̩̱͆͋͑͂̐̽̓͆̚t̴̺̯̻͓͓̂̔͊͆̑͝y̴̻̰̳͇̜̣͉̤̔̅̕͝ͅ-̵̦̔̄̓̆̈̀͗͋̂͋s̶̤̘̟̩̲̯͍̋į̸̺͚̖̕ͅx̸͇̭̰̲͈̦̏ ̸͍̖͓̭͖̺̩̙̍́͘ͅs̵͈̭̝̫̦̜͈͎͂̃̉͂͋͛̐͝ͅt̷͔̪̠͔͓̭́̈́̒͜͝͠a̴̫͛͌̂ȓ̸̡͙̪̜̜̤̋͒̐̃͒̄ͅs̷̹̘̜͂̂̏̚ ̵̨̧̨͎̙̞̺̥̭̰̂͛̇̋a̸̛̭̫̓̊͐̕͘n̷̫̝̗̤͉͗̀d̷̦̭̘͚̺͚͂͑̈́͐̿̉̂̃͘͝ ̴͉̌͒̈̒̀̆́̈̕t̵̡̘̗̖̻̖́͛̔̾̂́͘h̴̢̛̉̽̌̂̕͝è̵̦͉̦̱̭̓́̇̍̊͝ ̵̙̓̄̾̋̀d̴̥͓̝̲̖̳̰̜̼̮͋̈́̍͐̀́́̕͝ȏ̷̹̥̦͉͒̍͝õ̸͔̹̥̘͖͚̦̣͚͑̊̍̊̌̃ȓ̷͍͉͐s̵̡̛͓͎̹̗͚̘̋̌͆̂͘͘͜͠ͅͅ ̵̨̲̙̱̲̫̝͛͌͐̽̓̓́̌̈́̕ͅŝ̸̛͇̱̻̲̟̄̄̈́̐͑́h̵̖̲͖̜̘͇͕̊̈̇͜â̴̤ḽ̶̱͚̰̜͙̲̇̂̑̅͗̈́̈́̓̈́̕l̶̢̳̣̹͓̱͎̭̑̋̈́́̑́̎̈́̚̚ ̴̢̡͎̻͉̗̏̅̅̚ơ̴͇̫͍̌̂̒̓͛͒p̸͚̜̤̝̪͍͐͛̑̒̈̌̏e̸̡̢̛̙̝̪̠̰͚̮̒̒̇̇̈̉ṋ̶̡̦̖̹̬͍͙̦̆̑̓͛̾̃͝ ̴̛̳̫͍̯̜̭̓͂͑̑͊͝ͅa̴̢̛̫̭̗̐̔̄͑̈́́͜͠͝j̴̨͈̰̀͐̒a̸̡̪̗̻̭̘͛͌̋͒ͅr̶͈̹̟̪̭̱̙̫͓͈̈̌͊.̸̱̪̮̖̦͈̩̥̮̾̃ͅ

“Seventy-six stars?!” Spike exclaimed.

“Don’t worry,” Pinkie Pie smiled. “We’ve got 52 stars. That just leaves us 24 stars left!”

“That’s still a ton of stars to find, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash frowned.

“Then let’s get to work, y’all,” Applejack spoke. “Now which way to them stars?”

“Let’s see…” Pinkie pondered.

Pinkie Pie proceeded to sniff the air, pointing her nose toward the hall like a dog.

“They’re right… that-a way!”

Soon our heroes proceeded to venture down the dark hallway, staying close together just in case. Eventually, they came across a door, which opened up and revealed to find the basement floor flooded with water.

“Egad!” Luigi exclaimed.

“Mamma mia!” Mario shouted.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

“What a mess!” Applejack exclaimed. “I ain’t ever seen a flood this badly than a rainy day at Sweet Apple Acres!”

“Well, flood or no flood, it’s no problem for two plumber bros,” Pinkie Pie shrugged. “Right Mario and Luigi?”

“No problem-o!” Mario smirked. “Let’s-a go check the pipelines in the—”

“AAAAAAAHH!!!”

Fluttershy’s shriek alerted the heroes into assuming their fighting stances.

“What is it, Flutters?” Rainbow asked.

“Th-Th-There’s a s-s-s-s-scary m-m-m-monster in front of us!” Fluttershy pointed.

Everyone and every pony followed Fluttershy’s hoof. Before their very eyes was the scary face of a fiery monster that resembled a skull.

“WWWAAAAAAAHHHH!!!” Luigi yelped in fear, clinging onto Fluttershy.

“ZOINKS!” Pinkie Pie yelped, leaping into Applejack’s hooves.

“Hmm…” Mario pondered.

The elder plumber waded through the water, approaching the monstrous face. Reaching his hand out, the face rippled just like the water.

“It’s just-a portrait,” Mario clarified.

The heroes released some sighs of relief upon clarifying the sight before them.

“I knew that!” Pinkie giggled, facing Applejack. “Put me down please. WAH!!!”

With a roll of her eyes, Applejack dropped Pinkie Pie into the water. Fluttershy and Luigi exchanged awkward glances before parting ways with blushes upon their cheeks.

“Just a portrait, huh?” Spike asked, reaching out. “Or a portrait to another course!”

The young dragon stuck his head into the painting, to see what possible world awaited him and his friends on the other side.

“Yowch!” Spike shrieked, reeling back. “It’s a scorcher in there!”

“Oh my…!” Fluttershy whimpered.

“So what?” Rainbow asked arrogantly. “It’s not like a little heat will stop us from getting a Star or two.”

“Dash, you don’t understand,” Spike shook his head. “There’s an entire land of lava behind that portrait! I can go in, no problem, being a dragon and all. “But the rest of you guys are as good as roast chicken. Uh, no offense.”

“None taken,” Pinkie Pie grinned.

Poor Fluttershy, on the other hoof, turned squeamish upon the mention of a dead chicken.

“There’s gotta be a way of getting’ them Power Stars without being burnt to a crisp, right?” Applejack asked. “As they say, when there’s a will, there’s a way!”

“Like a metal cap power-up!” Pinkie suggested. “Ooh!”

All of a sudden, Pinkie’s body vibrated vigorously turning her face to the right.

“My Pinkie senses are telling me the power and power stars are… that-a way!”

With her nose pointed, she drew the group to a door with a blank star imprinted on the front. The heroes proceeded to follow Pinkie into the next room discovering a large pool of strange dark liquid glistening in the room’s center.

“What’s this?” Spike asked.

Cautiously, Spike dipped his claws into the pool. The liquid rippled slightly on contact.

“The entrance to another course…”

A voice drew the heroes to the side where another Toad stood in the corner.

“Oh! Hi there, Toad!” Pinkie Pie greeted.

“Doesn’t it bother any of you that these Toads look alike?” Rainbow whispered to the brothers.

To which Mario and Luigi simply shrugged their shoulders.

“Know anything about what’s waiting for us in there?” Spike asked. “Aside from more Power Stars?”

“And a power-up we really need to progress the story forward?” Pinkie Pie added.

“Not much,” The Toad shook his head. “But I do have an important tip you need to know. Especially to you heroes wearing hats.”

“Like wut?” Applejack asked.

“Hold on to your hat!” The toad advised. “If you lose it, you’ll be injured easily. Lose your cap, and you’ll have to find it in the course where you lost it.”

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped. “I’m one for hats, especially Rarity’s. But… are they really that important?”

“Judging from everything I’ve experienced, not surprising,” Spike commented, recalling recent experiences.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi nodded in agreement.

“Oh boy, it’s not looking good for Peach,” The Toad bemoaned. “She’s still trapped somewhere in the walls. Please everyone, you have to help her! And be careful! Bowser and his goons are everywhere in the castle walls. You’ve got to stop them!”

“Don’t worry, Toad,” Spike replied. “We’ll do whatever we can to help.”

“We’ll find those Power Stars and kick that Bowser’s butt where the sun don’t shine!” Rainbow Dash added.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

“Oh yeah!” The brothers spoke in unison.

“I knew we can count on you!” Toad smiled. “Oh here, take this. I’ve been keeping it for you.”

The Toad held out a Power Star to the heroes, who didn’t hesitate to take it. Once again, the Power Star danced around them leading our heroes to celebrate.

“YEAH! We got a Power Star!” The group shouted.

“YOSHI!” Yoshi chirped in celebration.

53 Power Stars!

“Okay, enough dancing,” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s go!”

And with a single jump, the whole group entered the pool of dark water to destinations unknown.

Meanwhile...

Twilight Sparkle had been stuck in her case for a very long time. She didn’t exactly know for how long, only this imprisonment felt like eternity. One thing was utterly certain: She missed her friends, especially Spike. She felt bad for leaving him behind and now it felt as though karma was punishing her for not being a good friend… again. Sadly, she slumped toward the floor as if submitting in defeat.

“Spike…” Twilight sighed. “I miss you so much.”

“You’ll be joining him very soon, Princess…”

Suddenly, Twilight Sparkle looked up with wide eyes spotting Bowser falling from the sky. He crashed upon the ground, the impact causing it to shake. Soon, the Koopa King slowly turned his head toward his prisoner to gaze upon her with wicked glee. The princess shuddered as the beast chuckled in the most sinister fashion.

“How do you like your prison?” Bowser snickered.

“I don’t know what you’re planning Bowser, but you won’t get away with this!” Twilight spoke bravely. “The others will find those power stars and together they’ll beat you!”

Suffice to say, the manner of which Bowser glared toward Twilight made her very nervous.

“Is that what you think little pony?” Bowser asked. “Even now, they are heading straight to my little maze. What they don’t realize is I’ve already released a toxic gas in their path. By the time they find their way out, your ‘friends’ will already be… dead.”

Bowser released a maniacal laugh, knowing his plan to destroy Mario and his puny friends once and for all was going to work. All Twilight could do was glare toward the Koopa King, but deep down hoped and prayed for her friend to prove the sinister brute wrong. For if they should fall now… Celestia help them.

Author's Note

Power Stars collected thus far: 52 + 1 = 53 Power Stars!

Hazy Maze Cave Part 1

Hazy Maze Cave

Upon entering the new course, the heroes find themselves in an underground cavern. No sooner had they entered, when already a yellow and black striped spider-like creature attacked them on sight. Reacting fast, Applejack bucked the creature, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke, leaving behind three gold coins for the heroes to collect.

Gold Coins:3

Total Coins: 3

"Nice to see that we still gotta collect some coins for Power Stars," Spike said.

"Good thing it doesn't cause ya to grow into a greedy dragon, like before, huh?" Rainbow nudged teasingly.

"Oh shut up," Spike scowled at the cyan pegasus.

"Hey everypony, and others!" Applejack called. "Check this out! A map!" She pointed at the large map painted on the wall.

Spike looked to the left to see a signpost, which he reads:

"Both ways fraught with danger! Watch your feet! Those who can't do the long jump, tsk, tsk.
Make your way to the right.
Right: Work Elevator

Hazy Maze
Left: Black Hole

Underground Lake
Red Circle: Elevator 2

Underground Lake
Arrow: You are here

"Ooh!" Pinkie Pie vibrated, shuddering and shaking the ground. "My Pinkie senses are going crazy! There's Power Stars to the left and right!"

"Then let's split up," Applejack suggested. "We'll cover more of this cavern and find the Power Stars quicker! Search every crook and nanny you can find."

"What?" Rainbow asked.

"Just keep your eyes out for clues that can get us a Power Star," Spike clarified. "Remember. The rest of our friends are counting on us!"

"Yoshi!" Yoshi nodded.

"Oh yeah!" Mario nodded.

"But which way do we go?" Luigi asked nervously.

Applejack looked up at the map, then back at the two dividing halls, before she made up her mind.

"Luigi, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy! Yer with me!" Applejack said, before turning her head at Mario's group. "The rest of y'all go right!" Applejack said, while leading Luigi, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.

With that, Mario proceeds to lead Yoshi, with Spike, and Rainbow Dash in the given direction. On the way, another spider-creature jumped out of a hole, in an attempt to ambush the group. The spider pounced on Spike, who struggled to pry the creature off.

"Get off of me!" Spike shouted.

Thankfully, Mario helped, when he picked up a nearby wooden box and hurled it at the spider creature. In a crash of woods, splinters, and a puff of smoke, the spider was gone, and it left behind six gold coins, where it once stood.

Gold Coins:9

Total Coins:9

At that moment, two Goombas suddenly appeared and charged at the heroes. But like the spiders, Mario and Yoshi made quick work of them, by jumping atop their heads, squashing them flat. With that, the Goombas disappeared in puffs of smokes, leaving behind a single coin for each.

Gold Coins:11

Total Coins:11

"Let's-a go," Mario said as he leads his group down the hall.

"YOSHI!" Yoshi screeched, reaching out for Mario, who was seconds away from being roasted by a sudden geyser of fire.

"MAMA MIA!" Mario exclaimed. "That was-a close! Thank you, Yoshi!" The red plumber said, giving his green dinosaur friend the thumbs up.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi replied.

It was at this moment that the heroes finally noticed the fire geysers spewing from large holes across the floor.

"Now be-a careful and watch-a your steps!" Mario cautioned, as he and Yoshi lead the way, shimmying along the wall, avoiding the fires.

Spike and Rainbow Dash soon followed. Along the way, they collected five more coins – narrowly on a thin ledge of a hole – for a total of 16 gold coins.

Gold Coins:16

Total Coins:16

Once they've reached the other side, Spike and the others followed Mario's gaze to see another door, on the other side of a gap, with two flaming geysers spewing from the dark abyss.

Rainbow Dash was just about to flap her wings into actions, when Mario stopped her. The red plumber counted 1, 2, 3, and on cue, the geysers erupted. Once the fires have ceased roaring, Mario was the first to jump across, with Rainbow Dash zipping beside him. Spike flapped his wings across with Yoshi following, with the fiery geyser nearly scorching his tail by an inch.

After braving the danger and the risk of getting cooked, the heroes turned their attention to the door, opened it to the side and walked into a large cavern room, with platforms, tall rocky blocks, and coins.

Turning to the left, the group watched as Mario finds a red metal pole, resembling the kind of poles that firefighters would use to slide down from their office into action. Mario grasps onto the pole and slides down, spinning on the way, with Yoshi following.

"Hmmm," Spike scratched his chin, wanting to give it a try.

The young dragon grasped onto the pole and immediately slides all the way down.

"WHOA!" Spike yelped, as he was about to hit the bottom.

Luckily for him, Yoshi quickly caught the young dragon, before he had a rough landing.

"Oh, nice catch. Thanks Yoshi!" Spike thanked the dinosaur.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped in response, to say, "You're welcome."

"Y'know, you have wings, Spike," Rainbow Dash grinned, with an arch eyebrow. "Ya could have just spread them out to slow your fall."

"I'll have to remember that, next time," Spike replied, as he and Rainbow gathered around Mario and Yoshi.

"Okay everyone-a," Mario began. "You all-a know what-a to do. Let's-a look around!"

"Oh yeah," Spike and Rainbow Dash nodded.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped in agreement.

Rainbow Dash proceeded to zip around the room, close to the ceilings, while Mario proceeded to the middle, while Spike followed Yoshi, to the right, to find some nearby steps.

Both dinosaur and dragon climbed up the steps, and found another Bob-omb Buddy.

"Hey there!" Spike greeted the friendly red Bob-omb. "Remember us?"

"Of course!" The Bob-omb Buddy replied happily. "It's always a pleasure to see a friend of ours! What can I do for you, Spike and Yoshi?"

"We were wondering if you can work your magic to help us find some red coins," Spike said, holding out the map to the Bob-Omb.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped in agreement.

"No problem-o!" The Bob-omb Buddy replied happily, as it worked its magic to mark the red coins' locations on the map. "There you go! You shouldn't have any trouble finding the coins."

"Thanks!" Spike thanked the Bob-omb as he and Yoshi got a look on the map. "According to the map, the red coins are all here in this room!"

Turning to their left, Spike and Yoshi looked at a large floating metal platform, with arrows pointing in four different directions. The two quickly got onto the platform, and pressed one of the arrows, activating the platform to start moving.

"Whoa!" Spike exclaimed, nearly losing his balance, with Yoshi, at the sudden movement.

They looked up and their eyes widen in alarm to see that they were about to crash into a large stone structure.

"Go left, Yoshi! Left, LEFT!"

"YOSHI!"

They quickly pressed an arrow, which caused the platform to float to the left, steering away from the stone. Both Spike and Yoshi breathed a collective sigh of relief, until they hit another stone structure, causing the platform to shudder and shake violently upon impact, nearly knocking them off.

"Sorry, my bad," Spike apologized, before he takes another look at the map. "According to the map, there should be some red coins ahead of us."

Spike pointed the direction of the coins, with Yoshi steering the platform with the arrows. Before long, they found themselves floating towards a floating block. There was only enough room for the platform to slide underneath it, but thankfully, the block was small enough for Spike and Yoshi to walk around it.

"Hold on!" Spike exclaimed, looking at the map. "According to this map, there's a red coin inside that block! We need to break it out! Go back!"

With that, Spike and Yoshi quickly turned the platform back to the floating block's direction. They both took their positions, and threw their hardest punches at the block as it floats towards them. Unfortunately, there was hardly a dent in the block, and for their efforts, they've gotten bruised and smarten knuckles.

"OW!"

Spike and Yoshi were both hooting and hollering in pain, which was soon interrupted by the sudden appearance of Rainbow Dash.

"Hey guys! What's the hootin' and hollerin' about?" She asked, while noticing their smarten fists. “What happened to your hands?”

“We’re trying to get a red coin out of that thing,” Spike pointed to the brick. “But it’s harder than it look.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

“Here, let me take a wack at it,” Rainbow said, as she rears back, readying herself.

With a sudden burst of speed, Rainbow Dash swoops down and breaks the block to pieces, revealing a red coin.

Gold Coins:16

Red Coins: 1x2=2

Blue Coins: 0

Total Coins:18

“Thanks Dash!” Spike thanked the Pegasus. “Hey, why don’t you stick with us? I think we could still use some more of your help in case we run into these blocks again.”

“Yoshi!”

“Can do,” Rainbow nodded, before she screamed in alarm. “HEY LOOK OUT!”

But it was too late. With a hard thud, Spike and Yoshi had driven and crashed their floating platform into a large stone pillar.

“AAAAAHHHH!!! YOSHI!!!” They screamed, barely holding on as the platform violently shook from the collision.

Once they regain their standings, both dragon and dinosaur found themselves looking eye-to-eye with a giant eyeball – another Mr. I.

Upon locking eye contact with the heroes, the eyeball shot out a ball of light at Spike and Yoshi. Yoshi quickly whipped his tongue out, swallowing the ball of light before it could hit either him and Spike. Before the eyeball could ready for another fire, Rainbow Dash flew right in front of it.

"Hey! Eyes – er, eye on me!" Rainbow Dash barked, before she proceeded to flap her wings, zipping around the eyeball at a fast speed.

The giant eyeball followed Rainbow Dash, trying to keep up with the speedy pegasus, but ended up dizzying itself out. The giant eyeball lets out a fatale squeak as it shrinks and disappears in a puff of smoke, leaving behind a blue coin.

Gold Coins:16

Red Coins: 1x2=2

Blue Coins: 1x5=5

Total Coins:23

"So, where to next?" Rainbow asked.

Spike looked back at the map, with Yoshi steering the platform in the direction of the red coins, and Rainbow Dash following close behind for support. They found another red coin in another floating block, close to where they found the first red coin. Afterwards, they found a third red coin, sitting on a ledge in the corner of the room. On the way, Rainbow Dash happened to break a floating block, earning herself and the boys three gold coins.

Gold Coins:19

Red Coins: 3x2=6

Blue Coins: 1x5=5

Total Coins:30

"Three red coins, five more to go for a Power Star," Spike counted. "And 70 more coins for another Power Star."

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped.

"So, where to next?" Rainbow asked.

"According to this map, the last five red coins are above us," Spike pointed, looking up, "Hey, looks like Mario's already on it!"

Riding atop of a floating platform, close to the cavern ceiling above, the red plumber hero was punching a floating block, breaking it apart to reveal a red coin.

Gold Coins:19

Red Coins: 4x2=8

Blue Coins: 1x5=5

Total Coins:32

Then the platform took Mario through a ceiling of stalactites, where a red coin was found, floating in the middle.

Gold Coins:19

Red Coins: 5x2=10

Blue Coins: 1x5=5

Total Coins:34

Once he floated pass the stalactites, Mario continues riding across the air, until he came across some floating stone platforms, where the final 3 red coins are found. The first one was small and shaped almost like a fence for Mario to hop over, collecting a red coin, and landed safely back onto the platform. Then, Mario jumped onto the next floating platform to collect the final 2 red coins.

Gold Coins:19

Red Coins: 8x2=16

Blue Coins: 1x5=5

Total Coins:40

Upon collecting all of the red coins, a Power Star appeared in the middle of the room, right where a Star Marker was located.

"We've struck Power Star!" Spike pointed.

"Wahoo!" Mario hollered, jumping in celebration.

The Jump Man hops off his platform, was on his way down, curling his body into a ground pound to soften his landing. He was just on his way to pick up the star, when he was suddenly ambushed by two more spider-like creatures, like the ones from before, and a couple of Goombas.

Not willing to let a few of Bowser's minions stand between him and a star, Mario fought off the Goombas with a punch and a kick to their faces, followed by a sweep kick to knock the spider away. With that, the creatures exploded into puffs of smokes, leaving behind a total of 5 gold coins.

Gold Coins:24

Red Coins: 8x2=16

Blue Coins: 1x5=5

Total Coins:45

With the creatures out of the way, Mario was able to regroup with his friends and they all collected their first Power Star, which danced around them.

"Here we go!" Mario cheered as he and his friends do the same victory dance they've been doing for every Power Stars they've collected.

"Yeah! We got a Power Star!" Spike and Rainbow Dash sang together.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi chirped.

Once Mario's group had collected their first Power Star, they looked around the room to search for more clues on their next move.

"Sure wished Pinkie Pie was still here with us," Spike muttered. "We could definitely use some more of her Pinkie Senses to track down some more Power Stars in here.

During the search, the heroes came across a large dark block, much like the ones they found in Big Boo's Haunt. At the same time, Spike and Rainbow Dash were flying around the room, when they found a crystal ball, on top of a stone pillar.

"A-ha! A star sphere!" Spike pointed.

"What about it?" Rainbow asked the young dragon.

"A star sphere is usually where a Power Star appears when it's been activated," Spike explained to Rainbow Dash. "And from what I've seen with Yoshi, when there's a star sphere, then there's either 5 Silver Stars to collect, or a..."

"Star switch!" Both dragon and pegasus exclaimed together.

"Then let's find that switch and turn this Power Star on!" Rainbow said as she and Spike flew back down towards Mario and Yoshi. "Guys, guys!"

"What is it-a, Rainbow-a Dash?" Mario asked.

"We found a Star Sphere!" Rainbow Dash explained.

"Now we're looking for 5 Silver Stars, or a Star Switch, and we'll have a Power Star!" Spike replied. "How are you and Yoshi doing?"

"Well-a," Mario directed everyone's attention to the dark block that he and Yoshi had found. "We found this-a block! But it's-a too hard-a to break!"

"Yoshi," Yoshi chirped in disappointment.

"Hmmm," Spike gave the block some light taps to inspect its density. "Yup. That's hard alright. Too bad Applejack's not here...we could really use her help on this!"

"Stand back!" Rainbow Dash cracked her hooves. "Let me take a crack at it! Clear the way!"

Everyone all cleared the way as Rainbow Dash puts a great big distant between herself and the block. Then, with a flap of her wings and kick of her legs, Rainbow Dash thrusted herself at high-speed, faster than a speeding bullet, throwing a kick at the block, with a loud audible crack.

*CRACK

"Oooh!" Spike, Yoshi, and Mario cringed.

"OOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!" Rainbow Dash screamed loudly, falling to the floor and clutching her sore hoof.

Meanwhile, the dark block remained unscratched.

Applejack's Group

Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Luigi

Rainbow Dash's scream was so loud, that she can be heard from the other side of the cavern, by Applejack's group.

"That sounded like Rainbow Dash!" Applejack recognized the screamed.

"Oh dear goodness!" Fluttershy whimpered, worrying for her friend. "She sounds hurt!"

"Really-a hurt!" Luigi mumbled.

"Maybe because she stubbed her hoof, trying to do a flying crane kick on a near-indestructible dark block," Pinkie Pie said specifically, much to her group's bewilderment.

"...You say it like it actually happened," Applejack commented on the pink pony's eccentricity.

"Because it did happen actually!" Pinkie Pie smiled.

Deciding not to question it, Applejack and the others simply let it slide as they resume their focus on the current situation they found themselves in.

Earlier, shortly after they split off from Mario's group, Applejack and the others had crossed over a large pit in the ground, reaching a door on the other side.

Applejack had leapt across, reaching the other side. Pinkie Pie simply spun her tail and mane, like propellers to hove across. Fluttershy and Luigi were the last ones to jump across the pit.

"Jump!" Applejack called out.

"I...I..." Luigi stood, paralyzed with fear, sweating a storm, and his knees shaking as he look down the dark pit before him. "I can't!"

"Yes you can, Luigi!" Pinkie Pie had called out. "You're a better jumper than Mario! You even had a whole year named after you!"

Not bothering to acknowledge Pinkie's random words, Luigi frantically ran away, pulling his hat over his face, still cowering in fear.

"It's okay, Luigi," Fluttershy comforted the man. "If it makes you feel better, I can carry you across."

"Uh...no, no, no, no, Fluttershy!" Luigi stammered. "I don't want to bother you!"

"It's no bother at all," Fluttershy insisted.

The bashful pegasus proceeded to flap her wings as she grabs ahold of Luigi's hand and carries him across the pit to regroup with their friends.

"I still think you can jump across," Pinkie Pie said to the green plumber.

"Either way, we're all together now, Pinkie," Applejack said, before she lead the group to the next room.

On the way in, Luigi turned to Fluttershy, "Thank you," Luigi thanked the pegasus.

"You're very welcome, Luigi," Fluttershy smiled in response.

Now, at the present moment, the four heroes found themselves in a rather dangerous predicament. Pinkie Pie's Pinkie Senses were tingling violently at the presence of a few Power Stars in the room they were in, at the current moment. Only trouble was, both she and her friends were hiding behind a wall, avoiding being crushed by large boulders that were rolling in their direction.

"How do we get pass these rocks without getting crushed by them?" Applejack pondered aloud.

"Uh...maybe we sh-sh-sh-should turn around, catch up with M-M-M-Mario and...tell' em we tried," Luigi stammered.

"I'm all for that," Fluttershy agreed.

Both Luigi and Fluttershy were just about to take their leave when Applejack grabbed them by their overall and tail respectively.

"Not so fast you two," Applejack shook her head. "We didn't come this far jus' to turn tail now. There's gotta be something we can use to get pass those boulders. Sure wished Twilight was here. She's always got a plan for everything, even when she overthinks and makes them convoluted as they are complicating than Big Mac's big words..."

While Applejack was thinking up a plan, Pinkie Pie turned her head and notices a dark brick block behind them.

"Hey Applejack!" Pinkie Pie bounced, with a hoof pointing at the brick.

"Not now, Pinkie," Applejack replied, without turning her head.

"But AJ!" Pinkie persisted.

"I said not now, Pinkie!" Applejack repeated herself.

Luigi and Fluttershy both looked to what Pinkie was pointing at and realized what the pink pony was getting at.

"Uh...Applejack?" Luigi spoke.

"Now what?" Applejack groaned in frustration, turning to her friends with an annoyed look.

In response, the three friends pointed to the side, finally directing Applejack's attention to the Dark Block.

"Oh! How did I miss this?" Applejack asked, walking over to inspect the Dark Block.

Taking her position, Applejack balanced herself on her front hooves, rearing her hindlegs back to strike the block with a strong kick, destroying the brick. Three gold coins appeared from the rubbles, along with a large yellow mushroom with red spots.

Gold Coins:27

Red Coins: 8x2=16

Blue Coins: 1x5=5

Total Coins:48

"Now what kind of mushroom is this?" Applejack asked, looking at the strange mushroom with curiosity.

"Mama mia!" Luigi exclaimed. "It's a Mega Mushroom!"

"A Mega Mushroom?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's a very powerful-a Power Up!" Luigi explained. "It lets-a whoever eats it to be turned into-a giant! But only for a short-a while."

"Really?!" The ponies exclaimed, before they looked to see several rolling rocks were heading their way.

"Welp! Down the hatch!" Pinkie Pie chirped, swiping the Mega Mushroom from Applejack and swallowing it whole in one gulp.

"PINKIE!" Applejack shouted at the pink party pony.

Everyone all watched with wides, stepping back as Pinkie Pie grows into a giant pony – estimating to be as tall as a 3 story building.

"WahoooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Pinkie Pie chirped in a deep booming voice. "Check me out! I'm not a little pony anymore! I'm a BIG pony! How do you like this April Fools?"

"Pinkie!" Fluttershy screamed, nearly getting squashed by one of Pinkie's hooves.

"Mamma mia!" Luigi yelled as he backed up against a wall.

"Watch where ya stepping, Pinkie!" Applejack shouted.

"Sorry!" Pinkie replied, before she sees the boulders rolling in her way. "Pinkie SMASH!"

With a thrust of her hoof, Pinkie punched a rock into tiny little pebbles.

"WAHOOOO!!!" Pinkie Pie whooped and cheered. "I'm gonna wreck it!"

With that, Pinkie proceeded to break more rolling boulders coming her way to save herself and her friends.

"Boy howdy!" Applejack exclaimed. "Now them's some breaking rocks!"

"Go Pinkie, go!" Fluttershy cheered quietly.

"Mamma mia!" Luigi added.

A rock was rolling towards Pinkie Pie, which Pinkie destroyed with a karate chop, and another with a buck of her legs.

"Watch me do Flying Crane Kick!" Pinkie Pie boasted, standing on one hoof, and holding her front hooves out, like a crane's wings. "HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-YAAAH!!!"

Pinkie Pie jumped off the leg she was standing on, thrusting the leg forward into a kick, breaking an incoming rock. But in the processes, she lost her balance and accidentally fell over on her back. The whole cavern shook from Pinkie's fall, knocking her friends to fall to the ground.

"Careful there, Pinkie!" Applejack exclaimed to the pink pony.

"Sorry!" Pinkie apologized sheepishly, until she started to shrink down. "Hey! Why is everything getting bigger?"

"Uh...Pinkie..." Fluttershy moaned.

"You're shrinking!" Luigi shouted.

"Uh oh!" Pinkie squeaked, with her tail shaking violently, alerting her of a falling rock. "OH NO!"

"PINKIE! NOOOOOOO!!" Applejack shouted, impulsively leaping into action, throwing a punch at the rolling rock, breaking it apart to save her friend.

The rock broke apart into rubbles upon impact from Applejack's powerful hoof. However, the amazement didn't end there, when out of the rock, a Power Star appeared.

"Oh my!" Fluttershy gasped.

"Mamma mia!" Luigi exclaimed.

After shaking away the shock that she had destroyed a rock with her own bare hooves, Applejack quickly grabbed both Pinkie Pie and the Power Star and leapt to the side to avoid more falling rocks.

The Power Star danced around Applejack's group as they danced in victory.

"YEAH! We got a Power Star!" The ponies and Luigi cheered.

After putting the Power Star away, Applejack looked at her own hooves, marveling in amazement.

"Did that really jus' happened?" Applejack asked. "Did I broke a boulder with ma bare hooves?"

"Sure did!" Pinkie Pie bounced excitedly. "And you saved my life!"

"Wow! You're stronger than ya look, Apple-a-jack!" Luigi marveled.

"You're amazing!" Fluttershy smiled.

Applejack simply blushed at the compliments, which she shook it off, getting back on task.

"Where to next, Pinkie?" Applejack asked.

"Hmmm. Let's see," Pinkie pulled one of her hair down, which somehow made an antenna dish pop out from the top of her head, emitting a loud pinging radar noise. "OOH! My Pinkie senses are telling me that a Power Star...is RIGHT ABOVE US!"

The friends looked up to see, true to Pinkie Pie's words, a Power Star is floating above a floating platform.

"Now, how do we get it down?" Fluttershy pondered, to which her friends turn to look at her with deadpan expressions on their faces.

"What?" Fluttershy asked, to which Pinkie Pie points at the pegasus's wings. "Oh. Right..."

Flapping her wings, Fluttershy became airborne and was flying up to collect the star, which danced around her.

"Oh my! I got a Power Star! Yay!" Fluttershy cheered quietly.

At that exact moment, a door opened up from a nearby ledge, startling Fluttershy.

"AH! Oh dear goodness!" The pegasus shrieked.

"Fluttershy?" Applejack called out from below. "What's the matter? What's goin' up there, Sugarcube?"

"It's...It's...Mario?!" Fluttershy exclaimed, upon seeing the red plumber stepping out of the door.

"Mario?!" Applejack and the rest of her group shouted.

"Mamma mia!" Mario exclaimed, upon seeing the buttercup pegasus, before he ended up collapsing on the floor.

"MARIO!" Fluttershy shrieked, flapping her wings into action, checking on the man. "Mario? Are you okay?"

"Fluttershy?" Luigi asked, with a hint of worry in his voice. "Is-a Mario okay? What's-a going up there?"

Without waiting another second for Fluttershy to answer, Pinkie Pie grabbed both Applejack and Luigi, before she curled her tail up into a spring, with which she used to compress on the ground.

"Hold on tight!" Pinkie Pie said, until she catapulted herself off her spring tail, onto the next ledge where Fluttershy was helping an exhausted Mario to lean against a wall.

"Mario!" Luigi shouted, frantically running towards his brother. "Mario! Are you okay?"

"I'm-a fine...Luigi," Mario panted heavily.

"Stand back, sugarcube," Applejack ushered Luigi away. "Give him some air..."

"Mario, what happened to you?" Fluttershy asked, while noticing that the others weren't with the jumpman. "And where are the others?"

After a moment to catch his breath, Mario explained, "I don't-a know! We were-a lookin' for-a Power-a Stars, when we..."

To be continued…

The Cave of Games

1000 Years Ago

I still remember it like it was yesterday, though it was countless moons ago. Of course, I was a young sorcerer back then having barely grown my beard. Back then, I was simply ‘Starswirl the Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ studying amongst a select few of my former colleagues.

There was an Earth Pony, Thunder Lawn, just as strong as Rockhoof but with the joyful spirit like that of Pinkie Pie. I remember him very well: A little colt in a stallion’s body, with his usual antics involving imaginative stories and nonstop fun-and-games.

Jumble Weed, a unicorn with astonishing intellect that would make Twilight look like a student. But a unicorn with an oversized ego as great as Rainbow Dash.

Light Feather, a kind Pegasus and gentle soul, shunned by the rest of her kin for being the only Pegasus desiring to study magic despite its “reservations” among unicorns. Nevertheless, I was kind enough to teach her a few magical spells of my own making, spells even a Pegasus can master. Light Feather became one of my most promising students of magic; in fact, she devoted her whole life using magic to heal the sick and injured. Even back when there was only one such alicorn at the time, she had the makings to become one herself.

Last, but certainly not least, there was Galaxia, an alicorn with great powers, which far exceed that of Celestia, and Luna combined. She had a unique ability: To traverse the far reaches of space, across galaxies, and countless universes, with little to no trouble. She was a strict pony but had a good heart.

Once, I had the honor to meet them all together in Crystia, a small kingdom in the west. It was there where I began conducting experiments on the prototypes of my magic mirrors, for the purpose of advancing the spells required to traverse across the universe.

One fateful day, I was on the verge of perfecting my magic mirror, with Jumble Weed at my side, when Thunder Lawn happened to bring some of his ‘games’, against my strict orders. With but a small act of disobedience, he had inadvertently added the tales of his games, as well as the ones I collected in my travels, into my magic. I remember how the cave shook, the stories scattering across the air, flying into the mirrors. But to my surprise, rather than being lost in other worlds, they ‘became’ the worlds.

The results were beyond anything I could ever anticipate; my prototypes have brought the stories to life. Each one accessible within the mirrors I created in the cave. From that day on, my colleagues and I spent months, even years, traveling across the fabrics of time and space, collectively studying the background of every world, their population, and their understandings. To our astounding discovery, each world was a story from Thunder Lawn’s games.

Thus, it was agreed that we’d dub this meeting place the Cave of Games.

In the end, my magic mirror experiments were a success beyond my wildest dreams… And a failure beyond my most horrible nightmares.

Sometime later, an unforeseen development with the cavern’s magic would lead to a terrible catastrophe. I don’t know “how” or “why” to this day, but I do remember “what” happened. Galaxia, along with Thunder Lawn and Jumble Weed had just returned from another of their trips within the game worlds, I was to rendezvous with them to inquire what they discovered. But when I arrived to greet them, I discovered they returned… Different. My colleagues were consumed by darkness, its strength fueled by their fears… Their anger… Their frustration. Once close allies now corrupted to hate, wasting no second to attack, fighting amongst themselves. The ponies that I had come to know, and trust lost themselves to the darkness, caring for nothing but the desire to win a fight that was a mere game to them.

I knew I had to stop them… Even at a ‘terrible’ price…

Present Day

“… And that was the last time I saw them,” Starswirl concludes, grimly.

“Wow!” Twilight gasped, in astonishment. “I mean, I can only imagine how hard it must’ve been for you, Starswirl.”

Starswirl the Bearded had returned during another one of his lengthy travels, during which to study the recent changes of Equestria. Since his return to Canterlot, the old bearded unicorn had sat down for tea with Equestria’s newest supreme ruler, Princess Twilight Sparkle, and her advisor, Spike the Dragon. As he took a dainty sip of his tea, his thoughts returned to that dark day in his life among many. In all the years he spent traveling, he longed to forget that one moment but to no success.

“I only wish that were the end of it, Princess Twilight,” Starswirl spoke, gravely. “Even in limbo, amongst my fellow Pillars of Equestria, I still have nightmares of that wretched day. The day my three colleagues lost themselves to corruption, and the fourth left with a broken heart.”

“Light Feather?” Twilight deduced.

The mournful wizard confirms with a nod, the princess could see the regret in his eyes.

“It was a devastating tragedy for both of us, but more so for her,” The unicorn sighed, grimly. “Witnessing her friends succumbing to the corruption of the darkness, helpless to save them from their terrible fate. I tried convincing her that only by working together we can reverse the darkness infecting her friends, but she wouldn’t listen. Out of untold sadness, I watched her vanish into one of the mirrors, never to be seen again. I had since left the cave, sealing it with a spell so no pony can neither find it nor open it. But not before leaving a shrine, in honor of their memories, to remember only the ‘good’ they’ve done and not the bad. Yet to this day still, my slumbers are still riddled with nightmares of that tragedy and I still ask myself, ‘Could I have done more?’”

Twilight Sparkle and Spike both turn to each other, exchanging sad looks.

“I’m sorry to hear what happened to them, Starswirl,” Twilight frowned, sympathetic.

It was quiet between the two, at first no pony knew what to say. But then, a small twinge of hope appears on her face as a thought came to her.

“Perhaps… Maybe now there is a way we could help.”

“I appreciate your optimism, Princess,” Starswirl replied. “But what more could you do where I couldn’t?”

“You’ve seen how much Equestria has changed, the magic itself is constantly evolving in ways no pony could ever imagine,” Twilight explained. “I was thinking, if we could find that ‘Cave of Games’, to further study the means to reverse the damage, we may have the spell needed to undo what was done. I can’t say it’s guaranteed to work, but we’ll never know if it fails if we don’t at least try.”

“Very well then,” Starswirl nods. “But… If you are to enter the cave, you will need this.”

Reaching deep within his cloak, Starswirl reveals a large medallion resembling that of a golden coin.

“This medallion is the key to finding the Cave, the only way to unlock the spell guarding it and reveal it’s secrets. But be warned, should you choose to enter the Cave, I cannot promise you’ll succeed. And even if you do… You’ll never be the same, again.”

"Dear Mario" | Let's-a-go!

Once word reached out to all her friends, her letters carried out from the grounds of Canterlot, it wasn’t long before the Elements of Harmony were once more assembled. Together, the girls collectively known as the ‘Mane Six’ set for on another adventure, into the mysterious depths of the ‘Undiscovered West’, beyond the borders of their home. It is there where the search for the mysterious Cave of Games proceeds, the journey to the ruins of a landscape formerly dubbed… Crystia…

Crystia

Sailing aboard an airship, an upgrade specifically designed for long-distance travel, Twilight and her friends gazed upon the horizon wondering what new and exciting adventures awaited them.

“Oh yeah!” Rainbow Dash hollered, excitedly. “Another awesome adventure just for us!”

“Yeah, but I feel kinda bad about leaving Spike out on this one,” Applejack frowned.

“He’ll be fine, Applejack,” Twilight replied. “Someone needs to run the kingdom in my absence, and I have high trust in Spike’s ability to manage it. I just hope we can avoid a repeat of the Grand Equestria Pony Summit in Canterlot.”

“You mean that big gathering you practically slept through, so Spike can play ‘princess’?” Pinkie rambled. “You could say Spike certainly made a ‘splash’ before the event was over.”

The girls laughed at that, despite it initially being a disaster. Still, looking back on it now, there was something funny about that moment. At least to lighten the mood before returning to the task at hand. By which time, the Airship had just reached its destination as it made it’s descent toward the grounds of Crystia.

“Anyway, why are we all here again?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“As you should know, we’ve been tasked to find the Cave of Games,” Twilight explains, as she disembarks off the ship. “According to Starswirl himself, the cave’s been infected by some dark magic, a force powerful enough to corrupt three of his colleagues. I believe somewhere inside is a cure for the darkness and once rid of it, we can assure these ruins are safe for ponies to explore.”

“And just exactly how you reckon we do that?” Applejack asked. “We may be the ‘Elements of Harmony’, but we’re not Doctors.”

“Oh, Applejack, you silly filly!” Pinkie Pie playfully chided. “This is exactly what we’re expected to do! Fight the bad guys, solve friendship problems, and make the world a better place! But you’re right, we ARE the ‘Elements of Harmony’! That’s who we are; it’s what we do! And after this, I’ll be throwing the biggest Victory Party Equestria has ever seen! WOO-HOO!!!”

“Oh, Pinkie…” The girls sighed, in unison.

They collectively shook their heads in amusement at the party pony, but they knew her heart was in the right place. After a period of strolling down the road, the girls finally arrive at the ruined city formerly known as Crystia. Twilight levitates a map from her saddlebags, studying the sketches carefully.

“Let’s see, according to Starswirl,” Twilight began. “The cave should be somewhere around this region.”

“Goodness!” Rarity gasped, seeing the city’s state. “I’ve seen worse in the Castle of the Two Sisters, but never like this!”

“It’s definitely seen better days,” Applejack frowned. “This city has become a ghost town.”

“G-G-G-Ghost town?!” Fluttershy stammered, frightfully.

“Now, don’t you worry there sugar cube. We ain’t gonna see no ghosts. I just mean it’s deserted, that’s all.”

“Sorry if that doesn’t make it any better!”

“BOO!”

“AH!!” Fluttershy yelped.

The frightened yellow Pegasus leapt into Applejack’s strong hooves, before turning around seeing Rainbow Dash laughing her head off.

“You should’ve seen the look on your face, Flutters!” Rainbow laughed. “You were so scared it’s hilarious! BAH-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!”

Fluttershy was less than pleased with being teased again, with Applejack sharing her scowl.

“Oh, Dashie…” Pinkie Pie called.

“What is it now, Pin—” Rainbow began.

Suddenly, the cyan blue Pegasus comes face to face with a zombie pony’s disfigured face.

“AAAAAAHHH!!!” Rainbow Dash screamed, with a high-pitch girly voice.

Now it was Rainbow Dash’s turn to jump into Applejack’s hooves, the Earth pony quivering shakily trying to hold two Pegasus ponies at once. Rainbow turns toward Pinkie Pie, revealing a mask resembling the kind at a costume store. The pink party pony was snorting and giggling like crazy, while Rainbow Dash frowned.

“Girls! Over here!” Twilight called out.

Her friends turn and quickly run toward her friend, who stopped before the entrance of a large cavern. Before their eyes, the entrance was sealed with a magical lock – Which resembled what Chancellor Neighsay once put on the School of Friendship – positioned all over the entrance.

Reaching into her bag, Twilight levitates a golden medallion granted to her by Starswirl the Bearded himself. Mere inches from the lock, the medallion glows a bright golden aura, as a beam of light is cast upon the sealed entrance. Several magical circles of arcane magic pierces the air, surrounding both the ponies and the seal. With a rumble of thunder and a crack of lightning, the ground beneath the ponies shook, until at last, the seal disappeared and thus entry into the cave is granted.

The Cave of Games

Upon entering the cave, Twilight and her friends look around, astonished by the magnificence of the cave. Its floor is shrouded in thick mist. Along the walls and ceilings above, large crystals protrude from their roots, varying in size and color, emitting faint rays of light from the sun. From the base of the crystals, tree-branch-like structures spread throughout the structures of the cave, with a purple-blue-green tinted gradient. Furthermore, the cave itself is filled with small twinkles of light, resembling fireflies and shimmering stars.

“This place is amazing!” Twilight marveled.

“Don’t have to tell me twice,” Rainbow Dash commented. “This place is awesome!”

“WHEE!”

A cry caused the rest of the Elements of Harmony to turn their heads toward a certain pink pony, jumping higher than normal. Like a rocket ignited into the sky before exploding.

“Look at me, every pony! I’m flying!”

“Pinkie Pie?!” Applejack exclaimed. “What the—How are ya doin’ that?!”

“It’s easy, A.J.! You just jump!”

As Pinkie Pie jumped toward the walls, she kicked her legs against the surface which caused her to propel in the air with a higher jump. While the ponies still had a job to do, they did admit it looked fun. One by one, the ponies tried it themselves, and while they hopped for a short bit of height, eventually they found themselves floating in mid-air, much to their amazement.

“This is an astounding discovery!” Twilight exclaimed. “It seems this cave is enchanted by some zero-gravitational force. Almost as if this is like being on the moon!”

“Except we’re still on Earth,” Applejack points out.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy gasped.

“I must admit, this isn’t entirely bad at all,” Rarity analyzed. “This cave is a bit deserted and lonesome though. But nothing a lady’s touch won’t cure…”

“Save that for another time, Rarity,” Twilight interrupts. “Remember what Starswirl said: This place is infected by dark and powerful black magic. Whatever this is, it’s already claimed three out of the four guardians of this cave. If we’re not too careful, we could get infected too! We’ll have to split up to cover more ground, but keep your eyes peeled. The sooner we find the source of this magic, the sooner we can be rid of it and get out of here.”

Nodding in agreement, the ponies split into separate directions to commence their investigation. After what felt like half-an-hour, the only thing the ponies have found are ruined statues that appeared to resemble boxes, platforms, and other strangely shaped devices. Furthermore, there appeared to be shelves built along the cavern walls, each carrying figurines of the most unusual characters they’ve ever seen.

Several mirrors hung against the caverns, drawing Twilight to inspect them. As explained, Starswirl stated how these mirrors served as prototypes to device a magical means of inter-dimensional travel, much like the one housed within Twilight’s castle back home. That one mirror in question served as a gateway between Equestria and the human world, where an old friend, Sunset Shimmer, resides (But that is another story).

“To think, these were only Starswirl’s previous models,” Twilight observed. “All before they became the gates to hundreds, maybe thousands of worlds, like the one Sunset Shimmer lives in!”

Twilight Sparkle approaches one mirror, placing her hoof on its dusty face, brushing along the glass.

“Who knows which world Light Feathers escaped to, after what became of her friends?”

The thought made the lavender alicorn frown sadly, unable to grasp the tremendous heartbreak the poor Pegasus endured. After the dark corruption that horribly altered her friends, Twilight couldn’t begin to imagine how helpless that pony felt.

Eventually, Twilight’s attention was drawn before a large pillar in the center of the room and went to investigate.

“What’s this?” Twilight asked.

It was then she noticed a slot, caved on the outside. Upon stepping closer, the medallion started vibrating violently inside Twilight’s saddlebag, as if drawn by an invisible force. Suddenly, the medallion flew out of Twilight’s bag, inserting itself into the slot, turning toward the right in a 180-degree clockwise motion.

Then something clicked, as if the medallion activated an age-old piece of machinery. Somewhere, amidst the cavern, the sound of gears turning echoes throughout the cavern.

“Twilight?” Applejack called out. “What’s happening?”

Every pony soon regrouped together, keeping watch for anything that could attack at any moment. But after a while, nothing emerged. Instead, the crystals themselves sprang to life, their lights burning brightly, as the mists shuddered violently slithering upon the walls and across the floors. The mists themselves began forming random objects:

• A ring
• A tiny bottle in the grip of metal claws, with what appears to be a face for the cap
• An object resembling a wrench
• A mushroom with beady eyes
• A bubble
• A large sword with an elephant wing-like hilt
• And a starfighter ship

“WHO DARES DISTURB OUR SLUMBER?!” A booming voice roared.

“AH!” Fluttershy screamed, diving behind Applejack for protection.

“Who-Who’s there?” Twilight stammered. “Who are you?”

As if answering her question, the mist rolls together, forming itself into the shape of a tall pony, clad in armor, with piercing balls of light for their eyes.

“A mistform!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Uh… What’s a mistform?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Basically, a mistform is living gas, cloud, or mist, hence the name,” Twilight lectured. “They’re the result of magical summing spells used to create them, for the purpose of protecting a specific region they first appear in.”

“Oh!” The Pegasus exclaimed, understandingly. “But wouldn’t it be easier to just call them ‘smoke monsters’? That’s how we do it back in Cloudsdale—”

“I AM NO MERE ‘SMOKE MONSTER’, CHILD!”

The ponies turned toward the Mistform, revealing itself to be the same voice they heard earlier.

“You stand before the presence of the Game Spirit,” The Mistform spoke, conjuring a cloud to form the shape of a large bulky stallion. “I did not exist then, but I recall the laughter and imaginative thoughts of the stallion known as Thunder Lawn.”

The spirit proceeds to shape the cloud showing the same bulky stallion, in conflict with a unicorn and an alicorn.

“I also recall the past conflict of three ponies and the darkness fueled by their innermost darkest emotions.”

For emphasis, the cloudy shapes of the tree ponies turned darkly grey, like those of a thundercloud, before they explode and reform together into a Pegasus.

“Afterward, I was summoned by the Pegasus, Light Feathers, to guard these very gates, awaiting the day when I would be awakened by the wizard’s powers again. As it seems… You are those very powers I’ve been waiting for.”

“Yes, we’ve come on behalf of Starswirl, to cure the cave of the darkness infecting it and possibly recover Light Feathers,” Twilight insists. “Speaking of whom, do you know where she could be?”

The game spirit appeared solemn by such a question, not jumping to answer right away.

“No… I know not where Light Feathers has gone, nor desire to reveal her location. Her final orders were to never reveal her fate… But I CAN tell you just where to start.”

“Okie-dokie-loki!” Pinkie Pie chirped, bouncing excitedly. “What do we do?”

“First… Approach the statues.”

The spirt points toward some strange statues resembling boxes of various size and shapes. Pinkie Pie’s attention was drawn to one statue.

“Hey girls! Look over here!”

Pinkie Pie points her hoof toward a statue, where golden words suddenly burned on its face: Nintendo 64.

“Approach the statue young pony; your first adventure through the Cave of Games starts there.”

Pinkie Pie did just that and before she knew it, a beam of light fired from the statue, striking one of the mirrors in the room. The mirror itself sprang to life, glowing a vibrant color of pink-and-orange hues. Within the mirror, what once held a dark void suddenly displays a title which read, Super Mario 64.

“Super Mario 64?” Twilight questioned. “What’s that?”

“Not ‘what’… But ‘who’,” The Spirit corrected. “Ask for Princess Peach; all you seek will be known.”

“Thanks for your help, Game Spirit,” Twilight replied, before facing her friends. “C’mon girls! Let’s check it out!”

The ponies simultaneously race deep into the portal, which disappeared once every pony entered and the mistform itself vanished…

???

Upon exiting the portal, Twilight and the girls found themselves on the grounds of a rather strange new land. From where they stood, they found themselves on a beautiful grassy plain, surrounded by tall hills, numerous trees in every direction, and fields of the most beautiful flowers they’ve ever seen. Up ahead stood a large, majestic white castle with red rooftops, a glass stained window of a fair maiden with blonde hair and a pink dress in the center. Along the castle stood a beautiful waterfall to the left, its waters flowing into the moat surrounding the castle, eventually leading into a large pond toward the right.

“Wow!” Rarity swooned. “This place is simply lovely!”

“It’s beautiful!” Fluttershy commented.

“It’s… Alright, I guess,” Rainbow Dash muttered. “No offence, but this place doesn’t look exciting.”

“We can sightsee this place another time, girls,” Twilight said. “Right now, we should be figuring out ‘where’ we are… And more importantly, why we are even here?”

Suddenly, a green pipe emerged from the ground. The girls eyed the pipe curiously, inching closer. Then, without warning, a short man in red clothing and blue overalls launched out of the pipe.

“YAHOO!” The man cheered. “Haha! Oh?”

It was then the man eyes the ponies curiously, after just noticing them. For the ponies, this man was the most unusual creature they ever saw. In appearance, the short, pudgy man has a large nose, black-ragged mustache, blue eyes, and dark brown hair. Its attire consists of white gloves, brown shoes, a red shirt, with a large matching red cap (With a red “M” in a white circle in front of the hat), and gold buttons on his blue overalls. By the looks of this man, he appears to be a plumber.

Before the man could speak, two more green pipes appear beside him and without warning two more men burst from the pipes. Suffice to say, one landed clumsily yet faired better than the other, who landed on his face.

One was a tall lanky man with blue eyes, a black smooth mustache and large nose, dressed in the same manner as the shorter man. Except his overalls are a darker blue, while his shirt and cap are green, complete with a green “L” in a white circle on his hat.

The other, just picking himself up, was large, portly, bulky man with a menacing grin, crooked black mustache, and wears a yellow cap with a white streak on the rim, a yellow T-shirt and purple overalls with white buttons, and green-pointed shoes. His cap had a blue “W” that exceeds the white spot space on the inside. He also wore white gloves with his blue “W” imprinted on it.

All three men stare at the ponies in bewilderment, before they each exchanged confused glances with each other and shrugged their shoulders.

“Greetings,” Twilight began. “I’m Princess Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends: Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity. We come in peace!”

The girls follow suit with Twilight’s example, exchanging friendly greetings.

“Ello!” The man in red greets in a loud friendly, cheerful tone. “So nice to meet-a you! It’s-a me, Mario!”

“I’m-a Luigi, number one!” The tall green man followed. “And I’m-a his brother!”

“And together, we are the—”

“Super Mario Brothers!” The two men said together, high fiving.

“I’m-a Wario!” The large yellow man boasts, flexing his muscles. “Wa-ha!”

The ponies and the Marios just turn toward Wario, the chirping of crickets in the background, just looking at Wario for a few seconds. Then, just so things don’t get too awkward, the Marios turn back toward the ponies.

“Let-a me be the first to welcome you all to the Mushroom Kingdom!” Mario continued.

Mario bows his head, taking his hat off like a respectable gentleman. Charmed by his manner, Twilight and Rarity giggle at the display.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mario,” Twilight smiled.

Mario eventually stands up, placing his hat back on his head.

“So, Princess-a Twilight, what a-brings you to the Mushroom-a Kingdom?”

“We’re on a very important mission,” Twilight explained. “We were instructed to meet Princess Peach on a matter of official business.”

“Oh, what-a coincidence!” Mario smiled. “Luigi and I were on our way to the castle to see the princess!”

To prove it, Mario held out a letter written to him by the princess herself,

“Dear Mario,

Please come to the castle. I’ve baked a cake for you.

Yours truly,
Princess Toadstool

-Peach.”

“Ooh! She baked a cake for you?!” Pinkie Pie squealed. “Sounds like my kind of princess! I LOVE CAKES!”

“ME TOO!” Mario squealed.

“You mean to say the princess actually invited you?” Rarity asked.

“Mmm-hmm!” Mario nodded. “The princess-a is a close-a friend of ours.”

“Oh yeah,” Luigi added. “Ever-a since me and-a Mario rescued the princess from-a Bowser, we’ve-a become very-a close.”

“Whoa, wait a minute!” Rainbow Dash interrupts. “You rescued the princess? And what’s a Bowser?”

Before the conversation could continue, Twilight Sparkle stepped in between the group.

“We should reserve our questions for later, guys,” Twilight suggests. “Don’t forget why we’re here. We meet with the princess and hopefully she can answer some questions for us.”

“Okay, okay!” Rainbow Dash mutters. “And you say I’m the impatient one.”

“Come-a with us, girls!” Mario called. “We’ll-a escort-a you to the castle.”

Nodding in approval, the ponies follow the three men, with Mario taking the lead.

“Let’s-a go!” Mario hollered, setting his sights on Princess Peach’s castle.

Along the way, Mario and Luigi start showing off their spectacular jumping skills, performing flips and acrobatic maneuvers, all of which greatly annoyed Wario.

“Wow, you guys got some moves!” Rainbow Dash commented.

Seeing how their little performance impressed their new friends, both Mario and Luigi decided to take it up a notch. This didn’t go well, unfortunately, when Luigi accidentally lands on Wario’s head.

“ARGH!” Wario growled, angrily.

Wario thrashed his fists out, punching after Luigi in retaliation for landing on his head. Luigi tried to stay as far away as possible, but Wario was relentless. The ponies screech to a halt, turning in shock at the large man’s angry display.

“Goodness!” Fluttershy gasped.

Mario quickly ran back to help his brother Luigi escape from the angry fat man, but Luigi ran blindly in fear he didn’t look and end up crashing into his brother.

“Oh! Oh, dear goodness!” Fluttershy exclaimed, helping the brothers up. “Are you two all right?”

“Wah! Why are you asking them if they’re okay?!” Wario grumbled. “I was stepped on!”

“I’m sure Luigi didn’t mean it,” Fluttershy assured. “Right Luigi?”

“R-R-Right! Sorry, Wario,” Luigi apologized.

But the only response from the fat man was a menacing growl which made Luigi duck behind Fluttershy.

“Wario!” Fluttershy berated. “Now that’s not very nice!”

“Wah! Pfft!”

The angry man blew a raspberry in Fluttershy’s face, before looking away in a huff.

“How rude!” Rarity berated.

“I’m-a sorry about that,” Mario shook his head. “That’s-a Wario being-a… Well, Wario… Anyway, let’s a get going! Okie-dokie?”

Getting back on track, everyone resumed the task at hand, or in the ponies’ case ‘hoof’, as they headed toward the castle. Upon arriving at the main entrance, however, Fluttershy’s ears perk up when she hears what resembles light snoring.

“Girls! Do you hear that?” Fluttershy asked.

“Hear wut?” Applejack asked.

“I thought I heard… Snoring?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Flutters!” Rainbow responds. “It’s probably just the wind, or something. Don’t be such a fraidy-pony.”

But little did our heroes know, along the roof of the castle, a green dinosaur, with a red saddle and shoes, was sleeping… But it wouldn’t be long…

Author's Note

Good thing alphasteel had showed me one of these potential critters we could use for our stories.

Whomp's Fortress | The Great Mission To Rescue Applejack

Once again, after entering the portrait, our heroes fell through a wormhole. It wasn’t long before they were sent spiraling toward a blinding light just at the other end, swallowing them whole. The heroes quickly shut their eyes to protect themselves from the brightness.

Eventually, the brightness subsided as they found themselves emerging through the opposite end of the wormhole. Our heroes soon arrived toward their destination – A floating fortress in the sky, surrounded by small grassy fields resembling gardens.

Just as they hit the surface, Mario and Yoshi performed a front flip and landed upon their feet, with Spike flapping his wings to gently slow his descent, while Pinkie Pie’s mane suddenly inflated, acting as an automatic parachute until she landed safely upon her hooves.

“Woo-wee! What a ride!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, before looking around. “So… Where are we now?”

As our heroes studied their new surroundings, Spike reached into his backpack and whipped out the map. He turns to a golden sparkle of magic at work, as two words display to reveal their new destination: “Whomp’s Fortress”. Everyone crowds around Spike, as they noticed thee Power Stars glowing on the map.

“According to this map, there should only be three Power Stars to collect here,” Spike stated.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi shook his head.

Yoshi reminds the little dragon of their first Power Star search through Bob-omb Battlefield, drawing 8 circles in the dirt, surrounding a Power Star.

“Yoshi!”

“Oh… Right!” Spike nodded. “There’s also some red coins and… 100 gold coins to collect… So, you’re saying…”

Yoshi nods his head in confirmation, as Spike nods along. Understanding each other, the two give a fist bump.

“Hey guys!” Pinkie Pie cut in. “What’s this about coins? I thought we are looking for Power Stars.”

“Ideally yes, but you see back in Bob-omb Battlefield,” Spike began. “The Bob-omb Buddies told me and Yoshi some of the Power Stars were broken into coins when Bowser attempted to steal them. The only way to bring them back is to collect an exact total of 100 coins, including 8 red coins.”
Yoshi nods along with every word Spike said.

“Then, what are we-a waiting for?” Mario began. “Let’s-a go!”

“Okie-Dokie!” Pinkie Pie chirped.

Suddenly, as Pinkie Pie hopped on her hooves, her whole body starts vibrating vigorously once more.

“Ooh! My Pinkie Senses are tingling! They’re telling me to go THIS-A WAY!”

With a point of her tail, Pinkie Pie and Mario take off climbing up the fortress, leaving Spike and Yoshi behind.

“Well, guess it’s just you and me again, huh Yoshi?” Spike asked.

Yoshi nodded with a shrug, as both he and Spike searched the base of the mountain.

“We do make a great team, though? Just think: A dragon and a dinosaur. Go figure. When you think about it, we’re practically… Cousins!”

Yoshi turned toward the little dragon, bewildered at the statement before looking up in alarm.

“YOSHI!!!”

Yoshi pulled Spike close, right when he nearly collided into a large plant, with a red bulb covered in white spots, and rows of teeth that gave the bulb the distinctive appearance of a head. Spike immediately remembered the plants being one of the few the pair encountered in the course world of the Goomboss and his Goomba army. Luckily for the two, it was asleep.

“Phew! One more step and I’d be a goner…” Spike whimpered.

Yoshi simply nodded, silently and grimly, when the two boys noticed a sign in front of the sleeping plant creature, which reads:

‘I’m sleeping because… I’m sleepy. I don’t like being disturbed; please walk quietly. And please don’t throw eggs at me!’

Spike and Yoshi turned to each other, holding their fingers up to their mouths, and shushed, ‘Shh!’. The two heroes slowly tiptoed to the side, careful not to startle the sleeping plant awake, until they were at a safe distance.

“Boy, that was close,” Spike sighed.

It was then the little dragon turned his head and noticed they were both standing next to a shadowy star mark.

“Bingo! We found a Star Marker! Which means there are some red coins to collect.”

“Yoshi!”

Luckily, a Bob-omb Buddy happened to be nearby.

“Hey! Let’s ask this guy,” Spike suggests, calling out. “Excuse me! Bob-omb Buddy! We’re friends of your from the ‘Bom-omb Battlefield’. Do the names Spike and Yoshi ring any bells?”

“Oh! I remember you two!” The buddy said. “You’re the guys who took out the Big Bob-omb! You guys are really super, you know that?”

“Thanks! Anyways, can you help us out with something? We’re looking for some red coins and we know you Bob-omb Buddies can detect them, like metals to a magnet. So, can you—”

“It’ll be my pleasure!” The Bob-omb buddy anticipated, gleefully.

Spike and Yoshi present the map to him, observing as he works his magic, making all 8 red dots appear on the map.

“There you go!” The Bob-omb buddy declared. “All 8 red coins waiting to be found with a Power Star waiting to be recovered! Good luck!”

“Thanks!” Spike waved.

Spike and Yoshi turned to begin their hunt for the coins, when the Bob-omb buddy called out:

“Oh, and while you’re at it, keep a lookout for red caps! They’re really chic; I keep seeing them around here lately.”

Speaking of red caps...

After they left Spike with Yoshi, Mario and Pinkie raced up the slope, taking them to the top of the fortress, and collected 5 gold coins along the way.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 5 coins

Spike and Yoshi =

Total =

“Ooh!” Pinkie Pie squealed excitedly. “This is so exciting! It’s like the super-duper, most fantastic treasure hunt in the whole Mushroom Kingdom!”

“Oh yeah!” Mario nodded, in agreement.

Suddenly, as Mario turned, he spots something that made his eyes widen.

“Look out!”

The plumber pulls Pinkie Pie back, just as a moving block thrusted itself out from the walls, nearly shoving her off.

“Whoa! That was a close one!” Pinkie exclaimed.

Pinkie turned toward the moving block, as an astonished expression appears on her face.

“Oh, hello! I’m Pinkie Pie. What’s your name?”

But rather than answer, the block resumes thrusting itself out, attempting to shove the pony away.

“Hey! No need to be all pushy!” Pinkie scolds, turning to Mario. “What’s eating this guy?”

“I don’t-a think they’ll a-listen, Pinkie-A Pie,” Mario said. “These are Bomps. They’re-a living stones, just-a like the Thwomps. They’re evil creations of Bowser’s, to push and shove anyone that stood in front of-a them.”

Mario then turns toward the second of the three Bomps before them.

“But it’s-a good thing they can’t-a look-a up!”

With a jump and a lunge, Mario snatched a floating red coin from the air as he flies across the third Bomp, landing on his hands, and rolled himself up on his feet.

“Ha-ha!” Mario laughed, triumphantly.

Wow!” Pinkie Pie gasped, with starry eyes. “That was so AWESOME!”

“Thank you, Pinkie Pie!” Mario smiled.

The plumber proceeds to add the red coin to their collection.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 7 coins (5 gold coins + 1 red coins

Spike and Yoshi =

Total =

“Let’s-a go!”

As Mario and Pinkie Pie resumed their climb up the fortress, it was convenient that they should stumble upon some yellow arrows painted along the wall and floor. Some stone platforms moved in and out of the wall, allowing Pinkie & Mario to cross the gaps to reach the next platform, where they were nearly stomped on by a large moving block of stone, encrusted with stone round-ended spikes, and an angry expression on its face.

“Phew, that was a close one,” Pinkie Pie breathed heavily. “I gotta lay off the sweets!”

Pinkie turns to see Mario approaching two blocks of red bricks, before throwing a punch, smashing one into rubbles, revealing a green glowing mushroom. Mario picks it up, and it emits a jingle resembling a ringing bell.

“Wow, Mario!” Pinkie smiled. “They don’t call you ‘Super Mario’ for nothing!”

Mario simply smiled, before he breaks the next block of bricks and collected three gold coins from the rubble.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 10 coins (8 gold coins + 1 red coins

Spike and Yoshi =

Total =

Pinkie Pie looked and noticed a green transparent floating block with a ! in the center, "Hey, what's this?" Pinkie Pie asked, before she reads a sign post next to the block. "When you step on a strange ! Switch hidden in the castle, the ! Blocks of the same color will become solid. Some of these blocks have useful items inside. Get the items by breaking the blocks. But beware! Some blocks are duds."

"Hmmm," Pinkie turned to Mario and asked, "Hey Mario. Do you know of any ! Switch back at the castle?" Mario simply shook his head in response, "No, I guess not. Where do you think it could be? And what do you think could be inside these ! blocks?"

“We’ll-a find out later, Pinkie Pie,” Mario replied. “But first, we’ve got to find some Power-a Stars!”

Mario and Pinkie Pie resume their trek up the fortress, climbing some large steps while avoiding the stomping block of stones called Thwomps.

“You know, these Thwomps are real block heads!” Pinkie commented.

Mario laughed at Pinkie’s joke, as he collects the second red coin, floating above the second Thwomp’s head.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 12 coins (8 gold coins + 2 red coins

Spike and Yoshi =

Total =

Once they reached the top of the steps, Pinkie Pie and Mario look down toward the ground and spots a yellow arrow pointing right, directing their attention toward a flight of steps. At the top, a sleep plant with jagged teeth could be seen.

“What is that thing?” Pinkie asked.

“It’s a piranha plant,” Mario explained. “They are large carnivorous plants that will-a eat just about anything.”

“Yikes!” Pinkie Pie grimaced. “It’s a good thing this one’s asleep.”

“But look!” Mario pointed.

Before their very eyes, they spotted a red coin… Right behind the plant. Mario and Pinkie exchange looks, and they shushed, ‘Shh!’. They slowly tip-toed up the steps, sneaking past the sleeping Piranha Plant, and pick up the red coin.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 14 coins (8 gold coins + 3 red coins

Spike and Yoshi =

Total = 14 Coins

"We got it!" Pinkie whispered happily, as she and Mario tried to sneak away from the sleeping plant, only for Pinkie's tail to brush across the plant's jaw. The plant creature started to twitch.

Meanwhile, back with Spike and Yoshi

A few minutes earlier...

Spike & Yoshi fought off two goombas and collected two gold coins. They soon came across a flowerbed surrounded by 8 gold coins, which they didn’t hesitate to pick up, bringing them a total of 10 coins. But the number of coins collected didn’t end there, as the two stumbled across two wooden poles, standing next to the Star Marker.

“Hmm… Two more poles, like the one holding that Chain Chomp back in the Bob-omb Battlefield,” Spike commented. “Good thing there’s no Chain Chomps in this place.”

“Mmm-hmm…” Yoshi nodded.

The little dinosaur proceeds to jump up and ground pound one of the poles into the ground.

“Yoshi? What’re you doing?” Spike asked.

Rather than answering, the green dinosaur kept pounding that pole, until five more gold coins sprang up from the Earth.

“Whoa! I think I got it!” Spike realized.

Spike turns to the next wooden pole, leapt toward the top and attempts to stomp it down with his feet. When that didn’t work, he decides to bounce on his tail like a jackhammer, which proves to be more effective, and thus earning him 5 gold coins for his efforts.

“That makes 20 coins for us, Yoshi!” Spike smiled.

Spike and Yoshi shared a quick high five as the scoreboard is displayed.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 14 coins (8 gold coins + 3 red coins

Spike and Yoshi = 20 coins

Total = 34 Coins

After collecting the coins, the two were well on their way, jumping over a fence and landing in another part of the green landscape surrounding the fortress. They soon passed a large block of red bricks, jumping across a gap in the ground, which would’ve lead them to a long drop through the sea of clouds below. The two soon stumbled upon a corner, where they came to a sudden halt, nearly crashing into another sleeping Piranha Plant.

“Shh!” The two exchanged shushes.

The boys quietly crawl passed the sleeping plant, until they were at a safe distance.

But our heroes didn’t get very far, when a large black missile was fired toward from a black cannon, with a picture of a skull painted on the side. The most bewildering parts was the missile itself appeared to have a face along the nose, with angry eyes, a mouthful of sharp teeth curled into a menacing grin, and a pair of white arms along the side.

“Oh geeze!!” Spike yelped.

The little dragon quickly hit the ground, his arms over his head, while Yoshi stood his ground, staring down at the incoming missile. Moments before the missile struck its targets, Yoshi immediately shot his tongue out to snatch the missile out of the air, before spitting it back at the cannon, destroying it and the three orange-red bricks next to it.

Upon breaking the bricks, Spike and Yoshi were rewarded with a total of 9 gold coins which they quickly collect.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 14 coins (8 gold coins + 3 red coins

Spike and Yoshi = 20 + 9 = 29 gold coins

Total = 43 Coins

Afterward, they come across three wooden poles, much like the last two they stomped earlier. Knowing the drill, Spike & Yoshi went to work, once again stomping the three wooden poles into the ground, earning them a total of 15 gold coins.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 14 coins (8 gold coins + 3 red coins

Spike and Yoshi = 29 + 15 = 44 gold coins

Total = 58 Coins

After they were done, Yoshi looks up and his eyes widen with glee.

“Yoshi!”

Yoshi points at a single red coin, nestled in the midst of three flowerbeds.

“SCORE!!” Spike shouts gleefully.

Spike flaps his wings to collect the coin. Suddenly, as he reached out for the red coin, three piranha plants burst out from the ground and attack, viciously snapping their jaws at the young dragon.

“AAAH!!!” Spike screamed.

Completely caught off guard, Spike ducked his head down, his arms over his head, and huddled himself into a ball.

“Yoshi!” Spike called. “Help!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi screamed.

Yoshi quickly came to the rescue, as he shot his tongue out to snatch up the piranha plants and swallowed them whole.

“Phew!” Spike sighed, in relief. “I thought I was a goner that time. Thanks for the save, Yoshi!”

Yoshi smiled toward the young dragon, before he felt a strange sensation in his mouth, causing him to spit out three blue coins, which they didn’t hesitate to add to their collection coins, including the red coin they went through the trouble of collecting.

“Every little bit helps,” Spike replied, as Yoshi nods in agreement.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 14 coins (8 gold coins + 3 red coins

Spike and Yoshi = 61 coins (1 red coins + 44 gold coins + 3 blue coins)

Total = 75 Coins

Spike & Yoshi continue their treasure hunt, when they happened upon a clear crystal ball floating on a piece of land, separated by large gaps on both sides.

“Another crystal ball?” Spike noted. “Guess that means there are some silver stars to collect, doesn’t it?”
Yoshi nods in agreement, before looking up and chirped excitedly:

“Yoshi! Yoshi!”

“What is it, Yoshi?” Spike asked.

Spike followed the dinosaur’s hand as he pointed to a Power Star that was on a floating platform, just above a couple of goombas on another, surrounded by wired fences.

“I got this!” Spike declared.

With a flap of his wings, Spike flew up to grab the Power Star, making it their first start on the course.

“Yeah, I got a Power Star!” Spike cheered, as the star danced around him.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi cheered.

This did not go unheard as the goombas immediately turn their heads toward the dragon and Yoshi.

“Oops!” Spike spoke, with a sweat drop.

The Goombas charged toward the duo, as they immediately flew into action as they fought off the two, with Spike throwing a punch at one Goomba, knocking it off its feet, sending it flying towards Yoshi, who swallowed it whole and lays an egg, which he immediately threw at the other goomba, and they explode into puffs of smoke, leaving behind 2 gold coins in their place.

After collecting their prizes, Yoshi and Spike happened upon a blue coin switch, which Yoshi ground-pounds on, revealing 4 blue coins, to which they didn’t hesitate to collect, earning them a total of 22 coins.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 14 coins (8 gold coins + 3 red coins

Spike and Yoshi = 83 coins (1 red coins + 46 gold coins + 7 blue coins)

Total =97 Coins

"AAAAAAAAH!!!" A scream was heard from above, to which the two boys were very familiar with.

"Pinkie Pie!" Spike shouted, as he and Yoshi raced off to the rescue, hoping they weren't too late.

“Let me go!" Pinkie wailed, with her tail in the jaws of the Piranha Plant. "I’m sorry I woke you up! Now please, let me go!”

Pinkie Pie found herself in a serious predicament, as the Piranha Plant tried to eat the little pony. She struggled to pry the plant’s mouth open, but the beast was relentless.

“Hold-a still, Pinkie!” Mario called out.

With a jump, Mario stomped his feet on the Piranha Plant’s head, causing it to release its mouth, and it disappeared into the ground, leaving behind a single blue coin and Pinkie Pie.

“Mamma mia!” Mario exclaimed, surprised.

Mario picks up the blue coin, increasing their collection.

Coins Collected

Mario and Pinkie = 19 coins (8 gold coins + 3 red coins + 1 blue coin)

Spike and Yoshi = 83 coins (1 red coins + 46 gold coins + 7 blue coins)

Total =102 Coins

Then, in a flash of light, the coins our heroes collected all float in the air, forming together to become: A Power Star. A dazed Pinkie Pie recuperates just enough to catch a glimpse of the star.

“Ooh! Pretty!”

“Oh yeah!”

Both Mario and Pinkie Pie collect the Power Star and perform a victory dance.

“Yeah! We got a Power Star!” Pinkie Pie sang.

“Yahoo!” Mario whooped.

“Hey!”

They turn just as Spike and Yoshi arrived on the scene.

“That’s our line!” Spike said.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

“Oh, hi Spike! Hi Yoshi!” Pinkie greeted. “Where’d you come from?”

“We just came from the base of the fortress,” Spike replied. “We were collecting coins when we heard you screaming, Pinkie Pie. Looks like you’ve been busy! Collected a hundred coins already?”

“What? Oh no, no, no!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “This was a team effort! Check the scoreboard! You and Yoshi found 83 coins, while me and Mario only found 19! Put them together and we get 102 coins total!”

Spike, Yoshi, and Mario all blinked for a moment. Eventually, they simply shrug it off.

“Anyway…” Spike spoke, breaking the silence. “Now that we’ve got a Power Star from collecting 100 coins, we should keep looking for more.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi nodded.

“You’re right-a Yoshi!” Mario replied. “We can’t-a forget the 8 red coins we need to collect for another Power Star.”

“You mean like that one?” Pinkie Pie pointed, with her tail.

They turn and their eyes spot another red coin positioned on a narrow ledge.

“I’ll get it!” Mario volunteered.

Mario proceeds to shimmy across the narrow ledge, collecting the red coin.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins: 54
Red Coins: 5
Blue Coins: 8

Once Mario shimmied to the other side of the ledge, he lets out a loud, “YAHOO!”

“Mario!” Spike shouted. “Behind you!”

“Yoshi!”

But it was too late. Mario failed to notice he stood too close to a sleeping piranha plant, which stirred away from Mario’s whoop and immediately snapped its jaws at him, angered to be disturbed from its slumber.

“Mamma mia!”

Mario jumped overhead, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of the angry plant monster.

“Whoa!”

Mario nearly tripped on his landing, almost falling off the edge of the platform, had he not grabbed onto the ledge.

“Hang on, Mario!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

“I’m-a hanging!” Mario replied. “I’m-a hanging!”

Spike flapped his wings, as he flew to help the super plumber hero. Spike breathed a ball of green fire at the enraged Piranha Plant, which exploded upon impact, and the plant creature immediately disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“You okay, Mario?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, I am!” Mario smiled, pulling himself back up. “Nice-a job, Spike! Way to go! Number one!”

Spike simply blushed over the compliment, just as Yoshi and Pinkie Pie arrived, having shimmied across the narrow ledge. Just then, Pinkie’s senses tingled more violently.

“Oh! My Pinkie Senses are detecting one of our friends nearby!” Pinkie said, before her tail shook. “Ooh, and I’m grooving! We’ve got to get to the top of the fortress!”

“Oh yeah!” Mario agreed.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped along.

Once again, the heroes resume their trek toward the top, waiting for a rotating wooden platform to spin in a counter clockwise motion toward their direction. Eventually, it stopped and allowed them to cross onto it, standing along the center of its rotational point. The platform proceeds to spin again, until it stopped, granting them access to the other part of the fortress.

Eventually, Mario, Yoshi, and Pinkie Pie got off and were well on their way. Spike was about to catch up, when from the corner of his eyes, he spots a red coin floating in mid-air, between a row of two gold coins. With a flap of his wing, Spike proceeds to collect the red coin in the middle.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins: 54
Red Coins: 6
Blue Coins: 8

Along the way, Spike turns toward another red object, resting just along a floating platform, connected by a long wooden plank acting as the bridge.

Back with the rest of the heroes

“YIPE!!!”

Pinkie Pie, Mario, and Yoshi watched as a large rectangular stone monster with a menacing snaggle-toothed face, simple hands and arms, and legless feet charging toward them. Pinkie Pie looks up, wide-eyed, as the monster towered over her and proceeds to fall over, face-first, in an attempt to flatten the pink pony into pancakes.

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

*Pause button hit*

Hmm… I’ve heard of MLP’S Cupcakes. But MLP Pancakes?

*Clears throat*

… Fine!

*Turns off pause*

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!” Pinkie Pie screamed.

Pinkie Pie would’ve been flat as a pancake too, had Mario not pulled her out of the way, and the monster landed on its face and couldn’t get up. From that position, the heroes quickly noticed the monster’s back was cracked and covered in bandages. Not wasting another second, Mario and Yoshi jump above the fallen blockhead, curling themselves forward and performing a ground-pound atop the monster, crushing it into rubble, disappearing in a puff of smoke, and left behind five gold coins.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins: 59
Red Coins: 6
Blue Coins: 8

“What was that monster?” Pinkie asked.

“That was a Whomp,” Mario lectured. “Another of Bowser’s evil-a minions. They may be big and strong, but as you can-a see, they’re not too smart when they attack.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, in agreement.

“Really?” Pinkie asked. “Then, you might want to tell him that!”

Pinkie pointed to a second Whomp, charging at them. Much like its other comrade, the second Whomp came charging at the heroes, but it tripped and fell on its face, allowing both Mario and Yoshi to once again, stomp it into rubble and retrieve five gold coins.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins: 64
Red Coins: 6
Blue Coins: 8

“That was easy,” Pinkie Pie smiled.

The party pony and the guys continue on their way, until they reach the top of the fortress, where they confront another Whomp. But unlike the other two Whomps they contended with, this one appears to be ten times the size of an average Whomp, and he wore a large golden crown atop his head.

“I am the Whomp King, and I am mad!” The giant Whomp bellowed. “It makes me so mad! We build your houses, your castles, we pave your roads, and still you walk all over us. Do you ever say thank you? No! And on top of that, some orange pony came and poked her nose in places where it don’t belong, so I locked her away!”

“That’s my friend/’possible’ cousin Applejack!!” Pinkie Pie barked, outraged. “You’re going down, Whomp King! Mario and I will wipe the floors with you, free Applejack, and get back the Power Star!”

“Oh yeah!” Mario agreed, assuming a fighting stance.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi agreed, doing the same thing.

Yoshi turns to the side seeing Mario and Pinkie Pie on his right, before noticing Spike was missing.

“Yoshi?”

“Well, you’re noting going to wipe your feet on me!” The Whomp King roared. “I think I’ll crush you just for fun! Do you have a problem with that? Just try to pound me, the Whomp King, wimps! Ha!”

Super Mario Galaxy 2 – Boss Theme 2

The fight began as the Whomp King stomped his foot, as he thunders across the fighting arena. With every stomp, the ground shook beneath his feet, knocking the heroes off balance and they fell to the ground. They look up, just as the Whomp King fell over attempting to smash his adversaries, but they roll aside as he exposed his back to the heroes. But unlike his fellow Whomps, the Whomp King’s back was marked by a circle with a star symbol, designed to resemble something seen in action-packed comics, surrounded by cracks.

With a nod of their heads, Mario, Yoshi, and Pinkie Pie jump upon the Whomp King’s back, curling their bodies forward to execute a triple ground-pound, with Pinkie’s tail morphing in the shape a jackhammer. This attack infuriated the Whomp King, since their combined attacked cracked his back further. The stone monarch rose upon his feet, once again thundering across the arena. But this time, instead of falling on his face like before, the Whomp King stomped his foot down, sending a powerful shockwave across the arena, stopping Mario and Yoshi in their tracks, as they shook violent from the trembling shockwave. Pinkie Pie managed to jump clear of the shockwave in the nick of time.

Furthermore, upon stomping his foot, three miniature Whomps appeared from the ground, staring at the heroes with menacing glares. Unlike normal Whomps, these miniature versions only had one tooth; their faces are flatter, their bodies less rectangular, and they had square, arm-less hands.

“Attack Pattans!” The Whomp King ordered.

Apparently the three mini-whomps are ‘Pattans’.

That's what they're called in Super Mario Galaxy 2. You haven’t played this game in a while, have you?

Guilty as charged.

After they recovered from the shock, Mario and Yoshi came to their senses, seeing the Pattans charge toward them and Pinkie Pie. Like their master, and the previous two Whomps, the Pattans flop forward attempting to squash Mario and his two comrades. But our three heroes jump to the side, evading the attacks, watching as the Pattans immediately disintegrated upon hitting the ground.

“Not as strong as they look, for a bunch of blockheads,” Pinkie Pie commented, giggling.

Nevertheless, the Whomp King kept fighting, as he angrily stomped his foot, unleashing more violent shockwaves at our heroes. Thankfully, Pinkie Pie anticipated the attack, quickly spinning her tail like a helicopter’s propellers to get airborne, carrying Mario and Yoshi safely away from the shockwave.

As the Whomp King kept stomping, he failed to notice another Mario climbing the flagpole before reaching the top. The Mario copy turned himself around, aiming his nose at the Whomp King, whose back was turned. Setting his sight on the target, the Mario duplicate kicked off, hurdling himself at the Whomp King’s back in a flying kick, catching the unsuspecting Whomp King off guard, and he fell forward on his face in a tremendous thud.

“OOF!” The Whomp King groaned.

The Mario copy proceeds to stomp his foot on the stone monarch’s back, as everyone else looked on.

“Way to go, Mario!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

“Uh, Pinkie Pie?” The real Mario called, drawing her attention. “I’m still here.”

“Huh?”

Before Pinkie Pie could question, Yoshi released his grip on the pink pony, landing onto the arena, and ran to the other Mario.

“Yoshi?” Yoshi chirped.

Though from Spike’s perspective via Mario’s cap, making him ‘Spike-Mario’, he was saying:

“Spike? What are you doing?”

“I’m-a trying to break this-a monster’s back!” Spike-Mario replied. “What’s it look-a like I’m-a doing?”

“You’re stepping on him, that’s what. If you want to break a Whomp, do it like this!”

The dinosaur demonstrates by jumping in the air, curling his body forward into a ground-pound stomp, breaking the Whomp King’s back further upon impact.

“Ooh!” The Whomp King groaned.

“Oh, I get it!” Spike-Mario spoke.

The little guy was about to deploy the same technique, when the Whomp King rose upon his feet, catching Spike-Mario and Yoshi off guard. The two heroes nearly slide off, but quickly grab onto the edge of the Whomp King’s stony structure atop his head.

“Look!” Mario pointed. “Yoshi and-a Spike are all hanging on-a top of his head!”

“Actually, it’s more like his face,” Pinkie Pie commented. “Kind of hard to tell which is which since he’s got no body. Get it? No body?”

Boo! *Hurls a tomato* Get out of the game!

Before Mario could respond to Pinkie’s bad joke, the Whomp King angrily stomped his foot on the ground, sending another shockwave toward the heroes, and summoned five more Pattans, which the Whomp King sic upon Mario and Pinkie Pie.

“Run for it!” Pinkie Pie shouted.

The party pony and Mario ran around the arena, the Pattans in hot pursuit, and all the while, our heroes tried to avoid the Whomp King’s thunderous stomps, which sent more paralyzing shockwaves at them. In the meantime, the Whomp King struggled to get Spike-Mario and Yoshi off him.

“Get off of me!” He growled, struggling to reach for the two heroes. “Curse these tiny stony arms!”

Spike-Mario and Yoshi held on with all their might, as the Whomp King tried to shake them off.

“Hold on, Yoshi!” Spike-Mario said.

“I am!” Yoshi replied. “Whoa!”

Without warning, the Whomp King jumped up and down, repeatedly stomping his feet, sending more powerful shockwaves almost as strong as an earthquake. The Pattans stop in their tracks as they bounced in place, while Pinkie and Mario rattled and shook. Spike-Mario and Yoshi bounced up-and-down atop the king’s head, until they end up dangling over the Whomp King’s face, hanging by one of his eyelids.

“Yikes!” Spike-Mario yelped.

The pair were completely terrified, as they stared into the menacing gaze of the stone monster. The Whomp King readies himself to fall on his face again, threatening to squash both Spike and Mario.

“Consider yourself smashed, Super Mario!” The Whomp King grinned menacingly.

“Actually, I’m not Super Mario!” Spike-Mario smirked.

He proceeds to remove his hat, revealing his true dragon self, much to the Whomp King’s surprise.

“Just Spike the Noble Dragon!”

Spike blew the Whomp King a raspberry, as he took Yoshi by the hand and they jump off before they got flatten. The Whomp King struggled to regain his footing, but it was too late. With a thunderous crash, he fell on his face again, smashing the unfortunate Pattans unable to get out of the way.

To add insult to injury, Mario and Pinkie Pie got out of the way just as the Whomp King landed, exposing his back to the two heroes, thereby allowing them to ground pound on top of him, breaking his back for the last time.

“No… Crushed again!” The Whomp King moaned in agony. “I’m just a stepping-stone, after all. I won’t gravel… Er, grovel. Here, you win. Take this star with you. And your friend is directly below… Darn it!”

The Whomp King’s left hand tapped on the arena, displaying his surrender, before disappearing in a burst of smoke and rubble. In his place is a Power Star, while a hatch slides open in the middle of the arena.

End of Fight Song

Pinkie Pie and Mario quickly grab their third Power Star, as it danced around them.

“Yay!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “We got another Power Star!”

“Oh yeah!” Mario cheered, looking around. “Hey, where did-a Yoshi and-a Spike go?”

“We’re over here!” Spike called.

Mario and Pinkie Pie turn their heads, catching Spike and Yoshi standing on a floating isle, shaped like an arrow.

“Spike! Yoshi!” Pinkie Pie smiled happily. “You’re both okay!”

“What’re you doin’ over-a there?” Mario asked.

“Kinda jumped off the Whomp King at the last second,” Spike replied. “Or else we’d be turned into pancakes.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

Just then, the little dinosaur points toward two more red coins on the next floating isles.

“Yoshi and I will get those red coins,” Spike replied. “That’ll give us another Power Star!”

“Yoshi!”

“Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie replied. “We’ll go down and free Applejack! We’ll catch up with you guys later!”

“You got it, Pinkster!” Spike replied.

“Yoshi!”

Mario and Pinkie Pie turn their attention back to the opened hatch, and jump right in.

Deep within the fortress, in a dark room, a rustic cage sat as its prisoner has been bucking the cage for hours trying to get out. This was Ponyville’s apple-farm pony and the Element of Honesty herself, Applejack. Like the rest of her friends, since arriving in the Mushroom Kingdom, trouble found them in the former of Bowser and his fellow baddies, who captured them all and imprisoned them. Applejack had been stubbornly bucking the cage door for what felt like forever, but no matter how hard she tried the cage refused to open.

Finally, she gave up and plopped onto the cage door, removing her hat, and fanning herself.

“Boy howdy, what I’d sure give to be back in Sweet Apple Acres right now,” Applejack sighed, missing her home. “Buckin’ trees from dawn to dusk, hangin’ with my friends and family. Instead of bein’ trapped in this here like a bird in a gilded cage.”

Then, without warning, a ray of light suddenly shines down from above, banishing the darkness surrounding the country pony’s prison.

“Wut in tarnation?!” Applejack exclaimed.

“WHEEEEEE!!!”

A familiar squeal is heard as Pinkie Pie fell into the room, landing on her hooves. Mario curled himself into a ground pound, just an inch away from the floor, to lessen the impact.

“Hiya Applejack!” Pinkie Pie chirped happily.

“Pinkie Pie!” Applejack smiled. “I’m sure glad to see ya!”

The country pony’s turned brighter when she saw Mario next to her friend.

“You as well, Mario!”

“Ello, Applejack!” Mario greeted happily. “Are you okay?”

“I will be if ya’ll get me outta here.”

“Then stand-a back!”

Mario grabs the bars in an attempt to bend them, grunting with every ounce of strength he could muster.

“Can’t… Bend… Bars… Too… Thick!”

Pinkie Pie attempted to pry the bars open with her hooves, even attempting to saw through with a file from her mane. Neither method did any good.

“Need cupcakes!” Pinkie Pie grunted. “With sprinkles!”

“Stop it you two!” Applejack said. “Ya can’t get me outta here like that! Ya need to hit that there switch!”

The pony pointed to a large strange transparent orange box, with an exclamation point in the center.

“Oh! Why didn’t you just say so in the first place?” Pinkie Pie giggled. “A.J., you silly pony!”

“Don’t call me that,” Applejack said.

But it seemed to go unheard as Pinkie and Mario rushed to hit the switch, which immediately opened the cage, freeing Applejack. Before she could limber out, Pinkie Pie ran towards the country pony, tackling her in a loving hug. Applejack merely hugged back, so tightly she didn’t want to let go.

“Applejack!” Pinkie Pie yelled happily. “I’m so happy you’re okay!”

“Heh… I was just gonna say the same to you, sugarcube,” Applejack smiled tearfully. “How’d ya ever find me here?”

“Oh, it wasn’t easy, but let me tell you,” Pinkie Pie began, clearing her throat. “First, we had to fight the Whomp King, who held you prisoner. But not before we had to fight two of his Whomp Guards and before that we had to climb up the fortress, while avoiding some sleepy, cranky Piranha Plants. But even before that, we had to avoid some moving blockheads called Thwomps and some Bomps, but first we had to enter this place through a magic painting in Princess Peach’s castle. But let me tell you A.J., that wasn’t an easy thing, since me and Mario had to be rescued by Spike and his new pal, Yoshi, in order to—”

“Wait! Hold it, hold it!” Applejack exclaimed, interrupting Pinkie Pie’s story. “Spike’s here?”

“Eeyup! All the way from Equestria!” Pinkie concluded, with a smile.

Before Applejack could ask further questions, the whole fortress shook violently.

“Wut just happened?”

A few moments earlier...

After defeating the Whomp King, Spike and Yoshi continued their coin hunt for the two remaining red coins, all the while collecting the other gold coins along the way.

The arrow-shaped floating island there were on had a total of 8 coins, which Spike collected as and Yoshi jumped on a floating block of concrete, where a red coin rested. After collecting the coin, the two jumps to the next three floating isles, which were round-shaped and spinning. The second isle had a ring of 8 gold coins, while the third has the last red coin the needed to collect.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins: 64 + 8 + 8 = 80
Red Coins: 6 + 2 = 8!
Blue Coins: 8

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped excitedly.

The little dinosaur points to the ground, where the star marker is, as a Power Star materialized the moment they collected the final red coin.

“Yeah! We struck Power Star!” Spike hollered excitedly.

Spike and Yoshi turned back the way they came, to collect their prize. They returned to where the Whomp King once stood when the entire structure suddenly shook.

“What’s happening?” Spike asked.

“Yoshi?” Yoshi replied, expressing his uncertainty. “Yoshi!”

The dinosaur points, directing the young dragon’s gaze to the structures of a tower rising from the ground. The shaking came to a stop when the tower finally reached its full height.

“Spike! Yoshi! Up here!” Pinkie called from above.

The boys turn up seeing the party and Mario at the top.

“Pinkie Pie!” Spike called. “Are you alright?”

“Never better!” Pinkie Pie smiled, showing a Power Star. “And look, we got a Power Star!”

“Awesome! That makes a total of four stars we’ve collected so far!”

“Sounds like ya’ll have been busy!” Applejack commented, making herself known.

“Applejack?!” Spike exclaimed. “Is that really you?!”

“Of course, it’s me, Sugarcube! I thought I’d never see ya again.’

“Just stay there! Yoshi and I will find a way to get down.”

“No need, Spike!” Pinkie Pie replied. “We’ll just take the elevator!”

Spike and Yoshi both turned to exchange dumbfounded looks toward each other, before turning back to Pinkie Pie.

“There’s an elevator?” Spike called out.

“Yup! Here we come!”

The three heroes both got onto a platform, that immediately took them down toward a flight of stairs, which took them to the bottom where they met Spike and Yoshi.

“Applejack!” Spike smiled.

The little dragon happily hugged the country pony, to which she returned the embrace, before breaking apart.

“Pinkie and Mario filled me in on wut’s goin’ on,” Applejack began. “So, wut’s next? Do ya know where to find the next Power Star or two?”

“Yoshi and I just collected the last red coins,” Spike replied. “We were just on our way to collect the Power Star that came with them.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi nodded.

“Well then, let’s go get it, Sugarcube!” Applejack declared, excitedly.

After climbing down the fortress, our heroes approached the Star Marker, which both Spike and Yoshi discovered earlier. There, as promised, the Power Star danced in the air, waiting to be collected by our heroes.

“Here we go!” Mario hollered.

All at once, the heroes grab the Power Star, making it the fifth star they’ve collected. The star danced around Spike, Mario, Pinkie Pie, and Yoshi as they dance and cheer.

“Yeah! We got a Power Star!”

“Yoshi!”

Applejack simply blinked her eyes, taking a moment to comprehend her friends’ cheerful display of victory.

“Uh… Wut was that all about?”

“That’s just how we celebrate after collecting a Power Star, silly!” Pinkie Pie explained. “You oughtta try it, it’s fun!”

“Oh yeah!” Mario added, giving a thumbs up.

“Really? Well, I’ll keep that in mind,” Applejack shrugged off. “Now that the fun’s over, is that all them Power Stars?”

“Not yet,” Spike shook his head, whipping out his map. “According to the map, there’s still at least two more to collect.”

Spike motions to the flashing stars indicated on the map, pointing to each one.

“There’s one up here, and another one somewhere along this pool of water. Once we collect the last Power Stars, we’ll be done with this place.”

“Yoshi,” Yoshi shook his head, tapping the spot where they found the crystal ball.

“Oh yeah, that’s right,” Spike nodded. “I complete forgot about the crystal ball.”

“What crystal-a ball?” Mario asked.

“Well, shortly before Yoshi and I came to help you,” Spike began. “We discovered this crystal ball, much like the one we found in an earlier painting, which required five silver stars to reveal the Power Star. But the strange thing is: There are no Silver Stars in this place, or they would’ve shown up on the map.”

“How are we going to get that Power Star?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“Hmm… Y’know, now that I think about it,” Applejack began, pondering. “When I was caged up back in that there fortress, ah remember hearin’ one of them goons mentionin’ somethin’ about a switch that reveals a Power Star in them fancy crystal balls, somewhere round here. If I recall correctly, they say they hid the switch under some block of bricks over there.”

Applejack points to the gaps in the wall, just beneath the moving platforms Pinkie and Mario crossed earlier. Our heroes investigate and found the block of bricks Spike and Yoshi passed earlier.

“Stand-a back!” Mario said.

The plumber quickly throws a punch at the brick, breaking it into rubble, revealing a yellow star-shaped switch with a white ‘!’ painted on it.

“Who would’ve thought this would be here?” Spike asked.

“It’s all in the fun of game development,” Pinkie Pie stated. “They sure love throwing a little puzzle to test their players’ intelligence.”

Everyone else gave Pinkie Pie some odd looks before stepping onto the switch, activating the star in the crystal ball on the other side, as it appears on the map.

“Look! The star!” Spike pointed.

Suddenly, no sooner do our heroes activate the switch, they heard a loud ticking noise, echoing from somewhere.

“Uh… What is that-a noise?” Marios asked.

“My guess is a timer,” Pinkie Pie deduced. “I should know, I always set a timer whenever I’m baking cupcakes, pies, and cakes with the Cakes back home in Ponyville.”

“Hmm…” Applejack pondered, scratching her chin. “Then my guess is that we have to collect that Power Star before the ticking is done, or it’ll disappear.”

“Then, let’s-a go!” Mario shouted.

Super Mario and friends took off running around the bass of the fortress, passing a sleeping piranha plant, which immediately snapped awake as soon as the heroes passed it.

“Sorry for waking you, Audrey II!” Pinkie Pie apologized.

Afterward, the heroes were well on their way, racing to the other side, rounding the corner, where the crystal ball was in sight, with the Power Star just inside.

“The Power Star!” Spike shouted.

At the moment, the ticking quickened its pace, indicating the end was coming.

“Oh no!” Mario shouted. “It’s going to disappear!”

“Not on ma watch!” Applejack shouted.

With a kick of her strong legs, Applejack rocketed forward, throwing herself toward the crystal ball, smashing it into a glitter of light.

“Yee-haw!” Applejack hollered, as the sixth power star danced around her.

“Alright, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

The party pony and all the others gathered around the country pony, showering her with praise.

“Way to go!” Mario congratulated. “Number one!”

“Now we only have two more to find!” Spike said, studying the map. “We’re close to the next one, it should be in this pool here.”

The heroes jump over the fence, back onto the platforms where Spike and Yoshi previously fought off some Goombas. From there, they ran up a ramp, meeting with another Bob-omb Buddy.

“Hye look! It’s a Buddy!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “Hey Buddy!”

“Hi!” The Bob-omb Buddy greeted. “I’ll prepare the cannon for you!”

The hatch besides the Bob-omb Buddy opened, granting access for the heroes.

“Ready for blastoff! Come on, hop into the cannon!”

“Uh… Beg yur pardon?” Applejack asked.

“One of our buddies spying on Bowser’s goons confirmed they have hidden a Power Star inside one of those walls,” The Buddy explained.

The Buddy directs the heroes’ attention toward the walls, where Mario nearly got bitten after making the mistake of disturbing a sleeping piranha plant, earlier.

“Do tell, do tell,” Applejack nodded, understanding. “But wut does that have ta do with us in a cannon?”

“If you’re gonna get the Power Star, you need to get into the cannon so we can blast you out and break the star out of the wall.”

“Are ya crazy?!” Applejack exclaimed, outraged. “You’re gonna break our skulls than the wall!”

“Don’t worry, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie assured.

She quickly reached through her mane and tail, pulling out some safety helmets, which she immediately strapped on her friends’ heads.

“Good thing I’ve packed safety helmets, in case of safety helmet emergency!”

“I knew can always count on you, Pinkie Pie,” Spike commented.

“I don’t know,” Applejack said, uncertain. “I’m not sure if this’ll be enough ta protect our heads from being blasted out a cannon.”

“Let’s a do this!” Mario said, hopping into the cannon.

“Mario! Wait!” Applejack shouted.

The country pony rushed toward the cannon, as it rose from the ground.

“Are ya sure about this? I wouldn’t want ya to get hurt.”

“Don’t-a worry, Applejack,” Mario replied. “My brother, Luigi, and I blast ourselves out cannons lots of-a times! I’ll-a be okay.”

“Ooh… I can’t watch this!” Applejack cringed, pulling her helmet over her head.

“Ready?” The Bobomb Buddy asked, readying the cannon.

“Ready!” Mario replied, giving a thumbs-up from the cannon.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!”

The Bob-omb Buddy lights up the cannon’s fuse, aiming for the wall. Suddenly, Mario realized too late that his aim was off.

“WAIT!!!”

Too late. Mario was blasted out of the cannon, flying off into the sky, narrowly missing the wall before coming back down.

“Mama miaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!”

“MARIO!!!” The Equestrians shout.

They jump into the poll of water, calling out for their Italian friend. They search for him in the sea of clouds he most likely fell into.

“Mario?!” Pinkie Pie screamed. “Mario, where are you?”

“Up-a-here!” Mario called from above.

Our heroes look up and discover the plumber hero had fallen onto a floating cage.

“Mario!” Applejack called. “Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, Applejack!” Mario called out. “And even-a better! I found-a Power-a Star!”

Mario revealed the seventh power star, which danced around him, showering him with golden sparkles.

“Oh yeah!”

“Way to go, Mario!” The friends cheered.

“Hate to break up the celebration ya’ll, but how are ya gonna get down from there?” Applejack asked Mario.

“Don’t-a worry, Applejack,” Mario said.

The jumpman climbs to the top of the cage and leapt forward in a lunge, diving down into the pool, rolling forward to break his fall before flipping himself back onto his feet.

“Oh yeah!”

“Whoa!” Spike exclaimed. “That was AWESOME!”

“What was that move you did?!” Pinkie Pie asked.

“That was-a break-a-fall!” Mario replied. “It’s-a handy maneuver that every experienced parkour guy, like me, needs to learn to prevent-a injuries!”

“Wow!” Pinkie Pie beamed, with starry eyes. “You are so awesome!”

“Thank-a you, Pinkie Pie,” Mario smiled. “But my brother, Luigi, is-a better at parkour. He’s the real-a legend! There's even a full documentary of-a him!”

Finding Luigi – Legend of Parkour by Nintendo

“Sounds like he could teach me a thing or two about parkour,” Spike said, expressing interest.

“Well, if we’re all done talking,” Applejack began. “Can we get back ta getting’ the last Power Star?”

“I got this one!” Pinkie Pie volunteered.

The party pony already zipped off, jumping herself into the cannon.

“Pinkie! Wait!”

“Fire in the hole!”

BOOM!

Pinkie Pie blasted herself out of the cannon, crashing into the first wall, breaking it apart… Only to reveal nothing there.

“Ooh…” The heroes cringed.

“Oh… Wrong wall…” Pinkie Pie said dizzily, flopping back into the cannon. “Aim for the other wall please?”

“No! I can’t take this another—”

BOOM!

Applejack’s words were ignored when Pinkie Pie blasted out of the cannon.

“—Second…”

Once again, flying as a pink blur, Pinkie Pie collided with the second wall, breaking away its structure into rubble, revealing the last Power Star in the course.

“Huh, Sweet Celestia!” Applejack exclaimed. “A Power Star!”

“Yup!” Pinkie Pie chuckled, with swirly eyes.

Pinkie Pie watched as Spike flew up to collect the Power star.

“Hip-hip hooray!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “We found the eighth Power Star! Yay~”

All at once, Pinkie collapsed into the water, while Applejack sighed and shook her head.

“Can we get out now?”

Princess Peach's Castle

The painting of the Whomp’s Fortress rippled, as the heroes emerged, returning to Princess Peach’s Castle.

“Alright! We did it!” Spike whooped. “We’ve got 8 Power Stars and we’ve rescued Applejack!”

19 Power Stars

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “Let’s party!”

“Not so fast there, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack interrupts. “It’s a little too soon for a party; we still have some Power Stars to find. And on top of that, we’ve gotta find and save the rest of our friends.”

“And save-a Princess-a Peach!” Mario reminded. “Bowser-a still has-a Princess-a Peach! And we can’t-a stop until she is-a safe!”

“Then, let’s-a go!” Pinkie Pie shouted. “We’ve-a got-a work to do, heh-heh! Now you’ve got me doing it!”

“Come on Yoshi, let’s get going!” Spike added.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped in agreement.

As they walked out of the room, upon returning to the entrance hall of the castle, the friends suddenly discover a large beam of light, shining along the center of the room, down onto the sun mattress from the ceiling.

“Hey!” Spike pointed. “What’s up with that?”

“Ya mean that wasn’t there before?” Applejack asked.

“Nope,” Mario shook his head.

“Well, let’s go check it out!” Pinkie Pie chirped.

Pinkie and her friends rush over toward the beam of light for further inspection. The heroes stood inside the beam of light, feeling a soothing aura of warmth and calm washing over them.

“Whoa, this feels nice!” Spike commented.

“Yoshi,” Yoshi chirped, in agreement.

“This feels like… Sunlight!” Applejack exclaimed. “But how? And where could it be comin’ from?”

“Hmm…” Mario pondered.

“Hey… Mario…”

A voice from above was heard, calling for Mario.

“Oh?” Mario exclaimed, surprised.

“What is it Mario?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Mario turned toward the direction of the voice, when suddenly his whole world was swallowed by blinding white light, and he disappeared before his friends’ eyes.

“Mario?!” The Equestrian heroes shouted. “Mario?! Where are you?”

“Where did he go?” Spike asked.

“Yoshi?!” Yoshi exclaimed, with uncertainty.

“I don’t know!” Pinkie Pie replied. “He just looked up and—”

Pinkie Pie looked up into the light, only to disappear in a flash.

“PINKIE PIE!!”

“C’mon ya’ll!” Applejack shouted. “After them!”

Applejack turned toward the light, vanishing in a flash.

“Our turn, Yoshi!” Spike said to the dinosaur. “Here we go!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

The young purple dragon and green dinosaur all turn toward the light, following their friends in a new secret course.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the castle

"There is light in the castle... The stars... They are returning... Someone has found them... Someone has freed this kingdom's greatest hero... Someone is bringing back... The light."

Author's Note

Power Stars: 11 + 8 = 19

Up Next: Our heroes are going under the sea, where they're hunting Power Stars in a sunken ship, fighting sea monsters, and rescue their loyal friend, Rainbow Dash!

After that: The heroes go ghostbusting in Big Boo's Mansion to find and rescue Fluttershy and Luigi.

Jolly Roger Bay – Part 2 | The Great Mission to Rescue Rainbow Dash

Upon entering the ship, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Mario found four treasure chests – one at the top, one in the middle, and two beneath – resting on the sand-covered floor.

“Ooh, treasure chests!” Pinkie commented, in awe.

She proceeds to swim toward the one in the middle…

ZAP!!!

Pinkie Pie is electrocuted so greatly, her poofy mane sticks up in all directions and bits of static electric crosses the brows over her eyes while she stood there stunned.

“Pinkie Pie!” Applejack exclaimed. “Are ya alright?”

“Hee-Hee!” Pinkie Pie giggled. “It makes my hair stand on end!”

Mario and Applejack could only shake their heads, incredulously at the eccentric pink pony, before Mario turned behind him, shocked by what he discovered.

“MAMA MIA!” Mario exclaimed, through his snorkel. “Look!”

Floating unconsciously at the top of some platforms, before them, tied by chains, there was the pony they were looking for.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack confirmed.

Pinkie Pie and Applejack swam towards Rainbow Dash, trying to get a closer look.

“DASHIE!!!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Dashie! It’s me! Pinkie Pie, your PFF! We’re here to rescue you! Please, don’t die on me! You just can’t! I’m too young for you to die! We haven’t even met Sonic the Hedgehog yet! You’ve got to stay with us! Please!”

“Pinkie! I don’t think she can talk to us in this state,” Applejack replied.

Meanwhile, Mario turned his attention toward the four treasure chests. Obviously, the middle one shouldn’t be touched, so he proceeds to swim toward one of the chests at the bottom…

ZAP!!!

“YOW-HO-HO-HOW!!!” Mario yelped.

The chest electrocuted the plumber to the point it left him dazed and burnt from shock. As if that wasn’t enough, Mario felt somewhat lightheaded. The same was said about Pinkie Pie too.

“Ooh… I don’t feel so good,” Pinkie moaned, the oxygen leaving her. “I’m feeling kind of looney.”

Pinkie Pie was not kidding as she literally saw doubles of all her friends.

“I’m with ya, Pinkie,” Applejack agreed. “I’m feeling loopy myself. I think we’re running low on oxygen.”

After shaking the shock away, Mario cautiously swims toward the next chest, and once again, it electrocuted him. It was then Pinkie’s senses kicked in, as both she and Applejack turned toward Mario, seeing he was about to drown.

“Mario!” They shouted.

With a kick of her legs and a spin of her tail, Pinkie swam forward and wrapped her hooves around the red plumber, before spinning her tail again and swimming toward Applejack. Together, the two ponies carried Mario to the ceiling of the room, where there was a small amount of air for them to breathe. Once they broke the surface, Mario coughed until he slowly regains his breath.

“Mario, are ya alright?” Applejack asked.

“Oh yeah!” Mairo replied. “I’m-a okay now. Thanks-a Pinkie-a Pie. Thank-a you Apple-a-Jack.”

“You’re welcome!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “But what were you thinking, trying to pry one of those chests? I got zapped by one of them, remember?”

“I know that. But-a trust-a me. It’s-a all-a part of-a puzzle! I’ve been-a through tons of-a castles to recognize another of Bowser’s puzzles. All we have to do is-a figure out the puzzle to these chests. It could-a be our only chance-a to save-a Rainbow Dash!”

“Hmm… Sounds like it’s worth a shot,” Applejack nodded, reluctantly.

“What-a good idea!” Pinkie Pie chirped, swimming toward the chests.

Obviously, the middle and two bottom chests couldn’t be open. Therefore, they safely assumed that the top chest is the first to start. As a matter of fact, upon touching the chest, instead of electrocuting them, the chest opens rewarding the two heroes with an air bubble, replenishing them of their strength.

“Ooh!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “That feels good!”

Pinkie quickly zips back toward the middle chest…

ZAPS!!!

“OW!” Pinkie cried.

As she shook her hoof, the first chest closed itself while the others turned to Pinkie with incredulous looks.

“He-he… Crispy,” Pinkie chuckled, nervously.

“Mama mia!” Mario shook his head.

Mario and Applejack reopened the first chest, before he swam toward the bottom chest on the left, and it opens up, rewarding him and his two pony friends with another air bubble. Then, the three heroes turn toward the next bottom chest on the right, before finally managing to open the middle chest.

“YAY!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “No more getting zapped this time!”

Suddenly, the whole ship shook violently, as the water began to drain.

“Wh-What’s going on?” Pinkie asked, looking around.

“I think we’re going-a up!” Mario deduced.

They watched as the water above them went down, while they were going up with the ship. Eventually, the ship stopped shaking, and the entire room began to rock back-and-forth, causing Mario and his two pony friends to slide back and forth.

“Whoa!” Mario and Applejack exclaimed.

“WHEEEEEEEE!!!” Pinkie Pie laughed.

She slid across the floor, spinning like atop, until eventually she and the other heroes slid next toward the unconscious Rainbow Dash.

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack shouted, picking up her unconscious friend. “Rainbow, are ya alright?”

Applejack passed Rainbow over to Mario, who gently cradled her in his arms. Eventually, he placed his ear close to her chest.

“She’s okay!” Mario confirmed. “But she needs to have the water-a pumped out of her quick!”

“Come on, every pony!” Applejack said. “Let’s get her out!”

She placed Rainbow Dash on her back, just about to carry her out with Mario, when Pinkie Pie hopped toward the orange ‘!’ block.

“Just one moment!” Pinkie called out.

The party pony jumped up and hits the block, causing it to break into confetti, revealing a Power Star, thus making it their third Power Star collected. The Power Star itself danced around Pinkie Pie in celebration.

“YEAH! We got a Power Star!” Pinkie Pie cheered.

Meanwhile, a few moments earlier...

Spike and Yoshi swam for dear life, trying to escape from the eel, when Spike spotted something.

“Yoshi, look!”

Spike pointed toward an opening to a large cave along the side of the wall.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped.

Spike didn’t need to wear Mario’s cap to know what Yoshi was saying.

“Yeah! A cave! Let’s hide in there!”

“Yoshi!”

Yoshi and Spike quickly beat their feet and swam like they’ve never swum before. There floating in front of the cave was a ring of eight gold coins, which they quickly collected.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 41 + 8 = 49

Red Coins = 1 x 2 = 2

Blue Coins = 5 x 8 = 40

Total = 91

Afterwards, the two heroes resumed their escape from the giant eel, swimming into the cave, where the sea monster could pursue no further. With a frustrated snort, the eel turns back and was about to swim back to the sunken ship, only to find its former home floating toward the surface.

Meanwhile

“Dashie?! Dashie!” A loud high-pitch voice called. “Speak to me!”

“Dash! Wake up, sugar cube!” A deep, strong voice with a Southern Accent called.

Weak and disoriented, Rainbow Dash wearily opened her eyes, before she immediately coughed up water.

“Oh, my head…” Rainbow groaned.

Slowly, the Pegasus regained her vision and turns toward some familiar faces.

“Pinkie Pie? Applejack? Mario? Is that you?”

As she came to her senses, Rainbow Dash looked around toward her surroundings finding that she was no longer underwater, or below deck, but on the deck, with all her friends surrounding her.

“Dashie!” Pinkie Pie chirped. “You’re alive!”

“Phew!” Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. “Way to go, Mario! That ultra-mushroom of yers really did the trick!”

“Oh yeah!” Mario cheered, with a thumbs up.

Mario and the ponies then turn their attention back to Dash, who was more than happy to see her friends again.

“Am I dreaming?” She asked. “… Or is this even real?”

“As real as my name is Pinkamena Diana Pie and the day your Sonic Rainboom colored my life!” Pinkie Pie smiled, before frowning. “And as real as the many lies you made for liking my pies…”

“Pinkie, I told you I was sorry—Pinkie! It really is you!”

Happily, Rainbow Dash wrapped her hooves around each other in a joyful hug. Dash soon turned to Applejack and the two strong ponies hugged each other, as Dash saw Mario standing and waving to her.

“A.J.! Mario! I’m so glad to see you!”

“It’s-a good to see you-a too, Rainbow-a Dash!” Mario smiled. “And I’m-a glad-a we found-a you, just in-a time!”

“Yeah, a few more seconds, and you’d be a goner for sure!” Pinkie added.

“Oh… Don’t want to think about that,” Rainbow Dash shuddered.

No pony could blame her, given the fact she was close to being killed. So instead, she preferred to change the topic.

“How’d you guys find me anyway?”

“Well, it wasn’t easy,” Applejack began. “First we had to get rescued before we even found you.”

“Then, we were guided by a voice calling itself… Well, ‘The Guide’!” Pinkie Pie explained.

“The Guide?” Rainbow Dash asked, raising a brow.

“Strange name, I know,” Applejack replied. “But that’s what it calls itself.”

“Well, I’m just glad you girls are safe,” Rainbow Dash replied, turning to Mario. “Thanks for busting them out.”

“Oh no, I didn’t free them,” Mario shook his head. “It was-a Spike and-a Yoshi who rescued—”

“Wait! Spike's here?!” Rainbow exclaimed. “And what’s a Yoshi?”

“Yoshi’s a green dinosaur who has a long tongue and is a friend of Mario,” Pinkie explained.

It was then that Applejack quickly remembered.

“Omigosh! SPIKE! With all that’s been happenin’, I completely forgot!”

“Forgot what, Applejack?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“SPIKE AND YOSHI!”

“OH NO!” Mario and Pinkie exclaimed.

“I forgot they were live-baits!” Pinkie Pie frowned. “Now I feel terrible!”

“We’ve got to save-a them before it’s-a too late!” Mario said.

Rainbow Dash blinked, dumbfounded by her friends words.

“Say what now?”

Back with Spike and Yoshi

Spike and Yoshi both kept on swimming, until they finally broke the surface of the water and walked onto dry land, inside the underwater cavern.

"Phew," Spike breathed a sigh of relief, as he and Yoshi panted heavily to catch their breathes. "I thought we were goners that time."

"Yoshi."

After their breathings became steady again, Spike and Yoshi got up on their feet to have a look at their new surroundings in the cavern.

At the entrance, they came upon a sign that reads:

Keep out! That means you! Arrgghh! Anyone entering this cave without permission will meet certain disaster.

--The Cap'n

“What kind of certain disaster?” Spike asked.

He stepped into the cavern, when the sound of cracking stones was heard, and the two looked up.

“LOOK OUT!”

Spike and Yoshi quickly ran out of the way, just as a large stone pillar fell down and nearly crushed them.

“Certain disaster!” Spike whimpered. “Right!”

Yoshi nodded in agreement, before turning to the right.

“YOSHI!”

“What is it, Yoshi?”

Spike followed where Yoshi was pointing and spots a Blue Coin Switch Block.

“Sweet! Another of those blue coin switches! That’ll give us more than a hundred coins we need to get a Power Star!”

“Yoshi!”

Both Spike and Yoshi immediately ran to the Blue Block Switch, ground-pounding the block, triggering the appearance of six blue coins, rewarding them a total of 30 coins.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 49 + 3 = 52

Red Coins = 1 x 2 = 2

Blue Coins = 8 + 6 = 14 x 5 = 70

Total = 124

Soon, all 100 coins the heroes collected floated in the air before Spike and Yoshi, and they watched as the coins merged together to form a Power Star, making it their fourth Power Star collected in Jolly Roger Bay. Spike and Yoshi collected the star, dancing in celebration with the star.

“Yeah!” Spike cheered. “We’ve got a Power Star!”

“Yoshi!”

After they celebrate their victory, they look ahead and spot a pack of six Goombas charging at them. Spike and Yoshi exchange nods, before charging towards the attacking Goombas. Spike and Yoshi didn’t get far, however, when they noticed another stone pillar falling over, and crushing two of the Goombas.

Spike and Yoshi immediately got some ideas, as they proceed to run around the cavern, with Spike taunting the Goombas into chasing them, as he and Yoshi lead the baddies to get crushed by the collapsing stone pillars. Each fallen Goomba left some gold coins, though they hardly matters, since our heroes collected their 100 coins and the Power Star that comes with it.

Eventually, Spike and Yoshi reached the end of the cavern, where they find four treasure chests, resting atop a stone platform.

“Whoa! Treasure!” Spike exclaimed.

It was then Spike and Yoshi noticed a sign on the left.

The sign reads:

Aarrgh! Ahoy, matey. I have sunken treasure here, I do. But to pluck the plunder, you must open the treasure chests in the right order. What order is that, ye say? I'll never tell!

--The Cap'n

“Must open the treasure chests in the right order?” Spike asked. “What does it mean by that?”

Of course, Yoshi shrugged his shoulders in response.

“Well, I’d hate to know what happens if we get the wrong order.”

Yoshi nods in agreement, before looking around and his eyes widen upon seeing a large cage to the right, with a crystal ball inside.

“Yoshi!”

“What’s up? Spike asked.

The little Dragon turned to where Yoshi was pointing, surprised to see a crystal ball.

“Looks like another Star Switch mission for us.”

Yoshi nodded, then scans across the cavern and quickly finds the Star Switch.

“Yoshi!”

Yoshi quickly left Spike in the dust, as he jumped across the cavern and lands on the Star Switch, triggering another Power Star to appear in the crystal ball.

“Alright! Now let’s… Uh, what?”

Spike was perplexed and confused; there was no door, let alone a hole, in the cage.

“What the hay? What gives?!”

Spike struggled to pry the bars open, but the bars were too thick. Spike tried to breathe fire on the bars, but they remain unscathed. Yoshi quickly drew back, jumping to the air and attempted to kick the bars down. Unfortunately, the bars stayed in place, hardly a dent, while Yoshi winced and bounced on one foot, with his other foot recoiled from the damage.

“Come on!” Spike screamed. “This isn’t fair!”

Spike reached out for the Power Star in futile. He tried squeezing his way through the bars, but the space between the bars were too narrow for his whole body to squeeze through. Eventually, all Spike and Yoshi could do is watch helplessly as the ticking grew more rapid, until finally, the Power Star disappeared from sight.

“There goes the Power Star,” Spike pouted.

Along with Yoshi, they both slump to the floor with a heavy sigh.

Meanwhile, back with the other heroes

“I can’t believe you talked Spike into being live-bait for a giant eel!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled at the thought, as she and her friends searched the bottom of the lake. They all don up their snorkels and fins, luckily there were extras for Rainbow Dash.

“I just hope he and Yoshi are alright,” Applejack replied, with concern. “If anythin’ happens to the little guy because of us, Twilight will have my hat for this!”

“Eh, Spike’s a tough little dragon,” Pinkie Pie shrugged. “He’ll be fine. Besides, he’s got Yoshi, so nothing to worry about. I think…”

“That doesn’t sound reassuring, Pinkie,” Applejack frowned. “Let’s just—”

“Ooh! Red coin!”

Pinkie Pie points to a nearby clam that just opened up, revealing said coin. Without a second to waste, Pinkie quickly swam over to snatch the red coin before the clam had a chance to close up.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 52

Red Coins = 1 + 1 = 2

Blue Coins = 70

“Two down and six more to go!” Pinkie Pie said.

“I thought we were looking Spike and this… Yoshi guy,” Rainbow Dash said, confused.

“We are,” The pink pony answered. “But we’re also on the hunt for eight red coins! Once we collect them all, we’ll get ourselves a Power Star!”

“And-a speaking of Power-a Stars, look over there!” Mario pointed.

Low and behold is a single Power Star, floating above a jet stream, blowing streams of bubbles through a grate at the bottom.

“Power Star!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

“I’ll get it!” Rainbow Dash insisted.

The Pegasus flapped her wings, kicking her legs to swim over to retrieve the star, but was suddenly blown away by the strong current.

“WHOA!!!”

“Dashie!” Everyone called out.

They watched as the Pegasus spun into a ball, until she was thrown out of the jet stream’s range.

“I’m okay,” Rainbow replied.

She tried to fight her way through the jet stream again to get the Power Star.

“C’mon, c’mon, c’mon!” Rainbow grunted, until she was blown away again.

“It’s no use!” Applejack stomped her hoof, frustrated. “That gust of water’s too strong!”

“Oh well,” Pinkie Pie chirped. “We can just come back for it later. Let’s find some red coins so we can get ourselves another Power Star!”

“And while we’re at it, let’s keep searchin’ for Spike and Yoshi too,” Applejack reminded.

They turn toward the bottom of the bay and spots the underwater cavern.

“Look! There’s a cave!”

“Maybe Spike and-a Yoshi went in there,” Mario pondered.

“Well, if I was being chased by a giant eel, I’d hide out in a cave too!” Pinkie Pie stated.

“Let’s go get ‘em!” Rainbow Dash declared.

Rainbow Dash lead the charge, swimming towards the cave, while she noticed Pinkie Pie swimming away.

“Pinkie? Where are you going?”

“You go find Spike and Yoshi!” Pinkie called out. “I’m gonna find some red coins!”

Meanwhile, back with Spike and Yoshi

Once again, Spike and Yoshi struggled to figure out a way to get the Power Star out from the cage. Obviously, they couldn’t squeeze their way through the bars, and Spike’s flames couldn’t melt them. The two tried to break the bars with a large chunk of rock, but that did little progress. Overall, the bars were too strong, too thick… Unbreakable.

Desperate, Spike hurled punches and kicks like a martial artist.

“HI-YAH!”

BANG!!!

Spike slammed his claws on the bars, which he soon regrets.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” He cringed, clutching his smartened wrist.

At last, exhausted and at their wits end, Spike and Yoshi collapse onto the floor.

“I give up…” Spike moaned. “There’s no way to get that Power Star.”

Yoshi moaned in disappointment but nodded in agreement.

“Well, at least we’ve still got the chests. Let’s just figure those out.”

With that said, the purple dragon and green dinosaur—

:pinkiesmile: "If you switch it around, then they're like Barney the Purple Dinosaur and Elliot the Magic Dragon from Disney joining forces to save the day!"

Pinkie Pie... KNOCK OFF THE POP CULTURE REFERENCES!!!

"Why? You do it all the time. And no pony was complaining."

That's beside the point, Pinkie. Get back to your role in the story! As we were playing...

Spike and Yoshi approached the four treasure chests to investigate. First, Spike reached his claws out for the chest up front and received a slight ‘zap!’.

“Ow!” Spike winced, quickly withdrawing his claw.

Turning to the chest on the left, Yoshi cautiously inspected the wooden box, sniffing for a moment, before he touched the chest in the back, opening it and as a red number 1 magically appeared. Astonished, Spike turned to the chest on the left, which Yoshi quickly sniffed, before giving the dragon a nod of approval. Spike and Yoshi open the chest, earning themselves a red number 2. They turn to the next chest on the right, which opens to reveal a magical red number 3, until they finally turn to the chest up front and open it to reveal a magical red number 4.

But the magic didn’t stop there, when a Power Star bursts from the chest, floating and dancing before the dragon and dinosaur. Without any hesitation, Spike and Yoshi quickly grab their fifth Power Star, and it danced around them as they danced together in celebration.

“Yeah!” Spike cheered, with a fist pump. “We got a Power Star!”

“YOSHI!”

“SPIKE! YOSHI!”

The two heroes turn as Applejack, Mario, and the newly rescued Rainbow Dash, running up to them.

“Mario! A.J.! DASH!” Spike exclaimed, happily. “You’re okay!”

Spike smiled as he and Rainbow shared a quick hug together, the former pleased to see the cyan Pegasus was alright.

“Just barely,” Dash replied. “I thought I’d never see ya again, Spike!”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, presenting himself to the Pegasus.

“Oh, hello there,” Dash greeted the dinosaur. “You must be Yoshi, the dinosaur Mario and Pinkie Pie told me about, right?”

Yoshi nodded, as he and Rainbow Dash shook hands and hooves, while Applejack approached Spike.

“You’re not hurt too bad, are ya, Spike?” Applejack asked, inspecting the little dragon.

“Aside from being scared half-to-death by a sea monster, me and Yoshi are fine,” Spike replied. “We just got another Power Star… Or at least, one of two.”

“Huh? One of two?”

To prove it, Spike guides the heroes’ attention to the crystal ball behind the cage.

“It’s breaking in, that’s the trick,” Spike frowned. “Yoshi and I already tried getting through, but we can’t get that star out!”

“Stand back, little man,” Rainbow Dash said.

She walks across the cavern, giving herself a distance away from the catch, setting herself at the ready. Then, with a flap of her wings, Rainbow Dash thrusts herself forward, until at the last second, she whips her leg out to land a kick on the cage.

BANG!!!

The bars remained unscathed, while Rainbow’s eyes widen suffering from recoil damage.

“OW!!!!” Rainbow screamed.

The Pegasus fell to the floor, clutching her smartened hoof.

“It’s hopeless!” Spike sighed. “We’re never getting that star out! And we need all 150 Power Stars…”

Yoshi shared Spike’s disappointment, as he sat beside the little dragon, stroking his back. In the meantime, Applejack searched the cavern for a way through the bars, when she happened upon two floating transparent ‘!’ boxes. One was colored blue, while the other was green.

“Now wut do we have here?” Applejack asked.

The cow pony approaches the boxes, before turning to a signpost planted in front, which reads:

Somewhere, hidden in the castle, are the magical ‘!’ switches. When you step on these switches, the ‘!’ blocks of the matching colors you see before you will become solid. Each ‘!’ block has its own unique powers. Red ‘!’ switches give the users wings, the green ‘!’ switches will encase them in metal, while the blue ‘!’ switches grant the users the power of vanishing through solid objects like a ghost.

“Hmm! That last power sounds like it could help us in this situation,” Applejack commented.

“Too bad we don’t have it right now,” Spike points out. “Otherwise, the box would’ve been solid, and we’d be out of here with that Power Star.”

“That would definitely save us the trouble of trying,” Rainbow added.

Rainbow Dash was still sore from her first attempt at breaking the bars.

“Oh well,” Mario shrugged. “Let’s just leave this-a Power-a Star for now and look for the others in this-a course. We’ll-a come aback for this-a star, later.”

“Yoshi,” Yoshi chirped, in agreement.

“Alright,” Spike complied. “So, how many stars we got? Me and Yoshi found two. One in this cavern, and the other at the end of the eel’s tail.”

“Yoshi!” Yoshi exclaimed, drawing a circle and a star shape in the middle.

“Oh, right! We’ve found a total of 100 coins, thus earning us a third Power Star.”

“Don’t forget the Power Star Pinkie got from there cliffside she floated to,” Applejack added. “That makes number four.”

“And the Power-a Star we found in the ship, when we rescued-a Rainbow-a Dash,” Mario added. “That’s total of five!”

“And Pinkie’s already lookin’ for red coins,” Applejack reminded. “If she finds all eight of ‘em, that’ll get us six Power Stars!”

“Wow, you guys have been busy!” Rainbow Dash commented, astonished. “How many more do we need to collect in this place?”

“Well, not counting the one we can’t get now,” Spike acknowledge the caged crystal ball. “Only one more star to go, I think.”

Curious, Spike reached into his backpack and pulls out his map, in which a single Power Star is shown flashing on the dark spot in the lake.

“Hey! That’s the Power Star we found at the bottom of the lake, beneath the ship!” Rainbow Dash pointed.

“Beneath the ship?” Spike asked. “How do you know that?”

“C’mon, sugar cube,” Applejack said. “We’ll show ya.”

Applejack gently took Spike by the hoof, leading him to that very spot.

After they put on their goggles and snorkels again, Spike and Yoshi join their friends to swim their way out of the underwater cave.

“Whoa!” Spike exclaimed.

Spike and Yoshi were astonished to see the formerly sunken ship now afloat above them.

“You guys actually got that thing to emerge from the water? How?”

“We’ll tell ya later, Spike,” Applejack replied. “Right now, we’ve got to figure out a way to get that star.”

Yoshi looked to the left, then to the right, keeping an eye out for that giant eel.

“Yoshi?”

“Yoshi’s worried that eel could still be around, somewhere,” Spike deduced. “Waiting for us.”

“Don’t see any sign of that sea varmint,” Applejack said, looking around. “I think it’s safe to get that there star before that thing shows itself again.”

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Spike shrugged.

The young dragon proceeds to swim towards the star.

“Let’s just grab the star and—WHOA!!!”

The young dragon screamed as he was launched straight up, out of the water, close to the ship. The rest of the heroes quickly resurface to meet up with the little dragon.

“Did we mention the star’s in a really strong jet stream too?” Applejack asked.

“Would’ve been helpful,” Spike moaned, dizzily.

“YAY!” Pinkie Pie’s voice cheered. “I’ve got a Power Star!”

“Pinkie Pie?!” The friends all exclaimed.

They look up and see their eccentric pink friend, upon the ship, with a Power Star dancing around her. What took them by surprise was that she was donned up in a pirate costume, like something out of a film poster.

Yeah… REALLY subtle advertising.

“Ahoy, mateys!” Pinkie Pie called. “Ponies, dragons, dinosaur, and plumber overboard on the starboard!”

Pinkie Pie tosses down a rope ladder for everyone to climb upon.

“Well c’mon! Climb aboard!”

Pinkie looked on, smiling cheerfully, as everyone climbed aboard the ship.

“Pinkie!” Applejack smiled. “I see you’ve been busy!”

“Argh! That I have, A.J.” Pinkie spoke, in pirate talk. “I be pillaging and plundering all of Jolly Roger Bay seeking for me red coins, for Star Marker marks, and spot me a Power Star!”

“How’d you find them all?” Spike asked.

“Hee-hee, that was easy!” Pinkie smiled, resuming her usual dialect. “I got some help from my Buddy here!”

Pinkie Pie gestured to a Bob-Omb Buddy standing beside her.

“Hello!” The Bob-Omb Buddy greeted.

“Ah!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pointing at the Buddy. “It’s one of those Bob-Ombs!”

“Relax, Dash!” Spike reassured. “He’s a friend! He’s one of the good Bob-Ombs, a buddy.”

“For real?” Rainbow asked.

The rest of the heroes exchanged random reassurances to the Pegasus, who immediately withdrew her antagonistic attitude towards the friendly Bob-Omb.

“So, tell us what just-a happened, Pinkie-a-Pie,” Mario said. “What’ve you been up to?”

“Well…” Pinkie thought back.

A Few Moments Earlier

While her friends gone off to find Spike and Yoshi, Pinkie went hunting for red coins. After leaving the chasm, Pinkie Pie swam back to the crags she and her friends explored earlier. There, Pinkie happened to meet a Bob-omb Buddy, who just arrived through a magical doorway.

“Hello there!” Pinkie greeted.

“Hello,” The friendly Bob-Omb greeted. “You are one of the ponies with the Super Mario, right?”

“Yes sirree!” Pinkie chirped. “Hey, can you help me out? I’m looking for some red coins. So far, my friends and I have found two of them.”

“It would be my pleasure!” The Bob-omb Buddy replied.

Before he knew it, Pinkie placed the Bob-Omb Buddy onto her head, as she swims throughout the bay, searching for red coins with his red coin detecting ability. Pinkie found three red coins inside clams: One near the starting area she and her friends arrived in, the second close to where Mario collected the coin ring, and the third next to the crag with wooden platforms.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 52

Red Coins = 2 + 3 = 5

Blue Coins = 70

After collecting the red coins in the water, the Bob-omb Buddy directed Pinkie Pie back to the formerly sunken pirate ship, where the three remaining red coins were located. One of them was on the bow of the ship, while the other two were on the stern. All of which Pinkie didn’t hesitate to collect.

Coins Collected

Gold Coins = 52

Red Coins = 5 + 3 = 8

Blue Coins = 70

After all the coins were collected, the Power Star materialized before Pinkie Pie and the Bob-omb Buddy. With a burst of confetti and joy, Pinkie whips out a pirate costume and puts it on, rushing to the Power Star and immediately dancing in celebration for obtaining the sixth Power Star.

“YAY!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “I’ve got a Power Star!”

Present

“And that’s when you guys came in!” Pinkie Pie smiled. “So, how’ve you been? Find any Power Stars?”

“Me and Yoshi found quite a few, actually,” Spike said, on behalf of the pair. “Except one is a little…”

Spike snapped his fingers, struggling to find the right words.

“Unavailable?” Applejack coined.

“Yeah, that,” The dragon confirmed. “At least we’ve got six Power Stars out of this course.”

“Soon to be seven,” Rainbow Dash added. “If we can figure out how to get through the jet stream beneath us.”

“Aw, so close yet so far!” Pinkie Pie pouted.

“Yoshi!” Yoshi chirped, in agreement.

“Ya can say that again, sugar cube,” Applejack frowned.

“Mamma mia!” Mario moaned.

Pinkie Pie pondered for a moment, before looking up to the sky.

“Hey, uh, Guide?” Pinkie Pie called out. “You still with us? We could really use some help right now.”

“Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Who are you talking to?”

“Greetings, Rainbow Dash,” A voice called, startling the Pegasus. “So nice to see you are well.”

“Who said that?” The Pegasus asked, flaring her wings. “Show yourself!”

“I don’t think he can,” Pinkie replied. “Even if he wants to, he’s just a voice. Ain’t that right, Guide?”

Rather than answering Pinkie Pie’s question, however, the Guide answered with another question.

“What do you wish of my assistance, Pinkie Pie?”

“Well, we’re kinda stuck at the moment,” Pinkie answered.

“There’s another Power Star at the bottom of the lake,” Applejack added. “But it’s in the middle of a strong jet stream that keeps blowing us away. We can’t even force our way through to get close to that there star.”

“Got any helpful tips on how we can get that star?” Spike asked.

There was a moment of silence, before the Guide answered.

“To overcome and persevere through the jet stream’s mighty force, you would need the sheer weight of something heavier and stronger than the pulse. Only then will the star be yours.”

“Something heavier and stronger than the force?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Like what?”

“You must figure that out yourself.”

Soon, our heroes paced back and forth through the ship, with the Bob-omb Buddy watching from the sideline.

“What’s heavy?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Mario?”

“Hey!” Mario frowned, offended.

“Just kidding!”

“No, it’s gotta be something heavier than Mario,” Spike commented. “All of us, actually.”

“Wario is-a heavy,” Mario commented. “But he’s-a not-a here, right-a now. It’s-a too bad, he’s-a like a walking ton of-a metal!”

Upon hearing the last words, Pinkie Pie burst up with an epiphany.

“Mario, you’re a SUPER MARIO!” Pinkie Pie beamed heavily. “We need metal! That’s heavier than water, and we can use it to weigh us down and grab that star!”

“Oh yeah!” Applejack stomped her hoof in agreement. “It’s just like what that sign said: The green ‘!’ box can give us metal powers!”

However, the country pony’s happy expression disappeared as she recalled one important factor.

“But, it’s not available yet. We haven’t even pressed the switch to activate the magic box’s powers yet.”

“Nope, but we do have something better!” Pinkie points out.

She turns to a stack of cannonballs, sitting across the deck beside a rusty cannon.

“All we need is some pony to walk the plank.”

Pinkie then eyed deviously at one of the heroes, particularly a certain country pony with a Stetson hat, looking side to side but finding no one else beside her.

“Wut?!” Applejack asked. “Me?!”

“… Eeyup!”

Later, Applejack stood at the end of a wooden plank, holding a cannonball in her hooves, and a rope was tied to her tail. Pinkie Pie, once again playing pirate, threatens the pony with a balloon sword.

“Go on, start jumping!” Pinkie Pie threatened. “Or ye be dealing with the business end of me sword!”

Applejack simply rolled her eyes, before she jumped off the plank. Carrying the cannonball between her hooves, she sank toward the bottom of the bay. In the meantime, Applejack’s line of rope kept her secured to a large wooden pole, with a bell at the end, in the clutches of the other heroes, and the Bob-omb Buddy.

“Okay, Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash began.

“Er, ‘Captain’ Pinkie Pie be the name,” Pinkie Pie corrected.

“’Captain’ Pinkie Pie?”

“That’s Miss Captain Pinkamena Diana Pie to you, first mate Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie said, towering over Rainbow Dash. “Do I make myself clear? Or do ye want to be cupcakes, with a side of creepy pastas? Hmmm?”

“Creepy…?” Spike began.

“… Pasta?” Mario finished.

“Aw, don’t worry your little heads,” Pinkie Pie giggled. “I was just playing it up for laughs, that’s all.”

The rest of the heroes looked unamused at Pinkie Pie’s antics.

“Well… Pirate antics aside, remind us what the plan is again?”

“It’s simple!” Pinkie began. “Applejack will sink to the bottom of the bay with the cannonball, which is heavy enough to get her through the jet stream! Then, one she grabs the star, she pulls the rope, and that’s the cue to haul her back on deck!”

RING! RING!

“Holy mackerel!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Applejack’s got the star! Every pony, pull!”

The pink pony in pirate’s clothes lead the gang, as they pulled the rope to haul their strong country pony companion back onto the deck.

“We’ve got ya, Applejack! We got—”

Suddenly, bursting from the water, with Applejack clinging to its jaws, the giant eel emerged from the sea.

“MAMMA MIA!!!” Mario wailed. “He’s-a got Applejack!”

“And now he’s got USSSSS!!!” Spike screamed.

Spike and his fellow heroes were pulled off the ship, jet skiing across the water, pulled by the giant eel. They all screamed as they were pulled across the lake at such an intense speed, courtesy of the enormous sea monster.

“WHEEEEEEEEEE!!!” Pinkie Pie squealed happily.

Though her excitement quickly shifts to wails of horror, as she and her friends saw they were headed towards a ramp-shaped rock.

“WHOOOOAAAAAA!!!”

The heroes all slid up along the ramp, and flew into the air, before coming back down into the water with a huge…

SPLASH!!!

It was at this moment the giant eel made a sharp turn, releasing a ferocious roar as it charged towards the other heroes, with its mouth open for a bite.

“SWIM AWAY!!!” Mario yelled.

He and his friends quickly swam out of the way, narrowly dodging the monster’s gaping jaws, as it swims away.

“A.J.!” Spike shouted.

Spike held his claws out, as he and his friends watched helplessly as the eel swam away. Out of impulsive grievances, Spike, along with Pinkie Pie, wailed…

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

“Spike? Pinkie?”

Every pony turned and saw the country pony, free of her rope, swimming toward them.

“What’re y’all screamin’ about?!”

“A.J.! You’re alive!” Pinkie Pie chirped happily.

As the friends swam toward the country pony, Mario turned around, and his face turned to a look of horror.

“Don’t-a look now, but he’s a-coming back!”

Mario pointed and from the incoming waves, the eel headed straight towards them. The eel itself had no intent on letting its prey get away again.

“That’s it, we’re goners!” Spike panicked. “It’s sayonara! Goodbye, cruel world!”

“Don’t you mean, ‘game over’!” Pinkie Pie said, clutching Rainbow Dash and Applejack.

Boo! You suck! *Hurls a tomato*

Whimpering, Spike clings onto Yoshi.

“It’s been nice knowing you, Yoshi.”

Just as the eel was about to consume our heroes whole, a magical doorway opened up at the last second, and the heroes fell in.

Princess Peach's Castle

The painting of the Jolly Roger Bay course rippled like water, as the heroes emerged from the painting and find themselves back in the aquarium of Princess Peach’s Castle.

“We’re back?” Pinkie asked. “WE’RE BACK! YIPPEE!!!”

Pinkie Pie happily bounces above the room, like a ball of pink blur, before ending up jumping through a small hole above the wall along the right of the painting and disappeared.

In the meantime, the rest of the heroes just recovered from another death defying experience, they barely noticed Pinkie’s absence.

“My whole life just flashed before my eyes!” Spike panted.

“I hear ya, Spike,” Applejack shuddered.

“You’re telling me,” Rainbow Dash coughed. “I nearly drowned had you guys not shown up; I owe you big time!”

“Oh yeah!” Mario nodded. “And even better-a news, we’ve got-a seven a Power-a Stars.”

“Make that eight!” Pinkie Pie said, returning from the Secret Aquarium. “Because I got us another Power Star!”

“Whoa, no way!” Spike shouted.

“Yoshi!”

“Guess this adventure wasn’t a total loss,” Rainbow Dash smiled. “But where’d you get it?”

“Well…”

A Few Moments Earlier

The Secret Aquarium

Upon falling through the small hole, back in Princess Peach’s aquarium, Pinkie found herself in a large fish tank full of water. Around her are four large windows, with screens of pink, turquoise, blue, and yellow.

“Whoa!” Pinkie Pie marveled, through her snorkel. “What a large fish tank!”

“You have found another secret course,” The Guide spoke. “Very good, Pinkie Pie. For this course, there is only one star to be found, just beneath you.”

“Beneath me?”

Pinkie Pie looked down, seeing a star marker, at the bottom of the floor.

“Ooh, a star marker! More red coins to collect!”

“Indeed,” The Guide replied. “But you must hurry: For in this course, you’ll find no surface for air. You must continuously collect the coins to refill your strength.”

“Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie Pie replied.

She swims around the room, collecting four red coins floating in the center of four rings of eight gold coins, before swimming along the floor to find the remaining four red coins in the four corners.

Once all eight red coins were collected, the Power Star appeared to reward Pinkie Pie.

Present
Princess Peach's Castle

"And that's how I got the eighth Power Star of this room!" Pinkie Pie smiled proudly. "Which brings our total of 20 to 28!"

28 Stars

“Yeehaw!” Applejack whooped loudly. “At this rate, we’ll have all 150 Power Stars in no time!”

“Time flies fast when you’re having fun!” Pinkie Pie smiled.

Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, was surprised and shocked hearing the number of Power Stars to collect.

“A hundred… And fifty… Power Stars!”

“Speaking of which,” Applejack began. “Okay, Guide. We found Rainbow Dash! Now where do we find Fluttershy?”

“Fluttershy?!” Dash exclaimed. “Where is she?”

“Go to the courtyard,” The Guide spoke. “There, you will find the first step to rescuing your bashful friend and Mario’s brother.”

“Luigi?!” Mario exclaimed.

“Go to the courtyard. Hurry.”

“Y’all heard the voice,” Applejack began. “Let’s go to the courtyard and save our friends!”

“I know where it is,” Mario said, taking the lead. “Follow-a me!”

The heroes follow Mario out of the aquarium and into the lobby. But along the way, Mario decided to strike up a conversation.

“So, if I may-a ask, what is this-a Cave of Games?”

“Huh?”

The Equestrian Heroes slid to a halt, as they turned to Mario.

“Why’d ya ask, Mario?” Applejack asked.

“Just-a curious,” Mario began. “What’s-a all this talk about this voice calling its-a-self, the Guide. And what does it-a mean about this Cave of Games? What is-a that?”

Unsure of how to respond, the ponies and dragon all exchange looks with one another. They knew sooner or later they’d eventually tell Mario and his friends the truth about how they came to this world.

“It’s a long story,” Applejack replied. “Ya may find it hard to believe.”

Mario simply sat on the floor, crossing his legs together to get comfortable.

“I’m-a listening,” He said, encouragingly and eagerly.

Seeing how the plumber was anticipating the truth and would not have it any other way, Rainbow Dash sighed.

“Fine, we’ll tell you,” She said anxiously. “But can we make this quick? We gotta rescue Fluttershy, like right now!”

Author's Note

So as I've mentioned before, this Game Quest of Super Mario 64 is the combination of both the N64 and the DS versions combined together.

In the DS remake, there was only one treasure chest in the ship, while in the N64, there were four to contend with.

Power Stars: 20 + 8 = 28 Stars

Up Next: The heroes go ghostbusting in Big Boo's Mansion to find and rescue Fluttershy and Luigi.

After that: The heroes go head-to-head with the ghost of all ghosts – King Boo – in order to win the key to Luigi's freedom.

Meanwhile, Wario remains imprisoned...

Wario: "MUST. RAGE. NAP! Zzzzzz-Grrrr-Zzzzz-Grrr-Zzzz-Grrrr!"