Mario and Luigi: The Star Spirit Children

Jr. Troopa's Playground

As Mario fell, he landed on a tree branch which broke his fall. Seconds later, he realized Goompa fell from the broken veranda as well.

"Goompa!" he exclaimed running up to the Goomba, "Are you o.k.?"

"Oh, my back..." Goompa groaned as he tried to stand up when he saw Mario, "Mario, is that you?"

"Sure is, let me help you," Mario said while helping Goompa up.

"I remember a great crashing noise and then the veranda collapsed, and fell. Did you fall too?"

"I did. Soon as I stepped outside to the veranda, I fell," Mario explained. "Haven't heard anything after the front gate was destroyed."

"The front gate was destroyed?"

"Yep. Some Magikoopa named Kammy flew in and dropped a yellow block on the gate. That probably what caused the veranda to fall."

"Well, the important thing is that we're o.k.," Goompa assured, "But now we have to figure out how to get past this block," Goompa was eyeballing a yellow block similar to the one that fell on the gate earlier.

"I guess that Kammy fellow placed these all over the place," said Goompa.

"Speaking of which," said Mario, "Can I borrow your hammer? I need it to break that block up there... and the one in front of us."

"I'm certain I had it with me as I was fixing the veranda," Goompa said, "Give me one second." A few minutes of searching later, Goompa came empty-handed.

"Hang it all!" he said in frustration, "I must've lost it when I fell off the collapsing veranda."

"Maybe it went into that forest behind us," said Mario, pointing to the small forest.

"Good thinking, Mario."

When the two entered the forest, they split up and looked through the bushes. After a few minutes, Mario found the hammer and showed it to Goompa.

"Excellent work, lad!" he said, "Now let's hurry and get out of here, quickly!"

"Why?" Mario asked confused, "What's wrong?"

"I just remembered, that we're in Jr. Troopa's playground. He's the neighborhood bully who never came out of his eggshell at birth. He's been stealing multiple possessions, including Goombaria's favorite doll!"

"Mamma Mia," said Mario shocked, "Did the stuff ever get returned?"

"Don't worry, Goompapa, and sometimes Goombario, get the stuff back. But we need to be quick and get out of here before he sees us."

Goompa scurried to the entrance of the forested area but was then knocked back and tumbled right to Mario's foot.

"It's him..." he muttered, and right on cue; Jr. Troopa who's mostly inside his shell ran in 'his' playground.

"Oy! Who are you, Red Guy?!" he shouted, "This is MY playground idiots!"

"Calm down," said Mario, "We were just looking for something, and we found it. We're-"

"You mean you were stealing my treasures!!!" Jr. Troopa yelled, "Nobody even sets foot in here without my permission, especially with taking MY stuff! Nobody!"

"Prepare to start crying a river here and now!"

"First of all, your 'treasures' are not yours!" said Mario annoyed, "Second of all, you don't know who you're facing off against, you over-boiled egg-head."

"What did you call me?" Jr. Troopa asked.

"You heard me," said Mario, "Over-boiled egg-head!"

"Oh, you asked for it punk!"