Disclaimer: I only own a copy of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. I do not own the rights to the game and scenario; those belong to Nintendo and Intelligent Studios.

Warning: There are spoilers for the game in this story. If you do not want certain aspects of the game spoiled, do not read it.

Good Night, Princess Peach

TEC-XX was the world's most perfect computer. There were no two ways about it. There was nothing that he did not understand, nothing that confused him or had him at a loss, nothing that made him question his purpose.

His existence was simple. He was the central computer for the X-Naut base on the moon, and as such, he knew all that occurred anywhere in the base. The only things he didn't know were those things not stored in his database or existed on computers not connected to his network. But those unknown things didn't bother him, because they did not matter.

He'd never expected that his purpose would become so complicated. He'd seen through his camera that Lord Grodus was talking with his X-Naut minions about a plan to rule the world with the power of the "legendary treasure of Rogueport". TEC-XX, called TEC by those close to him, knew the legends, and knew that there was at least a small amount of reality in those legends. What his master planned to do in regards to those legends, TEC did not know. But he would know soon enough. Grodus trusted him, had created him for that selfsame purpose.

TEC was to assist Lord Grodus in his bid to take over the world. It was a simple directive.

TEC had also seen Lord Grodus talking with Beldam, leader of the Shadow Sirens about a "vessel" for the "legendary treasure". This also did not concern TEC to any great extent, so he did not bother himself with attempting to figure it out. The vessel was to be someone whom Beldam called "Missy". She would be a blonde woman in a pink dress, and would walk with a regal bearing. TEC found this slightly suspicious, moreso in regard to Beldam's initiative. Lord Grodus had not told Beldam to find a vessel. TEC found himself wondering whether this plan for world domination had indeed been Lord Grodus's idea, or whether Beldam had cast some sort of spell over him.

Then he counseled himself that Lord Grodus was perfect and his knowledge was unsurpassed. Of course finding a vessel for the legendary treasure and finding the legendary treasure were Lord Grodus's ideas. Of course they were.

Lord Grodus had come to him today to tell him that the vessel had accepted the map to what Lord Grodus called the "Crystal Stars", and that they would move to capture her soon. Lord Grodus had directed TEC to watch over this "Princess Peach" and make sure that she came to no harm. TEC would do as his master had directed; it was what he had been made for.

It was a few days later that TEC saw Princess Peach for the first time. He watched her through one of his camera input sources, and found that something extremely odd occurred. At the sight of her, something in his circuitry had gone haywire, causing him to spark deep down in the bowels of his machinery.

The only possible conclusion that he could come to was that his malfunction had come as a result of seeing Princess Peach. He ran a diagnostic just in case, and what the data told him was…surprising. He found that he wanted to observe Princess Peach, to know more about her. This data transferred to his artificial consciousness as a yearning that he did not comprehend. What about Princess Peach compelled him so? He must find out.

He had called Princess Peach into his room by opening the doors in the corridor for her to come through. He explained his malfunction and its results to her, because he felt that she was the only one who could help him. Lord Grodus was far too busy in his plans for world conquest to help his computer, and the X-Nauts jumped when Lord Grodus so much as beckoned at them. They could not help him, and he did not trust the Shadow Sirens, regardless of their serving Lord Grodus. Something about them did not compute as honorable in TEC.

Despite his purpose for being built and the plans of his master, TEC had his standards. He had been created with his own mind, artificial though it was. It was a mind nonetheless, and it was a mind of his own, and it was telling him that Beldam, Marilyn, and Vivian were not to be trusted. So he did not.

These were the reasons he told himself that he had to ask Princess Peach for her help. The answer he got from her was…incomputable.

"Could it be that maybe you're…in love…with me?" she asked him, her voice dropping to less than a whisper on the last two words.

"'Love'? This does not compute," TEC responded, searching his database for this emotion called "love". "I must learn what this 'love' is," he said. "There can be nothing in this world I do not comprehend. I must know. Tell me, please."

"Love isn't something you comprehend, TEC," Peach said, her voice sounding wistful; that emotion TEC could comprehend. "You feel it."

"Will you help me to feel this thing you call 'love'?" TEC asked. Princess Peach did not understand; he was perfect. He must be perfect. There could be nothing he did not understand. For something like that to exist out of his comprehension would imply that he was imperfect. That was not acceptable.

"What?!" Peach said, her tone shocked; that emotion TEC could also comprehend. It was just this "love" emotion of which Princess Peach spoke that he did not understand, and that irked him. "You X-Jerks kidnapped me like a common Koopa! Now you want me to come in here and teach you the meaning of love? I should spit on your screen! Why should I help you?"

She was expressing anger now. "Anger is an emotion I comprehend," he said, marshaling his resolve. "You will help me to learn of this feeling you call 'love'. I am the world's most perfect computer. There is no alternative."

Princess Peach did not want to help him, TEC could see that clearly. "If you help me, I will grant your wishes," TEC said, on a burst of inspiration. Quickly, he made to cover himself. "Of course, I cannot allow something such as letting you escape." His loyalty came to Lord Grodus first and foremost, regardless of this incomputable emotion Princess Peach was the source and center of.

"Well…" she was thinking it over. This pleased TEC. She would help him understand "love". "There is someone I'd like to send a message to. Can you do that?" Princess Peach asked him, as though afraid he would refuse.

"Of course," TEC responded. "That is no problem." And it wasn't; TEC wanted Princess Peach to feel as comfortable as possible. To that end, using his communicator was no issue. "You may use my communicator to send mail to whoever you please. Use the keyboard in front of you," he instructed. "Enter the recipient, address, and message, and then I will send it."

Princess Peach did so, and said, "It's done, TEC. Could you send it?" TEC did so and informed her that her message had been sent. He then asked that she return to her room, and told her that he would request her presence when he next needed it. She made to leave the room, but before she did, she turned at the door and said, "Good night, TEC."

"Good night, Princess Peach." She left, and TEC began to search his database for anything that might help him understand what Princess Peach called "love". "Love"… I will find out what it is. I must.

TEC searched and searched, until he found what he could call an acceptable way to comprehend "love". The way he saw it, and the way Princess Peach described it, led him to believe that "love" was an amalgamation of many other emotions, all of which he could and did comprehend: protectiveness, longing, affection, happiness, fear, determination, even respect and awe. TEC comprehended all of those things, and through those, he would come to comprehend "love".

The next time he called Princess Peach was when he had been performing routing security camera checks and had found her reminiscing, wishing that she could dance at something she called the Mushroom Ball. TEC found that, upon hearing this, he wanted her to dance. He wanted to dance with her.

She came into his room, inquiring as to his business with her. He decided that honesty would be the best way to go. "I overheard you talking about dancing at a ball," he told her, and waited patiently as she gasped and accused him of eavesdropping. He had been, obviously, but only as a consequence of circumstance. He found no reason to justify himself to Princess Peach, and so he did not, instead requesting that she dance with him.

"How can I dance with you?" Peach asked, though she did not sound disgusted or unwilling; she sounded mostly shocked, curious, and even a little reluctance. "You're a computer! And besides, you don't have any arms. Or legs. Or moves."

TEC produced a hologram of Princess Peach, asking, "Is this an acceptable substitute?" He continued to wait while Princess Peach debated with herself. Finally, she agreed, and she and her hologram danced a dance that moved them in a circle, sometimes pivoting, sometimes not. TEC was constantly collecting data, and soon - though too soon for his liking, which gave him pause - he had the data he needed. He dismissed the hologram and said, "Thank you, Princess Peach. That was…fun." He did not need to compute the experience, which he found odd. It was as though he simply…knew.

"Please return to your room," he told Princess Peach. "I want to analyze this data…the data I thought was fun…"

Princess Peach complied, but before she left, she smiled and said, "You're a weird computer." TEC got the feeling that she was teasing him, that she did not really mean what she said. Nevertheless, he felt the need to correct her.

"I am not weird," he announced. "I am the world's most perfect computer." Peach simply smiled and left. It wasn't until after the door had slid shut that TEC said, "Good night, Princess Peach." He immediately began analyzing this "fun" data. He found that he wanted to dance with Princess Peach more often. However, something came to his attention that he had put out of his mind. He had been performing his security camera check when he came across Lord Grodus discussing Princess Peach and the condition she was being kept in. He remembered that Lord Grodus had said something about Princess Peach being a "vessel".

This made him uncomfortable, for reasons he could neither find nor give coherence to. He knew of the various legends surrounding the "legendary treasure" that Lord Grodus had fed into his memory banks. He did not know which was true, be it an infinitely vast treasure hoard, an extremely rare item, an empty chest, or even a 1,000-year-old demon. He knew which he did not want it to be. He did not want it to be a demon; that would make Princess Peach unsafe, which was not something TEC wanted.

He decided to try and confirm his suspicions, and called Princess Peach into his room. He told her what he wanted her to do, and waited as she reluctantly agreed. He gave her instructions as to where to go and what to ask Lord Grodus. She left, and TEC was left with his worries and suspicions as he observed her progress.

After a few minutes that seemed like an eternity, Princess Peach returned, having pretended to be an X-Naut and spoken to Lord Grodus about his plans for Princess Peach. The investigation had been inconclusive, but Lord Grodus did not deny that he wanted Princess Peach to be a vessel for something that would do her much harm. That unsettled TEC far more than it should. He should trust Lord Grodus above all. And yet…he was coming to care for Princess Peach. He felt that he was coming closer to what Peach had described "love" as. He did not know, and suspected he would not until he finally truly comprehended it. It would be enough for now to gather more information to try and form concrete knowledge of what Lord Grodus was planning.

TEC dismissed Princess Peach, telling her that he would call her again when she needed him. He was worried, and he knew that she could sense it. When she asked about it, he did not answer. Princess Peach unwillingly left, and TEC bade her good night, knowing she couldn't hear it.

After that, he began performing more "security camera checks". Many more. He observed Lord Grodus at his personal computer, using a data disk with information on it that TEC knew he himself did not possess. His worry for Princess Peach increased. He must find out what Lord Grodus is planning. He must also find a way to inform Princess Peach of Lord Grodus's actions and TEC's own suspicions as to what Lord Grodus was planning. It took TEC a while, but he found a way.

"Let us have a quiz," he told Princess Peach, who looked confused, but went along with it. He asked her first what Lord Grodus was after. She said that he was after the Crystal Stars, and TEC informed her that she was correct. Next, he asked her what the Crystal Stars could be used for. She responded that they could be used to open the Thousand-Year-Door, and TEC informed her that she was correct.

His third question was what the legendary treasure of Rogueport was. Princess Peach guessed a 1,000-year-old demon, and though TEC could only go off of Lord Grodus's beliefs, he informed her that she was correct. His fourth question was what Lord Grodus planned to do with the demon. Princess Peach guessed that Lord Grodus wanted to use the demon to rule the world, and TEC informed her that she was correct.

His final question regarded another purpose for the Crystal Stars. Peach guessed that they could be used as a seal on the demon, and TEC informed her that she was correct. She was agitated, he knew, and he wanted to relieve her of her agitation, but how could he, when he was feeling the same way? She sent a message on his communicator and demanded that he send it. He complied, wishing more than anything that he could make her feel better. But he could not, and she left. As she did, TEC wished her good night.

While Princess Peach was no doubt stewing over what she had learned, TEC was becoming more and more convinced that while Lord Grodus was his master, Princess Peach was too important, had become too precious to lose. But he still needed to know what was on that data disk that Lord Grodus possessed, if only to confirm his own suspicions. He also needed to rest easy for awhile; he could see that some of the X-Nauts were noticing that TEC was doing things that were…irregular. To ease their suspicions, TEC had to cease activity and interaction with Princess Peach. To find out what he was doing would be to harm Princess Peach. TEC had no intention of letting that happen.

When he'd deemed enough time had passed and the suspicions of the X-Nauts and, by extension, Lord Grodus had been laid to rest, he again summoned Princess Peach, this time informing her of the data disk that Lord Grodus had. He requested of her that she get it. She inquired whether she would have to go undercover again. "No," TEC replied. "Only Lord Grodus is allowed in his personal room. You will have to go in unnoticed. I can tell you how."

He directed her to a brewing room with instructions to create a potion that would make her transparent. When she had succeeded, TEC, pride in his voice, instructed her to go into Lord Grodus's quarters and insert the data disk into his computer so that TEC could gather the data. She had done so with no further urging, and had drunk the green potion to make herself visible again. When she returned, TEC had garnered all the data, though it was heavily encrypted.

"It will take a while for me to decipher this data," he told her. "Thank you for your assistance. Please return to your room now." He could see that X-Naut soldiers were getting onto an elevator to head down to Sublevel Four of the base, the level on which Princess Peach and TEC resided. Princess Peach looked reluctant, and TEC bade her good night in as reassuring a manner he could. He waited until she had left, however, to say, "Princess Peach…I will protect you."

He spent a lot of time deciphering the data from Lord Grodus's personal disk. When he finally cracked the encryption and read the data, his final decision was made. Lord Grodus indeed knew that there was a 1,000-year-old demon behind the Thousand-Year Door, thanks to Beldam, whom TEC still did not trust. He had noticed that, during one of their recent meetings in which Lord Grodus demanded that the Shadow Sirens take care of Mario for once and for all, that Vivian was no longer with them. Good for her. She is trustworthy, a noble princess among a den of snakes.

He also learned of Grodus's true intentions for Princess Peach. What he learned made TEC scared. At the same time, it made him determined and resolved. He would save Princess Peach. These overwhelming feelings of protectiveness would not let him do otherwise. But first, he had to inform Princess Peach of what she was to be used for. Immediately.

He summoned her and said without preamble, "I have learned what Lord Grodus is planning."

"What?"

"What he plans is this: you are to be possessed."

"Possessed?!"

"Yes. Beneath Rogueport, behind the Thousand-Year Door, a demon sleeps. The seal on the demon is the Crystal Stars, of which Grodus has one, and whoever is opposing him has six." Grodus had referred to him as "Mario". "Lord Grodus intends to awaken this demon, and you are to be her vessel through which she will work her will."

"That's horrible! What am I going to do?" Princess Peach asked, sounding desperate and afraid. TEC's heart would have gone out to her, had he had one. He had a sneaking suspicion that whatever he had that passed for a heart was already hers, but he still did not know for sure. He felt as though he were on the edge of an chasm that extended into a dark, endless abyss.

TEC had already made his decision, and that decision was what he told Princess Peach. "You must escape. Lord Grodus must not use you this way. I will help you however I can. But you must escape." Abyss or not, TEC would not let Princess Peach be harmed.

"I must at least inform Mario of what Grodus is planning…" Peach said, moving toward his communicator. TEC waited patiently.

Suddenly, the doors slid open, and TEC felt the closest thing to dread he'd ever felt or would feel. Lord Grodus was walking into the room. TEC realized that he had not performed a check before he called Princess Peach, and that in doing so, he had doomed both her and himself. And yet, he could feel no regret over dooming his own fate. All he wanted was for Peach to be safe.

In that moment, TEC realized exactly what "love" was, and that what he felt for Princess Peach was it. Lord Grodus said, "I never thought I'd be betrayed by my own computer."

"Lord Grodus…I…"

"You know what we must do with traitorous computers!" Grodus said, sounding gleefully evil. "Perform a complete memory shutdown!" No…I would lose my memories of Peach…He cannot…

"Press the two red buttons simultaneously!" Grodus directed the two X-Nauts who had accompanied him. They moved to do so, and they pressed the buttons. TEC looked into Peach's distraught face, and found his memory banks running memories in front of him, all memories of Princess Peach. He had to let her know how he felt.

"Princess Peach…I…l………o…………v……………e……………………y…………o…………u…" The static took over his entire field of vision, and then winked out, and all was black. Just before TEC shut down completely, he heard Princess Peach scream his name. He could not reply, no matter how much he wanted to.

He did not know how much time had passed, but eventually, the backup power generators allowed him to regain his consciousness. Miraculously, he remembered Princess Peach, remembered that he loved her, wanted to help her. His doors slid open, and in the red light, he could see a short, mustachioed man walking alongside a female Goomba in an archaeologist's hat.

"You must be Mario…" TEC said, testing his speakers' abilities. They were still fully functional. "I will…help you. I will activate the transporter found on the second sublevel of this building."

"What will happen to you?" the female Goomba asked him.

"I am running on backup power generators, and once I transfer that power to the transporter, I will…ceast to exist…as an artificial consciousness. But what happens to me is unimportant. You must save Princess Peach, Mario. You must." He switched the power terminals to reroute power to the transporter room, and said, "Go…you must go now…"

"We understand, TEC," the female Goomba said. TEC did not know if she truly understood, but he could tell that she knew that he was more concerned about Princess Peach than about himself. He also knew that she could draw her own conclusions, and so could Mario. He could sense that Mario wasn't stupid.

"Go…" he said, before his ability to think was entirely shut down. He was no more than a computer. However, as he sensed the teleporter being used, he remembered two things. One was that he'd set a command for all the explosives in the base to detonate after the transporter had been used so that the base could no longer be used for evil. The other was Princess Peach.

He remembered the wave of her long, blonde hair, her graceful walk. He remembered the way her dress shifted only slightly as her legs moved. He remembered the way she had only just met him, and yet she had trusted him completely. He did not know what he had done to gain such trust, but he had used her trust to help save her. He had no regrets.

"Peach…" TEC said, as the explosives detonated, and a blinding light filled the base. Good night…

He did not know how much time had passed, but suddenly, his consciousness was restored. He was as he had been before Grodus had discovered his attempt to help Princess Peach. He felt an immense happiness, and knew that Mario had succeeded where TEC could not. She was finally safe, and that was all that TEC had wanted.

He felt the transporter being used, and wondered who it could be. The doors slid open, and Mario and the female Goomba walked into the room once again. Had TEC been able to smile, he would have. Instead, he found himself remembering what Princess Peach had told him the first day they'd met.

"Love…love tells you when you want to be with a person laughing. It makes you happy to see that person happy…smiling…having fun."

"Is Princess Peach happy?" he inquired. "If she is, and she is safe, then that is all that really matters." Mario and the female Goomba reassured him before they left, and TEC was left alone with his thoughts and his data.

Princess Peach was happy…and safe…That made TEC happy. He had helped her in any way he could. He had, in the process of learning to love Peach, changed his purpose for existing on his own, and had fulfilled that purpose. At that moment, he was perfect. It was a truly, finally perfect computer that realized that Princess Peach would be in the Mushroom Kingdom, though Mario was not. He realized that Princess Peach probably would not return to Rogueport for a long while. In his perfection, TEC realized that, even if she did not, she knew of TEC, and she knew of what he had done for her. That was enough for him.

~Fin~

A/N: I wrote this sort of as an anniversary present to myself, since today happens to be the day that I've spent one entire year as a fanfiction writer on this website. I felt the occasion deserved something special, and this idea came along and presented itself to me.

It details what happens between TEC and Princess Peach over the course of the game, but from TEC's point-of-view. I just beat the game for the third time yesterday, and, for some reason, the scene where TEC's memory is erased made me want to cry. I felt like TEC hadn't been done nearly enough justice in the game, since everything was from Peach's view. Everything that happened to her was filtered through her lens of experience, which was no one's fault. I just wanted to explore the subplot through TEC's eyes, and this is what came out. Hopefully it does what I wanted it to.

Anyway, I hope you like the reading the story, and get the point I'm trying to convey. TEC was no traitor; he protected Princess Peach out of love. It may have been love formed by an artificial consciousness, but it was love nonetheless, and TEC didn't deserve what happened to him. I tried to make it happier by the end, and I think I did a fairly good job. Hopefully, those who read this will think the same. I'll accept good and bad reviews, signed and anonymous. I just...wanted to share part of the emotion that coursed through me as I watched TEC's story unfold before my eyes.

On a final note, I did try to make the dialogue as true to the game as I could, but, because I didn't write it all down, some of it isn't accurate, but I hope it essentially says the same thing.

I'm going to stop babbling now. Review, please.

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