A/N: Hello, awesome people who are reading this! I'm so sorry for the lateness of this update, but I have good news: I finished playing through Bowser's inside story (again), and I'm ready to take on Dream Team! Now I can get back into this story! Before we start, I would also like to thank the seven awesome people who reviewed the first chapter: you guys rock! :) Enjoy the update, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Mario. The only thing here that I created is the plot.

/(._.)/

It was a few hours later and the bros, followed by Peach and Starlow, were just now arriving at the large, pink gates of Peach's castle. As Peach and Starlow made quiet conversation in the back of the group, Mario and Luigi were recounting their latest victory:

"And then, BOING! I made my final leap, flipping through the air with a trail of stars at my feet. I gathered all of my courage before flying at the huge beast with everything I had. Then, there was a POW; victory for Mario!" Mario finished describing his attack and ended with a radiant pose.

"I was there too, bro..." Luigi added.

"Oh, right... Sorry, Weegee," Mario replied.

While the bros moved on to discussing Bowser's strange anatomy, Peach and Starlow continued on with their whispered conversation.

"So... What were you guys talking about after we left?" Peach asked, hoping to seem subtle.

"What? Ugh," Starlow replied, obviously annoyed, "Nothing, Peach."

"Oh, come on!" Peach giggled, "he didn't tell you anything?"

Starlow's expression turned from one of annoyance to one of deep thought. "No..." she began, "in fact, he didn't seem to want to talk. He didn't ask for me to be his minion, and he didn't even compliment himself once! There must be something on his mind... "

Peach sighed at her friend's ignorance, and was about to change the subject when Toadsworth arrived to greet the group of four.

"Princess! How wonderful to see that you have safely returned!" Toadsworth greeted Peach before turning to the others. "Masters Mario and Luigi! Madame Starlow! Thank you so much for all of your help. I assume you gave master Bowser a good beating?"

"We sure did, Toadswo-" Luigi began.

"Yeah! First, I went BOING! And then I-" Mario butted in, only to be cut off by Luigi.

"Let's tell him during dinner, bro; I'm starving!" Luigi exclaimed.

"I must admit, I'm quite famished as well," Toadsworth replied. "Let's all get cleaned up, and meet back in the dining hall in exactly one half-hour."

/(._.)/

So, the four friends went their separate ways to clean up for dinner. Peach went towards the royal chambers, thinking about her friend and how to help her get in touch with her feelings. Starlow went towards the guest room that she used whenever she came to aid the Kingdom, still thinking about what had happened at Bowser's castle that day. Mario and Luigi went towards their shared guest room, only thinking about the delicious fettuccine alfredo that awaited them that night.

'What was Peach talking about?' Starlow asked herself as she flew back to her chambers, 'and why did she care so much what Bowser said? She hates the guy, doesn't she?' her eyes went wide. 'DOESN'T SHE?' Starlow stopped, but then shook her head and smiled to herself. 'No... that's stupid. Peach told me about her crush on Mario ages ago, so there's no need for me to worry.'

Starlow made it to her room and was about to take a quick nap when she realized something. 'Wait...' she thought, sitting up on her bed, 'why would I be worrying? Why should I care so much?' She walked over to the bathroom and observed her reflection staring back at at her through the mirror.

'Maybe I should talk to Peach...' Starlow thought with a sigh, before exiting her room once again.

/(._.)/

While Starlow was busy trying to sort out her emotions, Peach was in her chambers brushing her hair and trying to figure out how to get the two lovebirds together.

'If only Bowser had just told her! He's such a coward.' Peach thought about that for a second before giggling to herself. 'Well, I guess I'm one to talk, huh? The truth isn't always easy, especially when it comes to love.'

Peach was just beginning to throw around the idea of love in her head when she heard a gentle knock on her door.

"Starlow?" Peach said upon noticing her small, yellow friend, "what's wrong?

Starlow looked like she was on the verge of tears. "I don't really know," she replied. "Can I come in?"

Peach nodded before leading Starlow to her bed and giving her a hug. "What happened, Starlow? Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you?"

Starlow shook her head. "No... At least, not yet," she said. When Peach looked confused, she continued. "I've been feeling... weird. Like, I'm always thinking about this one person, and I just can't stand the fact that we're frienemies instead of friends, and-"

Peach cut her friend off with a squeal. "OH MY GOSH, YOU LIKE BOWSER!" She screamed. She would have also jumped for joy, if she had not first seen her friend's upset look. "Wait... So this crush is a bad thing?" She asked.

Starlow sighed. "No, the crush itself isn't a bad thing," she began, "but rather the fact that it leads to nowhere. First of all, he could never share my feelings; it's just downright impossible. Second of all, I can't even admit it to him. If I said anything, I'm sure that he would just laugh and brush me aside. At that point, even my subconscious would have to admit defeat, and I would be left with nothing."

"Starlow..." Peach began, "that can't be true. I'm sure that he wouldn't do that! You should go ahead and tell him your feelings."

"Yeah, right. But according to you, even Mario would simply laugh in your face. If even a man who loves you so much that he goes out of his way to save you every other week can't be trusted not to break your heart, than how can I trust a man who I've had to fight against not to break my heart?! Maybe it's time that you stop being such a hypocrite, Peach."

With that, Starlow stormed out of the room, leaving a very stunned Princess Peach behind her.

/(._.)/

Dinner, while delicious, was rather quiet that night: the two girls were still mad at each other, Luigi was usually rather quiet, and Mario had already finished recounting his adventure to Toadsworth.

"So... Haw about that Toad Brigade?" Toadsworth asked, attempting to break the ice.

"Oh, I hear that they're doing quite well this season," Peach replied.

"Actually, Peach," Starlow said, "if you payed any attention at all to sports, you'd know that they haven't won a single game yet this season." Unfortunately, this restored the awkward silence.

About five minutes later, just as everyone was preparing to part ways, the shouts of a frightened toad broke the frigid scilence surrounding the group.

"NO! It's too soon! How is he already back?"

"This is terrible! We must warn the princess!"

Suddenly a small, red-spotted toad appeared in the doorway. "PRINCESS!" He shouted, "You must flee! Flee!"

As he ran off, Toadsworth stood up and called to the princess. "Princess, we must get you out of here!" He shouted over the crowd of toads. "We must leave at on-"

Before he could finish, a large hole was blasted in the wall of the dining hall.

And through the dust, one name was called:

"CHIPPY!"

/(._.)/

A/N: Kind of a cliffie, but you guys can probably guess who it is :) So, what did you think? Feel free to review with polite comments, constructive criticism, flames, or any combination of the three. I kind of know where I'm taking the next chapter, so I'll let you guys know when I start it. Untill then, keep being awesome! :D