"My people believe in the power of the sunrise. We believe each morning begins not just a new day, but a new world."

Peach smiled, shifting her weight to get more comfortable. The glow of the early morning sky bathed her in shades of soft orange and pink. And from the top of the Dotwood Tree, the view was especially breathtaking; they could even see Fort Francis from where they were. Mario grunted from beside Peach; sleeping on the wooden surface wasn't very good for his back. He rubbed his aching bones while Peach spoke, trying focus on her instead of his pains. "I always feel so blessed to see the sunrise," the princess continued. "It means a lot to me."

Mario whistled lowly. He turned his eyes to the sunrise, watching the ball of light creep over the horizon of the Bitlands. "I've never put that much thought into it... I mean, it's beautiful, don't get me wrong. But why is it so important, exactly?"

Peach grinned. "I'm glad you asked. You see—"

An annoyed grunt came from behind them, cutting Peach off. Bowser was busy rummaging through their bags, making a mental checklist of the group's inventory. "Don't get him started on the sun story, Peach. He's gonna keep you talking for ages."

Peach waved her hand, scoffing. "And what of it? Everyone can appreciate a history lesson."

"Not this early in the morning," Bowser argued, standing up and wiping his knees free of dirt. "We need to get a move on soon if we wanna find Tippi by sundown. There's no way you two will finish yapping by then." He approached the two, his arms crossed disapprovingly. "As much as I love your voice, Peach, we can't afford to waste time here."

Mario huffed. "Since when do you care about keeping on schedule? Sounds to me like you just hate a good story."

"And it sounds to me that you won't mind if the world goes to shit." Bowser threw him a prompt and dirty look. "Come get your bag. You're on scouting duty today."

Slightly hurt by the remark, Mario quietly relented. "Okay, okay," he sighed, standing up. "I'm sorry. I'll ask about it another time." He left Peach's side to snatch his bag from the pile of supplies, then starting walking away. "I'll meet you guys at the top." Without another word, and before Peach could stop him, Mario leapt upwards and out of sight.

Once he was definitely gone, Peach narrowed her eyes at the Koopa. "Look here, you jerk. I don't know what your problem is, but you'd better fix that terrible attitude of yours."

Bowser's face was oddly blank as Peach spoke. He didn't seem angered by her words, or even remotely upset, which inwardly shocked the princess. The Koopa just… stared at her. Like she hadn't said a thing. It was unsettling.

"Bowser, say something already! Please, I—"

"I'm sorry."

Peach froze, doing a double-take. "Wh—what?"

The Koopa's face softened. "I'm sorry. For the wedding. I've been thinking about it, and… the only reason the worlds are being destroyed is cause I wanted to marry you so badly. Maybe we could've avoided all this if I didn't…" He paused in a rare display of hesitance. "...if I didn't love you so much, I guess."

Peach went limp, gawking slightly. "B—Bowser…? Are you… apologizing?"

"N—no!" Bowser suddenly phased back into his regular, furious demeanour. "Absolutely not! King Bowser never apologizes!" But when Peach continued to stare in disbelief, Bowser's facade began to crack. "S—stop staring at me! Let's just get ready to go… or whatever!"

As the Koopa King stomped away in embarrassment, Peach found herself fluctuating between utter shock and… amusement? Relief? She wasn't quite sure what she was feeling, but she knew one thing for sure: Bowser was certainly changing. Whether that was a good thing or not was yet to be determined.

A bird chirped, and Peach peeked behind her. The sun was now fully risen, marking the beginning of a new day, and a new world.


"Egyptians believe in the power of the sunrise. They believe each morning begins not just a new day, but a new world."

The Red Pyramid, Rick Riordan