Suspect the Unexpected
"This is rather unusual, isn't it?" Salome said quietly. "Link is supposed to pick one of them to be his love?"
"That's the bottom line," Ingrid replied.
"Hmm. A rather eclectic batch of choices, wouldn't you say? Doesn't this seem rather…wrong to you?"
"No. Why do you ask?" Ingrid asked. "They are all old enough to make their own decisions."
"It's not that," she said. "I just…disagree with certain people he's picking from."
"Like who?" Rita asked. "If it's about my daughter being a Zora…"
"No, no," Salome said nervously. "Race is irrelevant in this context. It's actually Zelda that I'm arguing against."
"Why?" Ingrid asked, looking down on her.
"Eh…forgive me, my Queen. It's just that…she doesn't seem like she would make a proper…life partner for Link."
"Either answer my question directly or hold your tongue," Ingrid said. "Which will it be?"
"I…Could we talk over there?"
"Very well," Ingrid said, following her some distance from the others. "Now what is it that bothers you so much about my daughter. Class difference is irrelevant. Even if it did matter, Link could easily become a Royal Knight of Hyrule."
"That's not it," Salome said. "It's more than a matter of social taboo. I think it's more akin to outright sin. It would be unnatural for them to have such a relationship. I shudder to think of any offspring that might result from…"
"You try my patience, Salome. Until now, you've presented yourself as an honorable woman. What drives you to belittle my daughter in such a way?"
"I'm meant no offense to her, but rather the possibility of a relationship between her and my son."
"Clearly we are on two separate pages," Ingrid sighed. "Please explicitly state what disturbs you."
"Oh…you don't know?" Salome asked, clearly growing more nervous.
"Know what?"
"About his father," Salome said.
"Of course I do," Ingrid said. "His father was your husband, Sir Link of the Royal Knights. He hardly ever ceased boasting about his newborn son."
"It wasn't his son," Salome said nervously. "It was Heinrich's."
Ingrid flinched reflexively. "Are you telling me you slept with Heinrich?" Ingrid asked, barely hiding her anger.
"There was hardly a woman in the court who didn't," Salome said. "You just happened to be his favorite." She winced as Ingrid raised her hand to strike her. Instead of smacking her, Ingrid laid a heavy hand on her shoulder.
"Are you absolutely sure that Link is Heinrich's son?" Ingrid asked.
"Most definitely," Salome assured her. "Just compare Link and Zelda's faces."
Ingrid looked and frowned upon seeing a slight resemblance between the two.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" Salome asked.
"I don't know," Ingrid admitted. "If you're wrong, and I hope you are, we'd be ruining the moment. But if you're right…"
"We'd be sparing them some embarrassment," Salome said.
"Right," Ingrid relented. She looked back to others and called, "Link, Zelda, could you join us for a moment? We need to talk." She was disheartened to see that he had been on the verge of saying something important to Zelda. The two obediently came over to them.
"What's up with them?" Nabooru asked. "The kid was about to make a decision, and Miss Sunshine over there interrupts."
"It must be important," Impa said. "Ing isn't the type to meddle unless it's important."
"Maybe she wants to give Brother her blessings," Darunia said. "I'm sure he was about to pick Zelda."
Zelda's piercing scream got everyone's attention. She had turned deathly pale and was clawing at her hair. Link had a wan appearance as well, though his face was more composed of pure astonishment. When Salome gently reminded them that they were being watched, they recomposed themselves. Link, with a befuddled look on his face, walked past the four sages, stood between them and the remaining three girls.
"What was that all about?" Nabooru asked.
"Is everything okay?" Malon asked.
"Not really," Zelda said blankly, stopping by Impa's side.
"What's the matter?" Impa asked.
"Go ahead, Zelda," Link said absently. "We might as well get this out of the way."
"Indeed," Zelda nodded. "It seems that Link's father and my father are the same person. We're half-siblings."
Everyone went quiet, save for a few surprised gasps. Then, the sound of restrained chuckling could be heard. All eyes turned to Nabooru, who had her hands cupped over her mouth as she struggled to hide her amusement.
"I am sooo sorry," she said between laughs. "But that is hilarious! It shouldn't be, but it is. But please, don't mind me. Continue." She eventually silenced herself, though she could not help smiling.
"I'm glad somebody thinks its funny," Link said sarcastically. "Because that ruined my whole perspective."
"Well, Link," Salome said, "you still have three perfectly applicable girls who are waiting for your decision. Let's just try again, okay?"
"No," Link said, shaking his head. "No offense ladies, but it's not working out that way. Ruto, you're a perfectly nice person and I'd love to get to know you better. But I think we'd better just stay friends."
"That's fine," she said.
"Saria, I don't know what happened to you, but I intend on helping you get your smile back. I don't think we'd be very good as a couple though. You're kind of like the mom and sister I never had…or at least until two minutes ago," he muttered glumly. "Is that ok with you?"
"Better than I expected, actually," she smiled.
"Malon…" Link said, sighing. "Even though you're nice, beautiful, and probably the most normal person here, I don't think the farm life is for me. Besides, I don't want to risk dating another possible sister."
"I understand," she nodded. "So, do you have anyone in mind?"
"To tell the truth," he said, "I used to have a crush on Impa."
Nabooru was too tickled to conceal her laughter at all, despite the blushing Sheikah standing next to her. Laughing on her back, Nabooru said, "This just gets better and better."
"But," Link added, "more recently, besides Zelda…I've found Nabooru the most appealing."
Nabooru's laughter stopped almost immediately. "What?"
"Something wrong?" Impa said with a smile.
"I like you," Link repeated.
Nabooru sat up to face him, looking somewhat unconvinced. "I'm not part of your fan club. Besides, lots of people find me appealing."
"I'll bet that's true," Link said somewhat casually. "But I'm willing to bet that the only ones who find anything appealing about you besides your looks are other Gerudos. And I remember you telling me that women aren't really your thing."
"And you really think that you're much different?" Nabooru asked. "Link, I respect you as an honorary Gerudo and I'll admit you're very handsome. However, you're a Hylian man and I'm a Gerudo woman."
"I don't think race counts as an excuse anymore," Ruto said.
"I wasn't asking you," Nabooru said in a singsong voice. "It's a cultural difference. To us, men are only good for one thing. And I'm not interested in having any children any time soon. When I decide to, you can be sure that you'll be the first man I contact."
"I guess that counts for something," Link said.
"Oh, I've seen this sort of resistance before," Salome said knowingly. "But I know of a way to see whether you two are compatible or not."
"Doesn't anybody listen?" Nabooru said, standing up. "I said no."
"Just go on a single date with him," Salome said confidently. "Spend one whole day with him, and see how he suits you."
"I don't see why I should."
"Are you afraid?" Darunia asked.
"I fear nothing!" Nabooru asserted. "It's just a waste of time."
"I'll give you five hundred Rupees for the day," Link said. "Just to make it worth your while."
"Don't try to bribe me. Do you take me for a whore?"
"I'll add two hundred to that," Impa said.
"Fifty free bombs," Darunia added.
"I can give you a pond next to the Fortress," Ruto said.
"Two horses, a cow, and two Cuccos," Malon said.
Zelda smirked, "All of that is too good for even a high-class prostitute. And it's all just for a date. Nothing more."
"Fine!" Nabooru yelled. "But just know that you're all throwing your money away."
Unbeknownst to anyone but Daisy and Mario, Ingrid had taken Peach far away.
Peach stood atop a hill of golden grass, staring up into the golden sky. It looked so perfect, yet unbelievable at the same time. It was devoid of clouds and had no sun, yet somehow it maintained its luminous appearance.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she said.
Sheik walked up behind her. "Did you hear me? I must be getting rusty."
"No," she said, turning around to face him. "I just sensed you. It's hard to suppress my new abilities."
"Ingrid told me," he nodded. "Even if it was against your will, at least you can better protect yourself."
"That's true, I suppose," she said, glancing at the ruins at the bottom of the hill where Ingrid was. Bowser was approaching and met eyes with her. "I don't think there's much I need to be protected from, though. All the mutants have been turned back to normal. King Boo is no longer a threat to me. And the enemy of my kingdom is my friend."
"I see," he said. "May I have your answer now?"
She kept her eyes on Bowser. "In another time, another place, maybe it would work out. But you already have a place you should be. And I have a place I should be."
"I understand," he said with a heavy sigh.
She smiled as she turned to him and placed a hand on his cheek. She said sympathetically, "You don't have to lie to me. I know you don't understand at all…but thank you for respecting my wishes."
"It's fine," he said, taking her hand in his before hesitantly letting it go.
"Come on," she said, guiding him down the hill.
Once they got to the bottom of the hill, Peach turned to Ingrid and said, "Could you take Sheik to his next destination. He has someone waiting for him."
"What about you?" she asked.
"I need to talk to Bowser," Peach said, glancing at the unusually quiet Koopa.
Ingrid eyes switched back and forth at the two. "Interesting. I'll return in ten minutes." She took hold of Sheik and they disappeared.
"Hello again, Bowser," Peach said.
"You okay?" he asked. "You seem kind of different."
"I do?" she asked. "It looks like I didn't put enough effort into it."
"Whatever," he shrugged. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"I'm glad you're okay," she smiled. "That was very selfless of you to sacrifice yourself to save Mario and me."
"Hey!" he yelled, startling her. "Let's get one thing straight, Peach. The Koopa King never does favors for anybody unless he gets something out of it. I only let go to make sure you were okay. I would have dragged the plumber with me if you weren't there."
"Sorry," she said humbly. "But still, I didn't think you cared that much about me."
"Think about it," he said, tapping his foot in place. "Every time I kidnap you, I always give you better prison conditions. The first time, it was a cage over boiling lava because I didn't care about you at all. After that, you got a nice big room all to yourself."
"And then you trapped me in the walls of my castle," she said with a frown, folding her arms.
"And then inside your own room," he smiled. "See, it gets better every time."
"I suppose," she admitted reluctantly. "For a big, monstrous, evil oaf…you're pretty nice."
"The Koopa King is not nice," he said sternly.
"Well, at least you're nice to me," she smiled.
"That's because you're the only person I'm nice to," he said.
"You're pretty nice to your kids too."
"Too nice," he frowned. "Bunch'a moochers."
"The oldest ones you have are teenagers," she said. "They're still young. Just give them time. You do pretty well for a single parent."
"Thanks."
"If you don't mind me asking," she said hesitantly, "what happened to their mother?"
"Mothers," he corrected.
"There's more than one?!" she exclaimed.
"Three," he said unenthusiastically. "And before you jump to any conclusions, I didn't do anything. They were just some underlings that I yelled at every so often. The stupid Stork just kept dropping off eggs for some reason. After I bought some…uh…contraceptives from a really convenient place in Sarasaland, I got the idea that I could use them not just blast the stork out of the sky, but also to take over your kingdom…the first time. After he came flying along with Bowser Jr., I had some Para Koopas intercept, take the kid, and blast the stork out of the sky. Haven't seen him since," he said with a satisfied grin.
"If it was such a bother, then why didn't their mothers just take care of them?"
"I wouldn't throw away my own bloodline!" he said, sounding offended. "Even the most pathetic ones have potential. It's just a shame that their mothers won't get to see them grow up."
"Oh," Peach said in realization. "How did they pass?"
"In the line of duty, like most of them," he said bitterly. "That plumber you care about so much isn't such a nice guy when you're on the underside of his shoes. Junior never even got to meet his mother."
"Oh…I'm so sorry," she said.
"Ah don't worry about it," he said dismissively. "I hate talking about this mushy stuff anyway. They were just guards, after all… Lemmy, and Iggy's mother was a Terrapin cadet who kept brownnosing me until I gave her a promotion. If I remember correctly, she was burnt to a crisp after Mario hit her with a fireball…or did he knock her into the lava…? Anyway, then there was Roy and Wendy's mother, a Boomer. She was stomped flat and crushed in the ruins of one of my fortresses that Mario came across. I liked her the most. Larry and Ludwig's mother lasted the longest of all of them. She was a Magikoopa under Kammy's command. She actually only got killed a couple of years ago after that witch possessed me."
"Cackletta?"
"Yeah, that's the one," Bowser grumbled.
"Um, Bowser?"
"Hm?"
"You forgot about Bowser Jr. and Morton Jr."
"Oh, right," he said, shaking off his bad memories of Cackletta. "They had the same mother too, so that makes four mothers, I guess. She was a Hammer Bro…er, Hammer Sister. A real mouth on that one; she cursed like a sailor. Mario ran her over with a starman, way back during that first time I kidnapped you, and knocked her down a cliff."
Peach could sense his conflicted feelings and saw it on his face as he stared at the ground in silence. She decided now was as good of a time as ever to do what she needed to do. She reached into one glove and pulled out a small roll of paper.
"What's that?" he asked, glancing at the paper. She unrolled it to reveal that it was a divorce page. "Divorce? Wait, aren't you going to at least give me a chance? Think about Junior and…well, I'll make the others treat you better. Come on, just…"
She tore the paper in half and smiled.
His mouth hung open in surprise. "Peach…"
She put her hands around his jaw and kissed him on the nose. "I like to think I've grown up a little. I can see that you're not so bad after all."
A large, dazed smile stretched across his face. "Heh…"
Geno and the child-like Empress strolled through a land of darkness and fire, him holding her by her hand. Plumes of fire shot up out of the volcanic rock ground repeatedly. There was no shortage of lava pools.
"Was it really necessary that we come down here?" Geno asked.
"I told you," the cherub said. "I know an excellent lawyer here. He's actually an angel of light as well…or at least he used to be."
"Relative?"
"No, but you wouldn't know by looking," she replied.
The surroundings abruptly froze over and geysers of freezing water replaced the plumes of fire.
"What just happened?" Geno said, stopping.
"It's a sign," she said dismissively, pulling him along. "It just means something unexpected happened."
A black flame appeared before them and revealed the Fierce Deity. Oni held up his hand, signaling them to stop. "That's far enough."
"You again," Geno said cautiously.
"Calm down, officer," he said, staring at the cherub. "I'm afraid she has to leave now. Her presence is disrupting the natural flow of things here. Besides the fact that she, of all people, is down here, it also seems her granddaughter has decided to remain with the Koopa King."
"What?" Geno exclaimed, blinking. "That's ridiculous. Besides, she is allowed to have a lawyer."
"He'll come to her," he said calmly. "I know exactly who she has in mind."
One week later…
Saria plunged her hands into the cool soil, giving her energy to the garden around her. Tiny sprouts poked through the surface.
"That's enough," Mother Malon said from behind her. "I don't want to cheat too much." Once Saria removed her hands, the senior Malon sprinkled the sprouts with water from her watering can.
"This is going to be a wonderful little garden," Saria commented, smiling as she looked on the gently plowed, fenced-in area beside the house.
"Hopefully the Cuccos don't get to this one."
Saria looked into the orange sky somewhat worriedly. "Shouldn't Malon be back by now? It's going to get dark soon."
"Don't worry about her. Zelda makes sure she gets an escort when she has to do a lot of traveling. She's had to widen her route since Link hasn't come back yet."
"You mean Link hasn't come back from his date yet?" Saria asked in astonishment.
"We haven't heard from him since he left," she responded matter-of-factly. "Bare in mind, he is surrounded by beautiful thieves. You never know what could be going on."
"Hmm," Saria frowned, looking at the ground again. Her ears perked upon hearing the gallops of a horse. They both craned their necks toward the entrance.
It was not Link riding in, but rather Nabooru. Upon seeing the two, she flipped off her horse before it had come to a stop and greeted them.
"Hey you two. Where's Malon Jr.?"
"Still out on delivery," Saria answered. "Where's Link?"
Nabooru's expression soured, "Don't get me started on that guy."
"Things didn't go well?" Mother Malon asked.
"Oh, the date went fine," Nabooru said. "Had a nice little tour of the forest, visited town, and then I took him home."
"But he hasn't been through here, has he?" Mother Malon inquired.
"My home," she clarified. "But among Gerudo women, word spreads fast. Soon everyone wanted a piece of him. I cracked a little joke about paying for him and they all took it seriously. Next thing you know, every Gerudo even mildly interested is trying forking over 500 Rupees for twenty minutes alone with him. So of course, he warps back to town to put that extra cash in a bank. Apparently, he saw some pretty thing he liked and decided to make as much money as possible off of us so he can impress her."
"It took you a week to come here and tell us that?" Saria asked.
"I'm only here to see her," Nabooru said to the other woman.
"Don't tell me Link is outlasting you?" Mother Malon giggled. "A little libido enhancement will fix that right up."
"The thing is," Nabooru said with a small smirk, "even though the others wanted to take him to bed, he just gave them a surprise lesson in swordsmanship when they tried to force him. To bring a little order to the situation, I got everyone to agree that if anyone could beat him in a one-on-one fight, they could have him for the night with a 500-Rupee entrance fee. So, everyone pays up and he clobbers them one-by-one. Considering that all the able women have been incapacitated, I decided to come here to pick up some healing supplies and something that will make them a little more…frigid, if you get my drift. It wouldn't be so great for us if we just kidnapped a bunch of men around the country. We already have a big debt to get back."
"Good point," Mother Malon said, looking toward the silo. "About a barrel of my most potent batch should do for your whole tribe. Guaranteed frigidity, three months worth of sterility, and…a…ahem…slight chance of miscarriage for those currently expecting."
"I've heard that tone before," Nabooru said knowingly. "By 'slight' you mean very likely. That's fine. We'll just have to be a little selective."
"Gross," Saria grimaced.
"You're a grown woman now," Nabooru retorted. "You might as well take some of her little specialties and have a night on the town."
"I'll pass," Saria said squeamishly. "I'll be leaving now. I promised Darunia I'd let his son hear my song tomorrow. I just hope I'm not late for the dinner Salome and Fado are making for me in Kakariko."
"For a formerly dead noble and pregnant former Kokiri," Nabooru commented, "they sure get around."
"They're tougher than they look," Mother Malon smiled.
Link waited patiently outside the restaurant he had picked out. The sun had set some time ago and all the stars were out. His eyes constantly scanned the thinning crowd as the market was beginning to close.
"Behind you," his date said.
He turned around to see her smiling face. Unlike most of his female friends, she was noticeably shorter than him. She also was not as outstandingly beautiful as most of his friends. Compared to them, she was relatively plain. She wore a simple yellow dress and white apron. She had round brown eyes and short, but straight carroty hair poking out of a white bonnet.
"What took you?" he asked, with a smile.
"You know me," she winked. "I just couldn't catch that Cucco."
A brand new castle had been built on the former border between the Dark Land and the Mushroom Kingdom. The two countries were officially united into one, though an official name had yet to be christened. The dark half of the castle was true to Bowser's usual tastes. It was gothic, poorly lit with dim candles, and had a moat of lava that fed a subterranean lava lake. The mushroom half of the castle was characteristically bright, full of windows to let in the sunlight, and had a crystal clear moat that fed all the water fountains throughout the castle's interior. Such a marvel could only be achieved in so little time through the cooperation of both countries' workers. Bowser's workers had a special talent for building and rebuilding castles quickly from past experience.
Bowser and Peach had tried to ease the transition by holding a large housewarming party. During the day, Darklings and Mushroomers were initially uneasy with one another. However, as things began to wind down during the night, things were looking more optimistic. Tayce T. was giving cooking tips to Bowser's best chefs and exchanging recipes in the main kitchen. Toadsworth and Kammy Koopa were playing a heated game of chess in the study. Even Peach's friends and Bowser's closest associates were there.
The Big Bob-omb King rubbed his mustache as he spoke to other members of royalty near the punch bowl. "I say, this is an astoundingly good start. When Lord Bowser first told me Peach was willingly staying with him, I thought he had found some manner of mind control device."
"I can't argue with that," Bow nodded, fanning herself. "I could have sworn Peach was completely out of her mind for staying with people like you, but…you're all right."
The Goomba King, who was nearly twice the size of the already large Bob-omb King, grinned. "We're not all like that psychopath King Boo. By the way, if you don't mind me asking, is he of any relation to you?"
"I certainly hope not," she said. "It's sickos like him that give us, Boos and royalty, a bad name."
"Quite," the Big Bob-omb agreed.
Some distance away from them, near the large red-carpeted staircase, Peach and Kamek talked.
"…and he flattened me like a pancake," Kamek chuckled.
"You're probably the twentieth person I've talked to that had that experience with him," Peach chuckled uneasily. "I'll have to talk to Bowser about his work ethics."
"Well, I should be going now," he yawned. "I'm not as young as I used to be. Once again, I want to thank you for agreeing to stay with His Stuffiness. It means a lot to him. I've never seen him so happy before."
"Don't mention it," she smiled. "Goodnight."
He bid her goodnight and she watched him board his broom and ride it to the second floor and into one of the halls. She looked around and saw a familiar face. She briskly walked to the dessert table to speak to Luigi, who was eating a Kooky Cookie.
"Hello, Luigi," she said. "I haven't seen you all day."
"Oh, hello, Princess…I mean-a, Queen," he said, turning transparent. "Wow, that feels weird."
"You have to be careful with that kind of food," she chided gently. "It does funny things to you."
"No, I mean calling you a queen," he said. "I knew it would happen some-a day. I just didn't think it'd-a be so soon, let alone with-a Bowser."
"I hope it doesn't throw you too much," she said.
"I'll get used to it," he smiled nervously. "I just hope you'll be okay. I know Bowser likes you, but what about the others?"
"From what I can tell, almost all of the Dark Kingdom likes me," she said. "Except for his children. With them, only Lemmy, Iggy, and Jr. like me. Ludwig, Roy, Larry, and Morton seem to tolerate me. Wendy, on the other hand, hates me. It doesn't help that I actually fought her a few months ago. But Bowser is being more firm than usual with her, so hopefully things will work out."
Daisy burst through one of the second floor doors and jumped over the railing behind Peach. "Whoo! Peach, this party is freaking awesome!" she yelled. Her face was flushed and her stance was a little shaky.
"Daisy, I haven't seen you all day," she said.
"I was just hanging with some of the Hammer Bros. Those guys rock at DDR."
"Mama-mia, you're drunk, aren't you?" Luigi moaned.
"I'm not drunk," she said, leaning on his shoulder. Of course, since he was transparent, she fell right through him and on the floor. "I'm just pepped up."
"Then why is-a your face all red?" he asked, returning to normal and helping her up.
"It's really easy to tell when you put so much powder on," Peach giggled.
"Hey, check it out," she said in a lower voice. "I totally saw a Gira Blaster flirting with a Bill Blaster."
"Are you sure they weren't just two Bill Blasters sitting next to each other?" Peach asked.
"Nah, Gira Blasters don't have those little skull thingies painted on their sides. I'm telling you, girl, this was a great idea. Screw all the naysayers. When Bowser is tied down with the ol' ball and chain, he's a total pansy like you."
"Um, thanks?" Peach said unsurely.
"Maybe I'd-a better take you home," Luigi said.
"I'm good to drive," she insisted. "I'm not gonna go flying off the road or anything."
"Daisy," Luigi sighed, "you flew here on-a your personal plane."
"Oh," she said dimly. "Well, I still want to hang around for a while. Peach, you mind giving me a little pick-me-up?"
"I think you've had enough of those," Peach giggled.
"I meant a little healing," Daisy said. "You know, like purify the body and stuff."
"Ah," Peach nodded. She waved her hand over Daisy and the princess glowed briefly.
"All right," Daisy said, standing up straight and newly sobered. "Weegi, I'm gonna go hit the lava pool. They have this totally kick-butt jet ski contest and…"
He grabbed her hand, saying, "Why don't we just have a walk on the balcony together?"
Daisy blushed and Luigi blushed in response. Daisy replied bashfully, "O…Okay."
"Before you go," Peach said, "have you seen Mario around?"
"Not lately," Luigi said. "He wandered off a while ago. He's probably still-a here though."
"He was in the west courtyard," Daisy said. "Said he wanted to be alone for a while. You should go talk to him."
"I will. Thank you."
Peach hurriedly went up the stairs and into one of the hallways. This part of the castle was the medium between the two styles. It was a bit dark and there was a red carpet going down the center of the hallway, but the walls were made of plaster rather than stone. As she passed by open doors, she saw lots of people enjoying themselves. A small crowd had gathered in the entertainment room as a Hammer Brother spinning on his back and a Toad spinning his head competed in a break dancing competition. In one of the dining rooms a Yoshi, Chomp, and Piranha Plant were pigging out in an eating competition. In yet another room, a friendly Wiggler was reading a story to a diverse group of children, including Bowser Jr. The last open doorway showed a poker game being played among a few Bumpty penguins, Dryites who still wore their turbans and veiling clothes over their faces, Roy Koopa, and strangely enough, a Thwomp. She opened the very last door in the hall, which led into the western courtyard.
It was a miniature park in appearance. There were benches and small, scattered trees. There was a stream flowing into a small pond in the center. Mario sat at the edge of the pond, watching the stars. The sky was partly cloudy, but some of the stars were still visible. Conveniently, he and she were the only people in the courtyard.
She slowly approached and asked, "Mind if I sit next to you?"
He looked up at her and turned his eyes to the pond. "Okey-dokey," he said without his usual enthusiasm.
"I just wanted to talk to you before the party was over," she said, taking a seat. "Things are going better than I expected."
"Mhmm," he nodded.
She looked down at the grass, thinking of what to say. "I know you're upset about my decision. A lot of people were. Some still are."
"Peach, could-a I ask-a you something?"
"Of course," she said, looking up at him only to find his gaze still on the pond.
"Did I do-a something wrong?"
"No... What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I don't-a understand-a," he said, picking up a pebble and chucking it into the water. "After all-a these years-a, I tried-a to look out for you-a. I protected the kingdom-a. I save-a the world a few times. Meanwhile, Bowser kidnaps-a you, puts-a you in prison, tries-a to take over you-sa kingdom, and makes-a everyone miserable."
"Mario…"
"Why him?" he asked, looking directly at her. His eyes were not angry, but hurt and confused. "What did-a he do to deserve-a someone like-a you?"
"I'm sorry, Mario," Peach sighed. "It's not that simple. When you put everything like that…he doesn't deserve me. But it doesn't have anything to do with 'who deserves what.' Just look at your brother. He hasn't saved Sarasaland a single time. He's had nothing to do with Daisy until I invited her to some of our sporting events. And yet, before he even knew it, she fell in love with him."
"But she didn't-a marry Tatanga," he said somewhat bitterly. He frowned at what his words. "Sorry. I know what-a happened while I was-a gone, but still…"
"I understand," she said. "Maybe I am a fool for staying with Bowser. But things have gone better than I expected so far. And…I really do love him, now." Her face turned red upon finishing her sentence.
"I know," Mario sighed. "I should of said something years ago, hmm?"
"That might've worked," Peach admitted. "Bowser was more vocal after all. But I still don't know for sure why I have feelings for him like this. But I know they're real and that's good enough for me. And I know this isn't the best choice of words, but…can we still be friends?"
"I think so," he answered. "At least I don't have to worry about you being kidnapped anymore."
"Thank you, Mario," she said, holding out a hand. He looked at it and shook it.
Peach glanced over her shoulder toward the entrance, where Bowser was peeking through the door. She stood up and returned to the entrance.
"How'd it go?" Bowser asked. "He didn't cry or anything, did he?"
"No, but he's still uncomfortable with the whole thing," Peach said. "Just a little depressed too. Ohhh, I feel so guilty!"
"Don't sweat it, babe. Your king has everything covered." He snapped his fingers and a red potion appeared in his hands. He threw it onto the grass and a door appeared.
The door opened and a vaguely familiar woman stepped out. She wore black high-heels and a red, knee-high, halterneck dress. She looked like a slightly taller, brunette femme fatale version of Peach. She glanced at Peach and looked to Bowser.
"Right that way, Miss," he said, pointing.
Without saying a word, she gingerly ambled over to Mario and sat beside him. He looked surprised to see her and she smiled pleasantly. They were immediately engaged in a conversation, catching up on old times.
"Who was that?" Peach asked.
"I did a little research on fats…I mean, Mario," he said. "As much I love the idea of him with a broken heart and all, I knew you wouldn't be happy with him like that. That woman is the famous Pauline."
"Pauline?" Peach exclaimed. "But how did…? Isn't she from…?"
"It's easier than you think when you have connections with the Big N," he said, wrapping an arm around her. "Come on, let's get back to the party."
"Thank you so much!" she said, jumping up to kiss him.
"I never get tired of that," he chuckled as they walked back down the hall. As they reached the lobby, a pair of Koopatrol met them at the top of the staircase.
"Uh, sir?" one of them said nervously. The other one looked particularly anxious.
"What is it?"
"We have a situation," he said. "A code white."
"WHAT?!" Bowser bellowed, silencing everyone in the room. "No, no, no! Are you sure?"
"Koopert's holding him at the door," he continued.
"What happened to that protection I ordered?"
"Temper," Peach reminded him. "Just calm down. What's code white?"
"Sorry, sir. We probably forgot to prepare anti-air cannons in the rush to build the castle. A week is not a long time to build…"
"Don't tell me what's a long time!" he growled, shaking his fist. He jumped down the stairs thunderously, his landing shaking the whole room. "Okay, let him in."
Peach floated down by his side as the front doors began to open. A stoic Koopatrol walked in, escorting a five-foot tall stork carrying a pinkish egg in a white sling in its beak.
"Hey, what's going on?" Daisy asked, pulling Luigi along. Upon seeing the stork, she let go of Luigi and took a few steps away from him. She squealed in a hushed voice, "Not yet… We didn't do anything! I knew I shouldn't have kissed him on the lips. Stupid, stupid, Daisy! Kissing always leads to pregnancy!"
The stork took the sling out of its beak and said, "I have a delivery for a Mr. Bowser Koopa." Daisy sighed of relief.
"Blast! Not again!" He grabbed the previously silent, but anxious Koopatrol. "This is why I don't let girls be my personal bodyguards, you see?"
"Sorry, sir!" she squealed. "I take full responsibility, sir!"
"Oh snap! He's already cheating!" Daisy said.
"Calm down, everyone," Peach said. "This has happened before. It's not what you think. He's not involved with her. The storks just do things a little funny."
"I don't make them," the stork said, "I just deliver them. Now, where's the mother?"
"Right here," the Koopatrol said, stepping forward.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Koopa," the stork said, handing her the egg.
"Actually, my last name is Halfshell," she said. "Easy mistake though."
"Wait a minute," the stork said, taking out a card. "You're not Mrs. Koopa? I have to make sure that I'm getting this address right. It says the mother is Mrs. Peach Koopa."
"It's mine?" Peach asked.
"So it seems," the stork said, taking the egg and handing it to her. "Now then, if we're all clear on the parents, I have to be going. I'm not supposed to stay this long." The stork then exited and flew off.
"I'm going to be a real mother?" Peach asked.
"Not my problem anymore," the Koopatrol said, taking off her helmet and slipping away. "That was too close."
Bowser was speechless and his mouth hung wide open.
"I wonder what it will look like?" Daisy said.
A large crack suddenly appeared in the egg as Peach felt something attempting to break out. "Daisy, get Mommy on the phone!" she said with a wide smile.
Notes: And that's the end. I hope you liked at least one of these endings. If you're a Zelink fan, this was probably not your ending of choice. The previous one probably worked better despite...circumstances. Anyway people, thanks for sticking with me through all those update gaps.
