Mario was on his way to Toad Town to buy some groceries for the house, when he suddenly heard the sound of sniffling. Puzzled, he tried to find the source of this noise, and eventually found that it was coming from Starlow, who was sitting on a rock. The Star Sprite was definitely upset about something, Mario knew that for sure.
"Hey, Starlow, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked. Starlow was both alarmed and embarrassed at the same time. "Wha-? Crying? N-no, I'm not c-c-crying…" she sniffed.
"You obviously are, why are you so glum?" asked Mario.
Starlow sighed and spilled the beans. "It's just…" she began. "...remember our adventure on Pi'illo Island, where we had to stop that evil bat?"
"Antasma? Yeah, of course I remember. But I don't understand why you're weeping about it." Mario answered.
"It's not that part that I'm weeping about," Starlow sniffed again. "I was thinking about… about Prince Dreambert…" she confessed, trying her hardest not to cry at the mere thought of him.
"You really miss him, huh?" Mario nodded. Starlow was really struggling to fight back her tears now. "W-we…" she choked. "...we were really developing deep feelings for each other… we fell in love with each other, we became girlfriend and boyfriend… but then me, you, Luigi and the others eventually had to leave Pi'illo Island…" she shut her eyes tight as the tears returned in-full-force.
"Um…" Mario couldn't really think of anything in response, despite his best efforts to comfort her.
"AND I'VE NEVER SEEN HIM AGAIN SINCE!" the distraught Star Sprite suddenly screamed tearfully, taking Mario by surprise. "ME AND HIM MIGHT'VE HAD A COUPLE OF INSTANCES WHERE I MADE FUN OF HIS FORGETFULNESS, BUT DEEP DOWN, WE KNEW WE REALLY… loved each other..." she finished with a murmur. Starlow couldn't hold it in anymore as she began sobbing into Mario's arms. Mario could understand the emotional agony that she was going through right now though, as he gently rubbed her back. "There, there." he hushed.
When Starlow eventually calmed down from crying a bit, Mario had an idea. "I know," he began. "Why don't you write Dreambert a letter and tell him how much you love him, and that you really want to see him again for a few days?"
Starlow stared at him, then smiled a small smile. "I… I'm not sure why I didn't think of that." she half-chuckled, half-cried.
Mario smiled back. "If I were you," he said. "I would go and do it right now. No time like the present, y'know!"
Starlow was suddenly a lot happier. "You're right!" she beamed cheerfully. "Thanks, Mario! I'll see you later! YELLO GOODBYE!" And with that, she floated off to Princess Peach's castle. "You're welcome!" Mario called back, as he set off again to do his shopping in Toad Town.
"You want to write him a letter, do you?" asked Peach after Starlow explained everything to her. "Yeah, but it was actually Mario's idea, not mine." the Star Sprite laughed.
"I see." chuckled Peach. "I'll get you a pen and paper!" she smiled. In no time, she returned with just that.
"Thanks, here goes…" said Starlow as she picked up the pen with her telekinesis. As she didn't have hands, she always used that ability of hers to do all the mundane things that us people do with our hands.
Dear Prince Dreambert,
I know it's been quite some time since we had our adventure with Mario & Luigi on Pi'illo Island, but ever since we returned to the Mushroom Kingdom, I've been thinking about you and how I wanted to express how much I loved you. I know I tended to make fun of how forgetful you can be, but that's how I can be at times when it comes to my sense of humor. Still, I want to express how much I love you with this letter and I hope we can meet again in the next few days. I look forward to seeing you again!
Your girlfriend,
Starlow
Afterwards, she put it in an envelope with Dreambert's name on it, and gave it to Parakarry, the Mushroom Kingdom's mailman. Everyone loved him, as he was a lot more convenient than the average mailman, because since he was a Paratroopa, he was able to fly and deliver letters and parcels within no time.
When he was given this letter though, he was confused. He had no idea who Prince Dreambert even was. "Care to explain?" he enquired.
Starlow was caught off-guard, she wasn't expecting any personal questions right now. "Oh! Uh… he's just my pen pal." she lied with a nervous laugh. Parakarry gave her a suspicious look, but he went along with her answer anyway.
"Alright, I'll deliver this to him in a jiffy! Where does he live?"
"Pi'illo Island, it has a big castle, so you should be able to find it." Starlow smiled. "Gotcha," replied Parakarry. "Thanks for the directions! I'll be off then!" as he flew off to Pi'illo Island to deliver Dreambert's letter. "I hope he says yes!" grinned Starlow, as she went to go hang out with Mario & Co.
Meanwhile on Pi'illo Island, Bedsmith was outside looking for Prince Dreambert, as he was nowhere to be seen at Pi'illo Castle. "DREAMBERT?" he yelled. He eventually did find him though, sitting on a bench and staring up at the blue, sunny sky.
"Dreambert?" Bedsmith asked, trying to get his attention. Dreambert was oblivious, as he had been staring at the sky all morning. "Dreambert!" he repeated, snapping his fingers. The Pi'illo prince finally snapped out of his trance.
"Oh! I'm dearly sorry, Bedsmith," he said. "I've just been thinking of… of…"
"Of what, may I ask?" enquired Bedsmith.
"Well… remember a long time ago when we had special visitors come here for a vacation?"
"Hmm… yes. I do remember, as a matter of fact. From the top of my head, I can remember them being Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toadsworth, a bunch of Yoshis and Toads… that's all I can remember. Was there perhaps one more guest?" Bedsmith wondered.
"Yes, if I can remember her name correctly, I believe it was 'Starlow'." mused Dreambert.
"Well, out of all of these guests," enquired Bedsmith again. "Why are you thinking of Starlow the most?"
"We had an especially good chemistry between us…" muttered Dreambert. "I think we fell in love with each other, despite her instinct on calling me Forgetbert. But on the inside, I didn't really mind her doing that… and ever since she left Pi'illo Island with the others, I tend to think about her from time to time…" he finished, before drifting off into staring at the sky again.
Bedsmith understood. It seemed to him that Dreambert really wanted to see the cute Star Sprite again, especially after such a long time.
At that moment, Parakarry landed onto Pi'illo Island. "Letter for Prince Dreambert!" he called. He didn't immediately notice the nearby bench where the two Pi'illos were sitting.
"I'm Prince Dreambert!" he clarified. "A letter for me, huh? Splendid! But… who are you? We've literally never seen you before." he added, confused.
"Silly me!" the Koopa chuckled to himself. "Where on earth are my manners today? Ahem, I'm Parakarry, the Mushroom Kingdom's mailman, and someone sent me here to give you this letter."
Dreambert took the letter. "Thank you," he said. "But who is it from?" "The person who gave me this letter said that you were her pen pal." replied Parakarry.
Dreambert suddenly looked even more surprised! "Her?" he thought to himself. "No, there's no way!" He quickly opened the letter and read it, then his face lit up. "IT IS!" he shouted happily. "IT REALLY IS HER!"
Bedsmith was taken aback by his reaction. "What? Are you telling me that this letter is from Starlow?" he gasped.
"Yes!" Dreambert laughed, as he was beside himself with happiness. "She wants me to go and visit her in the Mushroom Kingdom!"
"Wow, that's great!" grinned Bedsmith. "I'm so happy for you right now, that I could sleep on you!" Dreambert's smile dropped. "Please don't." he answered flatly. "Ah, yes, pardon me. I simply must control that instinct more often…" Bedsmith chuckled sheepishly.
"By the way," he added. "I wouldn't go right now, if I were you. It wouldn't really be right to leave Pi'illo Island without asking Eldream for permission first, would it?"
"Yeah, you're right…" agreed Dreambert. "I'd better go and ask him right now. Could you stay right here please?" he asked Parakarry.
"Sure thing!" he replied. "Thank you!" Dreambert bowed and smiled, and then went to Pi'illo Castle to speak with Eldream.
Eldream was obviously a very old Pi'illo, and he was unfortunately deaf in his left ear, so everyone had to speak with him within distance of his right ear. Otherwise, trying to talk to him would prove to be hopeless.
He was in the castle's library, sipping a cup of tea and reading a book. He was feeling quite content, and then Dreambert gently knocked on the door, but of course, it wasn't a loud enough knock for him to hear, so the prince had to knock harder. Luckily, the old Pi'illo heard it this time. "Come in." he replied.
Prince Dreambert entered the library. "Good morning, Eldream. I've come to make a big request…" he began.
"Go on." Eldream convinced him.
"Well..." said Dreambert. "I just got this letter from my girlfriend, Starlow. Do you remember when she was here for a vacation with Mario and Luigi?"
"Maybe, sonny… I have a short memory, you know." mumbled Eldream.
"I know." Dreambert acknowledged. "But basically, she wrote to me saying that she really wants me to see her again at her homeland, the Mushroom Kingdom, for a few days. I was hoping you'd let me do so. Can I, please?" pleaded the prince.
Eldream only had one concern: "Do you need to take anything with you?" he asked. "All I need is my toothbrush." chuckled Dreambert. "I'm sure they'll have everything else I need there!"
"As long as you're safe there, then yes, you can go." Eldream said.
Dreambert was delighted! "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!" He was beside himself with happiness again, but who could really blame him? He was finally going to reunite with his girlfriend! He couldn't wait! "But first, I should write a letter to her in return. I'll be back later!" he added, as he left the library. "Sure, it's best to let her know in advance." chuckled Eldream, as he went back to reading his book.
Dear Starlow,
I just received your letter and from what I've seen, I'm genuinely surprised that you still think about me from time to time! Things have been really quiet here on Pi'illo Island ever since our adventure together with Mario & Luigi. Still, it is splendid to know that you want to see me again. Don't worry, we will meet again soon enough! I promise! Until then, I look forward to that!
Your boyfriend,
Prince Dreambert
With that done, Dreambert took Starlow's letter back to the bench he was at earlier, where Parakarry and Bedsmith were busy chatting away.
"Guys, he said yes! I'm going to the Mushroom Kingdom to reunite with Starlow!" he beamed. "Congratulations, prince!" grinned Parakarry. "I'll send this letter to her right away! Have a nice time at our place!" And with that, he took off back to the Mushroom Kingdom to bring Starlow the good news.
"Thanks!" Dreambert called back. "Man, I wish I could spend this visit with you…" Bedsmith remarked. He wasn't jealous of the prince, just disappointed that he wasn't also going to stay at the Mushroom Kingdom for a bit.
Dreambert patted him on the back. "Cheer up, buddy. At least you'll be able to drop me off!" he smiled at him.
Bedsmith's face lit up. "Really?" he asked excitedly.
"Sure! We'll ask the Zeekeeper later, to see if he'll take me there!"
"Okay! That sounds like a great idea!" said Bedsmith. Then his stomach growled. "Um… I think we should both get lunch first." he continued. They both chuckled off to the castle's kitchen.
Meanwhile, back at the Mushroom Kingdom, Starlow and the others were talking about Prince Dreambert after she told them the whole story, except Mario, because of course, he already knew.
"Yeah… I remember Dreambert!" said Luigi "I loved our time at Pi'illo Island too, because of all the sleep I got to have, thanks to him!" he mused as the others laughed. "Sleepy head!" Starlow giggled. "Hey, don't judge me!" Luigi laughed back.
"But can you really consider them the best sleeps of your entire life? Especially after I constantly messed with your moustache?" Starlow teased as she and the others laughed again. "Well, no, but I was just grateful that Mario did most of the work!" Luigi quipped as he playfully winked at his brother.
"What the gallopin' Goomba are you talking about, bro?!" Mario laughed. "You did do as much work as me! Are you telling me that you can't remember your dreamy self?" "My dreamy self…?" Luigi was bewildered, he couldn't remember such a thing as his dreamy self. "What are you talking about, bro? HA! How 'bout them apples?" he jested.
"Well played." his brother applauded with a titter.
"You think Dreambert has received it now?" Daisy asked
"I wonder if he's read it yet?" added Toadette.
"I'm sure of it," Starlow replied. "It probably only took Parakarry a few minutes to deliver."
"What if he forgot to read it?" Mario jokingly asked. Starlow burst out laughing. "Shut up!" she laughed. "Calling him Forgetbert is MY job, and not yours!" "Just sayin'!" chuckled Mario.
"Do you suppose he'll bring anything with him?" enquired Yoshi. "I doubt it," Peach chimed in. "We have everything he probably needs while he's here with us."
"Are you sure about that, princess?" Toad smirked. "He might bring his toothbrush!"
"Come on now, Toad, you don't know if he even has a toothbrush!" snickered Luigi as they all laughed again. "I was only making a wild guess." chuckled Toad.
At that moment, Parakarry arrived back. "Letter for Starlow!" he proudly announced. Starlow was tingling with excitement! "Oh my gosh, thanks!" she smiled.
"No problem! A postman's job is never done." he chuckled as he handed the letter over to her. "Have a good day!" he added, as he flew back to the Toad Town post office.
The others gathered around Starlow as she opened up the letter, and after she read it, she screamed with joy, catching them all off-guard.
"Is he…?" Luigi began to ask.
"DREAMBERT'S ACTUALLY COMING TO VISIT!" the psyched Star Sprite squealed. Starlow thought she was going to burst! She had never felt this excited in quite a long time!
"That's absolutely wonderful!" cheered Peach. "It'll be great for us to see him again too!"
"Come on, Starlow," Mario grinned "Let's all go to Toad Town for a congratulatory meal!"
The others all agreed. Starlow felt like the luckiest and happiest girl in the entire world right now, though she made sure not to show off. And so, they all went to Tangerino Grill to eat while waiting for Prince Dreambert to arrive.
Meanwhile, after spending a few minutes eating at the castle, Dreambert and the others went to the airport so they could tell the Zeekeeper to take them to the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Sonny, I can really tell that you really want to see her again, don't you?" Eldream asked Dreambert about his encounter with Starlow.
"Yeah, I really do! She knows how much I mean to her! I even keep thinking of how she will react once we see each other in person once again…" Dreambert was a bit shy in response to Eldream's question as he lightly blushed at the mere thought of him seeing Starlow once again.
"Truly delightful of you, Prince Dreambert! Then again, things have been peaceful on the island, so it would make sense for you to visit the Mushroom Kingdom just to meet up with her once more!" Eldream was a bit more confident in his statement as he gently smiled to Dreambert out of respect and confidence, as they eventually saw the Zeekeeper sleeping a few moments later.
"There he is… The Great Zeekeeper… Please awaken him and tell him that you want to visit the place you want to go." Eldream stared at the Zeekeeper as he instructed Dreambert, to which he nodded in response.
"Hey, Great Zeekeeper! Wake up from your slumber! We need you for an important thing!" Bedsmith called out to the Zeekeeper as he woke up shortly thereafter.
"Who disturbs… my rest? Ah, Dreambert! What brings the three of you to this place?" The Zeekeeper asked in curiosity, wanting to know what they needed from him.
"You see, the three of us are asking for your assistance on taking us to the Mushroom Kingdom! I want to see someone who's very, VERY special to me. Would you be kind enough to take us there?" Dreambert responded in a calm, yet gentle tone while explaining his reasons to visit the aforementioned kingdom while the Zeekeeper listened, briefly thinking if he would oblige to their request.
"I see… Well, since you've been very generous on your request, I shall take you there at this instant!" Upon hearing that, Dreambert expressed joy while Eldream and Bedsmith smiled at him with respect.
"Thank you very much, Great Zeekeeper! Your help is deeply appreciated once again! We shouldn't waste any more time with more chit-chat!" Dreambert replied out of sheer excitement as the trio climbed up onto the Zeekeeper's back.
"Ah, the joys of young people expressing their excitement… If only I could enjoy these days once more…" Eldream quietly said to himself as they climbed at the back of the Zeekeeper, keeping a tight grip so they wouldn't fall off by accident.
"Alright everyone! You better hold on tight! We should be good to reach the kingdom in about an hour! And off we GOOOOOOOO!" After a few more brief discussions, the Zeekeeper spread his wings as he eventually gained some altitude, flying off from Pi'illo Island as they went to their next destination. It was going to take the Zeekeeper an hour, because he was much, much slower at flying than Parakarry.
Starlow and the others went to Goomba Park after eating at Tangerino Grill. "Thanks for that, guys. I'm completely stuffed!" she exclaimed. "So are we!" laughed Mario. "It shouldn't be long now until he arrives!" smiled Peach.
"I'm looking forward to introducing myself to him!" grinned Daisy. "Me too!" said Toadette. "I hope he's nice!" "Of course he is! Otherwise, why would he be my boyfriend?" giggled Starlow.
"It's 5:35pm though, I wonder how much longer we'll have to wait?" Luigi wondered. But he got his answer right away, as the Zeekeeper's screech suddenly rang out of the sunset. They all jumped, but some of them recognised the noise. This could only mean one thing! "It's time!" Starlow squeaked in delight.
The gang arrived at Sunshine Airport, where the Zeekeeper's passengers were awaiting them. As soon as Starlow and Prince Dreambert made eye contact with one another, it was an absolutely incredible moment for both of them!
"DREAMBERT!" Starlow yelled.
"STARLOW!" Dreambert yelled back.
Starlow flew into his arms as he hugged her, while they both laughed in complete joy at the fact that they finally reunited with each other after so long.
Mario and the others went over to welcome the overwhelmed Pi'illo.
"Great to see you again, Prince Dreambert!" greeted Mario. "Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom! We guarantee that you'll love it!" Luigi chimed in.
"Thank you very much, but for convenience's sake, please refer to me as Bert." the prince chuckled.
"Okay, Bert." giggled Peach. "Allow me to introduce you to my best friend, Daisy!"
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, prince! You look nothing like how I imagined though… I thought you were a human, like us." she blushed. Dreambert chuckled again. "I'm from a species called Pi'illo." he explained to Daisy. "It's a bit of a story, so I'll be straight to the point. Pi'illos come from Pi'illo Island, formerly known as the Pi'illo Kingdom. We possess the power to enter into the world of dreams whenever we want and sought to protect the Dream and Dark Stones, which could create dreams and grant wishes. However, an unthinkable evil managed to steal and shatter the Dark Stone, transforming all of the Pi'illos into stone. Thankfully, thanks to Mario, Luigi and Starlow, we were able to save the day. I know, a lot of things happened, so I'll spare you the details."
Daisy was bewildered by such an info dump, so she simply responded with "I see."
"Bert, it's a real pleasure to meet you!" smiled Toadette. "I'm sure you've already met my brother, right?" as she gestured to Toad.
"Maybe…" grinned Dreambert nervously. "There were so many of your kind at the island, you see." he told Toad.
"No worries, I was just wondering though; did you bring anything with you during your stay?" Toad asked.
"Yes, actually!" Dreambert chuckled as he presented his toothbrush. Luigi was beside himself at this sight. "TOAD, YOU MADMAN! HOW DID YOU KNOW?!" he guffawed. "Told you." boasted Toad.
Dreambert gave Luigi a weird look. "Calm down, Greenie, It's only a silly old toothbrush. I honestly don't get why that's so funny." he said, confused.
"Sorry, Bert, I wouldn't've laughed if it hadn't been for Toad's wacky prediction powers. I think he's secretly a wizard." joked Luigi. Starlow couldn't help but giggle throughout the situation, Luigi could be quite the goofball at times, but she and the others were all accustomed to that. "Nope, you're thinking about Dr. Toadley, Luigi." tittered Toad.
"Where will you sleep?" Yoshi asked Dreambert. "Perhaps me and Luigi's house?" Mario suggested.
"Oh gosh, I didn't think of that beforehand..." the prince pondered. "I live at Peach's castle," Starlow told him. "Is it okay if he sleeps there with me?" she turned to ask Peach. Peach was more than happy to approve. "Absolutely!" she beamed.
"Splendid! Thanking you kindly, princess!" said Dreambert. Then he turned back to his girlfriend. "Oh, Starlow, it's simply wonderful to see you again after such a long time! I imagine you must've been really lonely without me."
Starlow blushed a bit. "Well, yeah, a little…" she said. "...but at least I always have Mario and the others by my side! They're like a family to me… and so are you!" she added with a cute wink.
Dreambert's eyes widened and he couldn't help but blush back. "R-really?" he stammered. "I-I'm very flattered to hear that, t-truly." They both giggled.
"We wish we could stay for a little longer, but I'm afraid that Bedsmith, the Zeekeeper and I must return to the island, sonny." Eldream said to Dreambert.
"Wait, going already?" Dreambert became a bit surprised. "Well, seeing how you haven't seen much of the kingdom and how you want to get back to the island soon, I can respect your decision, Eldream." he replied.
"Yeah, it sucks that we didn't see much of this place, but I hope we can see more of it next time! If we get the chance that is." Bedsmith expressed some disappointment, but let out a genuine smile to Dreambert.
"It's understandable, but I hope things will be different for us in the future. I'm sure of it!" The Zeekeeper responded as well, expressing a bit of excitement on the thought of visiting the Mushroom Kingdom once again.
"I know. I'm sure that dream will become reality. Well, I hope you have a wonderful flight on your way back to the island! The denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom will certainly appreciate your presence once more!" Dreambert smiled at the trio.
"Hey, they will welcome us again with open arms! That's a fact!" Bedsmith chuckled.
As soon the Zeekeeper prepared to fly back to Pi'illo Island, he looked at Mario and his friends as he, Bedsmith and Eldream waved at them.
"We'll meet again someday! That's a promise! To the two heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom and their friends, I hope you can take the time to interact with Dreambert! Until then, bye-bye!"
"YELLO GOODBYE!" Starlow called as the others also wished them goodbye.
"I must admit," Dreambert announced. "I'm really famished after that long flight."
"In that case, meet me and Luigi at our house, and I'll cook you something. Does that sound good to you?" smiled Mario. "Sounds splendid!" Dreambert smiled back.
"See you there then!" Luigi also smiled as everyone, except Starlow and Dreambert, left the airport.
"Is Mario a good cook, by any chance?" asked Dreambert. "Yeah, he's surprisingly good! But you really shouldn't stay right here with that growing stomach of yours, should you?" Starlow chuckled. "You're right." Dreambert blushed. "Let's go."
Eventually, they both arrived at Mario and Luigi's house. "Hello? I'm here for that dinner you were talking about!" Dreambert smiled. "Welcome, Bert! Almost ready!" called Mario from the kitchen.
They both entered the kitchen as Dreambert sat at the table, while Starlow floated next to him. Mario served up a hot plate of spaghetti bolognese. "I hope you enjoy it!" he smiled.
Dreambert dug in, and it didn't take long for Mario to see that he was very impressed. "This is delicious! Starlow was right, you are a good cook!" he praised, as Mario gave him a flattered, yet heartwarming smile. "Thank you, I took a lot of cooking classes when I was in high school." Mario giggled. "Funny," Starlow muttered. "I never knew that before." "Well, you mustn't forget that we all learn something new everyday." Dreambert reminded her between mouthfuls of bolognese.
"That was a splendid dinner, I'd simply love to have that again, without a doubt!" Dreambert said when he finished. "But me and Starlow should really get going now, I thi-"
"No, wait, could you stay for just a few more minutes? Mario and I should tell you two about the time when we were both at a fancy restaurant." Luigi started to chuckle at the thought of it.
Mario started to snort. "Trust me, this is rich!"
"Go on then." smirked Dreambert. "I think we're in the perfect mood to hear this." Starlow tittered.
"Okay, so, Luigi and I were getting ready to order our food, and Luigi told the waiter "Spaghetti and meatballs please, extra ketchup!" Within five minutes though, when the waiter returned with our food, instead of ketchup, Luigi instead ended up getting dandruff on his spaghetti and meatballs!"
Dreambert and Starlow were trying their hardest not to laugh at such a funny scenario, but they failed miserably.
"I was livid!" Luigi chortled. "So livid in fact, that I stormed over to their kitchen and yelled to the chef who was responsible, "YOU CALL THAT A SPAGHETTI TOPPING?! I ASKED FOR KETCHUP, YOU TWIT!"
Dreambert and Starlow were laughing so hard now. "I've never heard such a frightfully witty story in a long time!" he guffawed. Starlow on the other hand was crying with laughter, to the point where she was even struggling to speak. "Wh-wh-who in their right mind would put dandruff on something like that?!" she managed to wheeze.
"There was a happy ending though!" laughed Mario. "A different chef did give him the right topping afterwards! Though I wonder what happened to the incompetent one?"
"I really hope he was fired! There's no way they kept him, especially after that stupid act!" laughed Luigi.
"Oh, man…" said Starlow, wiping her tears away while she composed herself. "I needed that good laugh." she chuckled.
"So did I." sighed Dreambert, also composing himself. "Thanks for having us," he added, smiling. "We'll be off now! Goodnight!"
"See you tomorrow!" the brothers said as they saw them to the door. "YELLO GOODBYE!" Starlow beamed.
"What do you want to do now?" Dreambert asked her when they were outside. It was now 6:25pm, and the night sky had fully settled in, with a full moon too.
"It's the perfect night for us to hang out at Peach Gardens!" said Starlow. "You'll love it there!"
"Alright." Dreambert smiled.
Peach Gardens was such a peaceful little area in the Mushroom Kingdom. It was teeming with lovely flowers, and it had a nice view of the ocean too. Starlow and Dreambert went over to one of the benches to flirt under the moonlight. The garden was currently empty, except for their presence, which they were both grateful for, because now they wouldn't be able to be embarrassed with strangers while they both flirted. They had total social freedom right now.
"Gosh, it really is a splendid night, isn't it?" Dreambert mused as they stared at the ocean, with the moon's beautiful reflection shimmering in the water.
"Yeah, I simply adore nighttime, Bert. It really brings the atmosphere to life, don't you agree?" Starlow smiled at him. "Truly." Dreambert smiled back at her.
"Do you… think of me when you look at the sky every once in a while?" Starlow flirted with Dreambert while blushing in a shy manner.
"H-huh? Well, I do at times… Although I do think about the adventures we had with the Mario Bros. back at the island." Dreambert nervously laughed in response to Starlow, still smiling at her.
"You really are very dreamy and a bit forgetful at times, aren't you? I mean, I know I called you Forgetbert on some occasions, but that's how my stubborn side can be at times." Starlow gently responded back as she continued to flirt with him.
"Yeah, the moments where I would forget some of the important things caused a bit of frustration for me, but to be honest… I didn't mind that nickname! Then again, Bowser used to call you by the nickname of Chippy, right?" Dreambert proceeded to flirt back at Starlow.
"Y-you silly prince! It's not like I hated it or anything! Plus, he actually still calls me that. I mean, it's a cute nickname if you ask me… Still, if there's someone who's very important to me besides Mario and the others… It's you." Starlow became slightly embarrassed after listening to Dreambert poke fun at her, teasing him in response to what he said to her.
"Are you a broken record? You already told me something like that at the airport." Dreambert teased back at her. "Oh, did I? In that case then, call me Forgetlow!" Starlow exclaimed as they both laughed. And then, they did something they never did before: they initiated a long kiss!
The bench they were sitting at however, had a tree right behind it, and inside it's little hollow, lived a spider. And while the two were kissing, it decided to crawl out of it's home and do some hanging from the branch. As it descended down by it's silk, it was flanked by Starlow and Dreambert as they finished their kiss, to which they caught sight of it.
Spiders were Starlow's biggest weakness; she was absolutely terrified of them. Even the mere thought of them made her shiver, so Mario and the others made sure to never bring up the word whenever she was with them.
Starlow immediately let out a shrill scream and flew into a hysterical state of shrieking "GET RID OF IT! GET RID OF IT! GET RID OF IT! GET RID OF IT!" Prince Dreambert wasn't afraid of them though, as he grabbed the spider, quickly floated over to the edge of the garden and chucked it into the ocean.
"It's gone now." he smiled to the trembling Star Sprite, who had her eyes shut tight in terror. Starlow opened them, checked to make sure that Dreambert wasn't lying, and then sighed with relief. "Thank you…" she said.
"I didn't know you were arachnophobic, Starlow." the Pi'illo declared. "I think I'd better tell you why then." Starlow replied. And with that, she explained to him the reason why she had this phobia…
"Years ago, when I was still a student at Starmentary School, which is a special school only for us Star Sprites, up until what I'm about to tell you, I did still dislike spiders, but not on this current level. That was until one day during recess where I was just hanging out with some of my friends, when all of a sudden, a group of bullies headed towards us and one of them had a bucketful of spiders!" she shuddered thinking back to that part.
"How on earth did they find so many of them, especially enough to fill that bucket?" enquired Dreambert.
"I don't know," Starlow continued. "But anyway, my friends retreated when they saw what was in that bucket. I was unfortunately a bit too slow to react the same way however, as a couple of the bullies pinned me down to the ground, and then the one who was holding the bucket dumped the contents on me! I screamed the whole playground down! It was one of the scariest moments of my entire life! I was sobbing afterwards, and I was not only so petrified and upset, but also traumatised…"
"Oh dear…" said Dreambert sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that, I truly am."
"Thanks." replied Starlow. "Luckily, the one who dumped the spiders on me did get grounded by his parents for a month, so that was satisfying to me!" she added as they both chuckled. "Good to hear that he got his just deserts." remarked Dreambert.
At that point, they both resumed flirting with each other for another couple of hours.
Now it was 8:35pm, and they were exhausted from all they had to talk about. They had a great evening (for the most part, because of the interfering spider from earlier), and they agreed to hang out at Peach Gardens again.
"Thanks for this evening, Bert, but I really need to hit the sack now." Starlow yawned.
"Understood." Dreambert smiled as he proceeded to follow her to Peach's castle. Starlow always slept on one of the sofas in the living room.
"I'm thrilled to announce that we had a splendid date together!" he told Peach. "Unfortunately though, there was a brief inconvenient interference from a spider, but I got rid of it." he also added. Starlow suddenly went pale with fear and she gave him a stern glare. Dreambert grinned nervously at her, not previously knowing that even mentioning spiders scared her.
"Oh my… that doesn't sound pleasant, but overall, I'm glad that your first date here went well." Peach beamed. "I'll see you two in the morning, goodnight!" added the princess as she headed upstairs to her bedroom.
"Goodnight!" Starlow and Dreambert both responded, as they entered the castle's living room. Once the Star Sprite had made herself comfy under her blanket, her boyfriend transformed into his pillow form as he lay himself behind her weary head.
"Sweet dreams, my little twinkle." Dreambert smiled. Starlow blushed at what he said. She'd never been called 'twinkle' before, but she loved that. "Thanks, Bert. Goodnight." she yawned again as she fell asleep and dreamt about going on other dates with the prince. Life couldn't get any better than it did for her right now.
After a few hours of sleep, morning slowly came to the Mushroom Kingdom as the sun started to shine once more, prompting its residents to get up as always. Starlow and Dreambert woke up a few moments later, as they prepared themselves for another day.
"Good morning, Bert! So, how was your night?" Starlow asked with a genuine smile.
"Snoozing off in the world of dreams as always! Okay, I jest. It was decent. What about you?" Dreambert responded back to her, giggling at the joke he made to himself.
"Being silly as always, aren't you, Bert? I had a good night of sleep as well! Even more so with you at my side!" Starlow cheerfully replied to him.
"Heh… I know. Anyways, now that we already woke up and had breakfast, what do you want to do today? Do you have anything in mind?" Dreambert asked her, to which Starlow quickly thought of an idea for the occasion.
"You know, you haven't seen much of the Mushroom Kingdom, have you?' Starlow told Dreambert, unsure if he ever did before.
"Oh? N-not really. Considering how I had to take my role of prince very seriously, I don't think I had any chances to see it for myself. Why?" Dreambert became curious with the statement, wondering about what she was planning to do.
"Really? Aww, that's a shame. I could actually show you more of it! It's okay if you don't want to though. I'm not trying to force you." Starlow felt surprised at what he said to her, still hoping he would accept the idea.
"Actually… I wouldn't mind! Doesn't hurt to know a bit more about the Mushroom Kingdom!" Dreambert thought to himself about the idea, before accepting it without any hesitation!
"Since you're very interested… we should do that right away!" Starlow responded in a cheerful tone as they took the time to see several areas of the kingdom and comment about some of the places such as Toad Harbor, Dolphin Shoals and a few more areas as they continued to explore at their own pace.
"I'm impressed at how the citizens are very active in places such as Toad Harbor, Moonview Highway, Daisy Hills and many other places! Same with areas with little to no civil presence. You know, Sweet Sweet Canyon, Thwomp Ruins, Mushroom Gorge and so on." Dreambert became impressed while Starlow couldn't help but express a genuine smile as they continued with the little tour they had.
"Indeed! Even more so with some of the race tracks they have! Yeah, Mario and the others enjoy a bit of racing every now and then. That is one thing that people like to talk about at times." Starlow replied while blushing at him, to which Dreambert noticed it.
"Are you thinking… of visiting one of those places with me? I… I feel genuinely surprised by that since we get to spend some time together. I guess the harbor would be a suitable place to appreciate the view? Or maybe a place that might be a bit more fancier for both of us?"
"For a dreamy prince, you know how to surprise me at times, hmm? Although we could do that if we get the chance to do so." Starlow romantically teased Dreambert, to which he couldn't help but laugh as the tour continued for a bit longer.
After spending some time talking to each other and visiting a few more places, Dreambert and Starlow went to Toad Town during the evening as the tour was slowly coming to an end.
"You know the one thing I love about Toad Town? How peaceful it looks. I think that makes our little tour more romantic, don't you think?" Starlow commented, while Dreambert couldn't help but smile in response.
"Yeah, it sure does look calm here. I mean, the residents are doing the usual chores and just having a bit of fun every now and then. This kinda reminds me of how things usually are on the island." Dreambert daydreamed for a bit about Pi'illo Island as they eventually decided to stop for a bit to do some sightseeing.
"Yeah, it sure does. Only when trouble doesn't come around to this place, that is. I mean, we haven't seen Bowser or any of his troops as of now… Are they planning to do another invasion as usual?" Starlow felt curious upon noticing that the King of the Koopas was absent, wondering as to why he wasn't present.
"Oh? Actually… While you were getting ready during the morning, I had a small conversation with Princess Peach and well, she told me that he's currently sick! Caught a nasty cold!" Dreambert chuckled from the moment he mentioned the reason why, to which Starlow couldn't help but laugh in response! The kingdom was temporarily safe from his malice.
Kylie Koopa was passing by them while she was heading home from work, though she stopped in her tracks at the sight of Dreambert. "Evening, Starlow!" she smiled at her. "I don't mean to interfere, but I couldn't help but notice this…" Kylie struggled to find the right words without offending the Pi'illo. "...odd looking fellow next to you. No offence." she added nervously to Dreambert.
"None taken," he chuckled. "I'm her boyfriend, Prince Dreambert. I'm from a species called Pi'illo, we come from Pi'illo Island. I came here to reunite with Starlow for a few days, since we really missed each other and haven't been together for so long." Dreambert explained as he smiled to Starlow, while the Star Sprite blushed for what was probably the hundredth time that day. "Pleased to meet you, by the way!" he added to Kylie.
"You too," Kylie smiled. "Though I guess this is the only time we'll meet." she added, frowning at the thought. Starlow and Dreambert frowned too, as they both knew that this was the truth.
But suddenly, Kylie remembered something. "Oh! Actually, I'm going to see this blues singer at the Midnight Wanderers Jazz Club tomorrow night, have you heard of her before, Starlow? Her name's Rose Koopsworth. I'm a huge fan of her music, and this will be the first time I see her in person!" she said excitedly.
"Uh… no, can't say I have," Starlow chuckled. "But that does sound like a great date for me and Bert! We'll see you there tomorrow night then!" she beamed. "Bye!" Kylie Koopa beamed back as she resumed heading for home.
"What do you think, Bert? Does that sound good?" Starlow turned to him, twinkling her eyes in a cutesy manner. The prince blushed, but he smiled. "I'm not familiar with the blues genre of music, but that does sound romantic!" he confessed, giggling as Starlow giggled back. "Then it's settled! I think we'd better head back to the castle for a drink though. All this sightseeing we've been doing today has left me parched!" "Yeah, same, actually." Dreambert blushed again. They both shared a non-spider-interrupting kiss before going home.
Starlow and Dreambert went to the back garden of Peach's castle. Peach Gardens wasn't related to the castle, it was just one of the Mushroom Kingdom's many parks.
Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Toad, Toadette, Toadsworth and Yoshi were also there, sitting at the big table and talking while Peach came out with a tray of iced tea for all of them.
"Ahem, make that two more iced teas please, princess!" announced Dreambert as he and Starlow joined them.
"Evening!" Mario smiled at them. "We haven't seen you two at all today, what were you up to?" he enquired as the prince and Star Sprite took their places at the table.
"I've been showing him around the whole kingdom! We've had quite the adventure!" Starlow giggled as she drank some of her glass of iced tea.
"Mamma-mia, the whole kingdom?!" exclaimed Luigi, gobsmacked.
"Indeed," said Dreambert as he drank his iced tea as well. "This place is huge! Pi'illo Island is already pretty big, but this takes the cake!" he tittered.
"Yeah, Pi'illo Island is definitely smaller than this place…" chuckled Mario nervously.
"I honestly love the Mushroom Kingdom! Never a dull moment here… especially when I'm with this little sweetheart!" Dreambert added as he gestured to a blushing Starlow, who was seriously a likely candidate for the world record of most blushes in a single day!
"Good to see you again, prince!" Toadsworth smiled. "I wish I had known you were coming yesterday…" he also chuckled nervously. "At any rate, I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying yourself here!"
"Shame it's only temporary though." muttered Daisy, but Starlow and Dreambert both heard her and their faces fell. Daisy realised she shouldn't've said that. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dampen the mood." she said, embarrassed.
"No, you have a good point." the prince told her. "I would LOVE to live here, but that doesn't seem likely…"
"We're all for it though. We're like a family together, and you seem perfect as another member of said family!" Mario told Dreambert as he tried to lighten things up.
The Pi'illo tried his best to smile at this. "I know, that's what Starlow told me yesterday. But unfortunately, none of you have the power to let this happen. The only person who does have the power to grant me this privilege is Eldream, and I highly doubt he would be generous enough to do so…" he sadly confessed as everyone else's faces fell too.
However, Mario once again tried to lighten things up as he asked, "Apart from your arrival yesterday, nothing else really exciting has happened these past few days. What I'm trying to say is… where has Bowser been? Not that I'm implying that me and Luigi aren't grateful that this is the case though, because we're both loving the relaxation right now."
"Oh? I didn't tell you two earlier? I told Dreambert this morning that Bowser's bedridden with a nasty cold right now!" Peach laughed as everyone else laughed too. "That explains it!" Mario added.
"Thank goodness! Having to fight him and his minions really exhausts me sometimes!" laughed Luigi. "Yeah, especially after the time he tried to ruin Peach's birthday." Yoshi thought back. "I'll never forgive him for destroying me and Toadette's hours of work on those decorations…" Toad scowled.
"Anyway, what are you and Bert planning on doing next?" Toadette asked Starlow.
"Kylie suggested that me and him should see Rose Koopsworth at the Midnight Wanderers Jazz Club tomorrow night. I'm not familiar with her and obviously, neither is Bert, but it sounds good for our next date!" she replied.
"Although we don't mind if all you guys want to come and see her with us!" Dreambert added, inviting everyone else. They all agreed, as it sounded like another brilliant way to spend a peaceful evening.
Toadsworth was unsure on the other hand. "Maybe. As the kingdom's mayor, I'm a very busy man. Can't guarantee my presence." he chuckled.
Eventually, they all finished their drinks and wished each other good night.
Starlow and Prince Dreambert spent most of the next day alone together, both being lovey dovey, and flirting with each other as per usual. In the morning, Dreambert suggested that they take a romantic stroll through the Woods of Sorrow, which was an ironic choice, considering that they were gonna go there for love and happiness, and obviously not for sorrow.
"Uh, Bert…? Are you sure this is the right place for a walk?" Starlow commented on how she didn't like the idea of going through the place at night, to which Dreambert felt a bit curious.
"Why though? Is there a reason why you don't want to visit the Woods of Sorrow at night?" Dreambert asked Starlow.
"W-well, you see… I think it's really creepy as far as I'm concerned… What if Boos and Peepas inhabit the woods at night? But to be honest… I… I'm not really afraid of ghosts!" Starlow gave her response to Dreambert, to which he let out a small smile of reassurance to her.
"W-wait? For real? You don't fear them? What a coincidence… I also don't fear them as well! I guess we share a common trait regarding that!" Dreambert became surprised upon hearing that Starlow wasn't afraid of ghosts, to which they both laughed not long after.
"Yeah! Not in the slightest! I mean, Luigi fought King Boo a few times before so I guess we shouldn't let our fears get the best of us, right?" Starlow then joked as they continued to walk for a bit.
"Hey, I know," Prince Dreambert got an idea and smirked at Starlow. "If by some miracle that Eldream lets me live here, whaddya say we attempt to take on this place at midnight, sometime next week?"
"R-really? Well, seeing as we're not afraid of ghosts… this might be a bit risky, but I guess it doesn't hurt to give it a try!" Starlow became surprised with the idea, but without any hesitation, she accepted it in an instant.
"Splendid! If I'm lucky with Eldream, I look forward to doing it with you!" laughed Dreambert as they finished their stroll through the woods.
That night, they met up with Mario and the others at the Midnight Wanderers Jazz Club to see Rose Koopsworth sing the blues. They took their seats while she was getting ready to come out on stage. Toadsworth wasn't there though, he wasn't kidding when he said he was a busy man! Kylie Koopa looked behind her shoulder and spotted Starlow and Dreambert. She smiled and waved at them, while the prince waved back and the Star Sprite winked at her, obviously because she wasn't capable of waving.
"How was the walk that both of you had today? Was it good?" Mario asked Dreambert and Starlow, curious about how things went for them.
"Oh yeah, it was great! Not much to it, but things went smoothly for us!" Dreambert responded to Mario's question, to which Starlow gently smiled and gave her own response to him and everyone else.
"Yep! At least it helped us enjoy the time we had together! Then again, it doesn't hurt to go out for a bit, right?"
"I'm glad to hear everything went smoothly! A guest like you deserves a bit of a special treat here!" Peach giggled to Dreambert upon hearing what the duo said.
"I kinda wish I had these walks with Luigi! I know he gets caught up with a lot of shenanigans in the Mushroom Kingdom, but a hero like him deserves to take a break every now and then, don't you think?" Daisy teased Luigi with the idea, causing him to blush in embarrassment.
"D-Daisy…! I honestly don't know what to say about that! Maybe I'll think about it once I get some free time, okay?" Luigi responded as he felt surprised with what she said to him.
"I could make this walk a little more… interesting if you ask for my help, Luigi! Provided if I'm not taking a nap somewhere else that is." Yoshi replied in a playful manner to both Luigi and Daisy, feeling a bit overjoyed with the concept of helping them in a way.
"I would love to spend some time on a field of flowers with Toadette!" Toad blushed to his sister, who giggled back at him.
"Yeah, I've always wanted to do that with you, bro! Anyway, I can't wait to hear the stuff that Rose has in store for us tonight!" Toadette expressed her excitement as they waited for the show to start.
A couple minutes later, Rose Koopsworth finally entered the stage to thunderous cheers and applause, along with a couple of naughty men wolf-whistling at her snazzy appearance, which was a sparkling dress. Like Kylie and Parakarry, Rose was one of the few good-natured Koopa Troopas in the Mushroom Kingdom, because of course, most of the Koopas were on Bowser's side. But at least there was some relief in knowing that there existed Koopas who weren't like this.
"Good evening, good evening! Thank you all for coming here tonight at the Midnight Wanderers." Rose said while trying to hush the excited audience. "Let me ask you this; how many of you are familiar with Pauline, the fellow singer from New Donk City? Because tonight, my first song will be a laid-back cover of her most popular, upbeat song, 'Jump Up, Super Star'. She wrote it for Mario in support of him, during one of his quests to save Princess Peach from being married by his arch-nemesis, Bowser!"
Most of the audience oohed at Mario, who was blushing and giggling at the attention… and then Peach kissed him! "Oooh, princess!" he chirped as she, Starlow and Dreambert also giggled at him.
"Enjoy the show, folks." Rose purred to the audience. The relaxing music of the Midnight Wanderers band kicked in as she began her first song.
Here we go, off the rails. / Don't you know it's time to raise our sails? / It's freedom like you never knew.
Don't need bags, or a pass. / Say the word, I'll be there in a flash. / You could say my hat is off to you.
Oh, we can zoom
all the way to the moon,
from this great, wide wacky world. / Jump with me, grab coins with me.
Oh, yeah.
It's time to jump up in the air. / Jump up, don't be scared. / Jump up and your cares will soar away. / And if the dark clouds start to swirl,
don't fear, don't shed a tear, 'cause
I'll be your 1UP girl.
So let's all jump up super high. / High up in the sky. / There's no power-up like dancing. / You know that you're my superstar. / No one else can take me this far. / I'm flipping the switch, get ready for this, oh, let's do the odyssey.
While Rose was singing, Starlow and Prince Dreambert looked at each other and sighed romantically, both feeling totally content. "Kylie was right about Rose, she is a wonderful singer." the Star Sprite purred to him as Dreambert gave her a nice, big smile.
"Yeah, if I get to live here, me and you should definitely date at this jazz club more often, because this really is just as relaxing as Peach Gardens." he quietly said to Starlow. "Oh, Bert, I would love that!" she shyly muttered to him as they shared their third kiss. The whole gang stayed for the entirety of Rose Koopsworth's show; it was too good not to leave midway through it.
"HELLO YELLO! Did you sleep well, sweet prince?" Starlow greeted Dreambert with a genuine smile the next morning. "Yeah, I had a splendid sleep! I mean, considering how we had a beautiful night with that concert, it was perfect!" Dreambert responded cheerfully.
"Aww, that's great! Although we should enjoy this date as much as we can since you will eventually return to the island soon…"
"Yeah, I know. Still, if I get the chance to live in the Mushroom Kingdom, I'm sure we will have more of these dates. I understand that life can be unfair at times, but we must stay strong no matter what." Starlow and Dreambert realised that his possible departure was going to be bittersweet for both of them.
"But no matter what… I'm thankful that we got to spend some time together…" Dreambert proceeded to hug Starlow, surprising her right away!
"B-Bert! You're such a sweetheart at times, aren't you?" Starlow blushed in response to the hug, but understood how much they cared for each other.
They spent most of the day at Peach Gardens, doing the usual: flirting, making each other laugh… and of course, more kissing. They were both startled however, when the unexpected screech of the Zeekeeper suddenly rang out of the orange sunset. Starlow and Dreambert simply looked at each other sadly, and they got up to go to Sunshine Airport. Mario and the others joined them on their way.
Bedsmith and Eldream were there, still sitting on the Zeekeeper's back. "I hope you've enjoyed yourself here, sonny, but I'm afraid it's time for you to leave." Eldream said to him. "How has your time here been with Starlow?" asked Bedsmith.
"We've loved every single second of it. I showed him around the entire kingdom, we went for a date at Toad Town's jazz club, you name it." Starlow responded, trying to keep her spirits up. Unfortunately though, that was hard for her to do right now.
"Please, Eldream, I really want to live here with Starlow. I know that's asking too much, but I would love nothing more than being able to do so." Dreambert pleaded to him, hoping that the old Pi'illo would accept his request.
"I understand, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that. You'll have to come back to Pi'illo Island with us. Now."
Starlow and Prince Dreambert were both utterly heartbroken by this, and the Star Sprite slowly broke down in tears, while Mario and the others went up to comfort her. Dreambert lowered his head and slowly floated over to the Zeekeeper. He was trying his absolute hardest not to cry, but his emotions eventually got the better of him when Starlow tearfully yelled, "BERT, DON'T GO!"
That did it. The prince also burst into tears and he rushed back to hug her while crying, "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU, STARLOW! I LOVE YOU!" Mario and the others watched on with sadness, with Luigi even on the verge of blubbering. Even Bedsmith was sniffling at the sight.
Eldream was starting to feel really bad inside. He sighed, got down from the Zeekeeper's back and went up to the distraught Pi'illo and Star Sprite, who both kept on sobbing uncontrollably.
"I see how drastic this situation has become, sonny. If you really, really want to have a new home here… you can."
The two suddenly stopped crying a bit and Dreambert turned to face him. "Y-you mean…?" he asked between sobs.
Eldream slowly smiled. "Yes… you can live in the Mushroom Kingdom."
"I-I-I'm suddenly dreaming, right?" Dreambert couldn't believe his ears and neither could Starlow.
Eldream laughed heartily at their shocked faces. "I'm serious. You can spend the rest of your life here with that Star Sprite, as long as you promise to write letters to me and Bedsmith."
Dreambert and Starlow faces lit up! "H-he's really gonna live here? With me?!" she asked Eldream. "YES I AM!" the prince yelled with delight.
They both cheered and laughed with the utmost joy that they ever felt in their lives, while Mario and the others congratulated the Pi'illo for gaining this privilege.
"Thank you, Eldream! And don't worry, I will send letters to you two!" Dreambert assured him, to which Eldream responded with a hug, while Bedsmith also got down and hugged him too.
"We'll both miss you, Dreambert." the spectacled Pi'illo told him. "I know," Dreambert replied. "But at least you'll still hear from me." he added with a smile, as Bedsmith and Eldream went back to board the Zeekeeper.
"I must say, it has been an honour knowing you, Prince Dreambert. I hope you enjoy your new life here. We'd better be off now, fare thee well!" said the Zeekeeper as Bedsmith and Eldream both bidded everyone farewell too. And with that, the Zeekeeper took off into the sunset.
"YE-" Starlow was about to say. "YELLO GOODBYE!" Dreambert yelled to them, cutting her off. "Bert!" she playfully scolded him, as they all laughed.
"Now that I live here, you know what that means, don't you…?" he winked, teasing her about their planned midnight visit to the Woods of Sorrow. "Oooh, I can't wait for that!" Starlow squealed excitedly as Dreambert chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"Come on, Bert, we're gonna need a new group photo, now that you're with us permanently!" grinned Mario. "Splendid idea!" the prince grinned back at him. They all went to Toad Town to see Kylie Koopa, who was more than happy to take the photo. "I'm glad I'll get to see you more now!" the Koopa blushed at Dreambert afterwards.
"I'm glad that I now get to be with Starlow, 24/7!" he purred to the Star Sprite, who giggled at his flirt as they both shared their longest kiss yet.
Starlow and Prince Dreambert had such an amazing following week together, and they even agreed to get married as soon as they were old enough! Eventually, they did what they both agreed to do; go into the Woods of Sorrow at midnight!
"Are you prepared to visit and explore the Woods of Sorrow with me at this time of the night?" Dreambert asked Starlow if she was ready, to which she nodded in response.
"Yep! With you at my side, I'm sure I'll be safe from any danger! Of course, I'll make sure nothing will hurt you if this place turns out to be haunted." Starlow replied, remaining confident that things would go smoothly for them.
"Splendid! I knew you wouldn't back out from this! Either way… here we go." Dreambert responded to her as they entered the Woods of Sorrow together.
Everything seemed normal at first as the moonlight shined through the branches with the occasional sound of owls deep into the area, to which both didn't mind in the slightest.
"This place seems pretty empty, aside from the owls that we hear every once in a while and any kind of small bugs hidden in some trees… I'm still concerned if it's haunted though."
"Y-yeah…! I mean, who knows what could happen to us next!" Dreambert chuckled nervously. But suddenly, the fog started to get a bit thick as they continued to explore the woods.
"Oh no… the fog's getting thicker… Starlow, stay next to me. S-Starlow? Starlow?! Where are you?!" However, as the exploration kept going, Starlow unintentionally split up from Dreambert due to the low visibility of the fog, as she tried to stay calm as much as she could.
Starlow wandered around on her own for a bit as she stopped for a moment. "Gotta keep my cool in a situation like this… Can't let my fears get the best of me… M-maybe if I close my eyes for a few seconds, things will be back to normal…"
However, as Starlow did so, a spider slowly descended right in front of her!
"Okay… I think things should be fine now…" Starlow slowly opened her eyes and then saw the spider, to which she entered a state of panic and terror!
"S-S-S-SPIDER! G-GET AWAY FROM ME! AAAAAAHHHHH!" Starlow screamed, as she quickly backed away from it while floating around in the woods aimlessly, trying to get as far away from it as possible.
"S-Starlow?! Hold on, I'm coming!" Dreambert heard her screams as he tried to head in the direction they came from, hoping he would find Starlow safe and sound!
As he quickly went through the area in hopes of finding her, without any warning, Dreambert and Starlow ended up accidentally bumping into each other! Of course, he checked on her to see if she was alright.
"Starlow… are you… okay…? You seem a bit frightened..." Dreambert asked her.
"Y-yeah… I'm fine… I just... encountered a spider…" Starlow replied panting, as she was still very traumatised from the scare she just had.
"Oh, thank goodness…! And here I am, thinking this place was haunted, only to discover that you got scared by a spider!"
"You're not gonna make fun of me for that, are you…?"
"O-oh? N-no! Not in the slightest! I wouldn't be capable of mocking you for such a phobia! And besides… I think you look cute when you're scared..." Dreambert shyly laughed at what he had to say to Starlow's emotional state.
"W-wait? For real…? I… I don't know what to say… T-thanks for the kind words, Bert. At least we can safely confirm that the Woods of Sorrow aren't really haunted after all!" Starlow blushed after hearing Dreambert comment on how cute her scared state was, as they both laughed together.
However, while they were laughing, thinking that the place wasn't haunted at all, Boos and Peepas immediately came out from several places, proving to them that the woods really were haunted!
"Aah! Where did they come from?!" Starlow exclaimed, realising that they were proven wrong as the ghosts slowly floated toward them!
"I guess we only have one thing to do… RUN!" Dreambert knew that fighting them would be pointless, so they both decided to float away as fast as they could! As soon as they got out of the forest, they composed themselves and simultaneously asked each other, "I thought you said you weren't afraid of ghosts?!", to which they then stared at each other and burst into laughter, finding the fact that they asked each other the same thing at the exact same time funny!
"Well, we're not, but that really caught me off-guard back there!" Starlow laughed. "Me too," chortled Dreambert "I wasn't expecting that at all!"
"I would love to do something similar like this again, Bert! It was so spooky and exciting!"
"One day, we will." Dreambert assured her. "Terrific, can't wait!" she replied excitedly.
In Peach's living room, Starlow was already sitting on the sofa, ready for bed, but Dreambert wasn't yet, he was instead sitting at the table. All the lights were off, except for the table's lamp.
"Come on, Bert, what's the hold up?" she giggled. "I'll be with you in a few minutes," he smiled over to her. "I'm just writing a letter first."
Dear Bedsmith & Eldream,
I know both of you wanted me to return to Pi'illo Island, but I will do my best to send as many letters as I can. The Mushroom Kingdom is quite the splendid place to explore and I honestly can't help but express my joy on being able to live here! I know, I understand how this place feels different from the island. Nevertheless, I'll keep the residents of Pi'illo Island in my thoughts and I'll see if I can check in every now and then.
Yours sincerely,
Prince Dreambert
After he gave the letter to Parakarry, he went over to the sofa and transformed into his pillow form for the Star Sprite.
"Will the people of Pi'illo Island be alright without your presence?" Starlow asked Dreambert as she laid her weary head on him. "Don't worry, they'll be fine. Besides, every now and then, I've agreed to fly over and quickly check on how things are doing there… if that's fine with you, that is?" he asked. "Sure," Starlow smiled. "I don't mind at all!"
"Thank you, Starlow," Dreambert smiled as they kissed. "I love you! Goodnight."
"Love you too! Goodnight yello!" she giggled quietly as they both fell asleep.
Prince Dreambert's new life in the Mushroom Kingdom had only just begun, but he was over the moon to be living with his girlfriend full-time, and he and Starlow agreed to always be there for each other… no matter what happened.
The End