This chapter is my favourite. I adore all the moments!

Also, there's a reference to another one of my other stories in here! Play a little spot-the-easter-egg!

May 9, 1601
Afternoon

"HA! I win!" Junior crowed, waving the controller over his head. His on-screen counterpart cheered as well, waving his hands as the victory music chimed in. The two had chosen to play Mario Kart Wii, since Peach (somehow) didn't own a switch. She'd claimed that Mario had one, and she never played any games alone. He apparently brought his over whenever they wanted to have some fun.

Junior clicked next, proceeding the game to the trophy presentation. The podium featured his character in first, Koopa Troopa in second, and Peach's avatar in third (she had been playing as herself). The trophy flashed across the screen, and Junior pumped his fist.

"Good job!" Peach clapped, flashing him a warm smile. "You're quite good at this game. I really thought you were only really good at Eight."

"EEERT! Wrong!" Junior crossed his arms. "This was my second Mario Kart! I don't play it as much, but I still do! I'm the Mario Kart Champion!" He puffed out his chest. "Nobody's ever beaten me! Not you, not Papa, and not any of my dumb siblings!"

"I can't imagine it would be fair for your father. Does he have controllers that are his size?"

"Nope." Junior smirked. "That's why he's so bad. He tries to press a button, and he mashes 'em all at once!" He giggled. "Papa gets soooo angry!" Junior pointed his Wii remote at the screen. "Do you wanna play another round? Battle mode this time?"

"Maybe another day, I'm done playing video games. We've been playing for…" She glanced behind her, at the large grandfather clock ticking in the back. "Stars, we've been playing for two hours!" She gasped. "The cake!" She bolted out of the room.

Junior raced after her. "What about the cake?" he called. They'd left it in the oven, so what? What was wrong with that? Didn't cakes take a while to bake?

"It's only supposed to bake for thirty minutes!"

Junior gasped. "Nooo!" He put on an extra burst of speed. He had to save the cake! The delicious chocolate cake that belonged in his and Peach's tummies! He skidded to a halt upon approaching a fork in the halls. I don't know where it is! He bounced on his toes, his stomach flipping as he waited a million minutes for Peach to catch up.

Peach had to slow down upon reaching the fork, as she was panting heavily. She led the way down at a speed walk, with Junior rushing ahead before having to stop and wait for her.

The two arrived at the baking room to find the cake sitting on the island. The sides of it were coated in pink icing. A female Yellow Toad was standing behind it. She had a plump figure, and she wore a white apron. White hair curled up close to her mushroom cap. She was humming to herself as she smoothed icing on top with an icing spatula.

"Hey!" Junior marched towards her, a glare forming on his face. She paused, her eyes trailing down to meet his. "That's not fair! I wanted to decorate it!"

"Tayce T.!" Peach gasped, her footsteps coming to a halt right behind Junior. "Thank you!"

Tayce T. flashed them both a smile, the skin around her eyes wrinkling. "It was no problem, Princess. Though, you're not usually forgetful."

"I was a bit busy entertaining Junior."

"We were playing Mario Kart!" Junior puffed out his chest, flaring his nostrils. "I won 'cuz I'm the Mario Kart Master." He marched towards her, holding out his hand. "Gimme the thingy! I'm gonna put the icing on! I wanna put the caramel on!"

Tayce. T shot Peach a glance before meeting Junior's eyes. She nodded and gestured for him to come up. "You can do the icing if you'd like."

Junior hopped onto the island, yanking the spreader out of her hands. He went use his hand to scoop up the icing, but Tayce. T smacked it with an, "Ah-ah!" He gave a squawk and glared at her, a growl rumbling in his throat.

"Junior, I'm going to be eating that, too. No offense, but I'd rather not have your hands in the icing." Peach put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to blink back at her. "Use a spoon."

Junior cocked his head. "What sp—?"

Tayce T. thrust one into his hand. He took it from her with a scowl. He scooped out some icing, spreading out with the spoon. He made sure to cover every inch of the cake in a thick layer. As he worked, Peach sent Tayce T. off with another, "Thank you."

"Done!" Junior beamed, resting his fists on his hips. The icing was a little lumpy, but he didn't care. It was covered, and that was what mattered.

"Good work, Junior." Peach patted his shoulder, enticing a purr from him. She took the icing spatula and ran it across Junior's handiwork.

"Bu—"

"I'm just smoothing it out. Don't you want it to look nice?"

"Yeah. Just don't leave any of the cake un-icinged!"

Peach giggled. "Why don't you get the caramel drizzle? It's inside the cabinet second to the right."

Junior hopped off the island, rushing over to the mentioned cabinet. He shifted through the contents inside, which were a bunch of decorative toppings. There had to be about a million different types of sprinkles. He ended up tossing them on the ground, finding the caramel in the back. He stared at the sprinkle shakers. Maybe I could put some sprinkles on! Not too many. He didn't want to get sick again. He grabbed the yellow and pink sprinkles before rushing back to Peach.

"Got it!" He jumped back up on the counter. He set down the toppings. "I brought sprinkles, too! Just don't put a lot on, because then I get sick."

Peach smoothed out the last of the icing with one final swish. She set down the icing spatula, meeting Junior's eyes. "You got sick?"

"Yeah. Papa used to let me put on as much as I wanted." His head sunk into his shoulders, a nervous smile rising to his face. "I… I kinda used a whole container one time. It was a big one. I threw up. It stunk. So don't put too many on." He screwed the top off the caramel. "I wanna put this on!" He went to dump it on, but Peach put a hand on his arm.

"Don't put too much on. Caramel can make you sick, too. Put it in lines, so it looks—"

"Mama Peeeeaach…" Junior shrugged her off. "I can do it good." He tilted the caramel, letting only a small amount dribble out. "See?" He moved the bottle up, down, and across, drizzling the caramel evenly.

Actually, the real result was a mess of lines, thick in some places and thin in others. Junior scratched his head, staring down at his handiwork. He glanced at Peach, who was shaking her head a little, a smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "It'll still taste good," Junior defended.

"I know that." Peach took the caramel from Junior, screwing the lid back on. "And you… you do realise that this opens, right?" She popped open the lid, revealing a narrow tube that had been expertly hiding itself.

"What?" Junior's eyes widened, though he narrowed his brows in a glare. "Darn you stupid thing! You were hiding where I couldn't see you!" He jabbed the bottle. "Stupid!"

Peach handed him the shaker of yellow sprinkles. "Why don't you put these on?" She set the caramel down, grabbing the pink shaker. "I'll take care of pink, and you can do yellow."

Junior was more than pleased to comply. He was much more careful about the amount he put on, and thankfully Peach didn't put an excess number, either. The cake had a light dusting of both colours at most. Just looking at it made Junior's mouth water, but Peach suggested they save it for the approaching dinner. She put it in the fridge, then offered to take Junior for a little walk in the garden. The little Koopa was more than happy to go.

The garden was a nice place, if you asked Junior. It was overflowing with flowers, tall hedges surrounding it. The whole place smelt wonderful, and the near-cloudless sky made everything better. The temperature was a little chilly, but Junior could deal. The only bad thing was that he spotted a few Power-Ups growing among the ordinary plants. The sight of them made his scales prickle, but since Mario wasn't around, they weren't a threat to him.

"What do you think?" Peach asked, the first to break the silence.

"It's pretty." Junior dropped down to his knees in front of a yellow flower. It had a copious amount of thin petals, along with a brown centre. Junior sniffed it, careful not to put his nose too close.

*BZZZZZZZZ*

A buzz attacked his ear, and Junior leaped back with a squawk. He clawed at the air, his head whipping to spot whatever the thing was.

Peach giggled. "Junior, that's just a bumble bee." She knelt down next to him, pointing out a tiny critter. It was a little smaller than his finger-claws, and six thin legs protruded from its fat, fuzzy body. Its little wings fluttered as it climbed along the flower, the two antennae on its black head frisking the petals.

"Bumble bee? That's a dumb name." Junior leaned forward a little, he poked it, causing it to buzz its wings. He giggled. He was about to poke it again, but Peach grabbed his forearm.

"Don't, it'll sting you." She put her hands on his shoulders, guiding him back. "It's best to leave it alone."

Junior tilted his head. The bumble bee nuzzled its pointed face into the centre. "What's he doing?"

"He's collecting pollen and drinking nectar."

"What's nectar?"

Peach gave him a funny look; a smile pulling at her face, and her brow creased. "Never mind. Let's just leave him to his business."

Junior trotted after Peach as she walked through the garden, her fingers brushing the taller flowers as she passed. He noticed several other of the bumble bees buzzing about, some fat and others skinny. A few large-winged bees were fluttering lazily about, too. Junior had an overwhelming urge to chase the big-winged bees.

A white one flew past his nose, and Junior leaped after it. He swiped at it, but it flapped out of reach. He growled, his stubby tail flicking as he crouched, his eyes locked on it as it flitted about. I'm gonna catch it and give it to Mama Peach!

"Oh, Junior!" Peach gasped. "Leave the poor butterfly alone!"

Junior jumped at it again, his claw just managing to clip its wing. The butterfly (apparently that's what it was called) was knocked back a little, but it regained its flight, albeit wobbly. It fluttered well out of his reach, and Junior stamped a foot with a growl. "I almost got it!"

"I'm glad you didn't!" Peach flashed him a stern face, the makings of a glare starting to form. "It's not right to attack something so defenseless!"

"But Mama Peach, I just had to chase it! I had to!" He pointed after it, letting out a little huff. "It got away because of you! I wasn't gonna hurt it…" He ducked his head. "I was gonna give it to you."

"Oh." Peach's features relaxed, and she turned her attention to a nearby patch of blue flowers. "I thought you were going to kill it."

"No, why would I do that?"

Peach was silent for a few moments. Her face lit up, and she dropped to her knees by the blue flowers. She reached a hand out to one of them. Junior hurried over, putting his hands on her leg as he leaned close. She was coaxing a small red probably-not-a-bee to climb on her finger. It was round with black spots on its back.

"What's that?" Junior asked, pointing to it.

The critter crawled onto Peach, and she held it towards Junior. "This is a ladybug. They're said to bring good luck, and they can carry wishes."

"Okay!" Junior held his hands out. "I wanna make a wish!" He knew exactly what he was going to wish for.

Peach giggled. "Let me make one first." She cupped her hands as the ladybug crawled down her finger. She gazed at it for a few moments, the time dragging by. Finally, she gently deposited the bug into Junior's awaiting palms. "It's friendly, so don't worry about it biting you."

"I wasn't." Junior's mouth curled up in a smirk. "What could a measly little ladybug do to me, anyway?" He turned his full attention to the ladybug. It scuttled across his hands, pausing every few steps to brush its antennae against his palms. Junior closed his eyes. Please please please grant my wish! I wish for Mama Peach to stop being brainwashed by that mean Mario. I wish for her to fall in love with Papa so they can get married and she can be my Mama and we live happily ever after. Forever.

When Junior opened his eyes, the ladybug was gone. He gawked at his empty hands for a moment, but he then spotted it flying up and off.

"It's going to deliver our wishes to the stars," Peach explained, putting a hand on Junior's shoulder.

Junior leaned into her side, letting out a small sigh. He inhaled her smell, his tail lifting. "Mama Peach, what did you wish for?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't come true."

"Oh. I hope it comes true. As long as it's a good wish."

Peach twirled a lock of Junior's hair around her finger. "I hope yours comes true, too. In its own way."

Yeah. You and Papa are gonna get married one day. They would be happy, she'd see. Mario just needed to be removed from the picture, and all would be well.

"Junior, would you like to go through the hedge maze?" Peach suggested.

"A maze?" Junior perked up, a grin flying onto his face. He nodded. "Yes! Yes!" He bounced in place. "Where is it? I wanna go! I wanna go!"

Peach rose to her feet, chuckling as she smiled down at him. She pointed over to a line of hedges. "The entrance is just around the corner."

Junior grabbed her hand. "Then let's go!" He took off, pulling her behind him. She let out a yelp.

"Junior, not so fast!" She pulled against his grip. "I'm wearing heels!"

"Oh, sorry."

Junior slowed so that the pair could walk side-by-side. They entered the maze, their hands still enclasped. Junior dictated all the turns, as he wanted to find the heart of the maze without Peach's help. He led them to a few dead ends, but he found the middle in under ten minutes, as the maze was on the smaller side.

The centre was circular, a marble backless bench sitting in the middle of a cluster of mulitcoloured flowers. An arch stretched over it, the pattern replicating the shapes of flowers and mushrooms. Junior even spotted a few hearts thrown into the mix.

"I did it! I found the centre!" Junior crowed, tearing his hand free of Peach's and rushing over to the bench. He hopped up, spinning to face her as he pumped a fist into the air. "I claim this bench in the name of Prince Bowser Junior Koopa the whatever number I am!"

"I think you mixed that up," Peach chuckled, coming to take a seat next to him.

"That's how I want to say it. I'm Bowser Jr., and my last name is Koopa. Bowser Junior Koopa. I don't care if it's supposed to be another way." Junior plopped down on the bench. He kicked his feet. "Now what?"

"We could talk."

"About what?"

"Well… is there anything you'd like to talk about? And let's try to keep the topic away from… kidnapping or me marrying your father."

"Aw, okay. Hmm…" Junior tilted his head. What could we talk about? He didn't have much to go off. Nothing interesting had happened recently, and Junior couldn't come up with any funny stories… He perked up. He might not have had any funny stories, but he definitely had pretend stories. "Mama Peach, do you want to hear about some of the adventures I've had with Papa?"

Peach shook her head, a frown starting to form on her face. "Junior, I told you, no kidnapping."

"It's not kidnapping! Me and Papa go on adventures! Sometimes!" Junior's shoulders slouched, but he shook his head a little. We can play one after he gets better. "One time, we went to outer space."

"Junior, I said—"

"This isn't kidnapping! You weren't even there!" He beamed, leaning towards her. "You could be there if you want. Next time you come over, we can have an adventure the three of us!"

She blinked at him, then her mouth went in the shape of an 'o'. "These are games!"

"Yeah! Pretend games! Me and Papa have gone to all sorts of places! We've been a bunch of different things!" He used hand motions as he spoke to enhance his storytelling. "We were pirates one time, and we had to use our magic diving airship to go find the X Temple." He puffed out his chest, grinning. "I made the name up myself! Y'know how x marks the spot? I made a temple that's full of treasure! Guess what shape it's in!"

"An x." Peach crossed her forefingers in the shape.

"You're smart, Mama Peach!" Junior nuzzled into her side, resting his head on her lap. "Yeah, me and Papa went inside. It had air, so we could walk around. It was made of gold, and there were jewels and coins everywhere! Me and Papa had magic infinite treasure bags, so we were able to get everything. Then, Papa found a big Fire Gem, which he made up. It has unbeatable fire powers. We were gonna get it, but it was guarded by this giant blue Blooper! It had ice powers! Me and Papa beat it after a very long and very awesome battle. Then we melted it into this big puddle with the Fire Gem. Then we went home and bragged to all the loser pirates about our awesome treasure. The end!"

Peach rested her hand on the back of Junior's head. "That sounds like a lot of fun. You've got quite the imagination."

Junior beamed, his tail wagging a little.

"Do you and Bowser play games like that a lot?"

"We'd play them more if Papa wasn't busy with his kingly stuff. He said so." Junior's face dropped to a frown. "And he's busy a lot. And pretend is no fun by yourself."

"How do you play pretend with your father?" The beginnings of a smirk pulled at her face. "No offense, but Bowser doesn't exactly strike me as… the creative type."

"I narrate everything, and Papa does what I say. He sometimes comes up with stuff, too, and he talks by himself, but I do pretty much everything. He's getting better. He used to just stare at me with this dopey face. Like this." Junior pulled away from her, rising to his feet. He let his arms dangle, raising his eyebrows and letting his mouth open just slightly. He made sure to add the subtle wrinkle of his nose.

Peach laughed. "Oh stars, does he really look like that?"

"Huh?" Junior tilted his head. He giggled. "He used to say 'huh' a lot. And yeah, this is really what he looked like!" He preformed the expression again, enticing more laughter from the princess. "Silly, right?" Junior asked, a grin popping back onto his face.

"I'm just trying to imagine Bowser with that expression." She covered her mouth with her fingers, chortling. "Is it wrong that I'm finding that really easy?"

"No, you spend time with Papa. You've probably seen his lovey-dovey expression. He makes it when he's thinking or talking about you."

Peach's laughter ceased, and she turned her gaze forward. A tiny smile remained on her face, but her eyes lacked the normal warmth they usually had. "I think I've seen it." She turned her sights back to Junior. "Were there any other adventures you really liked?"

With a grin, Junior launched himself into telling her the story of how he and his Papa had decimated a whole alien race. But once he started telling the stories, he couldn't stop himself from giving her the details of his and Papa's kingdom war, in which they had competed on opposite sides and fought until one had fallen (Junior was the winner). Or about the time they'd crossed through a vicious sandstorm to challenge the legendary Sand Bird. He told her every adventure that crossed his mind, and Peach maintained a smile throughout his whole monologue.

Junior's stories were interrupted by a Yellow Toad, who burst into the centre with a call of, "There you are, Princess!"

Junior cleared his throat, tapping his foot. And… C'mon, I'm really important!

The Toad shrank back, wringing his hands together. "Um… and B-Bowser Jr. We've been looking for you. Dinner's all ready to be served."

"Already?" Peach threw a glance at Junior. "You've been talking for a while." She sent a wave towards the Toad, and he scurried off.

"Yeah. Me and Papa come up with a lot of cool games. Mostly me." He smirked. "I tried having Papa come up with something, but he was hopeless. Papa suffers from grown-upism."

"Grown-upism?"

"Yeah. Grown-ups have it. It means they've forgotten how to use their imaginations. Papa is a very serious case. I'm curing him, but it's gonna take a while. We've been playing pretend for years." His tummy let out a grumble, and he put his hands on it. "I'm hungry."

"I can hear that," Peach remarked.

Junior hopped down from the bench, but Peach didn't get up. He tilted his head up at her. "Mama Peach, come on!"

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Peach gripped the bench, haunching forward a little.

Junior took a few steps towards her. "Yeah. What?"

Peach let out a breath. "It was really sweet of you to come and see me today."

Junior grinned. Mama Peach liked it! She likes this! That settled it. He was going to come by the next year, and the year after that, and the one after that. Every year, he was going to visit her.

"I will admit, I did have a good time today." She cast a smile down at him. "Tennis was fun, even though we didn't win. It was very close, and you did an excellent job."

Junior hopped up besides her. He pushed his head into her side.

"The movie was good, even if you fell asleep ten minutes in. I liked baking that cake, and I honestly can't wait to have some after dinner. I've very much enjoyed listening to you talk about all those adventures. They sound quite exciting."

"You should join in the next time you come over. I can help cure your grown-upism."

"I don't think I have grown-upism, but I'll think about it."

Junior frowned, but he didn't push for an answer. He was 99.9999999999 percent sure she would end up saying yes. What reason would she have to deny some fun with her family? Maybe it would help her break free from Mario's control.

"You're a good kid, Junior," Peach murmured, keeping her eyes straight ahead. She put a hand on his shoulder, keeping her arm well away from his spikes. "You can be a brat, but you have a good heart. Remember that, okay?"

"Umm… but I'm evil. Papa's evil and I do what he does."

Peach stayed silent for a few moments. "… Just between you and me, but I don't think either of you are truly evil. You do bad things, but I don't think you're evil to the core. Even your father."

Junior blinked, wrinkling his snout a little. I don't get it. The whole good and evil thing was confusing. He usually just went off what his Papa called himself, even if he'd tried to explain once that they weren't. Bowser bragged he was evil, so they must have been. His stomach gurgled, reminding him of the delectable dinner that awaited the two. "Can we have dinner, now?"

Peach rose to her feet, and Junior scrambled up as well. "Yes, we can eat. I'll lead the way back so we don't get lost." She started off, and Junior was quick to trot after her.

"Mama Peach, carry me! I'm too hungry to walk!" Junior raised his arms, his stomach hollow.

"Junior, you're too heavy."

"I am not! Papa says I don't weigh anything!"

Peach shot a flat-eyed deadpan down at him. "Junior, your father can lift a boulder over his head. I don't think you're going to be any trouble for him."

Junior frowned. Mama Peach is weak. "You need to work out more."

Peach snorted in an attempt to hold back laughter.

Dinner had been a little bland. It was mostly plant-based, with only a few little slabs of steak. The worst part was that the Mario bros. were there. Junior did his best to ignore Mario, and thankfully the awful plumber didn't try to ruin his Mother's Day dinner. The only problem had been over the last steak, as the Koopa and human nearly had a fork fight over it. Peach had resolved it by cutting it in half.

After they'd all finished, a pair of Toads brought the cake in, and the very sight of it piled saliva in Junior's mouth. He couldn't stop licking his chops, inhaling the chocolatey aroma. His tail wagged faster the closer it got.

"Oh, Mama Mia…" Mario wide eyes were all for the cake as the Toads placed it on the table. A third set a large knife and a stack of four small plates besides it. They bowed to Peach before collecting the main course dishes and making their leave.

"I want it! I want it! I want it!" Junior cried, reaching towards the cake. He shot a wicked grin towards Mario. "And no stupid plumbers are allowed to have it!"

Mario made a noise of protest, his mouth falling open as he raised his hands in a shrug. "Hey!" His face twisted into a glare.

Peach flashed Junior a scowl. "Don't. Mario, you and Luigi can each have a slice or two. There's plenty to share." She rose, leaning to grab the knife. She sliced through the cake, neatly dividing it into eighths. Junior swallowed his drool as icing and caramel dripped from the knife's blade. Peach distributed a single slice per plate, and she gave Junior his first.

Junior poked his tongue out of his mouth, stabbing the dark-coloured slice.

Peach touched his arm. "Wait until we've all got a slice."

Junior gawked at her. "But Mama Peach… I don't wanna wait! It's gotta be the best cake ever, and I wanna eat it now!"

Peach passed Mario his plate. "I know, but it's polite to—"

"JUNIOR!"

Junior stiffened, his eyes widening. Oh no…

*Gulp* Y-you guys should run before it's too late. Props to anyone who found the egg. I'm outta here!

Questions? Comments? Critiques? Let me know in a review or PM! I aim to improve with every word!