Chapter 7: Alone
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One long month had passed. Slowly, Bowser's vast militia had been taking over the Mushroom World, resulting in many more casualties of innocent people. Over one-fifth of the land was now dominated by the Koopa King, and thousands were suffering. Luckily Mario and Toad were alive, but still the others were unaccounted for. But no one, not even Princess Peach, knew if they were safe, or even where they were, for Twink had not yet returned to tell her.
The princess, still being held at Bowser's Castle, anxiously awaited for Mario, her knight in shining armor, to come. But secretly her hopes were wearing thin. The baby was due any day now, and slowly Peach had been ticking the days away, resenting Bowser more and more.
It was late morning, and one of Bowser's servants was sent to give the princess her meal. Cautiously, he entered the room.
"I'll just leave it here, on this table." The servant slowly set down the tray.
"Thank you," she replied. Suddenly a sharp pain surged through her body. "…Aahh…!" she winced, "What was that?!
"Are you all right?" the servant asked concernedly.
"I think so…" she wavered, but another twinge shot through her, "Aahh…! There it is again! It's the baby…!" She cringed and held her abdomen in agony. The servant was absolutely terrified.
"…I'll go get help…!" he stammered. The nervous Koopa darted off, leaving the princess by herself, breathing heavily with the stinging pains. Soon Kamek entered the room.
"Is everything all right?" he inquired.
"Does it look like it?!" she snapped. The pain was overwhelmingly unbearable. "Aahh… Help me!" Using his magic wand, a glowing light surrounded them both as they were teleported to the Medical Area.
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A servant slowly approached the evil king in the Throne Room. "Sir?"
Bowser looked up from his thoughts. "What is it?" he inquired.
"I was sent to tell you that the Princess is going into labor…" He was very nervous.
"Where is she?" Bowser asked.
"In M.A., Sir." Bowser turned to leave. "Uh…your highness? I heard that it doesn't look good." The monarch stared at the young servant, who began to stammer. "The princess is having severe trouble… They said she may have internal bleeding…"
"Oh no…" The Koopa King worriedly brushed past the servant, as he headed for the Medical Area.
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Several hours had gone by. The Princess warily opened her eyes as Kamek handed her the newborn child, cleaned and clothed in a pink and blue blanket. Peach stared in wonder at the tiny, little life. Just then, Bowser entered the hospital room.
"Congratulations, Sir," Kamek stated, "You have a healthy baby girl." Bowser slowly walked over to the princess's bedside and smiled at the small, fragile creature.
"She's adorable…" he awed, "Peach, may I see her…?"
The princess suddenly realized that he was standing next to her. "No! You get away from her!" she shouted.
"Come now, beautiful," he spoke softly, "I asked very nicely…"
"I said get away from her!" she recoiled.
"Now don't make me force you…" Knowing she would not give in, Bowser slowly leaned over to the child. Peach jumped back, the infant held securely in her arms.
"You stay the heck away from my daughter!" she screamed, "How dare you… You're a monster! This poor child has a disgrace of a father!" The anger boiled inside her. "I don't wanna ever see your face again!" Quickly, the princess tried to escape to her room, but a fierce pain shot through her side. "Aahh…!" she flinched and fell to her knees, carefully holding the baby.
"Peach! You're in no condition to do this!" Bowser shouted, "Now hand the infant over to me!"
"Never!" she screamed with anger. But the pain continued to pierce though her. The princess writhed in agony. "What's wrong…?!" she trembled. Amidst her pain, Bowser grabbed the child from her arms. "My baby!" she shrieked as she futilely reached for her little girl. Kamek gently pushed her back down on the hospital bed.
"Lie down," he ordered, and reluctantly she obeyed. "You're bleeding internally…" The princess looked at him with terrified eyes.
"Am I going to…die?" she quavered.
"Sooner or later…"
Bowser set the infant down in a crib; he was furious with the Magikoopa's statement. "What's that supposed to mean?!" he growled.
"How much time do I have left…?" she asked, terrified.
"…A few years…max…with intense treatment…" Kamek spoke slowly.
"Noooo!!!" Bowser roared in animosity, slamming his fists down on a table.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do… We can only prolong it…" he sadly stated.
"What happens next…?" Peach whispered in fright. Kamek looked at her troubled eyes.
"Well…basically you'll feel the pain you have now…but gradually, it'll grow worse…" he said softly, "It looks like you'll have to lie down most of the time… You'll get weaker…"
"Noooo!" Bowser bellowed, "Uhgghh!! Isn't there anything else we can do?!"
"I'm sorry… To be honest, she's lucky she's alive now…" Kamek looked away.
Peach glanced over to the little girl in the crib. "…What about my daughter…?" she asked concernedly.
"She appears to be perfect healthy," Kamek stated, glad about the change of subject.
"Is she…normal looking…?" the princess questioned.
The Magikoopa glanced at the tiny infant. "Well, since she's the first human-Koopa hybrid, it's hard to tell. But she doesn't appear deformed in any way, if that's what you mean…"
The princess closed her eyes in distress. "I'd like to go back to my room…" she stated.
"You really should spend the night here," Kamek replied bluntly, "so we can keep a close watch on your health…" Bowser picked up the child and headed for the door.
"What are you doing?!" Peach shrieked, "Give her back!"
"Relax! She'll be fine…" he replied nonchalantly. The door swished shut as the princess helplessly placed her head back down on the pillow. She closed her eyes as they began to well up.
*…Oh Mario…* she thought, *Please hurry…* Never in her life had she felt so frightened and alone.
------------------------
One long month had passed. Slowly, Bowser's vast militia had been taking over the Mushroom World, resulting in many more casualties of innocent people. Over one-fifth of the land was now dominated by the Koopa King, and thousands were suffering. Luckily Mario and Toad were alive, but still the others were unaccounted for. But no one, not even Princess Peach, knew if they were safe, or even where they were, for Twink had not yet returned to tell her.
The princess, still being held at Bowser's Castle, anxiously awaited for Mario, her knight in shining armor, to come. But secretly her hopes were wearing thin. The baby was due any day now, and slowly Peach had been ticking the days away, resenting Bowser more and more.
It was late morning, and one of Bowser's servants was sent to give the princess her meal. Cautiously, he entered the room.
"I'll just leave it here, on this table." The servant slowly set down the tray.
"Thank you," she replied. Suddenly a sharp pain surged through her body. "…Aahh…!" she winced, "What was that?!
"Are you all right?" the servant asked concernedly.
"I think so…" she wavered, but another twinge shot through her, "Aahh…! There it is again! It's the baby…!" She cringed and held her abdomen in agony. The servant was absolutely terrified.
"…I'll go get help…!" he stammered. The nervous Koopa darted off, leaving the princess by herself, breathing heavily with the stinging pains. Soon Kamek entered the room.
"Is everything all right?" he inquired.
"Does it look like it?!" she snapped. The pain was overwhelmingly unbearable. "Aahh… Help me!" Using his magic wand, a glowing light surrounded them both as they were teleported to the Medical Area.
------------------------
A servant slowly approached the evil king in the Throne Room. "Sir?"
Bowser looked up from his thoughts. "What is it?" he inquired.
"I was sent to tell you that the Princess is going into labor…" He was very nervous.
"Where is she?" Bowser asked.
"In M.A., Sir." Bowser turned to leave. "Uh…your highness? I heard that it doesn't look good." The monarch stared at the young servant, who began to stammer. "The princess is having severe trouble… They said she may have internal bleeding…"
"Oh no…" The Koopa King worriedly brushed past the servant, as he headed for the Medical Area.
------------------------
Several hours had gone by. The Princess warily opened her eyes as Kamek handed her the newborn child, cleaned and clothed in a pink and blue blanket. Peach stared in wonder at the tiny, little life. Just then, Bowser entered the hospital room.
"Congratulations, Sir," Kamek stated, "You have a healthy baby girl." Bowser slowly walked over to the princess's bedside and smiled at the small, fragile creature.
"She's adorable…" he awed, "Peach, may I see her…?"
The princess suddenly realized that he was standing next to her. "No! You get away from her!" she shouted.
"Come now, beautiful," he spoke softly, "I asked very nicely…"
"I said get away from her!" she recoiled.
"Now don't make me force you…" Knowing she would not give in, Bowser slowly leaned over to the child. Peach jumped back, the infant held securely in her arms.
"You stay the heck away from my daughter!" she screamed, "How dare you… You're a monster! This poor child has a disgrace of a father!" The anger boiled inside her. "I don't wanna ever see your face again!" Quickly, the princess tried to escape to her room, but a fierce pain shot through her side. "Aahh…!" she flinched and fell to her knees, carefully holding the baby.
"Peach! You're in no condition to do this!" Bowser shouted, "Now hand the infant over to me!"
"Never!" she screamed with anger. But the pain continued to pierce though her. The princess writhed in agony. "What's wrong…?!" she trembled. Amidst her pain, Bowser grabbed the child from her arms. "My baby!" she shrieked as she futilely reached for her little girl. Kamek gently pushed her back down on the hospital bed.
"Lie down," he ordered, and reluctantly she obeyed. "You're bleeding internally…" The princess looked at him with terrified eyes.
"Am I going to…die?" she quavered.
"Sooner or later…"
Bowser set the infant down in a crib; he was furious with the Magikoopa's statement. "What's that supposed to mean?!" he growled.
"How much time do I have left…?" she asked, terrified.
"…A few years…max…with intense treatment…" Kamek spoke slowly.
"Noooo!!!" Bowser roared in animosity, slamming his fists down on a table.
"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do… We can only prolong it…" he sadly stated.
"What happens next…?" Peach whispered in fright. Kamek looked at her troubled eyes.
"Well…basically you'll feel the pain you have now…but gradually, it'll grow worse…" he said softly, "It looks like you'll have to lie down most of the time… You'll get weaker…"
"Noooo!" Bowser bellowed, "Uhgghh!! Isn't there anything else we can do?!"
"I'm sorry… To be honest, she's lucky she's alive now…" Kamek looked away.
Peach glanced over to the little girl in the crib. "…What about my daughter…?" she asked concernedly.
"She appears to be perfect healthy," Kamek stated, glad about the change of subject.
"Is she…normal looking…?" the princess questioned.
The Magikoopa glanced at the tiny infant. "Well, since she's the first human-Koopa hybrid, it's hard to tell. But she doesn't appear deformed in any way, if that's what you mean…"
The princess closed her eyes in distress. "I'd like to go back to my room…" she stated.
"You really should spend the night here," Kamek replied bluntly, "so we can keep a close watch on your health…" Bowser picked up the child and headed for the door.
"What are you doing?!" Peach shrieked, "Give her back!"
"Relax! She'll be fine…" he replied nonchalantly. The door swished shut as the princess helplessly placed her head back down on the pillow. She closed her eyes as they began to well up.
*…Oh Mario…* she thought, *Please hurry…* Never in her life had she felt so frightened and alone.