Yeah, this is another lengthy chapter, and there's a bit of character jumping to follow, so sit back and enjoy!

...

To Luigi,

Where can I begin? I know this won't actually reach you, but I cannot take my mind off of you and the others. I'm worried about everyone, how they might be dreading the worst to have befallen me, when in actuality I've been doing just fine. I wanted to tell you that Bowser hasn't personally harmed me much after the assault on the castle and that…

Are you on your way to save me? I'd imagine that it would be you; who else besides the two of us would actually be able to rush across the kingdom to combat Bowser's troops and leap their way to the rescue? Certainly, there are some Toads that might be up to the challenge, however daunting or perilous it may be. But it's us, us two, that are counted on, relied on, to get these sorts of things done.

Truthfully, by this point, it's terribly unnecessary. You see I've been managing to do fine within Bowser's Castle, live daily even. Sure, there is the threat of death that looms around the corner each day, and I fear for my life on multiple occasions, but Bowser has made it a point to keep my alive. What no one knows is why, yet I do.

How are Peach and Toadsworth, though? Is she keeping herself safe at her castle? Toadsworth isn't driving everyone else mad with worry, and other foreboding thoughts, is he? I'm sure the other Toads can quell him, put him at ease, but still, it must be frustrating for the princess to listen to him yammer about keeping her safe.

It's actually a bit similar here, and I suppose Peach would understand that best. I do try to move about the castle, just to see what it's like when I'm not fighting my way through all of Bowser's traps, but he has me under tight surveillance, and wants to keep me locked up, for my own protection as much as for the safety of his own troops. And, obviously, so that I can't escape; but I'm not quite in as much of a hurry to do that.

Has anyone else stepped forward to help you? Besides Toads, that is. Frequently, we gain a few different allies on our quests, from time to time anyway, but I wasn't certain if anyone would be with you by this point. Perhaps Yoshi and several of his friends have joined you, maybe? Other than him, though, I'm not certain who else would work with you. Is there anyone else, or are even the Toads too frightened to join the journey this time? Then again, a handful of them can prove to be quite brave and talented, capable of extraordinary feats, so I shouldn't be too dismissive.

Actually, if you keep an open mind, you can find many wonderful truths, and unveil many secrets, that you may not have noticed before. In fact, here with Bowser, I was able to witness just that.

No, not just observe. Participate.

It's hard to even write this down, let alone consider actually telling you, but if I practice, maybe it'll work out by the time I really tell you.

Bowser needed to tell Junior, so I should be able to do the same with you.

And that is, tell you what happened between us, Bowser and I.

…

If only I could just say it, or write it rather, but it's difficult. I didn't tell you before because, honestly, it is incredibly strange, and I can't explain how it came about, but the truth…

…

I love Bowser.

…

And he loves me.

…

Tapping the page doesn't make this any easier. And if I can't write it on a piece of paper, how can I tell anyone about this?

It is a farfetched concept. How could a villainous king fall in love with the hero that constantly thwarts his plans, takes away every opportunity at conquest, and denies him that desire to rule? How can a man love a monster?

How are we possible?

And telling you, on paper, is hard enough to do, let alone actually tell you in person or anyone else. Even Peach might not understand, and we've shared a number of stories between one another. Perhaps her more than I, and usually related to the stresses of the kingdom, but I should still be comfortable to tell one of us, if not both of you.

But I'm not.

And you'll never see this, or not any time soon, but could you accept us, the Koopa King and I? Honestly, there is a struggle in my mind over accepting us, especially when I'm confined in just one room for most of my days, but it's worth the effort to try, isn't it?

That question comes into my mind a good number of times, but I still have no answer for it:

Are we worth it?

Brother, I don't know how to tell you any of this. I don't know how to tell you anything. And I'm sorry for it. Nevertheless, I hope you'll still love me.

Love,

Mario

[Mario]

After I've written it, my hands immediately worked at folding the letter and burying it beneath the pillow. Revolted, what I feel, that much I understand. Why though?

It was late in the afternoon while Iggy and Lemmy continued to pound away at my door, as they installed a type of lock or cage, to properly produce the cell that I would remain in. Bowser wanted it made to keep outsiders from coming in and killing me, but the more that I had time to think it over, the less enthused I am about the idea.

He's treated me perhaps identical to Peach, but I had not given it much thought until recently. Surely, she has managed to make her way around the castle, to explore its chambers. Of course, Bowser must have found her at some point, and forced her back to her cell. While I have an actual bedroom of my own, is it really much better? The date may be something that Bowser entertained for me, but who's to say that he's never given Peach a nice night? Even if he doesn't love her, he could still give her some freedom here. Who would know? Who would argue? So, that presented a question to me:

Am I a lover or a prisoner?

Bowser does love me, that much I know. Kamek told me that he's treating me to a great time here. Junior, the Koopalings, and everyone else even acknowledged that he's been acting stranger with me around.

Yet, thus far, I'm kept isolated, hidden, from the rest of the castle, from the rest of his world. Safety, that was the motivation for having done so. At least, that's what I'm told. Yet, here I am, still full of doubts.

After the time I spent in the study, after helping him with Junior, I thought that they would be cleared up, but now I've questioned it more.

As if to silence my mind from sorting it out further, a bang sounded from down the hall. I sit up on the bed as Lemmy and Iggy stopped working. Bowser must have returned. Or maybe it was Junior?

"Hey, who are you?" Lemmy asked. Not Bowser or Junior?

"We're busy right now and we don't need interruptions," snapped Iggy.

Even though it was distant, I listened to a crackling noise as something started up down the hall.

"What do you think you're doing?!" demanded Iggy. Just as he got the words out though, the noise turned into a whiz and flew past the door. Two thuds were all I heard for a moment after that.

Then, soft but hurried footsteps trailed up to my door. The hum of a spell rose up as the door was burst open. In walked a red robed Magikoopa, as he stepped over the fallen bodies of Iggy and Lemmy.

"Mario!" he cried. "You're ok! Thank—"

"Who are you?" I interrupted. The Magikoopa appeared confused at first, and looked as though he were searching my eyes for answers, but then realized it as he glanced down.

"Oh, this, right," he laughed as he stared at the robe. "It's me, Mario. Well, this isn't really me, but I know you, and Peach sent me—"

"Peach knows a Magikoopa?" I had to cut him off again.

"No, no. I'm a Toad," he explained. "I've used a Sneaky Parasol to keep myself hidden while I snuck through Bowser's Castle! Pretty cool, huh?"

My heart lifted and sank as I processed what he told me. Peach had sent a Toad to infiltrate Bowser's Castle and rescue me. While I was pleased with that, I was also upset with it. What would Bowser think if I just ran off? No, that's obvious, but what do I—?

"Mario?" the Magikoopa, or, Toad asked me. "Are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah," the words slipped from my mouth, as I studied him over again. "It's just…"

"Oh, the Magikoopa thing," he nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty confusing. It's a great disguise, but it does too good of a job. Speaking of which, I'm going to have to knock you out too."

"What? Wait, why?"

"Well, the spell I cast against the Koopalings won't last long," he admitted, and pointed back to the two. "If I leave you unharmed, they'll know something's up."

"But I thought we were leaving," was my confused murmur.

He patted my arm and stepped back. "We will; I promise that I'll get you out of here. But I just need a little more time to get a proper escape plan formed. We want to get out of here without getting captured again."

Though I'm reluctant, I nodded as the wand began to glow.

"You won't be stuck here too much longer Mario," he vowed again. "Trust me."

My lips forced a smile to reassure him; the Magikoopa disguise made it difficult to tell just how nervous the Toad was. He smiled back, and raised the wand. A rush of colors gleamed from it before bathing the room white, and then black.

[Junior]

I hurried through the castle halls after Papa as he followed the marching orange Bob-omb with a curly black mustache and green fuse rope. He ran and was far enough ahead of us that we could probably talk without him hearing.

"Papa," I whispered loudly, so only he could hear, "what about that magic stuff from before? The stuff you and Kamek talked about?"

"Hmm?" Papa grunted. "What about it?"

"Well, why don't we use it more? And why wouldn't Peach always use it?"

"That's the thing about magic, son," he explained. "While it's powerful stuff, it's pretty costly to use."

"How?"

He scratched his chin for a minute. "You know how Kamek has those wrinkles behind his specs and under his robe?"

"Yeah," I answered, but I haven't seen them in a while. Kamek's good at hiding those kinds of things.

"That's just the tip of using too much magic," Papa kept going. "There are all kinds of side effects, or bad things, that can happen from using a lot of magic."

"Bad things?" I asked. "Like what?"

"It depends on the spell. Let's see," he listed. "It might make you grumpier, make you forget all kinds of memories, take control of your body, or mind, cause bleeding, turn you into another species, drive you crazy, and, in really extreme and dangerous cases, kill you or someone else."

"Wow, that's…a lot of bad things," I barely whispered back.

"Yep, that's why we don't use it too often," answered Papa.

Suddenly, a Blooper came floating over to us from another hallway. "Your majesty, Olive sent me to tell you about Red."

"What happened?" growled Papa, and he got the Bob-omb to stop with us for a minute.

"She told me that he was coming from the stairwell to your quarters, sir," the Blooper explained. "He wasn't meant to be there, so she sent me—"

"Of course he shouldn't have been there!" roared Papa. "I'll head over there—"

"Sire, you're still needed with my soldiers," the orange Bob-omb cried out, and he sounded pretty worried.

"I can go, Papa," I volunteered. "You come after you help out the Bob-ombs."

He scratched his chin again, for a little longer, but nodded. "All right son, but be careful. If you see that red robed Magikoopa, you get away from him."

"But Papa, a bunch of Magikoopa wear red. How do I know it's him?" I asked.

"If one points a wand at you for any stupid reason," Papa told me, "that's him. I'll meet you there in a little while."

"All right," I nodded and followed the Blooper down another hallway to our rooms.

[Bowser]

I refused to move until Junior and the Blooper were completely out of my sight. Once they were, I turned back to glare at the Bob-omb with the handlebar mustache.

"This issue with the Bob-ombs better be serious," I snarled. "My kid could be in danger."

"Rest assured, my King," he soothed. "It's a bit of a crisis, but with your help, we'll be finished quite quickly." He urged me to follow as he ran back down the corridors.

"What went wrong, anyway, uh, you," I tried to ask, but realized that I couldn't remember his name. "Um, what's your name again?"

"Bombkin, sir," he bitterly responded.

"Bombkin? Like—"

"Like pumpkin, yes," he sighed. "Yellow eyes, orange body, black mustache that looks like a mouth, green fuse and top; a few folks thought they were being wickedly creative."

"Huh." That's unfortunate. "Well, what's up with the other Bob-ombs?"

"Remember how you assigned us to calibrate the cannons on the Airship?"

"Yes," I murmured.

"Well, we may or may not have had a few…complications. Cannon clogging. A few that lost sight of what they were doing."

My patience wore out before he could go on. "Why the hell do you need me for that?"

"Oh, uh, Gooper Blooper may or may not have popped out of the ocean for a spell to come, um," he awkwardly spoke, as he tried to make it more hypothetical than factual, "and possibly crunch the ship to bits and demanded for you."

"What, he came from Seaside for me?" I questioned and tried to hide sounding impressed; we have a direct route from the sea, but it's more of a hassle if you're traveling by anything aside from aerial routes, with hidden pipes and perpetual storms en route.

"He'll explain more once you arrive," Bombkin sighed, as we rounded the corner to basement stairwell, en route to the underground hangar outside the castle walls.

[Mario]

With a blink, I gazed around. I was at the base of a blue and purple mountain, in an open field. A red bird flew above me and dove down, blitzing past me. The bird almost seemed to be lit with flames, with a mix of red, orange, and yellow in its feathers. It soared back up again, and I found myself chasing it.

"You are gifted," whispered a faint, masculine voice. Was it the bird…? It continued to fly, but I couldn't tell if it was speaking to me.

Gently, it floated down, near a blue, moss-covered stone. It was larger than most birds, almost my size even, perhaps just a bit smaller. My approach slowed and I tried to still my body.

Was I hunting this…bird?

If so, why would I even bother, while it can see me in the open?

Logic didn't seem to stop me, as I inched my body closer, and waited again. By the way the fire danced on its body, it seemed like the bird was resting in a breeze, but I felt nothing. Though I heard the grass beneath me, which rustled with a gust, I couldn't feel any of it.

Just as I neared the flame-feathered bird, it spread its wings and flew off. However, it refused to leave as I watched it dance in the sky, taking off only as I began to chase it again.

It guided me further up along a hill, as the sun began to set. Two butterflies, one colored a bright red, and the other a dark green, floated together past the bird. Even as they neared it, even if the bird was truly a being of fire, they would not separate from one another.

As I watched the two disappear, I heard the voice again, though it sounded more feminine this time: "You are cursed."

Gifted, cursed?

It glided down and stopped for a moment on a purple rock. Then, it leaped over to a star-shaped stone, dimly lit in a bright blue.

For some reason, I repeated my tactic from before, still standing in the open and trying to pounce on the bird. Why, I couldn't understand, nor control. Part of me felt uncertain about even catching the bird, but the other part of me had an odd yet strong determination to do so.

Once again, before I could reach the bird, it took off. Again, it hovered in the air, and waited for me to chase it again.

Don't. I don't know why, but don't do it.

My body, however, ignored my thoughts and charged after it once again.

Night had fallen as I traveled higher, closer to the sky, almost as if I could touch the stars. The bird flew in front of me, turned to face me, and as it flapped its wings, I approached it again. Why I have done so doesn't make sense, nor did it when I stretched my arm up to reach out to it. I was much closer this time, enough that I should have felt those fire-feathers burn my hand.

"Not yet," it voiced again. The voice sounded not from the bird, but around it, us.

Before I could react, it soared back into the air, and took flight away from me once more. This time, I do not follow it. Instead, I gazed ahead and saw Luigi, Peach, and Junior sitting together in front of me. They did not acknowledge my presence, but stared outward at the stars.

"Luigi?" I called, and waited for my brother to turn around. "Luigi!"

Somehow, he wouldn't budge. I tried to call out Peach, and even Junior, but neither one moved either.

A short distance away, Bowser pushed himself up from the ground, now sitting up with the others. He, however, turned to me, and with a smile, rolled his head and waved his hand for me to join him.

Slowly, I shuffled across the dark grass, and passed another blue star-shaped stone near the others. Somehow, they were entranced with the stars in the sky, and still did not shift their vision to me, even for just a moment. I sat beside Bowser, and heard the grass crinkle beneath me, but felt nothing. His arm wrapped around me and pulled me closer, into him.

Softly, he leaned his face near mine, and, with his breath airless against my ear, sweetly whispered, "What should we wish for?"

To know what's going on would be fantastic, came my thought, but I didn't voice it.

"Mario…" he whispered, his voice more distant. What would I wish for?

"Mario." Wait. Wish? What was all of this?

[Bowser]

"Stupid squid," I muttered, as I trudged up the stairs to the bedrooms. "Asking for that kind of a thing. Really, just how much does he need…?"

With little effort, I picked my arm up and pushed the door open. Junior leaned against the left wall and was having a discussion with Lemmy. Iggy trod from Mario's room and shrugged.

"What's going on?" I grumbled as I approached the three.

"We were working on the cage when we were attacked," explained Lemmy.

I grinded my teeth, and managed, "Let me guess, by a red Magikoopa?"

Lemmy nodded. "Junior told us that you were wary about one."

"Yes, I am," I corrected. "What else happened?"

"They don't know," Junior intervened. "Iggy questioned him, but they both got zapped and knocked out instead."

My fits tightened as I turned to Iggy. "And Mario?"

Iggy adjusted his glasses, and swallowed before answering, "He was attacked too. And he's still unconscious."

Impulse guided me to move past him and I glanced in through the door. Mario was leaned against his bed and on the floor, asleep. Unconscious.

"How long…?"

"Since Junior came in about," Iggy calculated, "…forty-five minutes and twenty-three seconds ago."

Turning back to them, I studied the Koopalings carefully. Lemmy had been seated the entire time I had been there while Iggy wobbled on his own two feet.

"And how long have you two been like that?"

"Since after Junior woke us up," noted Iggy.

Lemmy added, "It felt like we got up too early. I don't even want to move."

I rubbed my hand under my chin. "Junior, go with the Koopalings and take them to Kamek. He's going to be annoyed with the interruptions, but explain that another Magikoopa likely attacked them with a sleeping curse."

"Sleeping curse…?" asked Iggy, who attempted to stand upright, but only teetered around once again.

"Easy," I insisted. "Junior, take Lemmy and guide Iggy. Go. And if you see any Koopalings or other soldiers along the way, have them help you."

"Got it, Papa," my son answered. "Come on guys."

Junior gathered the two Koopalings and slowly took them back down the stairs. I walked into Mario's room and gazed out the window as I scooped him up and placed him in the bed. Darker. Late night.

[Mario]

My eyes snapped open and found Bowser's face in front of mine. I felt myself jolt from the bed and into him. Though I was pretty sure that I crashed into him, he wrapped his arms around me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning to you too," he laughed heartily. My eyes shifted to take in the room; if it was morning, it was early. "Bad dream?"

"No, not this time," I murmured.

He pulled back from me, and held my shoulders to get a good look at me. "You get them often?"

I tilted my head back and forth a bit. "Lately, yes."

"Well, I get that my castle isn't the coziest," he muttered, "but I figured, since you've been here before, that you wouldn't—"

"Oh, no," I grasped his hand to interrupt. "I wasn't here. The first nightmare was, but I wasn't. Since I've been here, they usually take me somewhere else."

His eyes widened with curiosity. "Where?"

"Um…Star Hill, and…" I thought for a minute. "Actually, all of them have been there."

He tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow. "What are you doing off over there?"

"A few different things," I commented and scratched my head. "Chasing a bird for today's."

"Huh," he grunted.

"Yep, they confuse me too."

"You sure it didn't have anything to do with, um," he started to ask. "Well, a Magikoopa was here earlier, and I hate admitting that I failed you more than once, but…he attacked you."

"Magikoopa?" I thought for a minute and tried to remember.

"Yep, he wore a red robe, pretty shifty acting, knocked out Iggy and Lemmy," Bowser listed.

And then it came back to me. The Toad. My eyes widened when I realized that part had actually occurred.

Bowser rubbed my shoulder. "Sorry, I'm sure that's not what you wanted to hear."

"It's all right," I shook my head. "As long as I'm still alive, it couldn't have been that bad."

"He could be the one giving you those nightmares," grumbled Bowser, but I shook my head.

"Kamek told me that he would have known if it were a Magikoopa," I clarified.

"Kamek knows about this?"

"That's why I was in the study," I admitted. "I wanted to know more, tried to look it up, Kamek came in, and explained that much to me."

Bowser slowly nodded. "So that's why he found you there and not running off somewhere else."

"Ah, right," I chuckled.

His chest expanded and compressed as let out a heavy sigh. "I should have known about this."

"Sorry, I didn't want you—"

"No, no, I should be able to figure it out," Bowser persisted.

I winced and gave him a confused look. "How? You're not a mind reader."

"No," he snickered. "But I want to be a Mario reader."

He bubbled with laughter while I stared blankly, and then lowered my eyes. "That sounds like an awful learning game title."

"It's perfect!" laughed Bowser. "I should be in charge of your marketing division!"

"Please no," I deadpanned my plea. "It can be weird enough to see what the Toads come up with using my likeness. I'd rather not imagine what my boyfriend would put together."

"Hey," he nudged me. "I think I'd do quite well, thank you very much!" He huffed and folded his arms together. "You have no confidence in me, I swear."

A pang hit my stomach; that wasn't what I needed to hear. "Can you blame me?" I defended.

"Yes," Bowser pouted. "I've done a lot for you."

Like metaphorically stabbing my heart, sure. "W-Well…" For some reason, part of me screamed to tell him the truth, but part of me resisted. "You're right, but…" I could just ask for better arrangements, right? But if I tell Bowser the truth I could be putting that Toad's life in more danger that he's already risked.

Would it be easier to ask for forgiveness later than tell the truth now, and then try to have him spare the Toad? It's hard enough keeping me from dying, and after the attack on the Koopalings, no one will take kindly to the same idea for the Toad.

"Mario?"

It was the best I could think of. My head dropped. "S-Sorry."

"Aw, come on, I didn't mean to guilt you…well, maybe a little," Bowser nervously chuckled.

"You're right though," I admitted and realized the truth. "You have done a lot for me, just keeping me alive here. It's not perfect, but not everything is, so…"

He rubbed his hand against my back, and let his claws gently scratch me, soothing me. "You're right too, though. It's not my best efforts, is it?"

"No, Bowser—"

"Why don't you sleep with me tonight?" he asked. I waited for a laugh or a joke, but his red eyes just pierced through me. Sincerity. No, I'm not reading him right. My eyes lowered and I puffed out my cheek. "What? I'm serious."

"Right," I scoffed, "because that's not going to lead to anything—"

"I'll be good, I promise," he winked with a smirk. "Besides, it could be helpful. Maybe I can chase the nightmares away." His smirk grew into a hopeful grin.

Still, I shook my head. "Somehow, I don't think it works like that."

"Probably not," he relented, yet insisted, "but it's worth a shot. Not to say sleeping with your boyfriend suddenly prevents nightmares and bad thoughts, but I might distract you." My eyes narrowed. "Not like that! Just…you know, being with me."

Relaxing myself, I sat back and studied his face. Maybe we're not an ace pair of lovers that can aptly read each other, but I'm learning when he's being serious. This was one of those times. "You'll behave, huh?"

"Well, maybe I'll just torture you a little bit." His toothy and mischievous grin grew, and I punched him lightly in the arm. "What? I'm joking!"

"You better be," I muttered. "It's too dangerous to fool around."

"Trust me," he assured me. "I can be discreet. We'll stuff you under my covers and no one will know you're there." I glared at him again. "Aw, loosen up! I have to have a little fun with this."

Though I was still hesitating, on multiple thoughts, my head nodded. Without any more fuss, he scooped me up, stealthily opened and peeked out the door, and crept down the hall. Quietly, he opened the door to his own room. We slipped inside and he shut it just as carefully, and then locked it.

The room wasn't lit, but I could already tell there was a lot of red that decorated the place. Red curtains, sheets, pillows, dressers, and trunks. My eyes wandered about, and I observed what I could.

"I'll try to show you more tomorrow," he whispered, and then yawned. "Do you want to take the bed or share it?"

I turned back to him, mouth opened, but nothing came out. The only things I could see clearly were his bright, flaming red eyes.

...

Hope you guys missed the letters! They're making a comeback! As is the Mario/Bowser fluff-mush spectacular.

Ok, first, the parts no one cares about: Bombkin was a such fun character to come up with, and I just needed to note that. Literally, a pumpkin bomb; that sounds like a great idea for Mischief Night. Gooper Blooper preview was also fun, but no spoilers on him; just know that he'll be back. Name dropping rules! Speaking of the named and the nameless, that sneaky Red...! Will he really be able to break Mario out of Bowser's? Does Mario really want to go? (After that ending, could you blame him if he declined?)

Besides minor character shenanigans, hey, Mario finally told Bowser that his dreams are freaky! So, naturally, the response to that is to cuddle Mario close and bring him to bed, because naturally, that makes it better. ...IT'S TRUE LOVE, HONEST! And don't look at me like that, I'm not redirecting your attention from serious stuff with cute clumps at all.

Other stuff: It was nice to give Junior another section; it's been a while since he had a perspective, so I managed to work that in. If it felt like the writing quality dipped, he is still a child, so it was intentional. (Junior using bigger words would be too weird, right?)

All right, I've had my words. Next chapter spoilers: we'll be jumping over to Luigi, Peach, and friends, as they head to the sandy place. Nope, not Seaside, it's the Deserts. Cue the heroic...groaning. Thank you again for reading! It's really cool how far this has come, but I checked and remembered that this is still the beginning half of the story, so there's still quite a bit to go. I hope that's ok and you don't hate me. Please make sure your eyes are still in tact after reading. Deep breath. And then...exhale. Better? Cool. Thanks again!