LiamTheYoshi

I thought about referencing that short since it's sorta my childhood.

I'd imagine Junior just randomly picked a number from his perspective, but yeah. On my end, that is a reference.

Figured I'd bring up the events of Luigi's Mansion since Ghostly Galaxy is basically inspired by that game.

I don't blame you for not commenting on that Sling Pod part. The level itself is just boring. I added that black hole biz mostly to make it more interesting.

nintendoscript15

Oh, you should definitely check them out! They're really funny! The short I referenced in particular spawned a Toad meme.

I knew quite a bit about black holes already, from the incredibly strong gravity, to their origin, spaghettification, and the reason why they were black. Though I did research anyway just to make sure I was accurate.

I'll admit. Sling Pod Galaxy is very unconventional. Much like the Star Ball, you're not doing typical platforming. It used to be a pain for me as a kid as well.

In game, it is actually possible to save yourself with a Pull Star after hitting a mine. You just gotta be quick about it. Of course, you still lose one point of health, but eh… better than dying.

Let's face it. Our most feared moments never leave us. In Luigi's case, he was never the same after Luigi's Mansion. But who knows? He might see something in himself he hadn't before. Also, he dropped a Power Star, not an invincible star. I thought it would be obvious because the invincible stars in Galaxy are rainbow.

Thanks for continuing to support me either way. Hope you enjoy more! :)

breath20k

I have a strong feeling they will make it.

KazamaFam2006

Yeah… it's one of THOSE levels. But I still think Sunshine's Pachinko Machine is harder.

Luigi and Bootrix are on their way to meet this friend the latter mentioned.

Glad to be back. Been busy for quite awhile.

Angry9guy

Ah, kids be kids.

FairyTalePrincess16

Aster's like your grandpa, but without all the wrinkles and gray hair. He just doesn't get society today.

Yeah, I think it's a matter of becoming more experienced. I have little to no trouble with this galaxy nowadays when it used to be a huge pain in the neck. Interesting trivia. You could say I sort of revised your previous idea even though it was unintentional. I agree with your decision to not do it, though. Being in such a dire situation wouldn't be a good time to explain things in depth.

Nataly Guardado

I don't think Luigi intended to drop that Star, but not to worry. Mario will eventually get it anyways.

Amethyst Goldenwind

Well, I'm not sure about this theory myself, considering a black hole is the result of a star losing its stability and becoming so dense that it's gravity goes haywire. How exactly does that translate to "portal to another world"? Ah well, theories can go wild.

I said that Luigi used to have more courage in himself, because if you compare Luigi's personality before Luigi's Mansion, to after Luigi's Mansion, Luigi's become more cowardly than before. The events of that game were a catalyst to his current behavior, making it a very important game in the series.

Lol! Yup, you found it. You could say it's gonna be a recurring gag throughout my stories.

SleepingBeautyRocks

Well, that would depend on how strong the Reactor's Pull is. Due to how far the Mushroom World presumably is, I highly doubt it. But had Aster not taken its Grand Star, maybe it would've eventually reached Mario's Solar System.

And don't just assume Mario's Solar System is exactly like ours, cause it's not. (Not that it's important or anything.) The only thing I'd imagine they'd have in common is that the respective earth planets are roughly the same distance from the respective star.

Silvernova

*breathes in* Okay, this one's gonna be long… Now then!

You're welcome. I did the best I could. I just want my fans to be happy, and for my story to be the best it can be. So thanks for the feedback!

Yeah. Aster's basically that one old guy who refuses to envision the future and wants to stick to the old days. Sorta like Cranky Kong. Don't lie. You've all met at least one of these types of people.

Uh… no I didn't. You're thinking of the comic. Unlike that comic, I completely skipped over the journey to the room where the Grand Star was being kept because most of it was just filler tutorial.

I bet the devs realized how stupidly hard that level was, so they added in the Star Bit farming as a sort of saving grace, lol!

Heh… that's okay. If anything, it makes my review count higher, so no harm done.

To be fair, there are multiple instances where Bowser could've taken the easy way out, but didn't because he was either too stupid to realize it, or didn't see the fun in it. For example; In Paper Mario, Bowser used the Star Rod to become invincible and finally defeat Mario. Once he kicked him out of the castle, he later came back alive and started collecting the Star Spirits. The logical step to take would be to take your clown car, go to Mario, use your invincible powers to stomp out Mario again, this time making sure he stays down, and that's that, the world is yours. What does he do instead? Just lounging around Peach's lifted castle like a lazy bum while making his minions do all the dirty work. So yeah. I don't think he'd take the easy way out in this scenario either. I'm not even sure if they know Mario is affiliated with the Observatory. He could just be aimlessly wandering around space for all they know.

You know, that's a good way of viewing the Luma's transformation. I like that! It's settled! That's part of the story now! And it gives Aster another reason to be proud.

Exactly. Can you really blame Luigi after what he's been through? The guy deserves a break.

Technically, it was a call back to both Bow and Vivian since they have the same ability. Luigi just found that Power Star in the cell and decided to hold on to it for safe keeping.

Fixed that minor mistake. Thanks for the compliment on my improvement! I'm always striving to keep going forwards and getting better, so encouragement is appreciated.

I believe I specified the 90 stars and had Aster get blasted from the start. What I changed was replacing Aster's surprise with dodging a few meteors before being blasted.

Luigi, teaching kids to gamble since 2004.

Yeah, Peach deserves a little more action in her life.

Okay… yes. He's brave but a little out of it sometimes. Glad you're happy.

Overall, glad you enjoy my improvements. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Chapter 27: Trial Discovery

[BGM: Rosalina in the Observatory 2 - Super Mario Galaxy]

As Mario and Aster returned to the Observatory and sent a star back into the beacon, Aster noticed Mario had his mind occupied.

"What are you thinking about, plumber?" asked the cosmic explorer.

"Uh… nothing, just…" Mario paused a thought for a moment, then turned to his partner. "I know he's been through a lot, but do you think maybe tomorrow we could have Alex join us on our star collecting? The more the merr-"

"No!"

"... You didn't let me fi-"

"No!" Aster interrupted again. "Mario, he's just a kid! What makes you think I'd be insane enough to put someone like him in harm's way?"

Mario laughed and waved him off. "Aster, Aster, Alex is more than 'just a kid'. You should've seen him when he won the twisted tennis tournament for me, or when he threw all of the Magic Mushrooms at Bowser and dealt the finishing blow to him! Mamma Mia, that was epic!"

"None of that matters here!" Aster denied. "This is not your planet. This is outer space! You yourself already struggle a whole lot as an adult. How could a CHILD process all this?!"

"We can help him adapt together!"

"He's been scarred for life! This won't help!"

"That's the thing, Aster. Scars heal!" Mario claimed.

"No they don't. Wounds heal!" countered Aster.

"Oh yeah. What do scars do?" Mario pondered. "They fade, I guess?

"I don't care what scars do! The point is, he's not coming!"

"Enough, you two!" Rosalina used her wand to silence the two bickerers. "I believe this should be a decision for Alex himself to make. So I will ask him personally tomorrow morning. In the meantime, you two should rest until morning."

"Fair enough." Both admitted.

"Also, I'm a kid too! Do I not count?!" Luma argued from Mario's cap.

"Okay, Luma. Argument's over," Mario dismissed.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the library checking out some old books," said Aster as he headed towards the library.

"Okay, Ast-" Mario paused and realized something. "Wait, again?"

"Mm, yeah. Been looking for certain books I've not found yet. Hard to remember since it's been centuries. But I'll keep looking!"

He slammed the door to the library shut. Mario was a little confused but nonetheless, went over to the couch near the kitchen where Alex was laying down for bed.

[BGM pause]

"I'm sorry if this isn't the most comfy option. I'd tuck you in in my bedroom, but we'll need more Power Stars before we can open it," Rosalina apologized.

[BGM Sad Girl - Super Mario Galaxy]

"It's fine…" muttered Alex. "I'm more concerned about taking off this stupid metal!"

Rosalina frowned, remembering the incident that took place when she was watching Mario fighting for his very life against a great friend. His face of despair and grief was something that could not escape her cosmically sized mind.

"I'm terribly sorry, Alex. As much as I'd like to get the armor off of you, I'm afraid I might risk hurting you."

"It's fine…" moped the kid, although his pouting face said otherwise. "How will my parents react if they see me like this? And if my sister's still out there… what will she think? Will my own family be afraid of me?" he cried.

"We'll make things right, my dear. It's going to be alright," Rosalina assured as she tucked the child in.

"Um… Sorry, I never got your name," said Alex, sheepishly.

"Rosalina, watcher of the cosmos," she said with a warm smile. "Welcome to the Comet Observatory. My Lumas and I will make you feel right at home."

"Rosalina… could you stay with me until I fall asleep?" asked Alex, shyly.

"I'd be happy to."

[BGM end]

Alex felt the loving warmth of his blanket embrace him as the calming atmosphere of space and the motherly presence of Rosalina washed away his fears. He certainly was not gonna forget that horrible day where he hurt so many people anytime soon. But at least with this warm welcome from these new but endearing people, and knowing Mario was alive, he could feel like himself again. At least for a little while. And so, Alex let his dreams take wing, with Rosalina's presence keeping the Boogeyman at bay.

Rosalina kissed his forehead before silently stepping away. Mario smiled.

[Resume "Rosalina in the Observatory 2"]

"Thank you for taking care of him," whispered Mario.

"It's no biggie." Rosalina looked over to the now soundly asleep Alex. "He's never gonna live this moment down, but he'll have a good future. I'll guarantee it."

"If what you say is true, then I'll support him every step of the way." Mario nodded with approval and then yawned like a dog. "Well, I should be getting some rest too, so I'll see you in the morning."

"Have a nice rest, Mario," said Rosalina as Luma popped out of the plumber's cap and waved to him.

The plumber in question just sat down by the library's entrance not too far from Alex. It was the perfect spot where he could keep a close eye on the kid, and make sure he stayed in good spirits. It also gave him some time to really soak up this newly lit part of the Observatory. Unfortunately, he realized that the one downside to having lit up this part was that it was no longer dark. Therefore, it would be harder to fall asleep.

Ah well. Maybe looking around a bit and immersing himself into the new area would tire him out. So he first looked at the three shelves behind him. The top shelf housed a peculiar golden trophy that depicted a four-pointed star with three planets orbiting around it. He checked the base of the trophy and it read:

"The Mushroom Kingdom Royal Astronomical Society Award

Presented to

Aster Ode Galaxium"

Mario was astonished. Aster won an award? Who knew? He was pretty knowledgeable about space and astronomy, so it was more than earned in his eyes.

He checked the middle shelf. There, it housed a telescope and a globe of the Mushroom World. The telescope looked rather basic compared to most of the ones he'd seen. The eyepiece looked smaller than most for one thing, there weren't any settings to change the lens, and when he tested it out, he noticed it could only move up and down but not left and right. But the telescope worked fairly well, and he could view quite a view of Good Egg Galaxy's planets from the distance, including that pill-shaped planethe nearly threw up on. Aster did mention his parents inventing the telescope, so this might be that very telescope. It's a good thing Rosalina kept it in good condition.

Mario would've played with it more, but didn't want to break it, so he put it back on the shelf. Then he checked to check out the globe. Immediately while spinning it around, the plumber could tell it was very old. There were some cities marked on the map that weren't there anymore, such as New Toad Town in the Cap Kingdom, which he remembered from history class that such town fell to the Bonnetors long ago and the Toads back then regarded them as demonic. He also noticed that the Metro Kingdom was referred to as Donk, and the Lake Kingdom was marked as the Lamode Colony, an extension of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario never understood what the kingdom used to do with this land, as he remembered Aqua telling him that it used to be populated by eels before her father removed them. Despite the clear differences, Mario could still recognize each of the land masses and the kingdoms present. It made him think he should consider trotting the globe one day. He's already traveling through space, so that isn't out of the picture.

He put the globe back and checked the bottom shelve. It looked to be a set of gold blocks with stars imprinted on them. He assumed they were playing blocks for the little Lumas.

[BGM end]

With those distractions out of the way, Mario felt his eyes start to fuzz out as he laid on the velvet carpet, preparing to be carried off to dreamland. That was… until he heard Aster's voice from inside the Library.

"At last! I've found it!"

Mario's eyes sprouted right open as he grunted in annoyance.

"Soon, all of my dreams will come true."

Mario could hear him rapidly flipping the pages of some book like a goofed up bookworm. Since his drift into rem sleep was pretty much ruined, why not check up on the guy?

[BGM: The Library - Super Mario Galaxy]

And so, the guy in red peaked his head through the curtains of the doorway. It was his first time seeing the Library's interior, so he quickly examined the place. All over the walls were wooden shelves storing hundreds of books. He couldn't read the titles, but he could tell they were all sorts of childrens' books, as well as some old folktale literature and space fantasies. The ceiling was decorated in a star pattern with lights illuminating it, and an old brick fireplace stood in the back, with photos of Rosalina, Aster, and many Lumas mounting it. A warm fire flared as bright as a class 4 star, bringing warmth to the room that hugged Mario's nose peeking through. At the entrance were two fertilized plants that appeared to be watered well. On the wooden floor, laid a round crimson carpet with a similar star pattern to the ceiling, and two round sofas that lumas would sometimes occupy.

Just in front of the fireplace, Aster was sitting in a rocking chair with a book in hand, rattling back and forth like an old man who had seen better days. The book's strong words pulled his eyes in like a black hole, totally immersing him within its world, therefore not taking notice of Mario's spying. Mario noticed immediately that he looked very different, as his space suit was hung up on a coat rack beside the fireplace. In its place, he wore a white sweater with the image of a Power Star on the front, while legs were completely wrapped up by a light green blanket.

"C'mon… where is it? Where is it?" Aster mumbled to himself as he kept flipping through the pages. Soon he stopped flipping and pressed his finger firmly on a page. "At last. This is it. The moment of truth."

Mario was curious and reached his ear towards Aster as he read the pages out loud.

"Long ago, an ancient deity ruled over the universe. The Luma Goddess, Yami. Yami was a lady of prim perfection, and would not tolerate anyone going against her visions. However, she feared the possibility of other beings challenging her for leadership, so she decided she needed to find a suitor. A warrior strong enough to fight by her side, and brave the perils the vacuum of space held."

"In order to find this chosen one, she created three galaxies at the edge of the universe and placed three special stars within each. These were no ordinary galaxies. They were trials created to test a challenger's multiple strengths; their strengths of Power, Courage, and Wisdom. Yami created the doorway to the Trial Galaxies, and summoned thousands of warriors across the universe to see who was worthy of fighting by her side. Unfortunately, none prevailed. Yami, furious at how weak they all were, sealed the doorway shut, and entrusted three of the sacred green Lumas to transform into the Cosmic Keystones and hide themselves across the universe. The goddess held hope that only one who was worthy would find them and restore the doorway."

"To this day, no one has found the Cosmic Keystones, and the doorway remains sealed, even after Yami's mysterious disappearance. The Trial Galaxies merely reflect one's own abilities. They may find great joy… or great disappointment. The one who finds the Keystones may try three types of trials. If they truly are the one who can save the universe, they will pass them all."

Aster closed the book and took out the Green Star he and Mario recovered earlier.

"This must be one of the Cosmic Keystones." Aster examined. "I'll just need to locate the other two."

Mario was astonished by this story and was craving for more knowledge. He was about to step inside and ask Aster more about these "trials" he was reading about. However, he stopped dead in his tracks when Aster's blanket slipped off, revealing his legs. Mario didn't know if what he was seeing was real, or if there was still leftover trauma from AP giving hallucinations.

[BGM end]

Aster's left leg was fine. It was partially covered by short pants but was otherwise completely normal. The right leg however, was anything but! The leg was artificially constructed out of black metal with a visible joint and made a loud clunk noise as Aster kicked his chair in excitement. It was connected to what resembled a real foot, but looking closely, it was clearly rubber.

Aster looked down when he heard the clank and gasped. He quickly grabbed the blanket and covered it up again.

"Phew! Good thing no one saw that." Aster sighed as he looked around. Mario at the time dashed out of the doorway and back to the shelves outside. His pupils were smaller than the twinkling stars in the night sky and his mind was barely processing what he had just seen. The pressure was just so much for him, that he fainted right on the spot. Oh well. At least that solved his sleeping problem.

Meanwhile…

After that horrible night where she was forced to bring absolute pain to Bowser. Peach had gone through a downward spiral on an endless staircase as her tears streamed down on her bed. Her dress was torn, her hair was stretched out like separated spaghetti noodles, and her makeup had melted onto her face and her bedsheets were ruined. Peach was hardly recognizable as the elegant and graceful princess that had led the Mushroom Kingdom with pride and dignity. All she could see herself as at this point was a hopeless wreck of a woman, let alone a princess.

Just then, she noticed the framed photo of her family on her nightstand. Her mother and father's smiles shone brightly within the dim and dark room that couldn't be lit ever since the castle was separated from its energy supply.

"Mom… Dad… I'm sorry you have to see me this way…" Peach wallowed as if they could hear her. "I know you've told me to remain pacifist and be a prim and perfect princess, BUT I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT!"

She heard a knock on her bedroom door, but was just too miserable to answer. She ignored it at first, but the knocking got progressively louder. Soon, the princess curled her fist and marched towards the door.

The moment she opened the door, she whacked it open and screamed at the very top top of her lungs. "GOOOOOOO AWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!"

Once Peach let go, she looked at the person she screamed at and was surprised to see it wasn't Bowser or any koopas. It was her faithful steward, Toadsworth, whose glasses were broken from the intense scream and had his mouth gaping wider than a wormhole.

"M-M-My word! Princess, that was HIGHLY unacceptable! What blam bunking bozo taught you to speak with such an intolerable tone?!" Toadsworth scolded while rattling his cane.

"TOADSWORTH! OH, I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!" Peach squeezed the old fungus so hard that the man felt like his age was quickly creeping up on him.

"Ack! Gawk! Prin-Urp! -cess!" he choked.

Peach let go and let him catch his breath.

"S-Sorry, I'm just too excited."

"What has gotten into you?! Are you ill?! Don't worry, I'll get you an appointment with Dr. Toadley, ASAP!" Toadsworth was about to grab the phone, but Peach stopped her.

She groaned. "Not you too! Have you been living under a rock for the past few days?! Bowser lifted my entire castle up into space!"

Toadsworth simply raised a brow in response. Peach groaned and opened the curtains of a window to show him. But to her surprise, they were not in space. Outside, she could see the clear blue sky with fluffy cumulus clouds, lush green grass, a tree on the hill with decorative flowers, and bird chirping.

"It… It was all a dream?" Peach stuttered. "But… it felt so real."

"Ah, I see you were having nightmares about the time Bowser stole the Star Rod. Can't say I blame you, dear. I still have chills from that night!" Toadsworth shivered. "So I'll excuse your behavior this time, but I expect improvement later on! Understand?"

Peach nodded without saying anything.

"Good! Now get ready. We have a big surprise for you!"

"Oh, a surprise? I love surprises!" Peach grinned. "Well, as long as they don't involve you-know-who.

Toadsworth chuckled. "Oh, just you wait! But first, fix yourself up. You look terrible."

Peach looked at herself in the mirror and cringed. She quickly fixed up her hair, put on new makeup and changed her dress. Then she came downstairs to see the surprise. Outside, there was a whole crowd of toads blocking her view. She politely excused herself as she moved through the crowd to see what was all the hubbub. Then she paused and wiped her eyes. She put a hand over her mouth in sheer disbelief. It… couldn't be possible… could it?

It was her parents.

[BGM: Sadness and Happiness - Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door]

King George and Queen Rosemary still looked the same as they did three years ago, before the assassination. King George was strong and fatherly. His rosy cheeks looked like plump, juicy apples. His curly dark hair complemented his mustache like peanut butter to jelly. His eyes were a chocolate brown, and he adorned a beautiful blue robe. Queen Rosemary had eyes that were silvery blue, and dirty blonde hair that looked like silk. Her face was friendly and young, her cheekbones just as full as her husband's. She also adorned a purple gown.

"M-Mom… D-Dad…" Peach mumbled before her presence.

"Hello there, Peachy." The king greeted with a warm smile. The two soon hugged her with a warm feeling that the princess hadn't felt in a long time. It felt like an angelic blessing.

"My lovely little peach blossom! You're as ripe and beautiful as ever!" Rosemary sweetly talked.

"I-I-I can't find the words… H-How…?" Peach felt tears of joy obscure her vision, but also had confusion overwhelm her. "You died…"

Rosemary gave her a bittersweet smile as she patted her daughter on the shoulder. "Well dear, I'm sorry to disappoint you but… we're still dead."

"Huh?" Peach raised a brow until the two parents sprouted out the wings of Nimbis. The sight of them brought sparkles into her ocean blue eyes. "How are you back here, though?"

"We were sent down from the Overthere to carry out a special request from our dear Mushroom people," George explained. "It involves your crown. Mind if we see it for a second?"

"S-Sure…" Peach, still dazzled by her parents' angelic beauty, took off her crown and gave it to them with little hesitation.

"Thank you, dearest," thanked her mother. The two walked through a path of toads whom they cleared the way for.

[BGM end]

"W-Wait! Where are you going?!" Peach tried to follow them, but the toad crowd closed back in on her, making her struggle to push through. She tried excusing herself, but they didn't move out of the way this time.

Strange… normally the toads loved and adored her whenever she was in their presence, and they were ever so nice to her like she was to them. So why were they ignoring her like she was just another one of the hundreds of toads in the crowd?

"Ex-Excuse me! Princess coming thr- Oh!"

Peach felt one of the toads shove her to the ground. "Back off, lady! We all want to see the coronation!"

"Coronation?" Peach was appalled by this rude toad, but was also confused. What coronation? She wasn't set to become queen until she got married. Who was being coronated?

Looking up ahead, she witnessed her parents walking up and placing her crown onto something. The two moved out of the way and rose back up to the Overthere, revealing a dark-brown haired girl with a blue dress who was wearing Peach's crown. The Princess's 7 year old little sister, Princess Aquamarine.

"Aqua?!" Peach shouted, only for it to be drowned out by the toads' cheers. She quickly pushed herself through the crowd to reach her. Aqua waved to the crowd who was cheering her on, and smirked the moment she noticed Peach.

[BGM: Peach's Castle - New Super Mario Bros. U]

"Ah, if it isn't the ex-princess. How've you been, Peach?" the young girl said with a smug smile.

"Aqua, what's going on? Why are you wearing my crown?" the blonde haired princess queried.

Aqua scoffed. "Well, a couple days ago, I noticed your citizens were starting to have quite a few doubts about your rulership. They were rambling on and on about how weak and defenseless you were everytime Bowser showed up. 'Look at me! I'm Princess Peach! Ahh! Bowser! Mario, help me!'" she openly mocked. "But when they heard about how I managed to beat both Bowser AND Bowser Jr. when I was only SIX, they wanted me to be their new princess. And so here we are now."

"But… what about your kingdom?"

"Oh, I lent it over to Daisy. She can already handle four kingdoms, so I doubt one more would be a burden to her. And it's not even that big compared to this, anyways," she dismissively addressed. "She can handle anything, really. Considering the fact that she only got kidnapped once compared to your gazillion, Miss Damsel in Distress!"

Peach shrunk down with two arms to her chest, and a face that could only express one word… Why?

"A-Aqua, I'm your sister! Why are you saying such hurtful things to me? I-I thought you loved me!" Peach cried.

"Honestly, you were more of a parent than a sister to me. And like any parent, your time upon this kingdom has set. A new and superior princess shall rise!" Aqua put on a particularly nasty grin. "And I mean it when I say superior, 'cause I have more brains and brawn in one arm than you have in your entire body!"

She proved her pitiful claim by jumping up and punching Peach straight in the nose, knocking her down onto the hard stone floor, injuring her back and head as well. She screamed in agony as all the toads surrounding her began to laugh at her with zero empathy.

"Look at that spaghetti-haired freak!"

"What a loser!"

"That THING was our princess?!"

"'MaAaAaAaAaAaRiOoOoOoOoOo!' See how dumb you sound?!"

"If I were Bowser, I'd stop kidnapping her. She isn't even worth the effort anymore."

"Peaches were always my least favorite fruit, anyways."

"BOO! YOU STINK!"

Each insult the toads threw at the princess filled the dam inside her eyes with more and more water. The walls eventually cracked and all the tears came piling out at once.

"Aww! Is wittle baby pwincess gonna cry?" another toad mocked.

"Well, she is a baby. About as defenseless as one could get."

"Stop it! STOP IT! STOOOP IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT!" Peach cathartically roared, only to receive more laughs from the crowd. "After everything I've done for you people!"

"Done what?!" Captain Toad remarked. "All you ever do is let yourself be captured. You've done NOTHING to defend your kingdom nor your people!"

"I… I… I… I just get… s-scared…" Peach was still tearing up, but slower since there weren't much left.

"So does Luigi, but look at him!"

Peach couldn't muster up the courage to do anything. All she could do was continue to cry as she remained the laughing stock of the entire Mushroom Kingdom led by her once kind, but now cruel younger sister.

"Alright, boys. I think we've made our point. Now let's send this worthless trash where it belongs!" Aqua barked.

As ordered, Peach's former subjects picked her up and tied her up.

"Hey! Put me down! Whatever happened to your love and compassion?!" strained Peach. One toad got so annoyed by Peach's complaints that he threw a brick at her face. "Ack!"

"Shut it! Your voice is worse than nails on a chalkboard!"

Peach lost hope as the toads threw her into a pile of garbage in the dump. She was placed next to some other worthless junk, like the NES Power Glove, a copy of "Mario is Missing!", and a Virtual Boy. The blonde haired former princess was still tied up and could barely move. She looked around for something… anything that could cut her free. Nothing. No knives, no scissors, no blades. Nothing. After all the disrespect she has received, she really didn't want to resort to this next option. But really, why even try to avoid it at this point? It's what she does best.

"MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Peach wailed out, hoping the man in question would hear it.

Soon, she noticed a nearby building with a window. Mario himself happened to be at that window. Hope sparked up for the princess. Even with her entire kingdom against him, Mario would remain on her side. Right?

The plumber starred in her direction. He didn't seem to have a reaction. He just… stared right at her.

"What's the holdup?!" a voice behind him ushered. The source of the voice was a tall, bearded man packing in some muscle similar to Wario. He wore a pair of sunglasses, had a triangular nose, wore a construction hat, and donned a pair of orange overalls.

"Oh, sorry Mr. Spike!" said Mario. "I thought I heard a girl scream my name. Strangely, it came in the direction of that pile of worthless junk."

Peach gasped and was at tears once again.. Even Mario finds her worthless? No! It can't be! This can't be real!

Spike did a facepalm. "Dammit, Mario! You just get stranger and stranger everyday. I would've fired you by now, but I feel too sorry for your hopeless life to let you go. Plus, no one else is willing to work for me. Now, hit the switch!"

Mario sighed. "Yes, boss."

He pulled a lever and Peach felt the ground shake and fall before her. Loads of blades were about to tear apart all the trash in the area, and she was part of it.

"Mario, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Peach's world faded before her eyes, having lost hope for anything.

[BGM end]

Peach gasped when she woke up. She found herself back in her room again. She looked out the window and was somewhat relieved and disappointed at the same time that her castle was still in space.

"It was all just a nightmare, but the pain I felt was real! What kind of princess am I?" she said to herself as she buried her face in her hands once again.

As she was crying, a Koopatrol entered her bedroom and approached her. "Princess, Lord Bowser has set up dinner and requested you to come eat with him."

"I'm not hungry…" she growled.

"Not to be rude, but you've been stuck in the 'Endless' Staircase for 11 hours! You must be starving!" retorted the Koopatrol.

Peach went into a drawer and grabbed a bag of chips. She quickly chewed on some. "There, problem solved! Now go away!" she commanded.

He sighed. "Listen Princess, King Bowser will have my head if I don't bring you down to have dinner with him, and you're not making my job any easier!"

"Well I'm sorry, but your job is not my problem," she snarled. "You can tell Bowser he can go stuff himself!"

The Koopatrol was quick to aggression. "Hey! I'm no one's messenger boy, alright? I'm a delivery boy!"

He grabbed Peach by the waist with one arm and embraced her legs with the other so she couldn't kick.

"Hey! Put me down this instant, or you will suffer the consequences!" Peach screamed. The Koopatrol ignored her and carried her downstairs.

Credit to StarlitDuck. I borrowed the description of Peach's Parents from her Aquatic Timestream story.

Edit: This has been updated to expand Peach's nightmare.