(A/N: With Bowser down for the count, Mario and Peach's baby should be okay when he or she is born. Let's start this chapter and see how things go now!)
"Peach, Bowser didn't hurt you, did he?" Mario asked as he approached his wife.
"N-no... He... he tried to... and I-I know he would have... if the t-two of you hadn't... sh-shown up when... you did! I'm s-so glad... you're here!" Peach said, in pain.
"Are you sure you're glad, Peach? You look and sound like you're in agony. I swear, if he did more than just kidnap you..." Mario started, sounding angry.
"M-my pain isn't Bowser's fault... Mario. I-I'm having... c-contractions. I woke up with one... and even though... I prayed for it to be f-false labor... it's not. And they're... c-coming closer together, too. P-please help me!" Peach begged.
Hearing that shocked the Mario Bros. so badly, their power-ups wore off!
"Mama-mia! We'd better get you onto the Odyssey and back home! Come on, Luigi! Help me out!" Mario said, lifting his wife into his arms.
Luigi ran ahead, opening the door to the Odyssey so Mario could carry Peach in.
When they were all on the Odyssey, Mario entered the destination for home in the GPS, and they were on their way back to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Luigi took the controls while Mario stayed close to Peach, trying to calm her down.
"I'm so glad you're safe, cara mia." Mario said as he stroked his wife's long, blonde hair.
"M-me too. And the b-baby is okay... I-I didn't want to... have our child... in front of B-Bowser." Peach replied, feeling a lot better with Mario at her side.
"That would not be a good thing." Mario said.
"I had a f-few visions... of what would h-happen if I did... and n-none of them were pretty... I was afraid that B-Bowser... would k-kill me... if I didn't die in childbirth, and our baby if he or she w-wasn't stillborn." Peach told him.
"Please don't say things like that, Peach! I don't want to lose you or the baby! That would kill me!" Mario said, worried as he hugged Peach close.
"I'll be okay. I'm just glad to be getting away from Bowser and his kingdom. Thank you both so much for saving me." Peach said, more relaxed now in spite of her pain.
"You're my wife, Peach, and I love you." Mario said, giving Peach a kiss on the cheek.
"You're welcome, Peach." Luigi replied, turning to look at her.
"And let's not forget, you're carrying our child." Mario added, and he placed a kiss on his wife's baby bump, which was covered by her pink satin nightgown. That made Peach smile a little, seeing Mario being affectionate to her and the baby like this.
All of a sudden, Peach let out a gasp, and Mario backed off.
"What's wrong, Peach?!" Mario asked, worried that he might have caused her pain.
"Mario, be honest with me. Are you really ready to be a father?" Peach asked.
"Of course I am!" Mario said, before asking, "Why? What happened? Tell me!"
"My water broke! The baby's coming now!" Peach said.
"Now?! But we're not home yet!" Luigi exclaimed.
"It doesn't matter, Luigi! When that happens, the baby is ready to come out, no matter where his or her mother is, and whether or not she's ready for it!" Peach said, trying not to panic. She knew that panicking would do her no good.
"Don't worry, Peach. I'll help you." Mario said, and he went to the Odyssey's wardrobe, where he kept his doctor's outfit.
"Mario, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?! We didn't study obstetrics in medical school! We know nothing about delivering a baby!" Luigi said, shocked when he saw Mario wearing his white doctor's coat.
"Luigi, desperate times call for desperate measures! Peach is having the baby now, and the Royal Physician isn't here to help her out because we didn't anticipate this! Peach needs help, and I'm going to help her by delivering my own son or daughter myself!" Mario said as he quickly gathered some other things he was probably going to need.
"Mama-mia... Well, then... good luck." said Luigi. He figured it was for the best that Mario was doing this. Mario had always been the courageous one, and obviously, he wasn't afraid to try his hand at being an obstetrician.
"Okie-dokie, here we go!" Mario said as he got ready to help his wife.
Now we skip the birthing scene (which Luigi didn't watch, but he heard it loud and clear, much to his dismay), and about 15 minutes later, the sound of a baby crying was heard, followed by Mario shouting, "It's a boy, Peach! We've got a son!"
"A son? Let me see him! I want to see our baby boy!" Peach cried.
"Hold on! I want to clean him off a little first." Mario said, and he was doing just that with a washcloth and some water from a water bottle he brought with him. The water had gotten warm from being in Bowser's Kingdom, and warm water doesn't taste very good.
After a few minutes, Mario handed their baby boy to Peach before removing his white doctor's coat.
"What are you doing?" Peach asked Mario as he took off his coat.
"This will have to do as a swaddling cloth for our son until we get home." Mario said.
"Okay, then." Peach replied.
So he and Peach wrapped their child in the coat, and Mario asked his wife, "Well, cara mia, what do you think of our son?"
"Oh Mario, he's so beautiful!" Peach exclaimed as she looked at their little boy. He had a full head of hair; brown hair, just like his father, and the shape of his eyes were the same as Mario's. But his eyes were the same shade of blue as Peach's. He also had his mother's nose.
As much as Luigi wouldn't have minded seeing his nephew, he knew that it would have to wait. He was working the controls so they could get home.
"And don't worry. I already counted his fingers and toes for you. They're all there." Mario assured his wife as he sat down next to her.
"Good." said Peach as she allowed Mario to look at his son. He hadn't really paid too much attention to how the baby looked when he cleaned him off, so he didn't really know whether the baby looked more like him or Peach. Right now, Mario could see that the child looked like a good combination of him and his wife. He was hoping for that.
"So, what are we going to name him?" Mario asked as he gazed at his son with fatherly adoration.
"Don't you remember? I suggested that if our baby was a boy, we should name him after you." Peach said, turning her gaze to Mario.
"Oh yeah. You did say that, didn't you?" Mario asked, feeling a little dumb. He remembered when Peach suggested this.
"I did. And it's a pretty good thing, too. He's going to be a handsome boy, just like his daddy." Peach smiled as she stroked the baby's mop of brown hair.
"I still can't believe he's here." Mario said.
"Neither can I. And our subjects aren't going to believe it, either. I can hardy wait to introduce our people to Prince Mario, the future King Mario II." Peach said.
Sometimes, Mario forgot that marrying Peach made him a king. But he didn't marry Peach just to become a king. He married Peach because he loved her. And she had just given him the most precious gift he could ever ask for: a child; a son to carry on his legacy.
The family's moment was interrupted when Luigi said, "We're back!"
Sure enough, they were parked in the courtyard of Mushroom Castle.
"We'd better get in there and have the Royal Physician check the two of you out!" Mario said to his wife as he stood up.
"Someone has to carry Mario Jr., and I don't think I can hold our baby while you're carrying me." Peach reminded Mario before he could pick her up.
"Oh, right. And we can't just leave him here while I carry you in." said Mario.
"I'll carry him. He's my nephew, as well as my godson." Luigi said.
"Be careful with him, Luigi." Peach said as she placed the newborn Prince Mario into Luigi's arms.
"I'll be careful. I carried my baby self during that time-travel adventure." Luigi said.
"So did I." Mario reminded him as he picked up his wife and started carrying her to the castle.
"I know." said Luigi as he ran ahead and opened the door so Mario could get in without having to set down his wife.
"Mario! Peach!" Toadsworth started when he saw Mario and Peach come in.
"Save it, Toadsworth!" said the royal couple as Mario zoomed past him on his way to the castle's infirmary.
"How rude!" Toadsworth said as he watched them disappear. Then he saw Luigi walking up, holding something in his arms.
"Luigi, would you care to explain why Mario and Peach said what they said to me?" Toadsworth asked.
"You really can't blame them for saying it, Toadsworth. You'd be in a hurry too if your wife just birthed a baby." Luigi said.
"Peach had the baby already?! Is she okay?! Is the baby okay?!" Toadsworth said, his annoyance turning to excitement.
"That's what we're going to find out." Luigi replied.
"Is that the baby you're holding?" Toadsworth asked, his eyes now riveted on the tiny bundle in Luigi's arms.
"Yes." Luigi replied.
"Let me see! I want to see the baby!" Toadsworth eagerly said.
"Not so fast! The Royal Physician needs to look him over first. But don't worry, I'm sure Mario will let you know how the new mother and baby are doing after they've been checked out." Luigi said as he made his way to the infirmary, turning his gaze to his little nephew.
"(sigh) Okay, I'll wait." Toadsworth said. He still couldn't believe that Peach had the baby already! And he was pretty sure he heard Luigi refer to the child as a 'him', so that meant the Mushroom Kingdom now had a new prince! It felt so good knowing this, and he wanted to share that knowledge, so he went looking for someone to tell. He decided not to tell Daisy because he figured Luigi would do that himself.
By then, Mario and Peach made it to the infirmary, and the Royal Physician was surprised to see them.
"Peach, are you okay?" the Royal Physician asked as Mario set her on one of the beds in the room.
"I'm a mommy now." Peach said, sounding pretty happy.
"Peach just had the baby on the Odyssey. And it's a boy." Mario explained.
"Let's check you out and make sure you're okay. And where's the little boy in question?" the Royal Physician asked as she started attending to the Queen.
"The Prince of the Mushroom Kingdom is right here." Luigi said, walking in and handing the little boy to Mario.
"Mario, how about you clean up the little prince, and weigh and measure him while I check on your wife?" the Royal Physician asked, helping Peach out of her pink satin nightgown.
"I was just going to suggest that. I only cleaned him off a little before I wrapped him in my white doctor's coat and let Peach hold him." Mario said as he unwrapped the child to give him a proper wash.
"I'll go get the supplies you used from the Odyssey and bring them in to be washed." said Luigi to Mario.
"You do that." Mario, Peach, and the Royal Physician replied.
During her examination, Peach told the Royal Physician everything, starting from when she woke up with contractions, to Bowser making things difficult for her, to Mario rescuing her and delivering the baby on their way home.
"You're sure Bowser never suspected that you were pregnant and having contractions?" the Royal Physician asked Peach, surprised at what the Queen had gone through.
"Well, my baby bump wasn't exactly noticeable, but I don't see how he didn't realize that I was having contractions. Either way, I'm glad he didn't, because then he would've known what was going on, and if he did, what if he...?" Peach trailed off there, a little scared at what could've happened to her and the baby... and Mario, too. If he'd found out she was in labor, he probably would've threatened to get the baby out of her himself... and leave her alive as he did it.
"I'm glad he didn't know, either. And I'm surprised that Mario delivered the baby." said the Royal Physician, finishing up her examination of Peach.
"I honestly had no intention of doing your job, but Peach was ready to give birth, and since you weren't with us, there was nothing else I could do except try to help her as best I could." Mario explained to the Royal Physician, hoping she understood.
"Well, Mario, you did the right thing, helping Peach like you did. And you did a good job, because she's okay." said the Royal Physician as Peach covered herself with the blanket on the bed.
"Thank the Star Spirits." Mario said as he went to Peach's side, having finished giving their son a proper wash.
"Now I need to check on the newborn prince." the Royal Physician said, holding out her arms for the baby.
"Okie-dokie. I didn't get to weigh and measure him, though. You'll have to do that." Mario said as he placed the child into the capable arms of the Royal Physician.
Mario and Peach anxiously watched as their son was checked over. They hoped he was okay, for Mario had delivered him, even though he'd never helped a pregnant woman deliver her child until now.
It didn't take long for them to find out if their baby was okay or not.
"Good news. Your son is fine. He weighs a healthy 7 pounds, he's 19 inches long, and he's perfectly healthy, just like the ultrasound showed us." the Royal Physician said, smiling as she handed the baby boy, who was now diapered and wrapped in a soft, baby blue blanket, to his mother.
"Thank goodness." Peach sighed in relief as she held her beautiful little boy close to her chest.
"I'm so glad that you're both okay." Mario said as he wrapped his arms around Peach, who was now dressed in an examination gown, which the Royal Physician had given her to wear after making sure she was fine.
"Thanks to you." Peach smiled as she and Mario looked adoringly at their baby again. He was perfect in their eyes.
And now that the baby was cleaned up better, Peach was able to see that their baby also inherited his father's complexion, and even though she knew Mario had already done it, she decided that she had to count the baby's fingers and toes herself.
"Peach, I thought I told you I already did that for you." Mario said when he saw what Peach was doing with their baby.
"Did what?" the Royal Physician asked. She'd been looking over some papers when she heard Mario, and she picked her head up and looked over at the Royal Family to see what was going on.
"Peach is counting our son's fingers and toes. I did that for her on the Odyssey." Mario explained.
"I did the exact same thing when I was looking him over." the Royal Physician smiled.
"I might have guessed, but I'm just double-checking. There's nothing wrong with that, is there?" Peach asked.
"I guess not." Mario shrugged.
"Oh! Look, Mario! Our son also inherited your potato-shaped feet! See?" Peach said, showing Mario their baby's tiny feet.
Mario was a little surprised at that.
"My feet aren't shaped like potatoes... Are they?" Mario asked, sounding a little defensive and nervous.
"They are, but don't feel bad. I think it's cute." Peach smiled, trying to help Mario feel a little better.
(A/N: My brother's strategy guide for "Super Mario Odyssey" said something about Mario having potato-shaped feet, so I'm going with that.)
"Speaking of potatoes, I don't think either of you have had anything to eat yet, have you?" the Royal Physician asked the couple.
"Now that you mention it, no, because I'm just about famished." Peach said.
"Me too." Mario said. He hadn't had time to grab breakfast when he found out that Peach needed help, and he and Luigi didn't bring any food except for bottled water on the Odyssey when they set out to rescue Peach.
"I'll go to the kitchen and see if the cooks wouldn't mind fixing up something for the two of you to eat. Until then, you can spend time bonding with your baby. Get to know him, and help him get to know you." the Royal Physician replied as she left the infirmary.
"Speaking of feeding, perhaps I should feed Mario Jr." Peach said, and she got ready to do just that.
"You didn't feed him yet?" Mario asked.
"I didn't do that on the Odyssey, because we were too busy admiring him, and I wasn't thinking about it when the Royal Physician finished examining us." Peach said as Mario Jr. began to feed.
"I still can't believe he's here." Mario said, watching his child. But not for long, for it was then that he heard his cell phone play its 'text' chime, and he saw that Daisy had texted him. The message read: "Congratulations! Luigi just told me about our godson!"
"I thought he might." Mario texted back.
"Who gets to see the baby first?" Daisy's reply read.
"You and Luigi can visit first." Mario replied.
He almost immediately got a reply back, and read, "Yay! How soon?"
"Maybe tomorrow. Mother and baby need to rest." Mario texted back.
"Awww... okay, then. I'll let everyone know." came the reply from Daisy.
"Who were you texting?" Peach asked, having seen what he was doing and hearing the 'text' chime on his phone. She knew the sound well.
"Daisy. Luigi told her about our little bundle of joy arriving, and she wants to see him." Mario replied to his wife.
At that moment, they heard what sounded like a crowd coming towards the infirmary. It sounded like everyone in the castle was coming that way.
"Oh. They're not all coming in now, are they?" Peach asked, a little worried. She was still feeding their baby, and she didn't want anyone else to see her doing this. The only ones she felt comfortable doing this in front of were Mario and the Royal Physician.
"Not if I can help it. You and Jr. need your rest. Daisy probably told Luigi, but I don't think everyone else got the memo yet. I'll go give it to them." Mario assured Peach as he produced a Lucky Bell from his pocket and used it on himself.
"I'll be back soon." Mario promised as he ran to the entrance of the infirmary.
Once there, Mario quickly turned into Lucky Cat Mario, barring the way in.
"Get out of the way!" everyone said to Mario.
Mario stopped being a statue and said, "Okay. I know you're all eager to see the Mushroom Kingdom's new prince..."
"WE WANNA SEE HIM!" everyone yelled. Now Mario knew that someone told everyone here that the baby was a boy.
"Quiet! He's asleep right now, and although both he and Peach are okay, they really need their rest. Come back tomorrow. Then all of you can see him, okay?" Mario said, hoping they didn't wake Mario Jr.
"Okay." everyone said, but Toadsworth still stuck around, looking a little upset. As much as he wanted to see the baby, he felt the need to apologize to Mario for causing what had happened.
"I'm terribly sorry, Mario. I was so excited when Luigi told me that the baby had been born that I had to tell somebody. So I told some of the retainers, and it didn't take long for the word to spread throughout the castle like wildfire. I didn't mean for everyone, including myself, to come here like a swarm of Smorgs." Toadsworth said, looking very shamefaced.
"Apology accepted, Toadsworth. But don't worry. You can see the prince tomorrow." Mario assured him, making his power-up wear off.
"Thank you, Mario." Toadsworth replied, relieved that Mario had forgiven him.
Then Toadsworth left, and Mario returned to his wife's side, surprised to see that his son had finished feeding and was sleeping like the sweet baby he was.
"It's okay, Peach. You and Jr. can get all the rest you need now." Mario assured his wife.
"Thank you, Mario." Peach smiled at her husband, before they both looked down at their child again, admiring him.
Several minutes later, the Royal Physician came back with a tray of food and drinks for Mario and Peach.
"Sorry I took so long. I was on my way to the kitchen when I saw everyone making a mad dash for the infirmary. I tried to stop them, but I was unable to. I was afraid of them coming here and making enough noise to upset the little prince." the Royal Physician apologized as she handed Mario the tray.
"It's-a fine now. I sent them on their way. Our son had his feed, and he's sleeping like the baby he is. He's okay." Mario assured the Royal Physician.
"I was more than surprised when I saw them all leave the infirmary. That's when I asked the cooks to fix up a tray of food for the two of you, and that was okay, because Luigi had mentioned that he too hadn't eaten yet. He's got his food now, and you two need to eat." said the Royal Physician.
"Take him while we eat." Peach said, handing the baby to the Royal Physician.
"Okay." said the Royal Physician as she took the infant prince into her arms so his parents could eat.
It didn't take long for Mario and Peach to finish their meal, because they hadn't had a thing to eat since breakfast.
"Now I think you should be able to relax, Peach." Mario said as the Royal Physician handed the child back to Peach and took the tray with the empty plates, glasses, and silverware back to the kitchen.
"As much as I need to rest, I also feel like I need to take a shower, but I don't think I can stand up long enough to take one. Those contractions really hurt, and my lower body still hurts from giving birth." Peach said.
"Well, if you want, I could always draw you a bath." Mario said.
"A bath sounds good to me, as long as it's not a sponge bath. I never feel clean enough whenever I take one of those. And I need to wash my hair." Peach said.
"I was thinking you could take a normal bath, since you don't have to stand when you take one of those. Maybe I could even bathe you. But if you'd rather have the Royal Physician bathe you instead..." Mario started.
"I wouldn't mind if you gave me a bath, Mario. I trust you with my life. You're my husband, and you've been very gentle with me since before we were married." said Peach.
"Okie-dokie. I'll go get your bath ready, cara mia." Mario said as he removed his gloves, putting them in his pocket before walking into the infirmary's bathroom to fill the bathtub. He didn't need to worry about grabbing a towel or any bath items because the Royal Physician made sure there were always some fresh ones in there, just in case.
When the Royal Physician returned about a minute or so later, she saw that Mario wasn't in the room.
"Where's Mario?" asked the Royal Physician.
"He's in the bathroom, drawing me a bath. I feel like I could use one because my lower body still hurts from the pain of childbirth, and I don't think I can stand long enough to take a shower. So he offered to give me a bath, and he's getting it ready for me." Peach replied.
"Mario is a good man, Peach. You picked the best man a woman could ever ask for." the Royal Physician said.
"I know. I'm so lucky to have Mario in my life. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. And Jr. wouldn't be here, either." Peach replied, looking at the sweet little angel that was sleeping quietly in her arms. She still found it hard to believe that she was finally a mother.
A few minutes later, Mario stepped out of the bathroom and, rolling up his sleeves, said, "Okie-dokie, Peach. It's-a bathtime. You'd better take it while the water's nice and warm."
"Please keep an eye on Jr. for me while I get my bath." Peach said, handing the baby to the Royal Physician.
"That's exactly what I plan to do." said the Royal Physician as she took Mario Jr. into her arms.
So, with the Royal Physician watching over the baby, Mario walked over to the bed, pulled back the covers, picked up his wife, and carried her into the infirmary's bathroom. When they got there, he sat her on the toilet, removed her examination gown, then picked her up and placed her into the tub, which was filled with warm water and bubble bath.
"Ooh, I see you added bubble bath. I was kind of hoping you would. Thank you so much for doing this for me, Mario. But I'll wash my hair if that's okay." Peach said as she reached for the shampoo bottle.
"If you want to wash your hair, I'm not going to stop you. But do you want me to use the shower attachment to get your hair wet and rinse it for you after you shampoo it?" Mario asked as he got the shower attachment at the ready.
"That'll help." Peach replied as she waited for him to turn on the water and get her hair wet.
Mario was very gentle and careful as he gave his wife her bath. He also made sure not to get soap in her eyes when he rinsed her hair with the shower attachment. Peach couldn't have asked for a better care-giver. Mario was the best husband a queen could ever have.
"How are you feeling now, cara mia?" Mario asked Peach as he drained the water, helped her out of the tub, and sat her on the toilet before handing her a towel she could use to dry her hair. Then he picked up another soft, fluffy towel that he used to carefully dry her off.
"Much better, thank you." Peach replied, giving Mario a happy smile as he dried her off.
"You're welcome, my love." Mario said, rolling his sleeves back down before helping Peach get back into her examination gown.
"You really are good to me, Mario." Peach said as Mario carried her back to her bed, set her down on it, and pulled the covers over her.
"Because I love you, Peach. More than my own life." Mario said as he gave his wife a loving kiss on the cheek.
"Please, stay here with me." Peach said, taking his hand.
"I was hoping you'd want me here with you." Mario replied as he took off his shoes and climbed in next to her. Then he got under the covers with Peach and wrapped his arms around her, which made her feel safe, secure, and loved. Peach wrapped her arms around Mario, letting him know that he was special to her.
"I've never seen two people who love each other as much as your parents do." the Royal Physician said to the sleeping infant as Mario and Peach fell asleep, holding each other close.
The next day, after breakfast, everybody had shown up outside the castle's infirmary again, wanting to meet Mario and Peach's son.
Mario had put his shoes and gloves back on when the Royal Physician informed him and Peach that there was a crowd waiting to meet the newborn Prince of the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Don't let them all in at once." Peach said to Mario as he went to go deal with the crowd.
"I won't." Mario said, giving his wife a quick kiss on the lips before going to the entrance to see the crowd that had gathered there.
"Mama-mia, what a day this is going to be..." Mario muttered under his breath, before telling the crowd, "You can come in, but only a few at a time."
"Are we still allowed in first? You texted me that we could go first." Daisy said, ready to pull out her cell phone and show Mario the text message he sent her in case he forgot.
"Sure. Come in, you two." Mario said, allowing his brother and sister-in-law to enter.
Luigi and Daisy didn't really want to leave the infirmary once they met their godchild.
"He's adorable!" Daisy said as Peach handed her the baby. To the child, she said, "Hello, little one. Not only are you my godson and my nephew, you're also my second cousin."
"And he's got a set of lungs like you've never heard. When he came out, he cried as loud as his parents did when they were babies." Luigi said, coming closer for a better look at his nephew. He hadn't seen him too well the other day, and he wanted to see who the baby looked more like.
"Whoa! You can remember that far back?!" Daisy asked, impressed.
"No. Back when we went on that time-travel adventure to deal with the invasion of the Shroobs, I heard Mario's baby self crying, and I heard Baby Peach cry. They sure were loud." Luigi said as Daisy handed the baby to him.
"I think we're all hoping that Mario Jr. will be an easy baby. Toadsworth said that I wasn't, but then again, he was all I had after my parents passed on, so I must have been pretty lonely, and we all know that babies need a lot of attention." Peach said.
"And we still have to let our other friends know about the baby." Mario said.
"I think we were all ahead of you on that one. Toad and Toadette let the Toad Brigade know, and they immediately set out to let some of our friends outside the Mushroom Kingdom know about the baby. And I e-mailed Rosalina once I learned our godchild's gender." Daisy said.
"Thanks." said Peach as Luigi placed the baby back in her arms.
When Luigi and Daisy left the room, even though they really didn't want to, Mario allowed Toad and Toadette to come in next, and Toadsworth, too, since he really wanted to see the child.
"Where is he? Master Luigi was kind enough to tell me that the baby is a boy, and I would like to see him if that's okay." Toadsworth said as he approached the bed Peach was lying in.
"Hold on, you'll see him." Peach said, handing the baby to Mario, who knelt down to the Toads' level so they could see him well.
"Aww! Look at him! He's so small and cute!" Toadette exclaimed in a whisper.
"And he looks like both Mario and Peach." Toad pointed out.
"Yup, he's a perfect combination of both his parents, but I know everyone is sure he'll be a chip off the old block." Toadsworth said.
"Peach wanted to name him after me. That's all the proof they'll need right there." Mario said as he looked at his child with fatherly pride.
"Unless the prince takes after his mother when she was a baby. I'm kind of hoping not, though." Toadsworth said.
"I know what Peach was like when she was very small, but maybe it's because she was lonely, losing her parents much too early in life." Mario said.
"Yes. And I don't want our son to learn about loneliness and loss at a too-young age, like I did." Peach said as Mario handed their baby back to her.
By the end of the day, everyone in the castle had seen the baby, and Mario, Peach, and their baby were very tired.
"I'm-a tired. And Jr. still has yet to meet our other friends." Mario said.
"He'll get to meet them at his christening. I'm planning to invite our other friends to it." Peach assured Mario.
"Okie-dokie. But you can do the inviting tomorrow. For now, let's-a get some sleep." Mario said, and like the night before, he took off his shoes and got into bed next to Peach, but this time, when the royal couple went to sleep, the little prince was still in his mother's arms. However, just like his parents, he was fast asleep.
As for Bowser... Mario and Luigi ended up hitting him so hard, he was out cold for a month! But it gets better! When Bowser finally awoke from his possible coma, he had amnesia, which lasted for two months!
The End
All's well that ends well! The baby is safe, Peach is okay, and Bowser never found out that Peach was pregnant to begin with! I hope you all enjoyed this story!
