Mario was on his way to Toad Town to buy some groceries, when he suddenly heard the sound of sniffling. Puzzled, he tried to find the source of this noise, and eventually found that it was coming from Starlow, who was sitting on a rock. The Star Sprite was definitely upset about something, Mario knew that for sure.
"Hey, Starlow, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" he asked. Starlow was both alarmed and embarrassed. "Wha-? Crying? N-no, I'm not c-c-crying…" she sniffed.
"You obviously are, why are you so glum?" asked Mario.
Starlow sighed and spilled the beans. "It's just…" she began. "...remember our adventure on Pi'illo Island, where we had to stop that evil bat?"
"Antasma? Yeah, of course I remember. But I don't understand why you're weeping about that." Mario answered.
"It's not that part that I'm weeping about," Starlow sniffed again. "I was thinking about… about Prince Dreambert…" she confessed, trying her hardest not to cry at the mere thought of him.
"You really miss him, huh?" Mario nodded.
Starlow was really struggling to fight back her tears now. "W-we…" she choked. "...we eventually fell in love with each other, but then me, you, Luigi and the others eventually had to leave Pi'illo Island…" She then shut her eyes tight as the tears returned in-full-force.
"Um…" Mario couldn't really think of anything to respond with, despite his best efforts to comfort her.
"AND I'VE NEVER SEEN HIM AGAIN SINCE!" the distraught Star Sprite suddenly screamed tearfully, taking Mario by surprise. "I MIGHT'VE MADE FUN OF HIS FORGETFULNESS A FEW TIMES, BUT DEEP DOWN, WE KNEW WE REALLY… loved each other..." she finished with a murmur. Starlow couldn't hold it in anymore as she began sobbing into Mario's arms. Mario understood the level of emotional agony that she was in right now, as he gently hugged her. "There, there." he hushed.
After Starlow calmed down a little, Mario had an idea. "I know, why don't you write Dreambert a letter and tell him how much you love him, and that you really want to see him again for a few days?"
Starlow stared at him, then smiled a small smile. "I… I'm not sure why I didn't think of that." she half-chuckled, half-cried.
Mario smiled back. "If I were you," he said. "I would go and do it right now. No time like the present, y'know!"
Starlow was suddenly a lot happier. "You're right!" she beamed cheerfully. "Thanks, Mario! I'll see you later! YELLO GOOD-BYE!" And with that, she floated off to Princess Peach's castle. "You're welcome!" Mario called back, as he set off again to do his shopping in Toad Town.
"You want to write him a letter, do you?" asked Peach after Starlow explained everything to her. "Yeah, but it was actually Mario's idea, not mine." the Star Sprite laughed.
"I see." chuckled Peach. "I'll get you a pen and paper!" she smiled. In no time, she returned with just that.
"Thanks, here goes…" said Starlow as she picked up the pen with her telekinesis. As she didn't have hands, she always used that ability of hers to do all the mundane things that us people do with our hands.
Dear Prince Dreambert,
I know it's been quite some time since we had our adventure with Mario and Luigi on Pi'illo Island, but ever since we returned to the Mushroom Kingdom, I've been thinking about you. I know I tended to make fun of how forgetful you can be, but that's how I can be at times when it comes to my snarky sense of humor. Still, I want to express how much I love you with this letter and I hope we can meet again in the next few days. I look forward to hopefully seeing you again!
Your girlfriend,
Starlow
Afterwards, she put it in an envelope with Dreambert's name on it, and gave it to Parakarry, the Mushroom Kingdom's mailman. Everyone loved him, as he was a lot more convenient than the average mailman, because since he was a Koopa Paratroopa, he was able to fly and deliver letters and parcels within no time.
When he was given this letter though, he was confused. He had no idea who Prince Dreambert even was. "Care to explain?" he enquired.
Starlow was caught off-guard, she wasn't expecting any personal questions right now. "Oh! Uh… he's just my pen pal." she lied with a nervous laugh. Parakarry gave her a suspicious look, but he went along with her answer anyway.
"Alright, I'll deliver this to him in a jiffy! Where does he live?"
"Pi'illo Island, it has a big castle, so you should be able to find it." Starlow smiled.
"Gotcha," replied Parakarry. "Thanks for the directions! I'll be off then!" as he flew off to Pi'illo Island to deliver Dreambert's letter.
"I hope he says yes!" grinned Starlow, as she went to go hang out with Mario and co.
Meanwhile on Pi'illo Island, Bedsmith was outside looking for Prince Dreambert, as he was nowhere to be seen at Pi'illo Castle. "DREAMBERT?" he yelled. He eventually did find him though, sitting on a bench and staring up at the blue, sunny sky.
"Dreambert?" Bedsmith asked, trying to get his attention. Dreambert was oblivious, as he had been staring at the sky all morning. "Dreambert!" he repeated, snapping his fingers. The Pi'illo prince finally snapped out of his trance.
"Oh! I'm dearly sorry, Bedsmith," he said. "I've just been thinking of… of…"
"Of what, may I ask?" enquired Bedsmith.
"Well… remember a long time ago when we had special visitors come here for a vacation?"
"Hmm… yes. I do remember, as a matter of fact. From the top of my head, I can remember them being Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toadsworth, a bunch of Yoshis and Toads… that's all I can remember. Was there perhaps one more guest?" Bedsmith wondered.
"Yes. If I can remember her name correctly, I believe it was Starlow." mused Dreambert.
"Well, out of all these guests," enquired Bedsmith again. "Why are you thinking of Starlow the most?"
"We had an especially good chemistry between us…" muttered Dreambert. "I think we fell in love with each other, despite her instinct on calling me Forgetbert. But on the inside, I didn't really mind her doing that… and ever since she left Pi'illo Island with the others, I tend to think about her from time to time…" he finished, before drifting off into staring at the sky again.
Bedsmith understood. It seemed to him that Dreambert really wanted to see the cute Star Sprite again, especially after such a long time.
At that moment, Parakarry landed onto Pi'illo Island. "Letter for Prince Dreambert!" he called. He didn't immediately notice the nearby bench where the two Pi'illos were sitting.
"I'm Prince Dreambert!" he clarified. "A letter for me, huh? Splendid! But… who are you? We've literally never seen you before." he added, confused.
"Silly me!" the Koopa chuckled to himself. "Where on earth are my manners today? Ahem, I'm Parakarry, the Mushroom Kingdom's mailman, and someone sent me here to give you this letter."
Dreambert took the letter. "Thank you," he said. "But who is it from?"
"The person who gave me this letter said that you were her pen pal." replied Parakarry.
Dreambert suddenly looked even more surprised! "Her?" he thought to himself. "No, there's no way it's her!"
He quickly opened the letter and read it, then his face lit up. "IT IS!" he shouted happily. "IT REALLY IS HER!"
Bedsmith was taken aback by his reaction. "What? Are you telling me that this letter is from Starlow?" he gasped.
"Yes!" Dreambert laughed, as he was beside himself with happiness. "She wants me to go and visit her at the Mushroom Kingdom!"
"Wow, that's great!" grinned Bedsmith. "I'm so happy for you right now, that I could sleep on you!"
Dreambert's smile dropped. "Please don't." he answered flatly.
"Ah, yes, pardon me. I simply must control that instinct more often…" Bedsmith chuckled sheepishly.
"By the way," he added. "I wouldn't go right now, if I were you. It wouldn't really be right to leave Pi'illo Island without asking Eldream for permission first, would it?"
"Yeah, you're right…" agreed Dreambert. "I'd better go and ask him right now. Could you stay right here please?" he asked Parakarry.
"Sure thing!" he replied. "Thank you!" Dreambert bowed and smiled, and then went to Pi'illo Castle to speak with Eldream.
Eldream was obviously a very old Pi'illo, and he was unfortunately deaf in his left ear, so everyone had to speak with him within distance of his right ear. Otherwise, trying to talk to him would prove to be hopeless. He was in the castle's library, sipping a cup of tea and reading a book. He was feeling quite content, and then Dreambert gently knocked on the door, but of course, it wasn't a loud enough knock for him to hear, so the prince had to knock harder. Luckily, the old Pi'illo heard it this time. "Come in." he replied.
Dreambert entered the library. "Good morning, Eldream. I've come to make a big request…" he began.
"Go on." Eldream convinced him.
"Well..." said Dreambert. "I just got this letter from my girlfriend, Starlow. Do you remember when she was here for a vacation with Mario and Luigi?"
"Maybe, sonny… I have a short memory, you know." mumbled Eldream.
"I know." Dreambert acknowledged. "But basically, she wrote to me saying that she really wants me to see her again at her homeland, the Mushroom Kingdom, for a few days. I was hoping you'd let me do so. Can I, please?" pleaded the prince.
Eldream only had one concern: "Do you need to take anything with you?" he asked. "All I need is my toothbrush." chuckled Dreambert. "I'm sure they'll have everything else I need there!"
"As long as you're safe there, then yes, you can go." Eldream said.
Dreambert was delighted! "Thank you, thank you, thank you so much!" He was beside himself with happiness again, but who could really blame him? He was finally going to reunite with his girlfriend! He couldn't wait! "But first, I should write a letter to her in return. I'll be back later!" he added as he left the library.
"Sure, it's best to let her know in advance." chuckled Eldream, as he went back to reading his book.
Dear Starlow,
I just received your letter, and I'm surprised that you still think about me from time to time! Things have been really quiet here on Pi'illo Island ever since our adventure together with Mario and Luigi. Still, it's splendid to know that you want to see me again. Don't worry, we WILL meet again soon enough, I promise! Until then, I look forward to that!
Your boyfriend,
Prince Dreambert
With that done, Dreambert took Starlow's letter back to the bench he was at earlier, where Parakarry and Bedsmith were busy chatting away.
"Guys, he said yes! I'm going to the Mushroom Kingdom to reunite with Starlow!" he beamed.
"Congratulations, prince!" grinned Parakarry. "I'll send this letter to her right away! Have a nice time at our place!" And with that, he took off back to the Mushroom Kingdom to bring Starlow the good news. "Thanks!" Dreambert called back.
"Man, I wish I could spend this visit with you…" Bedsmith remarked. He wasn't jealous of the prince, just disappointed that he wasn't also going to stay at the Mushroom Kingdom for a bit.
Dreambert patted him on the back. "Cheer up, buddy. At least you'll be able to drop me off!" he smiled at him.
Bedsmith's face lit up. "Really?" he asked excitedly.
"Sure! We'll ask the Great Zeekeeper later to see if he'll take me there!"
"Okay! That sounds like a great idea!" said Bedsmith, but then his stomach growled. "Um… I think we should both get some lunch first." he continued. They both chuckled off to the castle's kitchen.
Meanwhile, back at the Mushroom Kingdom, Starlow and the others were talking about Prince Dreambert after she told them everything.
"Yeah, I remember Dreambert!" said Luigi "I loved our time at Pi'illo Island too, because of all the sleep I got to have, thanks to him!" he mused as the others laughed.
"Sleepy head!" Starlow giggled.
"Hey, don't judge me!" Luigi laughed back.
"But can you really consider them the best sleeps of your entire life? Especially after I constantly messed with your moustache?" Starlow teased as she and the others laughed again.
"Well, no, but I was just grateful that Mario did most of the work!" Luigi quipped as he playfully winked at his brother.
"What the gallopin' Goomba are you talking about, bro?!" Mario laughed. "You did do as much work as me! Are you telling me that you can't remember your dreamy self?"
"My dreamy self…?" Luigi was bewildered, he couldn't remember such a thing as his dreamy self. "What are you talking about, bro? HA! How 'bout them apples?" he jested.
"Well played." his brother applauded with a titter.
"You think Dreambert has received his letter from you now?" Daisy asked.
"I wonder if he's read it yet?" added Toadette.
"I'm sure of it," Starlow replied. "It probably only took Parakarry a few minutes to deliver."
"What if he forgot to read it?" Mario jokingly asked.
Starlow burst out laughing. "Shut up! Calling him Forgetbert is MY job, and not yours!"
"I'm just saying!" chuckled Mario.
"Do you suppose he'll bring anything with him?" enquired Yoshi.
"I doubt it," Peach chimed in. "We have everything he probably needs while he's here with us."
"Are you sure about that, princess?" Toad smirked. "He might bring his toothbrush!"
"Come on now, Toad, you don't know if he even has a toothbrush!" Luigi snickered as they all laughed again.
"I was only making a wild guess." chuckled Toad.
At that moment, Parakarry arrived back. "Letter for Starlow!" he proudly announced.
Starlow was tingling with excitement! "Oh my gosh, thanks!" she beamed.
"No problem! A postman's job is never done." he chuckled as he handed the letter over to her. "Have a good day!" he added, as he flew back to the Toad Town post office.
The others gathered around Starlow as she opened up the letter, and after she read it, she screamed with joy, catching them all off-guard.
"Is he…?" Luigi began to ask.
"DREAMBERT'S ACTUALLY COMING TO VISIT!" the psyched Star Sprite squealed. Starlow thought she was going to burst! She had never felt this excited in quite a long time!
"That's absolutely wonderful!" cheered Peach. "It'll be great for us to see him again too!"
"Come on, Starlow," Mario grinned "Let's all go to Toad Town for a congratulatory meal!"
The others all agreed. Starlow felt like the luckiest and happiest girl in the entire world right now, though she made sure not to show off. And so, they all went off to eat while waiting for Dreambert to arrive.
Meanwhile, after spending a few minutes eating at the castle, Dreambert and the others went to find so they find the Zeekeeper, so they could ask him to take them to the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Sonny, I can tell that you really want to see her again!" Eldream smiled.
"Heh, she knows how much I mean to her!" Dreambert was a bit shy in response as he lightly blushed at the thought of Starlow
"Good for you, sonny! Things have been uneventful on this island lately, so it would make sense for you to go somewhere else for a change!" Eldream was a bit more confident now as they finally approached the Zeekeeper, who was currently asleep.
"There he is… Please awaken him and tell him your request." Eldream stared at the Zeekeeper as he instructed Dreambert, to which he nodded.
"Hey, Great Zeekeeper! Wake up from your slumber! We need you for an important thing!" the prince called out to the Zeekeeper, who then awoke.
"Who disturbs… my rest? Ah, Dreambert! What brings the three of you to this place?" the big bird asked.
"Well, you see, we're asking for your assistance on taking us to the Mushroom Kingdom! I want to see someone who's very, VERY special to me. Would you be kind enough to take us there?"
"Since you've always treated me well, I shall indeed take you there right now!"
"Thank you so much, Great Zeekeeper! We mustn't waste any more time with this chit-chat!" Dreambert grinned as the trio climbed up onto the bird's back.
"Ah, the joys of young people... If only I could go back in time and relive my younger days once more…" Eldream thought to himself.
"Alright everyone, you'd better hold on tight! We should be good to reach the Mushroom Kingdom in about an hour! And off we GOOOOOOOO!" the Zeekeeper shouted as he spread his wings as he eventually gained some altitude, flying off from Pi'illo Island as they went to their next destination. It was going to take the Zeekeeper an hour, because he was much, much slower at flying than Parakarry.
Starlow and the others went to Goomba Park after eating at Toad Town. "Thanks for that, guys. I'm completely stuffed!" the Star Sprite exclaimed.
"You're welcome! So are we!" laughed Mario.
"It shouldn't be long now until he arrives!" smiled Peach.
"I'm looking forward to introducing myself to him!" grinned Daisy.
"Me too!" said Toadette. "I hope he's nice!"
"Of course he is! Otherwise, why would he be my boyfriend?" giggled Starlow.
"It's nearly 6pm though, I wonder how much longer we'll have to wait?" Luigi wondered. But he got his answer right away, as the Zeekeeper's screech suddenly rang out of the sunset. They all jumped, but some of them recognised the noise. This could only mean one thing! "He's here!" Starlow squeaked in delight.
The gang arrived at Sunshine Airport, where the Zeekeeper's passengers were awaiting them. As soon as Starlow and Dreambert made eye contact with one another, it was an absolutely incredible moment for both of them!
"DREAMBERT!" Starlow yelled.
"STARLOW!" Dreambert yelled back.
Starlow flew into his arms as he hugged her, while they both laughed with joy.
Mario and the others went over to welcome the overwhelmed Pi'illo.
"Great to see you again, Prince Dreambert!" greeted Mario. "Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom! We guarantee that you'll love it!"
"Thank you very much, but for convenience's sake, please refer to me as Bert." the prince chuckled.
"Okay, Bert." giggled Peach. "Allow me to introduce you to my best friend, Daisy!"
"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Bert! You look nothing like how I imagined though… I thought you were a human, like us." Daisy smiled nervously.
Dreambert chuckled again. "It's a bit of a long story, so I'll get straight to the point; I'm from a species called Pi'illo. We come from Pi'illo Island, formerly known as the Pi'illo Kingdom. We possess the power to enter into the world of dreams whenever we want and sought to protect the Dream and Dark Stones, which could create dreams and grant wishes. However, an unthinkable evil managed to steal and shatter the Dark Stone, transforming all of the Pi'illos into stone. But thanks to me, Mario, Luigi and Starlow, we were able to save the day. I know, a lot of things happened, so I'll spare you the details."
Daisy was bewildered by such an info dump, so she simply responded with "I see."
"Bert, it's a real pleasure to meet you!" smiled Toadette. "I'm sure you've already met my brother, right?" she added as she gestured to Toad.
"Maybe… There were so many of your kind at the island, Toad."
"No worries, I was just wondering though; did you bring anything with you during your stay?" Toad asked.
"Yes, as a matter of fact!" Dreambert chuckled as he presented his toothbrush.
Luigi was beside himself at this sight. "TOAD, YOU MADMAN! HOW DID YOU KNOW?!" he guffawed.
"Told you." boasted Toad.
Dreambert gave Luigi a weird look. "Calm down, it's only a silly old toothbrush. I honestly don't get why that's so funny." he said, confused.
"Sorry, Bert, I wouldn't have laughed if it hadn't been for Toad's wacky prediction powers. I think he's secretly a wizard." joked Luigi. Starlow couldn't stop herself from giggling throughout this. Luigi could be quite the goofball at times, but the others were all accustomed to that.
"Where will you sleep?" Yoshi asked Dreambert.
"Oh gosh," the prince gasped. "I didn't think of that beforehand..."
"I currently live at Peach's castle," Starlow told him. "Is it okay if he sleeps there with me?" she turned to ask Peach, who was more than happy to approve. "Absolutely!" she beamed.
"Splendid! Thanking you kindly, princess!" said Dreambert as he turned back to his girlfriend. "Oh, Starlow, it's simply wonderful to see you again after such a long time! I imagine you must've been really lonely without me."
Starlow blushed a bit. "Well, yeah, a little... but at least I always have Mario and the others by my side! They're like a family to me, and you're like another member of said family!" she winked.
Dreambert's eyes widened and he couldn't help but blush back. "R-really?" he stammered. "I-I'm very flattered to hear that, t-truly." He and Starlow both giggled.
Eldream spoke up. "We wish we could stay for a little longer, sonny, but I'm afraid that Bedsmith, the Zeekeeper and I must return to Pi'illo Island now."
"Wait, going already?! That's a shame..." said Dreambert.
"Yeah, it sucks that we didn't see much of this place, but I hope we can see more of it next time! If we get the chance that is." Bedsmith added.
"I'm sure that dream will become a reality someday. Well, I hope you have a wonderful flight on your way back to the island! The denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom will certainly appreciate your presence in the future!" Dreambert gave a warm smile to the two Pi'illos and the Zeekeeper.
"Hey, I guarantee they will welcome us again with open arms!" Bedsmith chuckled.
As the Zeekeeper prepared to fly back to Pi'illo Island, he looked down at Mario and co. "We'll meet again someday! That's a promise! To the two heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom and their friends, I hope you can make the prince feel at home here! Until then, bye-bye!"
"YELLO GOODBYE!" Starlow called as the others also wished them goodbye.
"I must admit," Dreambert announced. "I'm really famished after that long flight."
"In that case, meet me and Luigi at our house, and I'll cook you something. Does that sound good to you?" smiled Mario.
"Sounds splendid!" Dreambert smiled back.
"See you there then!" Luigi also smiled as everyone, except Starlow and Dreambert, left the airport.
"Is Mario a good cook, by any chance?"
"Yeah, he's surprisingly good! But you really shouldn't stay right here with that growling stomach of yours, should you?" Starlow chuckled.
"You're right." Dreambert blushed, chuckling too. "Let's go!"
Eventually, they both arrived at Mario and Luigi's house. "Hello? I'm here for that dinner you were talking about!" Dreambert shouted.
"Welcome, Bert! Almost ready!" called Mario from the kitchen.
They both entered the kitchen as Dreambert sat at the table, while Starlow floated next to him. Mario served up a hot plate of spaghetti bolognese. "I hope you enjoy it!" he smiled.
Dreambert dug in, and it didn't take long for Mario to see that he was very impressed. "This is delicious! Starlow was right, you are a good cook!" he praised, as Mario gave him a flattered, yet heartwarming smile.
"Thank you, I took a lot of cooking classes when I was in high school." Mario giggled.
"Funny," Starlow muttered. "I never knew that before."
"Well, you mustn't forget that we all learn something new everyday." Dreambert reminded her between mouthfuls of bolognese.
"That was a splendid dinner! I'd simply love to have that again, without a doubt!" Dreambert said when he finished. "But me and Starlow should really get going now, I thi-"
"No, wait, could you stay for just a few more minutes? Mario and I should tell you two about the time when we were both at a fancy restaurant." Luigi started to chuckle at the thought of it.
Mario started to snort. "Trust me, this is rich!"
"Go on then." smirked Dreambert.
"Let's hear it!" Starlow giggled.
"Okay, so, Luigi and I were getting ready to order our food, and Luigi asked for spaghetti and meatballs with extra ketchup. Within five minutes though, when the waiter returned with our food, instead of ketchup, Luigi instead ended up getting dandruff on his meal!"
Starlow and Dreambert were trying their hardest not to laugh at such a funny scenario, but they failed miserably.
"I was livid!" Luigi chortled. "So livid in fact, that I stormed over to their kitchen and yelled to the chef who was responsible, "YOU CALL THAT A SPAGHETTI TOPPING?! I ASKED FOR KETCHUP, YOU TWIT!"
"I've never heard such a frightfully witty story in a long time!" the prince guffawed.
Starlow on the other hand was crying with laughter, to the point where she was even struggling to speak. "Wh-wh-who in their right mind would put dandruff on something like that?!" she managed to wheeze.
"There was a happy ending though!" laughed Mario. "A different chef did give him the right topping afterwards! Though I wonder what happened to the incompetent one?"
"I really hope he was fired! There's no way they kept him, especially after that stupid act!" laughed Luigi.
"Oh, man…" chuckled Starlow, composing herself. "I needed that good laugh."
"So did I." sighed Dreambert. "Thanks for having us," he added, smiling. "We'll be off now! Goodnight!"
"See you tomorrow!" the brothers said as they saw them to the door.
"YELLO GOOD-BYE!" Starlow beamed.
"What do you want to do now?" Dreambert asked her when they were outside. It was now 6:45pm, and the night sky had fully settled in, with a full moon too.
"It's the perfect night for us to hang out at Peach Gardens!" said Starlow. "You'll love it there!"
"Alright." Dreambert smiled.
Peach Gardens was such a peaceful little area in the Mushroom Kingdom. It was teeming with lovely flowers, and it had a nice view of the ocean too. Starlow and Dreambert went over to one of the benches to flirt under the moonlight. The garden was currently empty, except for their presence, which they were both grateful for, because now they wouldn't be able to be embarrassed from strangers seeing them flirt. They had total social freedom right now.
"Gosh, it really is a splendid night, isn't it?" Dreambert mused as they stared at the ocean, with the moon's beautiful reflection shimmering in the water.
"Yeah, I simply adore night-time, Bert. It really brings the atmosphere to life, don't you agree?" Starlow smiled at him.
"Truly." Dreambert smiled back at her.
"Do you… always think of me when you look up at the sky?" Starlow asked him, blushing.
"H-huh? Well, I do at times… To be honest with you, I tend to think more about the adventure we had with Mario and Luigi back at my island." Dreambert nervously laughed in response.
"You really are very dreamy and a bit forgetful at times, aren't you? I know I called you Forgetbert on some occasions, but that's how my stubborn and snarky side of my personality can be at times."
"Yeah, I completely understand how the moments where I forgot the more important things caused some frustration for you, but I didn't mind that nickname!" Dreambert smiled.
"I'm glad to hear you say that!" Starlow smiled back. "If there's someone who's very important to me besides Mario and the others, it's you."
"Are you a broken record?" Dreambert chuckled. "You already told me something like that at the airport."
"Oh, did I? In that case then, call me Forgetlow!" Starlow exclaimed as they both laughed. Then they did something they never did before; they initiated a long kiss!
The bench they were sitting at however, had a tree right behind it, and inside its little hollow lived a spider. While the two were kissing, it decided to crawl out of its home and do some hanging from the branch. As it descended down by its silk, it was flanked by Starlow and Dreambert as they finished their kiss, which meant they saw it.
Spiders were Starlow's biggest weakness; she was absolutely terrified of them. Even the mere thought of them frightened her, so Mario and the others made sure to never mention spiders whenever she was present. She immediately let out a shrill scream and flew into a hysterical state of shrieking, "GET RID OF IT! GET RID OF IT! GET RID OF IT! GET RID OF IT!"
Dreambert wasn't afraid of them though, as he grabbed the spider and gently put it on the grass as it scuttled away.
"It's gone now." he smiled to the trembling Star Sprite, who had her eyes shut tight in terror.
Starlow opened them, checked to make sure that Dreambert wasn't lying, and then sighed with relief. "Thank you…" she muttered.
"I didn't know you were afraid of spiders!"
"I think I'd better tell you why then. Years ago, I was a student at Starmentary School, which is basically a special school that's only for us Star Sprites. At the time, I was only mildly afraid of spiders, but that was until one day during recess when I was just hanging out with some of my friends, because all of a sudden, a group of bullies headed towards us and one of them had a bucketful of spiders!" Starlow shuddered thinking about that last part.
"How on earth did they find so many of them, especially enough to fill that bucket?" enquired Dreambert.
"I don't know," Starlow continued. "But anyway, my friends retreated when they saw what was in that bucket, and I was unfortunately a bit too slow to react the same way, as a couple of the bullies pinned me down to the ground, and then the one who was holding the bucket dumped the contents on me! I screamed the whole playground down! It was one of the scariest moments of my entire life! I was crying and crying and crying afterwards, and I was not only so petrified and upset, but also traumatised… Ever since that day, I've been deathly afraid of spiders..."
"Oh dear…" said Dreambert sympathetically. "I'm sorry to hear that, I truly am."
"Thanks." replied Starlow. "Luckily, the one who dumped the spiders on me did get grounded by his parents for a month, so that was satisfying to me!" she added as they both chuckled.
"Good to hear that he got his just deserts." remarked Dreambert as they both resumed flirting with each other for another couple of hours.
Now it was 9pm, and they were exhausted from all they had to talk about. They had a great evening (for the most part, because of the interfering spider from earlier), and they agreed to hang out at Peach Gardens again.
"Thanks for tonight, Bert, but I really need to hit the sack now." Starlow yawned.
"Understood." Dreambert smiled as he followed her to Peach's castle. Starlow always slept on one of the couches in the living room.
"I'm thrilled to announce that we had a splendid date together!" he told Peach when they entered the castle. "Unfortunately though, there was a brief inconvenient interference from a spider, but I got rid of it." he also added.
Starlow suddenly went pale with fear and she gave him a stern glare. Dreambert grinned nervously at her, not previously knowing that even mentioning spiders scared her.
"Oh my… that doesn't sound nice, but overall, I'm glad that your first date here went well." Peach beamed. "I'll see you two in the morning, goodnight!" she added as she headed upstairs to her bedroom.
"Goodnight!" Starlow and Dreambert both responded, as they entered the castle's living room. Once the Star Sprite had made herself comfy under her blanket, her boyfriend transformed into his pillow form as he lay himself behind her weary head.
"Sweet dreams, my little twinkle." Dreambert smiled.
Starlow blushed at what he said. She'd never been called 'twinkle' before, but she loved that. "Thanks, Bert. Goodnight." she yawned again as she fell asleep and dreamt about going on other dates with the prince. Life couldn't get any better than it did for her right now.
Morning slowly came back to the Mushroom Kingdom as the sun started to shine once more. Starlow and Dreambert woke up as they prepared themselves for another day.
"Good morning, Bert! Did you sleep well?"
"Yep, very well! What about you?"
"I had a good night of sleep too, even more so with you at my side!" Starlow smiled.
"Heh, you're welcome! Anyways, what do you want to do today? Do you have anything in mind?" Dreambert asked her.
"You haven't seen much of the Mushroom Kingdom, have you?"
"Oh? No, not really..."
"I can show you more of it today! It's okay if you don't want to though, I ain't forcing you."
"That's a splendid idea! Doesn't hurt to know a bit more about this place!" Dreambert beamed.
"Alright, let's go!" Starlow responded cheerfully.
They took their time to see several areas of the kingdom and comment about them. "I'm very impressed with how active the citizens are here!" Dreambert praised.
"Indeed!" Starlow replied. "Even more so with some of the race tracks they have here! Did you know that every year, the Mushroom Kingdom holds an annual kart racing tournament called 'Mario Kart'? Yeah, Mario and the others enjoy a bit of racing sometimes, it's the event that the people here anticipate the most! Mind you, I've never participated in Mario Kart before... Perhaps I should consider joining next year's!"
"I think you should! Mario Kart sounds like a ton of fun! If I could, I would definitely join in too!" said Dreambert excitedly.
"That would be fantastic, Bert! I think I'll eventually tell Mario that I'd like to join!" Starlow giggled.
"You absolutely should! Don't forget about it!" laughed Dreambert.
Later on when night-time had settled in, the couple went to Toad Town after Starlow had shown Dreambert everything that the Mushroom Kingdom had to offer.
"You know the one thing I love about Toad Town? How peaceful it is! I think that makes this tour more romantic, don't you think?" Starlow purred, fluttering her eyes at him.
"Yeah, it sure does look calm here. The citizens are just having a bit of fun after a hard day of work. This kinda reminds me of how things usually are on my island." Dreambert mused as they both stopped to unwind for a bit.
"It's great when trouble doesn't come around to this place. Speaking of which, we haven't seen Bowser or any of his minions lately… Are they planning to do another invasion as usual?" Starlow asked herself anxiously.
"Oh? Actually, I had a chat with Princess Peach this morning before we set off, and well, she told me that he's currently sick! Caught a nasty cold!" Dreambert laughed, to which Starlow laughed too. The kingdom was temporarily safe from Bowser's malice.
Kylie Koopa was passing by them while she was heading home from work, though she stopped in her tracks at the sight of Dreambert. "Evening, Starlow!" she smiled at her. "I don't mean to interfere, but I couldn't help but notice this…" Kylie struggled to find the right words without offending the Pi'illo. "...odd looking fellow next to you. No offence." she added nervously to Dreambert.
"None taken," he chuckled. "I'm her boyfriend, Prince Dreambert. I'm from a species called Pi'illo, we come from Pi'illo Island. I came here to reunite with Starlow for a few days, since we really missed each other and haven't been together for so long." he explained as he winked to Starlow, while the Star Sprite blushed for what was probably the hundredth time that day. "Pleased to meet you, by the way!" he added to Kylie.
"You too," Kylie smiled. "Though I guess this is the only time we'll meet." she added, frowning at the thought. Starlow and Dreambert frowned too, as they both knew that this was the truth.
But suddenly, Kylie remembered something. "Oh! Actually, I'm going to see this blues singer at the Midnight Wanderers Jazz Club tomorrow night, have you heard of her before, Starlow? Her name is Rose Koopsworth. I'm a huge fan of her music, and this will be the first time I see her in person!" she said excitedly.
"Uh… no, can't say I have," Starlow chuckled. "But that does sound like a great date for me and Bert! We'll see you there tomorrow night then!" she beamed.
"Bye!" Kylie beamed back as she resumed heading for home.
"What do you think, Bert? Does that sound good?" Starlow turned to ask him.
The prince blushed, but he smiled. "I'm not familiar with the blues genre of music, but that does sound romantic!" he confessed, giggling as Starlow giggled back.
"Then it's settled! I think we'd better head back to the castle for a drink though. All this sightseeing we've been doing today has left me parched!"
"Yeah, same, actually." said Dreambert sheepishly as they both shared a non-spider-interrupting kiss before leaving Toad Town.
Starlow and Dreambert went to the back garden of Peach's castle. Peach Gardens wasn't related to the castle, it was just one of the Mushroom Kingdom's many parks.
Mario, Luigi, Daisy, Toad, Toadette, Toadsworth and Yoshi were also there, sitting at a big table and chatting amongst themselves while Peach came out of the castle with a tray of iced tea for all of them.
"Ahem, make that two more iced teas please, Peach!" announced Dreambert as he and Starlow joined them.
"Evening!" Mario smiled at them. "We haven't seen you two all day, what were you up to?" he enquired as the prince and Star Sprite took their places at the table.
"I've been showing him around the whole kingdom! We've had quite the adventure!" Starlow giggled as she began to drink.
"Mamma-mia, the whole kingdom?!" exclaimed Luigi, gobsmacked.
"Indeed," said Dreambert as he took a sip from his glass as well. "This place is huge! Pi'illo Island is already pretty big, but this takes the cake!" he tittered.
"Yeah, Pi'illo Island is definitely smaller than this place…" chuckled Mario.
"I honestly love the Mushroom Kingdom! Never a dull moment here… especially when I'm with this little sweetheart!" Dreambert added as he gestured to a blushing Starlow, who was a likely candidate for the world record of most blushes in a single day!
"Good to see you again, prince!" Toadsworth smiled. "I wish I had known you were coming yesterday… At any rate, I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying yourself here!"
"Shame it's only temporary though." muttered Daisy, but Starlow and Dreambert both heard her and their faces fell. Daisy realised she shouldn't have said that. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dampen the mood." she said, embarrassed.
"No, you have a good point." the prince told her. "I would LOVE to live here, but that doesn't seem likely…"
"We're all for it though. We're like a family together, and you seem perfect as another member of said family!" Mario told Dreambert as he tried to lighten things up.
The Pi'illo tried his best to smile at this. "I know, that's what Starlow told me yesterday. But unfortunately, none of you have the power to let this happen. The only person who does have the power to grant me this privilege is Eldream, and I highly doubt he would be generous enough to do so…" he sadly confessed as everyone else's faces fell too.
Mario once again tried to lighten things up by changing the subject. "Apart from your arrival yesterday, nothing else really exciting has happened these past few days. What I'm trying to say is… where has Bowser been?" he asked. "Not that I'm implying that Luigi and I aren't grateful that this is the case though, because we're both loving the relaxation right now."
"Oh? I didn't tell you two earlier? I told Bert this morning that Bowser's bedridden with a nasty cold right now!" Peach laughed as everyone else laughed too.
"That explains it!" Mario smirked.
"Thank goodness! Having to fight him and his minions really exhausts me sometimes!" laughed Luigi.
"Yeah, especially after the time he tried to ruin Peach's birthday." Yoshi thought back.
"I'll never forgive him for destroying me and Toadette's hours of work on those decorations…" Toad scowled.
"Anyway, what are you and Bert planning on doing next?" Toadette asked Starlow.
"Kylie suggested that me and him should see Rose Koopsworth at the Midnight Wanderers Jazz Club tomorrow night. I'm not familiar with her, and obviously, neither is Bert, but it sounds like a good place to spend our next date!" she replied.
"Although we don't mind if you guys want to come and see her with us!" Dreambert added, inviting everyone else. They all agreed, as it sounded like another brilliant way to spend a peaceful evening.
Toadsworth was unsure on the other hand. "Maybe. As the kingdom's mayor, I'm a very busy man. Can't guarantee my presence." he chuckled.
Eventually, they all finished their drinks and wished each other good night.
Starlow and Dreambert spent most of the next day alone together, both being lovey dovey, and flirting with each other as per usual. In the morning, Dreambert suggested that they take a stroll through Duskmire Pines, which wasn't the greatest place to hang out at, because Duskmire Pines was an abandoned, haunted forest.
"Um, Bert…? Are you sure this is a good idea?" Starlow asked him.
"Huh? Don't you like Duskmire Pines?"
"Well, I think it's a really creepy place… and ghosts probably show up here at night. To tell you the truth though, I'm not actually afraid of ghosts! I'm serious! I would never lie to you!"
"W-wait? For real? You don't fear them? What a coincidence… I don't fear them either! I guess we both have another thing in common!" Dreambert exclaimed as they both laughed.
"Yup, not afraid of ghosts in the slightest!" the Star Sprite boasted.
Dreambert suddenly got an idea and smirked at Starlow. "Hey, I know, if by some miracle that Eldream lets me live here, whaddya say we attempt to take on this place at midnight, sometime next week?"
"R-really? Well, that might be a bit risky, but I guess it doesn't hurt to give it a try!" Starlow was taken aback by the idea, but she accepted it.
"Splendid! If I'm lucky with Eldream, I look forward to doing it with you!" laughed Dreambert as they finished their stroll through the woods.
That night, they met up with Mario and the others at the Midnight Wanderers Jazz Club to see Rose Koopsworth sing the blues. They took their seats while she was getting ready to come out on stage. Toadsworth wasn't there though, he wasn't kidding when he said he was a busy man! Kylie Koopa looked behind her shoulder and spotted Starlow and Dreambert. She smiled and waved at them, while the prince waved back and the Star Sprite winked at her, obviously because she wasn't capable of waving.
"How was the date that you two had today? Was it good?" Mario asked the couple.
"Oh yeah, it was great!" Dreambert replied.
"It never hurts to go out for a bit, right?" added Starlow.
"I wish Luigi and I went on romantic walks more often! I know he gets caught up with a lot of shenanigans in the Mushroom Kingdom, but a hero like him deserves to take a break every now and then, doesn't he?" Daisy teased Luigi with the idea, causing him to blush.
"D-Daisy…! I'll think about it once I get some free time, okay?"
"I would love to spend some time on a field of flowers with Toadette!" Toad confessed to his sister, who giggled back at him.
"Yeah, I've always wanted to do that with you, bro! Anyway, I can't wait to hear the stuff that Rose has in store for us tonight!"
A couple of minutes later, Rose Koopsworth finally entered the stage to thunderous cheers and applause, along with a couple of naughty men wolf-whistling at her snazzy appearance, which was a sparkling dress. Like Kylie and Parakarry, Rose was one of the few good-natured Koopa Troopas in the Mushroom Kingdom, because of course, most of the Koopas were on Bowser's side. But at least there was some relief in knowing that there existed Koopas who weren't like this.
"Good evening, good evening! Thank you all for coming here tonight at the Midnight Wanderers." Rose said while trying to hush the excited audience. "Let me ask you this; how many of you are familiar with Pauline, the fellow singer from New Donk City? Because tonight, my first song will be a laid-back cover of her most popular, upbeat single, 'Jump Up, Super Star'. She wrote it for Mario in support of him, during one of his quests to save Princess Peach from being married by his arch-nemesis, Bowser!"
Most of the audience oohed at Mario, who was blushing hard at the attention… and then Peach kissed him on the cheek! "Oooh, princess!" he chirped as the others giggled at him.
"Enjoy the show, folks." Rose purred to the audience. The relaxing music of the Midnight Wanderers band kicked in as she began her first song.
Here we go, off the rails. / Don't you know it's time to raise our sails? / It's freedom like you never knew.
Don't need bags, or a pass. / Say the word, I'll be there in a flash. / You could say my hat is off to you.
Oh, we can zoom
all the way to the moon,
from this great, wide wacky world. / Jump with me, grab coins with me.
Oh, yeah.
It's time to jump up in the air. / Jump up, don't be scared. / Jump up and your cares will soar away. / And if the dark clouds start to swirl,
don't fear, don't shed a tear, 'cause
I'll be your 1UP girl.
So let's all jump up super high. / High up in the sky. / There's no power-up like dancing. / You know that you're my superstar. / No one else can take me this far. / I'm flipping the switch, get ready for this, oh, let's do the odyssey.
While Rose was singing, Starlow and Dreambert looked at each other and sighed romantically, both feeling totally content. "Kylie was right about Rose, she is a wonderful singer." the Star Sprite purred to Dreambert as he gave her a nice, big smile.
"Yeah, if I get to live here, me and you should definitely date at this jazz club more often, because this really is just as relaxing as Peach Gardens." he quietly said to Starlow.
"Oh, Bert, I would love that!" she shyly muttered to him as they shared their third kiss. The whole gang stayed for the entirety of Rose Koopsworth's show; it was too good not to leave midway through it.
"HELLO YELLO! How are you, my sweet prince?" Starlow happily greeted Dreambert the next morning.
"Good morning! I'm doing great! Last night's concert was absolutely beautiful!" Dreambert replied cheerfully.
"We should enjoy today's date as much as we can, since you'll be returning to Pi'illo Island soon…"
"Yeah, I know. Still, if I get the chance to live in the Mushroom Kingdom, I'm sure that'll send you over the moon. I understand that life can be unfair at times, but we must stay strong no matter what."
"Regardless of that, I'm thankful that we got to spend some time together!" said Starlow before Dreambert suddenly hugged her, taking her by surprise.
"B-Bert! You're such a sweetheart!" she smiled, tearing up with happiness.
They spent most of the day at Peach Gardens, doing the usual: flirting, making each other laugh, and of course, more kissing. They were both startled however when the unexpected screech of the Zeekeeper suddenly rang out of the orange sunset. Starlow and Dreambert simply looked at each other sadly, and they went over to Sunshine Airport. Mario and the others joined them too.
Bedsmith and Eldream were there, sitting on the Zeekeeper's back. "I hope you've enjoyed yourself here, sonny, but I'm afraid it's time for you to leave." Eldream said to him.
"How has your time here been with Starlow?" asked Bedsmith.
"We've loved every single second of it. I showed him around the entire kingdom, we spent one of our dates at Toad Town's jazz club, you name it." Starlow responded, trying to keep her spirits up. Unfortunately though, that was hard for her to do right now.
"Please, Eldream, I really want to live here with Starlow. I know that's asking too much, but I would love nothing more than being able to do so." Dreambert pleaded to him, hoping that the old Pi'illo would accept his request.
"I understand how much you want that, sonny, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that. You have to come back to Pi'illo Island with us. Now."
Starlow and Dreambert were both utterly heartbroken by this, and the Star Sprite slowly broke down in tears, while Mario and the others went up to comfort her. Dreambert lowered his head and slowly floated over to the Zeekeeper. He was trying his absolute hardest not to cry, but his emotions eventually got the better of him when Starlow tearfully yelled, "BERT, DON'T GO!"
That did it. The prince also burst into tears and he rushed back to hug her tightly. "I REALLY DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU, STARLOW! I LOVE YOU!" he sobbed.
Mario and co. watched on with sadness, with Luigi even on the verge of blubbering. Even Bedsmith was sniffling at the sight.
Eldream was starting to feel really bad inside. He sighed, got down from the Zeekeeper's back and went up to the distraught Pi'illo and Star Sprite, who both kept on sobbing uncontrollably.
"I can see how drastic this situation has become, sonny. If you really, really want to have a new home here… you can."
The couple stopped crying a bit and Dreambert turned to face him. "Y-you mean…?" he asked between sobs.
Eldream slowly smiled. "Yes… you can live in the Mushroom Kingdom."
"I-I-I'm dreaming, right?" Dreambert couldn't believe his ears and neither could Starlow.
Eldream laughed heartily at their shocked faces. "I'm serious. You can spend the rest of your life here with that Star Sprite, as long as you promise to write letters to me and Bedsmith."
Starlow and Dreambert's faces lit up! "H-he's really gonna live here? With me?!" the Star Sprite asked Eldream.
"YES I AM!" the prince yelled with delight.
They both cheered and laughed with the utmost joy that they ever felt in their lives, while Mario and the others congratulated the prince for gaining this privilege.
"Thank you, Eldream! And don't worry, I will send letters to you two!" Dreambert assured him, to which Eldream responded with a hug, while Bedsmith also got down and hugged him too.
"We'll both miss you, prince." the spectacled Pi'illo told him.
"I know," Dreambert replied. "But at least you'll still hear from me." he added with a smile, as Bedsmith and Eldream went back to board the Zeekeeper.
"I must say, it has been an honour knowing you, Prince Dreambert. I hope you enjoy your new life here. We'd better be off now, fare thee well!" said the Zeekeeper as Bedsmith and Eldream both bidded everyone farewell too. And with that, the Zeekeeper took off into the sunset.
"YE-" Starlow was about to say. "YELLO GOODBYE!" Dreambert yelled to them, cutting her off.
"Bert!" the Star Sprite playfully scolded him, as they all laughed.
"Now that I live here, you know what that means, don't you…?" he winked, teasing her about their planned midnight visit to Duskmire Pines.
"Oooh, I can't wait for that!" Starlow squealed excitedly as Dreambert chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"Come on, Bert, we're gonna need a new group photo, now that you're with us permanently!" grinned Mario.
"Splendid idea!" the prince grinned back at him. They all went to Toad Town to see Kylie Koopa, who was more than happy to take the photo.
"I'm glad I'll get to see you more now!" the Koopa blushed at Dreambert afterwards.
"I'm glad that I now get to be with Starlow, 24/7!" he purred to the Star Sprite, who giggled as they both shared their longest kiss yet.
Starlow and Dreambert had such an amazing following week together, and eventually, they did what they both agreed to do; go into Duskmire Pines at midnight!
"Are you ready, Starlow?" Dreambert asked her, to which she nodded.
"Yep! With you at my side, I know I'll be safe! Of course, I'll make sure nothing will hurt you either!"
"I knew you wouldn't back out from this! Here we go!" the prince smiled as they entered the forest.
Everything seemed fine at first as the moonlight shined through the branches of the dead, leafless trees with the occasional sound of owls ringing out of the darkness, but the couple didn't mind that in the slightest.
"This doesn't seem so bad." said Starlow.
"Y-yeah, but who knows what could happen next!" Dreambert chuckled nervously. But suddenly, the fog started to seep in and got thicker and thicker as they went deeper into Duskmire Pines' depths.
"Oh no… the fog's here… Starlow, stay close to me, okay. S-Starlow? Starlow?! Where are you?!" exclaimed Dreambert.
Starlow had unintentionally split up from Dreambert due to the low visibility, and she tried her hardest to stay calm.
She stopped for a moment. "Gotta keep my cool right now… Can't let my worries get the better of me… M-maybe if I close my eyes, things will be back to normal…"
However, as Starlow did so, a spider slowly descended right in front of her.
"Okay… I think things should be fine now…" Starlow slowly opened her eyes and then saw the horrid, eight-legged creature.
"SP-SP-SP-SPIDER! G-GET AWAY FROM ME! AAAAAAAHHH!" Starlow screamed as she quickly backed away from it and started frantically floating around aimlessly.
"S-Starlow?! Hold on, I'm coming!" Dreambert shouted.
As he quickly made his way through the woods in hopes of finding her, without any warning, Starlow and Dreambert ended up bumping into each other.
"Starlow, are you okay? You look quite frightened..." Dreambert asked her while he rubbed his head.
"Y-yeah… I'm fine… I just... saw a spider…" Starlow replied panting, still trying to recover from the scare she just had.
Dreambert sighed with relief. "Oh, thank goodness! I thought you were in terrible danger!"
"You're not gonna make fun of me for this, are you?" asked Starlow, worried.
"N-no! Not at all! I wouldn't dream of it!" the prince exclaimed.
"Thanks, Bert. By the way, it looks like this place isn't actually haunted after all!" Starlow smiled as they both laughed.
However, while they were laughing, a whole bunch of Boos and Peepas suddenly appeared, revealing that the woods really were haunted!
"Yikes! Where did they come from?!" Starlow exclaimed, realising that they were proven wrong as the ghosts slowly floated toward them.
"I guess there's only one thing to do… ESCAPE!" Dreambert yelled. He knew that fighting them would be pointless, so they both decided to float away as fast as they could.
As soon as they got out of the forest, they composed themselves and simultaneously asked each other, "I thought you said you weren't afraid of ghosts?!", to which they stared at each other and then burst out laughing.
"Well, we're not, but that really caught me off-guard back there!" Starlow laughed.
"Me too," chortled Dreambert "I wasn't expecting that at all!"
"I would love to do something similar like this again, Bert! It was so spooky and exciting!"
"One day, we will." Dreambert assured her.
"Terrific, can't wait!" Starlow replied excitedly.
Later on in Peach's living room, Starlow was already sitting on the couch, ready for bed, but Dreambert wasn't yet, he was instead sitting at the table. All the lights were off, except for the table's lamp.
"Come on, Bert, what's the hold up?" Starlow giggled.
"I'll be with you in a few minutes," he smiled. "I'm just writing a letter first."
Dear Bedsmith & Eldream,
I know both of you wanted me to return to Pi'illo Island, but I will do my best to send as many letters as I can. The Mushroom Kingdom is quite the splendid place to explore and I honestly can't help but express my joy on being able to live here! Nevertheless, I'll keep the residents of Pi'illo Island in my thoughts and I'll see if I can check in every now and then!
Yours sincerely,
Prince Dreambert
After he gave the letter to Parakarry, he went over to the couch and transformed into his pillow form for the Star Sprite.
"Will the people of Pi'illo Island be alright without your presence?" Starlow asked Dreambert as she laid her weary head on him.
"Don't worry, they'll be fine. Besides, every now and then, I've agreed to fly over and quickly check on how things are doing there, if that's fine with you, of course."
"Sure, I don't mind at all!"
"Thank you, Starlow," Dreambert smiled as they kissed. "I love you! Goodnight."
"Love you too! Goodnight, my sweet prince!" she giggled quietly as they both fell asleep.
Prince Dreambert's new life in the Mushroom Kingdom had only just begun, but he was so happy to be living with his girlfriend full-time, and he and Starlow agreed to always be there for each other, no matter what happened.
The End