Disclaimer: Mario's Nintendo's property, not mine.

Chapter 13: Battle of Yoshi Island: Part 2

There was silence. Nothing but bone-chilling silence as Peach glanced in horror at what happened to Yoshi. She could barely tell if he was alive or not. No! He couldn't be! He vowed to save his island, so he couldn't die! "No!" She tried to run at him, but Morton's minions pinned her to the ground. "Let me go! Yoshi! Please get up!"

"He dead!" The Koopaling turned to her. "He knew he couldn't face wrath of Morton, strongest of Koopalings! He knew that and he dead! Now, you next!"

"No! Please, Yoshi! Get up! You swore you would save your people! You promised! Please! Get up!"

"Your cries useless." He held up her crying chin. "It OK. All for good of kingdom. Junior make this island his own. You and friends powerless. You and friends die." Peach tried to activate her power once more. A dim light flickered from her hands in-and-out, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it to work. Why?! Why wouldn't it work?! All she could do is pray for a miracle. But praying wouldn't be enough. Her fate was sealed. She was finished. Yoshi was dead, and it was all her fault. Now all she could do was watch Morton take her life. "No more waiting around. Time for you to-" He was sent flying with a kick as he flew back. Peach glanced up. There, to her surprise, stood a tall and proud Yoshi as he smiled.

She cried tears of joy. "Yoshi!" The dinosaur was bloodied and scarred with red stained along his green body. His left arm seemed to have gotten the majority of the blow as it was limp, meaning it was broken, but even with how injured he was, he had a determined smile on his face. "You're alive!"

"Yup," he said. "My arm hurts like hell, but I'm still fighting. I managed to dodge out of the way of the hammer strike, but he struck my arm, as you can tell. Thank goodness he missed my main body."

"And I still alive!" Morton growled to himself. "Morton should've made sure you stayed dead, but he corrects his mistake now!" He charged at Yoshi with a war cry, but Yoshi easily dodged the Koopaling's swings. Even though he bragged a lot about his strength, he sure was slow. Then again, Yoshi was fast not only with his speed, but with his reflexes as well. It was just the pain that caused him to be too slow to dodge the attack, but now that the pain dulled a bit, it made fighting back even easier. He wrapped his tongue around Morton's arm mid-swing and used his entire might to throw him off the ship. He proceeded to charge at the minions and delivered a series of fast blows and kicks despite his arm wobbling his balance, but he had amazing agility. The way he weaved around enemy attacks and delivered his blows in quick succession amazed the princess. He did all that, even without the use of his left arm. It reminded her of the olden days with Mario and how fierce he was. It showed her true potential. Within minutes, all of the minions were dealt with. "Done!" He pulled her up.

"That was amazing! You did all that even with a broken arm!"

"We can be amazed at that later. We have to finish this mission!" They ran to the wheel, which they finally had access to due to the absence of the minions. "Ladies first."

She shook her head. "No." She grabbed his broken arm. He winced, but he got her point. "We do this together."

"Together!" They spun the wheel as the ship turned towards the others, beginning the domino effect as they knocked into each other. "Quick!" Yoshi said. "Hop on my back!" She hopped on his back as he ran and jumped off as the explosions commenced. Peach glanced behind as many minions tried to jump off and were either successful or failed and died in the explosions, but either way, that was enough to cease the fighting as the two landed on the ground with a quick Flutter Jump.

Junior glanced around. He growled at Peach. "This was your doing?!"

"What do you think?" she retorted. "You were the one who decided to pick a fight with us, and yet you lost."

"No! I'm not done! You will pay! Guards, after the-"

Kamek grabbed him. "No, Your Ungratefulness!"

"Kamek! Unhand me!"

"No," he said. He didn't care about the death threat he received earlier. It was clear they weren't gonna win, but Junior was still pushed by his emotion of revenge that he couldn't see beyond his goal. "We have to leave."

"No! You don't give orders! Get off!"

"Oh, come on!" Ludwig decided to join in. "How dumb can you be? How about you count how many ships we have left instead of feigning ignorance to the situation?!"

"Speak English!"

Ludwig rolled his eyes. "I'm done listening to your orders. Come on. We're out of here." The rest of the Koopalings, including Morton who survived his fall earlier by landing on some minions, retreated to their ships.

"No! Get back here at once!"

"I suggest you listen to him," Peach said. "You're now outnumbered. You really want your whole army to die? You can carry on as much as you want, but you'll only face more losses. There's no harm in surrender."

Junior snorted. "Surrender? You think I'm that stupid?! No! I'll never surrender! Fine! I'm gonna attack your dumb capital city in two months! Consider that your only warning! And let go, Kamek! I can walk on my own!" He yanked his shoulder out of the Magikoopa's grasp and scoffed as he walked away.

Kamek sighed. "I'm sorry." He glanced at Peach. "I'm sorry for the way he treats you. He's so blinded by his own vengeance he can't see past that. Because of that, he won't listen to what you say."

He sighed. "His Youngness was always stubborn, just like his father. But he's the heir to the throne."

"But that doesn't mean you deserved to be side-lined like that." She pointed at his chest. "Listen to your heart. Sometimes you must go against what you truly believe."

"Are you suggesting I-"

"Kamek! Ship, now!"

"I'm sorry. His Highness calls." He walked away. Listen to his heart? Why would she say that? Did she dare suggest he overthrow His Majesty or something like that? That was treason! He could be killed! But still. She was right. He was being treated like filth on the side of the road. But what should he do? He didn't know how to correct the situation.

"Good," Junior said with a snarl, "You're freaking here. What was that about?"

"Nothing, Your Resentfulness."

"Don't lie to me! You spent a good couple of minutes talking with her, who mind you is our enemy! Tell me what you talked about!"

"She was sorry about the situation."

"What? 'Sorry'? Was she 'sorry' about how Mario killed my Papa?! I'll never accept her forgiveness! She will pay! That's why in one month's time, I'm gonna attack her head city, and what better way is there to catch her off guard than to lie to her face. Man, I can't wait to see them suffer!"

"But why tell her?"

"Because I wanna make her feel the full wrath of my army. Turns out you weren't completely wrong about the first plan. So, I'll just rebuild my army while she builds hers. In the end, crushing her entire army will be the ultimate revenge if everyone around her dies, then it will be her turn when she begs for forgiveness. Only then after Mario's death as well will I truly be satisfied." He walked below decks. Kamek sighed with relief. He bought his lie. But still. To lie to His Angriness was uncharacteristic of him. He would usually tell the truth, but he couldn't let self-guilt consume him. He had to do something. He wouldn't stand another moment to be treated like cannon fodder, but until he came up with something, he had to keep his resentment a secret in the meantime.

A portal opened as the group emerged back into Toad Town, though Peach's mind was still whirling with what happened. First, there was that weird sensation with the magic. Where did it come from? Why appear now of all times? Why didn't it work again to save Yoshi? She glanced at his broken arm, which was gingerly rested on Donkey Kong's shoulder as he sat on the ape's back. He sacrificed himself to save her. He could've died, but Rosalina was right. She knew all along that he wouldn't die. She probably knew everything that was gonna happen. The only thing she told them was that they were gonna win that battle, but not the specifics. Was that the reason why she thrusted her into the heat of battle, because she knew Yoshi would be in trouble and she would try to save him and thus awaken her power? "Well," Rosalina said, "We made it out alive. Another victory well done, everyone. Now, I believe we can actually have some rest."

"You knew." She glanced at Peach. "You knew all along what would happen."

She nodded. "Yes, I did."

"But why didn't you tell us?! If we learned Yoshi could've died in that battle, we could've done something to prevent that, and yet you didn't do anything about it! You just decided to thrust me in the heat of battle and hope we didn't die! Was that what you truly thought?!"

"Peach, if you would just let me-"

"No! You don't have to explain anything! You knew that Yoshi could've died, and yet you decided to do nothing about it!"

"What's with all this commotion?" Toadsworth walked to them. "First thing I hear from my nap is yelling. What in the Stars' name is going on here?!"

"Rosalina knew that Yoshi could've died! I could've died! And what did she do? Keep all that to herself and expect us to make it through!"

"Oh, come now," the Toad said. "Do you really think she wanted him to die? I know it may seem she had ill intent to keep that to herself, but still. Do you really believe she would let such a thing happen on purpose?"

"The fact of the matter is that she still did it, anyway!"

"So, you really think I'm an enemy?"

Peach was taken aback by Rosalina's statement. "What?"

"I get why you're accusing me of those things. You're still traumatized of what happened. Time and time again, you spoke against people leaping in the heat of battle because you feared for their lives. You care too much for your friends, but I would never want to invoke anybody's death. Let me assure you I didn't tell you because I didn't want to. I stated my true reason why I thrusted you into that battle. You truly were undermining your own abilities. Bowser's power caused you to submit to his will, even though you rejected him lots of times. I simply evoked some change in you. Now, the strange power was entirely on you, but you need to have more faith in yourself."

Peach was quiet. She didn't know what to say. She gave her reason back then, and yet she couldn't see past that because she cared too much for her friends. It was so weird with how the whole thing came off, but she was wrong. She wasn't the enemy, and as such, she shouldn't be treated like one. "I'm sorry."

"It's OK." The space princess hugged her. "I'm sorry that things came across as different, but my intentions were still the same. You can be strong. All it requires is a little more faith." They hugged it out as the pink princess cried some tears, but they were tears of joy. "Remember, I may conceal some things from you, but it is not of ill intent. There are some things that will be revealed later on in its own due time. Sometimes it's not my place to reveal such things to you all, so just keep that in mind. For now, we must rest then prepare for the next battle."

"That reminds me." Peach glanced at Toadsworth. "Junior said he was gonna attack Toad Town in two months."

He gasped. "Really? Then everyone's lives are in danger! We need to make plans to-"

"I'm gonna make a draft."

"What? A draft? You mean draft the Toads?"

"She's right," Rosalina said. "This coming battle will be the greatest of the war. We need to have numbers on our side."

He nodded. "Very well, though I can't say the reception will be a warm one, but I shall start making that draft right away."

"Wait," Peach said. "One more thing. You remember the strange power Rosalina mentioned?"

"Not really. What does that entail?"

"Well, during the battle, I ran to save Yoshi when there was this bright light. A pink heart was formed around him, keeping him from harm. I don't understand where it came from. And why now? I don't understand."

Toadsworth was silent. It sounded a bit strange to him for Peach to have some magic out of the blue, and he couldn't remember a time to when she did have this magic. But why now was the question of the hour, especially since there was no single explanation for it. But one thing did cross his mind. Could it possibly be a gift from the Star Spirits? There was a prophecy that he had read in a book a while ago about how the Star Spirits granted their powers to seven children, but knowing who she was, he didn't think it was true because the prophecy stated Peach's name. But was this magic the power of the Star Spirits? It was the only possible explanation. "Perhaps I might have an answer. Tell me. Have any of you heard of the Prophecy of the Star Children?"

"'Star Children'?"

"I have!" Yoshi said. "My family said years ago that Bowser first tried to conquer the universe by kidnapping all the babies of the Mushroom Kingdom. It might be connected to that prophecy!"

"That's correct, Master Yoshi. Many years ago, it was prophesied that the Star Spirits foresaw dangers that even they wouldn't have the power to confront, so in response, they gave a portion of their powers to seven unique babies with abilities which would be used to triumph over all evil. Now, the identity of these babies wouldn't be revealed until later on by the Star Spirits themselves, but you could probably have a guess as to who they are. Master Mario and Luigi are two. Yoshi is another." That statement didn't surprise the dinosaur. "Master Donkey Kong is one as well." The ape cocked his head. "These next two are a bit of a surprise. First, there's Wario." Everyone exchanged glances.

"Wario?" Peach said. "Why would the Stars bless him with powers? Wouldn't they know what he would become?"

"Perhaps. But this next one is also a conundrum. Bowser himself is also a Star Child." There was silence. "Yes, both of them are Star Children. But we don't know why the Stars would bless them. My best guess is that they didn't know of their actions until later. But if you've been following along, you would probably guess where I'm going with this."

"That would make the last Star Child me."

"That's correct, Peach. Each of you possessed what the prophecy put as 'extraordinary amounts of power'. Now power can be an ambiguous term. It can refer to physical strength or some special ability, but with you-"

"It's my magic." She glanced at her hands. All this time, the Star Spirits blessed her with this unique ability, and yet it only appeared until now. "But why now?"

"I might have an answer," Rosalina said. "Sometimes, magic can remain dormant until the necessary time calls for it, like now. I also have a feeling because of your actions in trying to save Yoshi, it responded to that call."

"But I tried it again and it didn't work. I don't understand!"

"Don't worry. We have two months to get this power figured out. In the meantime, we rest. It's been a long and hard day and we need to recover, but I believe we'll get it figured out in time. We just need to have faith."

Peach sighed. She could hardly remember a time when she used her power. Perhaps it was her self-doubt that caused the power to stay hidden, but she needed to have faith in the Star Spirits. If they gave her a part of their power, then she would need their help in mastering this power if it was gonna be a thing that would save their kingdom.

Thanks for reading. Next time, we take a look at what has happened to Mario during the war and the implications of it as Luigi undergoes a desperate search for him in Chapter 14: Mario's Isolation.