A/N: Longest chapter ever! Ripe and full of fluff, if not the kind you've come to expect. I'm in bed sick with a fever today, so no school for me. Maybe I'll have a chance to get some writing done! Hope you enjoy the chapter and thanks again for your continued support!

Bowser hummed to himself, tenderly flipping the pages of his magical photo album. He especially liked today's pictures. There were pictures of him meeting Junior's teacher when he picked the Koopaling up from the academy, pictures from the picnic and him holding the ridiculous kitten mug. There was a close-up of Peach laughing, a bit of meringue stuck on her cheek. All of the pictures were the highest quality; they almost looked like they could move if they wanted to. Of course, one of Bowser's favorite photos was one where Peach was nestled into his arms, head resting on his chest. It was a shame she was crying like that, but she still looked beautiful to him, just frustrated and pained.

Bowser sighed, half out of renewed loneliness, half out of contentedness. A year ago, he would have never dreamed he would have such a treasure, a book given to him by his true love, full of memories shared by the ones closest to him. In fact, if somebody would have told him a year ago that he would get to have a picnic in the Mushroom Royal Gardens with Peach and his youngest, he would have laughed in that person's face, and then he would have had him or her thrown into the dungeons for telling such a ridiculous lie. For once, things seemed to be working out well for him.

"Hey Twink," Geno called to his favorite young friend in Star Road. "I've got a wish here and I'm not sure if I should grant it. It seems to be a matter of opinion."

Twink looked up from his wish making balance sheets. Geno never called him over to evaluate a wish unless it was some kind of trick or something outrageously crazy. He was expecting a pupil at four and still had not managed to balance all his books properly. Still, Geno's antics were usually worth the time, so he floated over.

"Oh no, is it another one from that pink afro haired Dupree guy, wishing for another mademoiselle?"

"No, I'm afraid it's not quite as entertaining as all of that. Here we are, one wish from Princess Daisy of Sarasa Land. She would like to know…what's going on between Princess Peach Toadstool and King Bowser Koopa."

Twink flushed with annoyance, "Hey, I thought we were done talking about this. You've been gloating for weeks."

"Well, should I grant it or not?"

"No. It's none of her business, plus, I don't really want to add legitimacy to this whole deal. Besides, I know Princess Peach so I shouldn't be involved, it's a conflict of interest!"

"Suit yourself, small one," Geno chuckled to himself. When had this little Star Kid grown up to be such a mature stickler for rules? He was certain that one day Twink would fulfill his own wish of becoming an honorable Star Spirit, but before he did, he would have to open his mind learn that certain bends to the rules were quite acceptable. Geno smiled and sent Daisy's wish down on low priority, despite what Twink had said. After all, it was not very nice to leave people in the dark.

A knock to Bowser's thick, black double doors startled the Koopa King. Kamek's voice floated though the room, "Sire, I have urgent news."

Bowser straightened and swiftly opened the doors. It was not like Kamek to be so serious and so direct. Kamek knew better than to report anything as "urgent news" unless it was truly dire. Bowser swallowed grimly, waiting for impact. "What is it?"

"We recently received a report from retired lieutenant Koot."

"Lieutenant who?"

"Retired lieutenant Koopa Koot; you may remember, it was my idea to hire him some years ago when you procured the Star Rod. We hired him to stall Mario by asking for complex favors and offering arcade club cards and other trivial tokens as rewards."

"Oh, that guy."

"Yes My Lord. He was attending a function at the Mushroom castle this afternoon while you were out. Coincidentally, the mother of the Mario Brothers was attending the same event and he overheard some dire news."

"Well out with it already, you're makin' me nervous, you old windbag!" Bowser's heart was hammering in his chest. The last time Kamek had spoken to him like this, it was to inform him of the assassination of his parents.

"It seems, Your Grace, that Mario intends to ask for the princess' hand in marriage; sooner than later, from the sounds of it."

Bowser's heart felt like it dropped into his knees. "What!?" He yelled so loudly the echo shook the frames on the wall. Bowser stomped his feet in anger. "Every time anything in my life goes right, that bumbling jackass has to just crash everything! When does it end?"

"I'm sorry, Sire."

"No, not this time. That's not good enough. We need to keep Mario away from Peach for as long as possible."

"My Lord, even if we stall him, it won't stop him from—"

"I don't care what we have to do! Look at this picture Kamek!" He roughly shoved the photo album in the aged Magikoopa's hands; the picture of Peach resting in Bowser's arms stared back at him. "Look how far I've come, Kamek. You can't let him take this away from me. I don't care if we have to make a committee with the sole purpose of inventing new ways to keep Mario away from Peach for the rest of his natural life; I won't let him get close to her."

"I understand."

"Good. So what do we do first?" Bowser ambled over to his desk and sat down with a huge sigh. It had promised to be such a good evening.

"I should think the best way to keep Mario away from Princess Peach would be to abduct her from the castle and hold her here."

Bowser growled, "It would be a good idea, but I'm not supposed to do that anymore. She…trusts me not to."

"Well, if we cannot remove Peach, then we must remove Mario."

"Whatever we do, we can't make Peach upset."

"Hm, perhaps if we sent him on an adventure of some kind?"

"All of his adventures revolve around rescuing Peach! It's like his whole stinkin' life revolves around Peach. If I cause havoc somewhere, she'll know and won't be happy, and if Peach is in trouble, then Mario will be her hero; it's like I can't win!" Bowser ruffled though the papers on his desk. He held up a paper for a Ninji assassination service and shook his head. It was not as if he could have the plumber assassinated, nor could he think of a way to galvanize the plumber to action in a way that did not involve the princess.

"What do we know about Mario…?" mused Kamek, lost in thought.

Bowser's hand fell on a magazine article clipped out from Koopa Couture Magazine. It was Wendy's interview with some actress named Pauline something-or-other. His face lit up as he skimmed the article. This dumb actress had admitted to a previous relationship with the famous Super Mario. "Kamek! What do we know about this Pauline chick?" he demanded, thrusting the article at him.

"Oh, well, let's see. Oh yes, I remember this. A long time ago, before Mario was much of a concern to us, there was a big uproar about an ape, Donkey Kong, and this young woman on top of some construction sites. According to this article, it seems that Mario has always had a knack for saving young women and that the two had something of a relationship?"

"Yeah, that dumb plumb has never been able to say no to someone in need. I remember old DK, how is he doing these days."

"Unfortunately, he was fairly old at the time of this whole adventure, and I fear he hasn't aged very well. Apparently his son, Donkey Kong Jr., that ape you are actually familiar with, has something of an affinity for horrible rap music which has…"

"Look, I don't care. Are the Kongs still working for us or not?"

"No, I'm afraid they are not; however, they will work for rather small bribes."

"How much? Give me the number and I'm there."

"Whatever the going rate is on a ton of bananas ought to do it."

"Bananas? Are you serious? I'm gonna feel like a real jerk going up to an ape with a bunch of bananas and assuming he's gonna do something for me. Whatever, I guess stereotypes are there for a reason. Kamek, get the Kongs on the line and make them an offer they can't refuse."

Bowser smiled evilly. That would keep the meddling plumber out of his affairs for a while, and with any luck, maybe he could reignite some old flames.

Toadsworth clucked at the princess as she hobbled back and forth on her crutches. Ever since the news concerning Mario's impending proposal, he felt he had to be more protective of Peach than ever. "Poppet, please, you simply must get your rest. Remember R.I.C.E. —Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation!" How terrible it would be if she somehow became permanently damaged; Toadsworth had no doubt Mario would still propose to the poor girl, he was honorable and not shallow in that way. However, he was sure Peach would be heartbroken if she was unable to walk down the aisle on her own wedding day.

"Toadsworth, please don't worry so much, I'll be fine. The doctor said I should be back on my feet again in two weeks at most."

"Yeah Toady, don't worry so much. She's got me to keep her company!" Daisy turned to Peach, "I ordered the latest Zip Toad flick, you're gonna love it!"

Toadette peeked in the doorway, "Did someone just say Zip Toad? Oh wow, my cousin is the hugest fan; I guess she met a Zip Toad imposter on the train where she works and--"

Toadsworth gave the chatty little Toad a sharp glance. "Oh, right, sorry. It's been half an hour, so it's time to take that compression bandage off your ankle, Princess."

Toadette bent down and carefully removed the wrap revealing a blackened splotchy ankle.

"Ew, oh Peachy, that looks nasty!" Daisy exclaimed.

Peach smiled and shrugged, "It's alright, luckily for me it doesn't hurt at all. I could walk around on it right now, I wouldn't feel a thing!"

"Don't you dare," cautioned Toadsworth.

Peach flopped back on her bed, "I wouldn't dream of it."

Daisy shook the bottle of her favorite color of nail polish. "Well, let's give your feet something to pretty them up a little." The Sarasa princess smirked as Toadsworth quickly retreated from the room. She had learned early on that the smell of nail varnish was unduly irritating to the elder Toad's nose, and was her perfect weapon when she wished to talk to Peach alone.

Toadette pretended to be busy in the background, secretly eavesdropping on the princesses. She was shocked to hear about the picnic with Bowser, but even more shocked to hear the mirth in Peach's voice as she described everything from the fun time she had chasing Junior to the food she ate.

Although Toadette was a very young and inexperienced Toad, she had a keen intuition, an unusually high emotional IQ, and a romantic sentimentality. She knew a budding love story when she heard it. In her absent-minded fiddling, she accidentally knocked over a small bottle of iodine, which summarily broke and stained Peach's pink rug with a deep yellow. "Oh my Stars, I'm so sorry, I'll get someone in here to clean it up right away." Toadette ran out of the room, her heart hammering but happy. It's so sweet, Bowser's in love with Her Highness, and she is beginning to think highly of him. Maybe if she were to fall in love with him, Bowser wouldn't come attack our kingdom anymore.

Toadette found a cleaning servant and, lost in thought, absently alerted him to the mess she had accidentally made in Peach's room. She had always dreamed that true love might be the way to universal world peace. I'll bet the princess could get him to stop attacking other kingdoms as well. Peach would be the ultimate emissary for peace, the Mushroom Kingdom would be so proud. Then, maybe Mario… Toadette blushed. She knew her little crush on the greatest hero of all time was probably as inconsequential as the dirt on his boots, but a girl could hope. Either way, if Peach fell in love with Bowser, perhaps everyone could have the one he or she desired, just like in a fairy tale.

Toadette was determined. She wanted to help…but how?

Donkey Kong raced through the jungle with his nephew, Diddy Kong, fast behind as backup. Candy Kong had not been pleased when she heard that a Darklandian emissary had hired him to kidnap Pauline again. The buxom ape had heard of his previous misadventures and, while she had forgiven him for past transgressions, she was less than thrilled about having that assortment of problems reopened. Donkey Kong was happy in his relationship with Candy Kong; after all, she was clearly the most attractive ape in the jungle. However, he had to admit there was something to be said for the hairless variety of female apes; he found their bare, silky skins to be most alluring.

The Kongs, in general, we not entirely trusting of the Koopas, but the proposition that the aged Magikoopa had pitched was simply too good to turn down. It was a bit shameful to the Kongs that their services could be bought and sold for a few bananas, but ever since some Yoshi tribes had migrated from Yo'ster Isle to the other side of their island, fruit had been in much shorter supply. It seemed that the gluttonous Yoshis ate everything in their path, especially if it contained any trace of fructose. Particularly insidious to the Kongs were the yellow Yoshis, whose love for bananas were unparalleled by any but the Kongs themselves. This opened the island up to a fierce rivalry and constant territorial issues.

At last, the two Kongs arrived at Funky Kong's place, ready to board a barrel plane to the Mushroom Kingdom.

Two days later, Bowser was upstairs in his chambers, pacing the floor like a maniac. He had heard nothing from the Kongs, and his spies had not reported any Mario Brothers activity. His imagination was in full effect and he felt an incredible urgency to see Peach again. This could be my last chance; I could lose everything. He tortured his brain for ways he could get the princess out of the castle. He could not kidnap her, especially without Mario busy on another errand. Then, Mario might ignore the Kong plan altogether to chase after Peach. Finally, Bowser ventured downstairs to eat another dinner alone.

He ordered a large goblet filled to the brim with some atrocious tasting, highly intoxicating beverage, as well as two of the finest steaks available. He could not take it anymore; he was going to force the negative thoughts out of his head with outlandish indulgence until he received further word on his plans. He ate and drank in relative silence, torches burning around him in a dull glow. He heard some ruckus from further downstairs, and took another gulp of his fiery drink. Suddenly, Kammy came into the room, a strange smile upon her face. "Excuse my interruption; you have…an unusual visitor. Do you want to see her?"

Her? Bowser shrugged in his tipsy state. "Yeah, sure. Bring her in."

Shortly, a very small figure appeared in a black cloak that was much too big for her. She was shaking uncontrollably as her high voice rang out, "King Koopa? I…have come from the-the Mushroom Kingdom. I wish…to help you…"

Bowser roared, merely because he enjoyed frightening weak-minded Toads from the Mushroom Kingdom. "What are you, some kind of disgruntled maid who wants to turn traitor? Get back to your post, you wouldn't last a day in the Koopa Troop."

"N-No. I love my job; I would never betray my kingdom." The figure took a deep breath to stop herself from fainting. The whole idea was so much sillier and less heroic now that she was actually face-to-face with the Koopa King. "I come in the interests of Her Majesty Princess Peach. I think—I think she would like to see you, though she has not officially made such a request."

Bowser's ears perked up; she wanted to see him? "If she didn't say so, then how would you know, you little runt?"

Toadette shook violently and she uttered her next line; she was not sure if what she was doing was right anymore. "Because, sir, the way she speaks about you…"

That was everything that Bowser needed to hear. Peach was speaking about him, in a good way! He leaped to his feet. "Alright, you have my attention; what are your demands?"

The small Toad shook her head; she had no demands, only hope. "I don't want anything from you, I only want Her Highness to be happy and for our lands to be at peace."

Bowser narrowed his eyes, "Don't lie to me; there must be something in this for you; there's always a selfish motivation."

"N-no…I mean, I guess it's just…"

Kammy smiled malevolently, "Can't you see? She's trying to get Peach out of the picture so she can have the hero for herself?"

Toadette gasped. How did that Magikoopa know about that?

Kammy laughed, "Please little Toadette, if your thoughts were any louder, they'd make my hearing aids ring. Lord Bowser, the girl's intentions are pure enough, even if she is a naïve little fool. I say we can use her."

Bowser looked at the shivering mass of black fabric. What was it that all these girls saw in that annoying plumber? In his estimation, the red-capped hero was the very essence of ugly. He growled, "How old are you anyhow? Isn't that fat, hairy man just a little old for you? You look like you're young enough to be one of my kids."

Toadette blushed furiously; she had not come for a discussion of her love life. She was especially embarrassed because Bowser was completely correct; despite being quite mature for her age, she was certainly no older than Wendy was; thus, Mario was many years her senior.

Together, the king, the Toad, and the Magikoopa hatched a plan to reunite the two royals.

Pauline screamed and beat her firsts against her captor's back in a futile struggle to get free. He dropped her roughly to the floor of a jungle on some remote shore. He beat his hairy chest with pride and the smaller monkey behind him carefully examined her little red shoe, which had fallen from her foot during their terrifying trip though the treetops.

Pauline had been quite unnerved to be once again swinging precariously from a tree vine while being held by a two-ton ape. She sighed, stress and fear bringing her body to fatigue. Every time she reunited with Mario, she found herself in trouble, usually due to this same ape; his strange tie was dragging in the dirt as the two primates foraged for food. She felt her stomach gurgle; she was quite hungry, but was not sure she could bring herself to eat at a time like this. She opened her purse slowly; as a busy actress, she always made sure to pack a small snack and a bottle of water in case a rehearsal ran late or she could not access food which met her dietary restrictions. She seized a granola bar from inside the purse and was instantly met with an excited chatter from Diddy. It seemed the small monkey had found some bananas and was willing to offer her one in exchange for a portion of the granola bar. She broke off a piece and traded with Diddy, who chattered happily in response. The larger ape returned and sat down and the three bipedal primate species dined together in relative silence.

Although Pauline felt a little like Jane, Donkey Kong was no handsome Tarzan and the lady in red hoped that her masculine mustached hero would come for her quickly.

Some days later, Peach awoke early on a bright summer morning from some pleasant dream that she could not remember. She stretched, yawned, and looked happily at Buzzy. From the looks of it, a maid had recently treated him to a lovely steam cleaning. "Well don't you look perky today?" she asked the little plush, who stared back at her with its little plastic eyes polished to near perfection.

Peach hummed to herself happily, as she changed into her morning workout clothes. Normally, Peach liked to jog laps around the castle gardens. That way, she could say hello to all the gardeners, feel the cool morning air on her face, and fully appreciate all of the seasonal flowers. However, because of her ankle, Toadsworth had insisted she wear a brace and use the castle's facilities instead. Thankfully, during the last castle remodel, the council had approved a full gymnasium for use by the royal family and all castle personnel. Peach was merely thankful that Toadsworth had not tried to stop her exercise routine altogethe

Peach came down the stairs without much difficulty and entered the brightly lit gym. There were many machines, featuring both anaerobic and cardiovascular types of workouts. Though her ankle was almost fully healed, Peach respected Toadsworth's wishes and fastened her ankle brace.

She decided to hop on an elliptical machine, which was right in front of one of the many windows, which formed a transparent wall to the outside of the castle. From here, she had an excellent view of one of her many garden paths and some of the beautiful flowers. She smiled as she saw little sparrows hop around on the grass looking for worms and seed.

As she began to work up a sweat, she thought about her day. Since Mario was off on an adventure, helping an old friend of his, and politics had been relatively peaceful and stagnant, Peach had been a bit bored. Toadette had kindly offered to take her to a carnival she had heard about, and Peach was going to take her up on the offer. She knew it was somehow wrong to think about cotton candy while she was working out, but that did not stop her from dreaming about the sweet pink treat.

Mario wiped a drip of sweat from his own brow. Where had that ridiculous ape taken his sweetheart? He gave a pathetic glance to Kolorado, who appeared to be "navigating" at random, trying to avoid the nests of Jungle Fuzzies and other undesirables. The duo was completely lost, it was hot, and they were running out of water. Worse still, Mario knew that DK could have taken Pauline to any number of deserted jungle islands. He had no magical map to point him towards his love, only raw instinct and a quivering mustache. Following the former asset, he grabbed Kolorado by the shell and took a few brief turns through the steamy jungle to find something of a lagoon oasis where they could fill their canteens.

Mario shook his head as the Koopa Troopa blathered on about treasure and ancient civilizations and their customs. To Mario, there was only one treasure in these jungles, and he would not rest until he found her.

Peach sat next to Toadette at the station. The little Toad was tapping the tickets against her leg nervously; aware that there could be severe consequences for what she was doing. She could lose her job, or worse, face charges of treason!

Meanwhile, the somewhat oblivious princess seemed perfectly content. She loved traveling and taking the train was one of her favorite ways to do so. At last, the train was ready to board the passengers. When the two girls took their seats, Peach unwrapped two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and offered one to Toadette, who graciously accepted.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We will arrive at Station D in approximately two hours. Thank you for riding with Mushroom Kingdom Rail Transit."

Peach smiled brightly, watched out the window, and occasionally made small talk with Toadette.

Toadette knocked her feet together nervously. Toad, her brother, had worked so hard to get her a job at the castle after their parents went missing on Lava Lava Island. Princess Peach was so nice to give both Toads positions at the castle so they could live and work there. She would never want to betray the royal family in any way. However, she had a powerful conviction that this action was right; it was a conviction she could not ignore. In truth, Toadette's youthful naivety and pure hearted faith made her the perfect vessel to carry out the will of the Stars. At least, if I'm convicted of treason, King Bowser promised me full amnesty in his kingdom. She squirmed in her chair; she knew Bowser was right; she could never make it in the Koopa Troop.

Finally, the train pulled into Station D, where Peach could see the crowds gathering to enter and exit the carnival. She shook the sleeping Toad girl next to her. "We're here, Toadette! Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yes, thank you Princess Peach."

"Hm, where are we?" Peach inquired as they stepped off the train. Aside from the bright lights and cheery noises coming from the carnival attractions, the surrounding area appeared somewhat dark and wholly unfamiliar to Peach.

Toadette did not respond. Instead, she rushed over to get a wheelchair for Peach, as per Toadsworth's orders.

Peach groaned at the sight, "Toadette, I really don't think that will be necessary."

Toadette smiled sympathetically, "I'm sorry, Your Highness. I promised Toadsworth; it was the only way to get you out of the palace today."

Peach sighed heavily. Even when Toadsworth was not around, he was still somehow able to micromanage her life. She sat in the wheelchair and waited for the little Toad to push her about.

Toadette halted. "Um, Princess? There may be a problem."

"What is it?" Peach turned around in her chair and saw the little Toad's cap barely made it over the top of the chair. There was no way the tiny Toad would be able to both push the chair and see where she was going.

"Looks like you ladies could use the help of a tall, studly Koopa!"

Peach spun around to face Bowser. "You look so surprised! Didn't that little Mushroomie tell you I was going to be here?"

Toadette turned red and folded her arms tightly across her chest, looking down at her feet.

"Toadette…" Peach could not understand why Toadette would bring her to the Koopa King.

Suddenly, a Koopaling broke the tension between the princess and her retainer. "Mama Peach! I didn't know you were gonna be here!" Junior shouted.

"Junior? What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in school."

"Nope! Today is carnival day because everybody is graduating! Then, it's summer; that means I get to live with King Dad in the castle again!"

Peach smiled at Junior's enthusiasm. She was still less than pleased with Toadette, and had many questions to ask of her; however, members of the Koopa royal family repeatedly interrupted her interrogation.

"Mama Peach," shouted Larry, running out of an inflatable obstacle course. "What happened to your leg? Can I see it?"

She reluctantly pulled down her sock and tried to explain.

"Ew, that looks gnarly! You gotta stretch before you try to play sports!"

"She wasn't playing sports, numskull, she got stuck in the mud and fell on it!"

While Peach was busy with Larry and Bowser, Junior spied Toadette in the background some distance away from the royals, who were now walking away. She looked somewhat stressed and dejected.

"Hi!"

Toadette looked up at the overly friendly Koopaling. "Oh. Hello," she replied sullenly.

"I'm Prince Bowser Junior," he said proudly, holding out his hand. "My Dad just went that way; he's the king of all the Darklands."

Toadette looked at him wearily. What did he want? Could he not see that she did not feel like talking?

Just as Toadette was trying to think of a polite way to ask the Koopaling to go away and leave her alone, a group of five Koopa girls ran to taunt Junior, "Hey Goober!"

"My name's not Goober," he yelled. "It's Junior! Bowser Junior, get it right!"

"Goober, Goober, Goober! Do you need your diaper changed Baby Brother Goober?"

"No!" he roared, "I already told you a hundred times! I get to be the dad when we play house or else I'm not playing!"

"Well then you don't get to play with us!" retorted a Koopa with messy green pigtails and a snout nose. As the brattiest, cruelest, and largest Koopa girl, she appeared to be the leader of the pack.

"Fine, I don't care. I'm gonna play with…this girl!" he yelled, pulling Toadette to his side. Toadette grimaced; she did not want to play with Junior. He was at least three years younger than she was, if not more. Furthermore, he seemed quite immature. Still, she kept quiet as the argument continued.

"Ew, you're going to play with a Mushroom? Did you know that Mushrooms grow from poo?"

Toadette's cheeks tinged with pink. She most certainly did not grow from poo!

The other girls laughed as the snout-nosed, bratty girl continued, "You know, she's almost as ugly as you are, maybe you are the daddy! Look everybody, Junior wanted to be the daddy so badly that he took a big poo and then that Mushroom girl—"

Toadette had heard enough. In a rare display of enraged confidence, she marched right over to the oversized Koopa girl and slapped her right across her snout nose. The Koopa looked stunned and Toadette braced herself to flee, after all, the Koopa girl could easily crush her. Big tears welled up in the Koopa's eyes and she ran off crying for her mom, the rest of the girls following.

Junior stared at Toadette with wide eyes. "You—You're not supposed to hit girls!" he stammered.

"I'm a girl, so I can hit whoever I want," said Toadette with more confidence than she felt. "Well, we better get out of here before that girl's mom comes over."

Junior trotted happily by Toadette's side. She's so cool; I bet she loves being mean even more than Morton! Junior smiled at Toadette. "Do you wanna be friends?"

Toadette looked at the Koopaling by her side. If she were forced into the Koopa Troop, it probably would not be a bad idea to be on friendly terms with the prince. She nodded affirmatively.

"Why do you look so sad," he demanded. "You just made a new friend; you're supposed to be happy. Don't you know anything?"

Toadette looked at him crossly.

"Tsk, fine. Look however you want to look. Your loss."

Toadette rolled her eyes.

Hm, you don't talk much. What's your name, anyhow?"

"I'm Toadette."

Toadette. He liked the name; he thought it sounded like a name for a girl who was fun. However, Toadette was not being very much fun right now. He decided that he needed to cheer his new friend up.

"Okay Toadette. Let's play Simon Says!"

"Hm, only if I get to be Simon."

Junior scoffed, he wanted to be Simon. "Oh, alright, but nothing crazy like licking a toilet seat or else you have to do it too."

Toadette smiled a little. In the castle, she rarely had an opportunity to play games because either she was on duty, or there was nobody her age with which she could play. "Okay, Simon says touch your nose. Good. Simon says flap your arms like a bird. Okay, Simon says jump up and down…stop jumping."

Junior continued hopping, smirking at her. She would not fool him that easily.

"Okay, so you're good. All right then, Simon says stop jumping and buy Toadette some cotton candy," she said, turning to eye the cotton candy cart. All of the beautiful fluffs of pink, blue, and green looked tantalizing and a little sugar would undoubtedly raise her sprits. However, when she turned back, Junior was gone. Suddenly, she felt a bush beside her grab her wrist and she was sucked into the leafy darkness. She tried to scream, but a claw was clamped firmly over her mouth.

Junior shushed the little Toad and held her close to stop her limbs from flailing outside the bush. Toadette understood when a huge female Koopa stomped around, apparently on the lookout. Toadette recognized her snot-nosed daughter as the pigtailed brat from before. She was still wiping tears from where Toadette had slapped her earlier.

Junior giggled nervously after the mother and daughter had passed. "That was close, I think they're gone, but let's wait and be sure."

Toadette silently agreed. Toadette blushed as she realized Junior had wrapped his short bulky arms tightly around her, pulling her towards his small chest. Junior had his face pressed against her pink mushroom cap. He thought she smelled very nice, like pears and honeysuckle or something; there was no way she grew out of any poo. When the danger had past, the two kids climbed out of the bush.

"So you want cotton candy?" Junior asked. "Watch this!" In an attempt to impress his new friend, Junior made a big production of approaching the cotton candy booth stealthily. The candy maker noted the Koopaling approaching out of the corner of his eye. He watched as the small Koopa gestured to the cute Toad, who noiselessly indicated that she would like the green bag of sweet fluff. The Koopaling swiftly grabbed two bags and hid them behind his shell, sprinting away like a Ninji assassin. The candy maker shook his head at how ridiculous kids could be; why would anyone bother to steal free candy?

Toadette smiled happily as she and Junior covered their hands and faces in green stickiness. Toadette could not believe that a prince had stolen something to give to her. Junior was thankful Toadette did not realize that he was not actually stealing anything.

"Do you like to play house?" Junior asked, licking cotton candy off his fingers. Maybe he had finally met a girl who would let him be the dad instead of the little brother.

"No, not really. I clean Princess Peach's castle all the time, so it's not really a game for me."

"Well then, what do you play?"

"Uh, pretend."

"What do you pretend?"

Toadette blushed; she had never talked to anyone about playing pretend before. Anytime someone caught her doing it, she just said she was thinking about a movie she had just seen. Junior looked at her expectantly and she sighed. I guess it wouldn't hurt to say.

"I pretend that I'm Princess Peach! When I'm dusting, I pretend that I'm actually learning a new dance. When I have to carry trays, I pretend that I'm actually doing charity for the poor; and when I have to polish silver with that icky smelling polish, I pretend that King Bowser locked me in a dungeon and that Mario is coming to save--." She stopped herself as she looked at Junior's face. She had forgotten that Bowser was Junior's father. "I'm sorry."

Junior crossed his arms. "So who gets to pretend to be that stupid Mario?" Junior did not know with whom Toadette played pretend, but he had already decided that he did not like anyone who would willingly pretend to be Mario.

"Nobody, that's why it's pretend."

"You play pretend all by yourself?" Junior asked. Suddenly, he realized he had no reason to feel jealous about anyone pretending to rescue Toadette. Instead, he began to feel a little bad for the pink Toad. At least he had a school full of kids, a nice teacher, and seven siblings. All she had was work and a little bit of time to play pretend by herself. "Well, I'll play pretend with you. You can be Mama Peach, but I wanna be King Dad and there's no Mario."

"Well then who will rescue me?"

Junior hit his fist to his chest, "I will! Pretend that the playground is your castle and that the old brown guy is making you do boring princess work and that he's being a pest."

Toadette giggled. Sir Toadsworth is "the old brown guy"! Junior thinks King Bowser saves Her Majesty from Sir Toadsworth?

Junior smiled to himself as he did his best to lift the Toad girl off the ground and "rescue" her from the play structure. She was the most fun friend he had ever had. He hoped the next time Mama Peach came to the castle that she would bring Toadette along so they could be best friends forever.