Certitude

"We're all going to die," Lumalee's happily announces from above the battle, taking place in Toad Town. Every soldier, including Antasma's koopas, stop - unnerved by the little star's cheery disposition.

Larry decides to investigate Lumalee's claims. Gripping onto a flagpole, he peers out towards the border of Mushroom Kingdom. From there he can see the storm walls rolling in towards them. Abruptly, the winds become violent and almost rip Larry away. He clings to the pole and shouts out to the people below. Panic breaks out.

As everyone else runs around, Yoshi stands still for a moment. He then returns to treating Vert and the others for the wounds they sustained earlier. Meanwhile, on a roof, the general observes the sky turning purple. He knows help from the outside will arrive too late. So, the general pulls Toadette towards himself and rests his head against hers.

Peach and Bowser finally exit the warp pipe to Blue Planet, expecting a sneak attack from Antasma. But he is nowhere in sight. The only thing waiting for them is dark gloomy skies and a town on fire. Shouting and screams echo in the air. Peach stiffens and rub her arms. But a childish voice made the couple look down. Before them is a sobbing young Peach, gripping her blanket around her neck. Bowser groans at the sight. Due to her motherly instinct, Peach reaches for the child but she vanishes. Soon the town also disappears and the dark gloom pulls away leaving a beautiful star lit sky. Peach looks around bewildered as Bowser scratches his head.

"Peach, you saw that town just now, right?"

Peach places her hands over her heart, "Yes, Antasma is messing with us…"

A loud clanging sound made the royals jump. Bowser protectively wraps an arm around Peach and investigates. Dark chains have materialized and blocked the warp pipe.

Bowser mutters, "Keep an eye out…"

The two begin the search for Antasma and the Dark Star. As they do so, Peach gazes in awe at the endless expanse of glittering stars. Star dust was even falling around them. Despite the beauty of the place, she couldn't shake the feeling of dread. But she was determined to end all of this here.

The couple now pass through an area in the forest, where the town appeared. Deep groves in the ground show evidence of a bulldozer coming through. Every trace of the town had been wiped out. After examining the tracks Bowser turns to study Peach's reaction.

"This isn't an illusion…. What is he getting at…?"

Suddenly the town reappears, but without the fire and shouts for help. As it does, hundreds of blue eyes flash in the sky looking down at them. Peach and Bowser jump from the sight. And in a flash, they find themselves in a house. Gripping his chest Bowser looks at Peach and she stares ahead. Before them and sitting at a small table, is a tall blonde man as well as a short curvy woman. The man's bangs were curling upwards. Instantly noticing the similarity to Peach, Bowser moves forward but Peach stops him.

With backs against them, the parents talk as if the royals are not present. "Aster, where is Amora…"

"She was playing with her luma friend in the square."

Peach gripped at her skirt. She wanted to race towards them and tell them who she was. But she refuses to move and whimpers, "The old me …. would fall for this. But I know they are not real…."

Behind them, the royal couple hears a familiar small voice from beyond the door. "Mommy! Star! Bad..."

The parents stood up and Aster grips his wife's hand. "Cheryl?"

Cheryl places a hand over her heart and asks, "What does she mean by bad…?"

Suddenly, everything turns a purple hue. The parents finally turn around, now facing Bowser and Peach. And their faces are nothing but static. Peach feels her heart drop. The mother points at her aggressively, "Why did you come back!?"

Confusion clouds Peach's eyes. Despite knowing it is an illusion she wonders why they are not happy to see her. Immediately the parents pick up iron skillets and rush at Peach. Bowser gets in the way to block the blows.

"This isn't real, Peach!"

The parents emit a combined energy shield, ejecting the royals from the home. Peach lays stunned on the ground as Bowser tries to get up. "Okay…semi real… and they have powers…. But Peach, don't you dare give up…" Bowser is interrupted by a large fist connecting with his face. When he gets up, he is face-to-face with the former queen of the koopas.

"Weak!" she roars.

Horrified Bowser instantly reverts to the demeanor of his younger self. He covers Peach and curls up, waiting for the blows. As she wails on Bowser, he does his best to shield Peach despite the pain. Tears well in Peach's eyes as she sees Bowser's fear filled ones. "Bowser!"

At that moment, an arrow hit the queen's face, shocking her. She jolts back and her image fades for a moment.

"Leave Mr. Bowser alone!"

Peach notices Toad is hanging out of Bowser's shell. Holding a bow and arrow, he fires again at the queen.

"Toad?"

Bowser grinds his teeth. He stands back up and drives a punch into the 'queen.' Before he can go again, she is protected by a blue shield from his blow.

Realizing her parents are near, Peach bemoans, "They're making our nightmares reality…" Within her was always the fear that her parents hated her. And Bowser fears his mother…

A voice, a mix of Antasma and the Dark Star, call from above, "So perceptive Peach. But not all is false. Would you like us to show you the rest?"

"Shut up!" Bowser shouts as he swipes at his mother.

Toad peeps out again from under Bowser's shell. "You got this Mr. Bowser!" he declares.

"Toad if you call me Mister one more …" Unexpectedly, Bowser is grabbed from behind by the queen koopa. She falls back, bashing his skull against the ground. But Bowser shifts his weight to the side to break free. Black mist emits from his mouth as he ignites his flame breath. She counters with hers.

Meanwhile, Peach is slapped around by her parents. Every time she tries to counter, they erect shields. And if she injures one, Aster heals. The mother finally blows a kiss at Peach, forming a heart. The heart engulfs her and drags her towards Cheryl who is waiting with a pan. Peach feels a calmness coming over her even though she knows she must run.

Seeing her plight, Bowser shouts at Toad to help Peach. He aims and fires another arrow at Cheryl. This allows Peach to break free of her mother's telekinesis. With a heavy heart she knocks out her mother and snatches her pan and slams it into Aster's face. She hears a dark laugh echo as she runs to kick the back of the koopa queen's head. The queen's form distorts and vanishes. Bowser rushes at Peach's parents and plows through their shields, slamming them into a wall. The parents' forms also break down and fade away. Bowser then catches Peach as she stumbles.

"Peach, I'm sorry…"

"No…thank you…."

Ignoring Bowser's concerned gaze, Peach averts her attention to Toad. He shrinks back in the shell and she rubs her eyes. He still is standoffish with her. But she is happy to see he is all right even if he no longer recognizes her. "Thank you…. Toad. But what are you doing here?"

Bowser shakes his head, "I thought I was smelling mushrooms…"

Toad peeps his head back out, "I was too scared. It's safer with Mr. Bowser."

The king rolls his eyes while Peach looks intrigued. "Look, you can hang out in the shell just stop calling me that!"

"Y-yes sir!"

Bowser groans. Toad nervously pulls out a backpack. "During your fight in the castle, I was pilfering stuff. Anything I could while you were thrashing the doctor around. He kept dropping stuff." He opens the bag to show Peach. "Could you use any of this Mrs. Peach and Mr. Bowser?"

Bowser gives up on correcting Toad. He flexes his muscles instead, "No, I have no need for it!"

But Peach's eyes widen as she looks at the contents. "Umm…Toad. I'm confiscating this bag."

"Aww man…"

She looks at him with hopeful eyes. "But I appreciate the help!"

Toad's eyes downcast but then he looks back up, "Bowser says you are my sister…"

Hearing those words, Peach feels her eyes watering. "Y-yes…I am…"

"I didn't believe any of his words at first. But it is clear you two love each other."

Peach's eyes flicker to Bowser's intense stare and back at the ground. "Bowser..."

Chuckling Bowser pats Toad's head. He then yells into the sky. "Your sick game was not amusing Antasma... Enough."

"But we still wanted to show Peach where the grave would have been located…"

Peach furrows her blonde eyebrows and whispers, "You ransacked what was left?"

"Antasma meant it when he said you would only have him."

Soon, descending from the sea of stars is Antasma's mist form. It comes to a stop and six massive bat wings come out of the mist, stretching for a mile. As the mist dissipates, a dragon-like head appears wearing Antasma's mask and yellow eyes and his fanged mouth glowed yellow. On his spiky back is the Dark Star tethered to him. Dark Antasma releases a shriek and the royals grab their ears.

"But you had to be difficult, Peach. So, we will make you beg ... for death!"

Bowser shoves Toad into his shell and looks at Peach. She sadly nods at him. Bowser poses with his claws as Peach gets back a distance. Dark Antasma charges at them but he ignores the heavy hitter Bowser and goes right for Peach! Shocked Bowser catches his boney tail. But Antasma fires a fireball at Peach. Now mortified, Bowser shouts for her but Peach manages to dodge it. Despite the fireball's size, her leaps are better thanks to the enhanced reflexes. Bowser exhales in relief, only to realize Dark Antasma is dragging him into the sky. The beast then drops, dragging his tail through the forest. Bowser is pummeled by trees and boulders yet he doesn't let go. The dragon bat slams him into a mountain and Bowser falls into the forest. Dark Antasma fires fireballs after him on the way down.

"Bowser! Toad!" Peach shouts as she sees the explosion. Dark Antasma focuses on her again. He opens his mouth releasing a beam. Peach isn't fast enough and the flames engulf her. Though searing pain shot through her body, she is still alive. On her knees, Peach silently thanks the power star for protection but she knows the power up won't last long.

As Dark Antasma descends to attack again, Peach rushes at him and maneuvers onto his back. She makes a mad dash for the Dark Star. But the entity forces her away with a pulse of its dark energy. Dark Antasma turns to mist and Peach falls. Bowser moves to catch her but remembers she can float down. Instead, he attacks Dark Antasma, attempting to get into the mouth. But he is also repelled.

A row of dark orbs materialize and surround Dark Antasma. He quickly devours one and his body turns red briefly. The monster opens rifts in the sky and fire rains down, burning a portion of the forest. Bowser covers Peach with his own body. When the ariel assault ends Bowser and Peach are lying on the ground.

To Peach's relief she sees Toad is unharmed. She turns her attention to Bowser. "Bowser!" she cries. Though stunned, she softly reaches for his claw. He is alive but his breathing is weak. She gently cradles Bowser's claw with her tiny hand.

Please get up!

Peach's hand glows a dim pink as she silently begs. The scars on Bowser's arm vanish.

"What…?"

But not all of Bowser's wounds heal and the glow stops. Peach realizes her gift, the stars were talking about, must be healing like her father's. How helpful a skill it would have been to have earlier! But Peach lacks the ability and power to bring it fully out. But it was just enough to wake Bowser up.

Eyes now open, he gazes at her tenderly. "There is more I need to learn …. About you, Peaches. I'm not dying here…" he mumbles.

Bowser gets up on his knee and helps Peach up. Noticing Dark Antasma descending, Bowser throws Peach and Toad out of the way. A shadowy cage materializes over him. Bowser begins punching at the cage to break out as Dark Antasma eats another orb and powers up a mouth beam.

Keeping calm, Peach turns to Toad. "Toad aim at those orbs on my command!" she shouts while pulling a sword out the backpack. Peach runs toward Dark Antasma, right at his face, and aims a sword at one of the eyes. On reflex Dark Antasma turns to avoid the attack and his shot misses Bowser. The Koopa King breaks out of the cage. Though the dragon-bat is flying, Peach is still holding on to the face aiming for the eye. Distracted by her efforts, Dark Antasma crashes into a mountain. He turns into mist and Peach falls but she catches a ledge. She shouts at Toad again. He aims at the dark orbs and fires. The captain manages to knock two out of orbit. As he reforms, Dark Antasma growls at the toad, "How are you still giving us trouble!?"

Toad runs in the woods screaming. But elated with the results, Bowser catches the orbs and shoves them into his mouth. "Good thinking Peaches!"

Peach notices what he did as she runs along an edge. "I was trying to stop him from powering up! Bowser…" she complains.

Eyes wide and smiling madly, Bowser leaps and strikes Dark Antasma in the face. The dragon goes sailing. "BWA HA HA! That's what I'm talking about!" Bowser declares.

Desiring to help Mr. Bowser, Toad snipes at another orb and Bowser catches it. But after Bowser eats this one, he suddenly bends over.

"Darling!?" Peach cries out.

Bowser holds his mouth as darkness spews out from his jaws. He suddenly grows large, his spikes enlarge, his horns grow in length, and his eyes become feral. Now towering over the forest, Bowser roars at Dark Antasma and the ground splits from the force.

"His potential…"

Bowser releases a blue beam, cutting holes through Dark Antasma's wings. The dragon bat shrieks in pain and rage. Bowser then jumps the dragon-bat and the two engage in a struggle. Peach watches in horror as Bowser laughs madly over his newfound power.

He fires a beam directly into Dark Antasma's face and throws him around the forest. The forest becomes engulfed in flames from the battle and the ground continues to split from the earthquakes. Had this been back home, the fighting would have destroyed Mushroom Kingdom! Peach grabs Toad to carry him to safety.

"But Mr. Bowser!"

"I'll go back for him!" Peach shouts.

Dark Antasma manages to break free and bites into Bowser's neck. The king shouts in pain. Dark Antasma begins rolling like a crocodile trying to rip Bowser up. But the king manages to hold him in place. Growing frustrated, Dark Antasma opens a rift to force Bowser to fall into a spiked canyon. But Bowser creates his own rift and returns, chomping down on the bat again.

Peach returns to the battle. Though worried over Bowser's power trip, Peach uses the chaos to jump on Dark Antasma's back. The Dark Star glares at her.

"Child, this will not be the end of me."

Peach braces against another dark pulse; she does not intend to back down. Throwing her hip forward she breaks through the barrier. Her leg glows as she unleashes a kick that severs the Dark Star from Antasma. In that moment, she feels the star's power leave her. Peach tumbles off and floats to safety. The weakened Antasma reaches for her to crush her in his grip. As the Dark Star falls Bowser catches it.

"I need to save Peach! So, I need more… more power! MORE!" he yells and shoves it into his mouth. Bowser's eyes go blank and dark energy pulses from him. He thoroughly thrashes the dragon-bat saving Peach. Antasma manages to break away and flies into the sky. But without the Dark Star, cracks form over Antasma's draconic body and light bursts out engulfing him. Bowser throws his head back and unleashes a victorious roar.

Peach notices on the horizon a storm forming. Peach's covers her mouth and turns back to Bowser. "Bowser!"

He pauses and turns his attention to her. Despite how feral he looks; Peach can still see love in his eyes as he regards her. "This is the answer to our problems Peach!"

"W-what?"

"Don't you see?" Bowser snaps his fingers and rifts appear behind him. "With this power, I can contain any threat! I need to sustain this form with power stars…. more power… MORE! But our kids will be safe from now on! And you won't have to fear anyone targeting you again!"

Peach places her hand over her heart. Even though he married her, Bowser is still drawn to power. "I don't want this! I just want you Bowser!"

Bowser aggressively lowers his face down towards her. Peach steps away and falls to the ground, shielding her face. His eyes soften when he sees her fearful expression. He lowers his voice, "I can now give you whatever you want! The universe is ours for the taking!"

"I don't like what it is doing to you!"

Bowser goes silent.

Peach shakenly stands up and reaches for him. "The Dark Star isn't just a power up. Bowser, he …. destroyed my hometown. And destroyed so many others! Antasma was using it against your people! If you side with this creature, I don't want anything to do with you no matter how it breaks my heart!"

A look of shame appears on Bowser's face. But he suddenly rises and grabs his head in pain. Lightening appears in the skies as he rushes off shouting and screaming.

"Bowser!" Peach cries out after him.

In Bowser's mind he stares with a depressed expression. "I never wanted… I didn't mean…"

As he contemplates, a form appears in front of him. It is the Dark Star, mimicking Bowser's appearance. But with black hair, blue skin, and red eyes.

Bowser snarls, "What did you do to..."

"That is in the past. I still have much to offer. I have what you deeply desire, power. No matter what you portray yourself as to the girl, you still wish for world domination. You are only behaving for her sake."

Bowser cannot look the entity in the eye as he cannot deny the truth. The strange form circles around Bowser, as if showing what he can be. "You are the perfect host for me. So much power and a potential to get even stronger. I can finally pursue revenge on Rosalina for imprisoning me. In exchange for helping me, I'll grant your every wish."

Bowser responds with a punch in the Dark Star's face. He retaliates with a punch of his own and begins attacking with his fire breath.

"You're right, I'm not fully reformed. I will always have the urge to take whatever I want. And I would jump at the chance for more power. But you helped Antasma ransack my empire and …. you messed with Peach! No one and I mean no one is to lay a hand on her!"

The Dark Star's body is breaking down, his tone becomes desperate. He pummels Bowser into the ground. "I don't understand your rage!? The two of you were worlds apart! You would have never met her if not for me!"

Filled with rage, Bowser gets back up and hits the Dark Star with numerous devastating blows. On the last hit, its form breaks down while screaming in rage, and bursts into light. Bowser stares ahead with a solemn look. His voice cracking, he whispers, "I would have simply met her another way…"

In the real-world Peach is looking for Bowser after he had ran off. Helping her in the search, Toad shouts to her from a tree. He climbs down and grabs Peach's hand to direct her to his location. In the center of a charred field, lays Bowser. Black mist rises out of his shell and fades into the sky.

Peach releases a sob, happy to see him normal again. As she reaches for him, Toad screams. "The doctor!"

Peach turns, realizing they are not alone. In his base form and battered, Antasma tilts his head and releases an screeching laugh as he reaches for Peach. Peach shoves Toad out of the way to run. But he hides in Bowser's shell. With nowhere to go, Peach trips and crawls to protect Bowser from harm. Antasma stands over her, his eyes cruel. "You're mind now!"

Antasma grabs Peach by the face with one claw. He relishes the fear in her eyes as she tries to remove his claw with one hand as her other arm reaches into the backpack. Antasma slowly moves his fangs towards her neck to sink them in. "You are the only victim I ever loved. And how beautiful you are! I will always love you! Now, die!"

Antasma suddenly gasps and he looks at his arm. Peach struck him with the dragon dagger. He stares in shock at his arm and back at her as Peach regards him with a sad gaze.

"When?"

"You dropped it. Toad picked it up…"

"Of course…the captain…" Antasma drops to the ground and begins convulsing. He has tolerance to poison but he will not survive this, especially since he lost the Dark Star's power.

Peach did warn him….

How careless and the irony is not lost to Antasma. He spent decades running around as a powerful interdimensional murderer. But he doesn't meet a glorious end at the hands of a higher power. No, a measly toad and a human woman did him in.

As the violent symptoms take hold of Antasma, Peach finds herself falling asleep. The last thing she hears is Toad calling to her.

Back in Peach and Bowser's home world, the storm surrounding Mushroom Kingdom vanishes - right as it's thrashing the ruined town. The opposing armies celebrate realizing they are alive. Dreambert is too busy helping brainwashed victims of Antasma to notice. Yoshi, however, flops on the ground, taking a well-earned nap. As he does so, the general picks up Toadette and jumps below to join in the celebration.

On the way to the Dark Lands, Daisy and Wario's groups are transporting the Dark Star shards they confiscated. But as they debate what to do with them, the shards dissipate. Waluigi tips his cap and stares out at the horizon. "It's over… they did it!" he shouts. The group begins dancing and singing on the airship.

Peach is dreaming again. There was darkness all around and lightning. She hears the voices of her parents. She walks to find where they are. But waiting for her is Antasma. His ears were drooping, his eyes tired and filled with bitterness.

"Antasma…."

"Sorry for the forced nap. I didn't want you see the results…it's not pretty." Antasma darkly chuckles.

"…."

"I'm done for. But before I go…" Antasma holds up a bright triangle. Peach can hear her parents' voices emitting from it. With one motion, Antasma shatters it. "I held onto to this…even if I couldn't wipe your mind fully. I wanted to show you what your parents really looked like. Something that make you feel indebted to me. But I leave you nothing now. You will not even remember their voices."

Peach stares at the shards floating in the air as Antasma rants.

"There is nothing left for you on the Blue Planet. No memories, not even a grave to find. I disposed of the bodies. You won't know anything about them. No matter what, you will always feel a void in your heart."

Peach bites her lip but shakes her head. "But I know they must have loved me. What you showed was the Dark Star's point of view. They're anger wasn't directed at me but at that monstrosity. You simply created a false image. And even though I'll have no memories of what they looked and sound like, I know they were kind people. And I have people today that love me. I know they love me…. You can't take that away."

"I would if I could," Antasma spits in contempt as he spreads his claws out. Hands clasped together; Peach's calm demeanor contrasts Antasma's wild movements. "Don't think my death means you get to live in peace, my sweet! When you see the war's aftermath, when you see Junior's scar, and when Apricot runs to you, crying because she thinks a monster will take her away, you will remember!" Antasma's voice hitches, "You will never forget me!"

The bat stops, his chest heaving as Peach focuses on his eyes. She realizes he wants her to lash out at him in rage. To let him know he cut at her heart. He wants attention no matter how negative. She will not give him that pleasure. Yes, it hurts she will never know her parents. And what awaits her ... she is not looking forward to it. But her kingdom needs her. Her family needs her. She does not have time for this. Besides, there is fear in Antasma's eyes. He does not want to die and she has no desire to mock him, no matter what he has done. So, with a gentle but firm voice, Peach scolds him, "Antasma, clean up this mess you made of my mind."

Antasma's eyes flash and then he laughs, "I'm dying and you...Evil woman…"

Amused he snaps his fingers. The landscape turns into green rolling hills. Peach sadly smiles and reclines on the grass. Antasma sits next to her, his body beginning to break down.

"Better?" he asks.

"Yes."

Peach recalls the moments she had a good relationship with him and wishes to go back to that time. She had wanted their brief friendship to be real. But there is no going back. Not after what he has done. And from Antasma's expression as he stares at the sky, it looks like he wanted that too.

"You know...despite how it ended, I'm glad I met you and ... I guess the captain..." He turns to gaze at Peach, "And one more thing...You will never know how much Bowser loves you. If you had fell in love with someone else, he would simply pursue you for all time..."

A pink bloom forms on Peach's face, "...I see..."

Antasma shakes his head and stares ahead, "Goodbye, Peach."

"...Goodbye... Antasma."

The villain's body turns into specks of light. As the wind carries them away, everything around Peach turns white.

Now awoken, Bowser checks on Peach, having sent Toad to get help. Antasma's contorted body was lying next to Peach's, clutching her hand. From the look on his face, his last moments were agonizing. Bowser shakes his head.

After burying Antasma, Bowser retrieves his wife. He lays against a tree, cradling her, and silently begging her to forgive him for almost giving into to the Dark Star. Bowser then spots a small black blob appearing and floating in the air. In that moment, Peach's eyes flutter open.

"Bowser...you're alright..." she smiles as she gazes at him. She then stares at the blob.

"I hear it," she utters, Bowser lifts an eyebrow. "The Dark Star…"

"But I don't hear anything…"

Peach shakes her head, "You're no longer one with it. It says it will be re-borned one day."

Bowser growls, "So dunking it into the sun won't be a permanent fix…Is that what he meant by imprisonment?"

Peach is curious as to what Bowser means but she asks, "What do we do?"

Bowser rests his chin on Peach's head. "I'll take care of it. When I'm done, it will wish it had a permanent death…"

The queen's eyes then slowly flicker to the hastily made grave. Taking Dreambert's words into consideration, Peach kept her anger in check in the battle. But she still took Antasma's life in self-defense. Even though he was evil, she is disturbed by her actions.

Knowing what happened during his blackout (from Toad), Bowser nuzzles her cheek. "You did what you had to do."

"I…I want that dagger gone," Peach admits.

Bowser hums and begins slowly kissing her forehead. "It's over now, Peach. It's over..."

Peach's eyes are downcast as she contemplates what he just said. So many were affected by the conflict…the kidnapped people, the citizens, and her family. Peach feels no joy over Antasma's death …. but a sense of relief comes over her.

Antasma's reign of terror has finally ended.

"Junior, please come back inside, it is turning night," Mrs. Kale begs from the doorway while holding Apricot. Junior, now wearing stitches on his cheek, stares out at the water. Only Peach knew where the destination was for them when escaping. It is a little island in the middle of nowhere. The young child is waiting for his mother, hoping she will escape Antasma. Also, he hopes his father is alive. Junior begins to tear up at the thought of them dying. When he hears a gurgle from his sister, he turns to retrieve her. He remembers the job Peach gave him.

"Mama told me to watch over her," he announces. Mrs. Kale smiles and hands Apricot over to him. Gently, Junior holds her close, rubbing his cheek against hers. He returns to his lookout spot only to notice a small boat on the horizon.

As the boat closes in, Junior shouts and runs into the water. Bowser and Peach leap off the boat and swim towards him. They ignore Ludwig's complaints over them not waiting.

The four meet in the shallow water and Peach dives for Junior and Apricot, clinging to them and crying. She peppers Junior's tear-stained face with kisses. He would normally be embarrassed but he was so happy to see her. Apricot cries, realizing her mother was back and Peach hugs her close speaking in soothing voice. Bowser wraps his arms around them and lifts them out of the water, cradling them in one arm.

Junior cries even harder. "Papa!"

Bowser sadly looks at Junior's injuries. His leg was even wrapped up. "Junior…"

But Junior puts on a brave face and smiles, "I protected Apricot!"

Peach runs her fingers through Junior's mane. "You were so brave…"

Proud, the king nudges his son, "You did good, son." Bowser then reaches for Apricot, tears forming in his eyes, "It's alright darling, that man won't come after you or your brother ever again." Apricot touches Bowser's face with her tiny hand.

Junior starts crying again when he sees the koopalings approaching. "G-guys!"

"Junior! Apricot!"

The koopalings tackle Bowser and he warps his free arm around Wendy and Lemmy. Larry, Morton, and Iggy cling to Bowser's shell. Ludwig and Roy stand nearby, observing with relieved smiles.

Softly giggling, Peach gently nuzzles Bowser's chin with her nose. Responding to her affection, Bowser tightens his grip, tail wagging from his elation. The family has finally reunited.