Situated amidst a little meadow is the residence of the Mario Brothers, the champions of the Mushroom Kingdom. It was the morning following the brothers' successful rescue of Princess Peach from the evil Koopa King Bowser. The brothers were still asleep in their beds. Not knowing the day they would have.

As the sun peaked through the windows, Mario was the first to stir. He yawned, scratched his chest, swung his legs, and got out of bed. Still in his nightgown, he made his way towards his brother's bed in an attempt to wake him up. "Luigi It's a-time to get up." Mario said while laying his hand on Luigi's arm, gently shaking him. Mario's attempt, however, was in vain because his siblings' snoring drowned everything out.

"Luigi, you have to-a get up," Mario exclaimed, increasing the speed of his gentle shake into a more forceful one while he finished by saying, "We have a meeting with the Princess at noon." Luigi's eyes fluttered open, adjusting to his suddenly light surroundings, suggesting that his brothers shaking had some effect. He quickly closed his eyes, his light-depraved eyes stinging from the sun's rays.

Stretching his arms to the side, Luigi looked at his brother and asked, "What time-a is it, Mario?"

"It's 6:42 a.m." Mario said.

Luigi flung off his blanket and got out of bed to head to his brother's shared bathroom to get ready for the day. Luigi picked up his toothbrush and toothpaste and started brushing his teeth, feeling that this would be a day they would never forget. After finishing his brushing, the younger Mario brother returned to the bedroom and proceeded to his dresser. Luigi took out a green shirt, some gloves, some socks, and some denim overalls.

Luigi finished getting dressed and proceeded to tidy up his bed. Satisfied with his work, the green-clad plumber headed downstairs, where his brother, who was already prepared for the day, was sitting at the table with two plates of eggs and toast laid out for him. Reading the newspaper 'Mushroom Time's', Mario layed eyes upon the first page, leaving him confused.

" 'Queen Peach gives birth to a baby girl; a crowned princess is born, and the kingdom celebrates. Is this a joke or something?" Mario questioned, causing his brother to stop his fork from picking up another bit of his eggs.

"What-a do you mean, Mario?" Raising an eyebrow, Luigi turned to his sibling with a questioning look on his face.

Handing his brother the newspaper paper, Mario exclaimed, "Look at this-a Weegee."

Luigi accepted the news offer and looked at the headline his brother was referring to. The green-clothed man read on, seemingly perplexed. Luigi was particularly struck by two lines: the king was pleased to have such a beautiful daughter, stating, "I have never been so happy before in my life," and that there were tears of joy shared by all who were in the room with the king. The kingdom was seemingly overjoyed that such an event would happen.

Then looking at the date the newspaper was posted caused the younger brother's eyes to widen. Quickly swiveling his head towards his brother Luigi all but shouted, "Mario, this newspaper says we're 4 years in the future!"

With widening eyes, Mario snatched the paper out of his brother's hands, searching for the date to see if what he said was true. Landing his eyes on the date, the older Mario brothers hands began to shake.

'How can this be?' He thought, 'Just yesterday, we had just saved Peach, and now she's a queen, married, and gave birth.'

What-ifs swirled madly through his mind. What if Peach had suffered a terrible event—that Bowser had abducted her and brainwashed her—or what if Peach had stopped loving him? Before he could continue his thought process, Luigi said something that snapped him out of his funk: "This must-a be a scheme from Bowser to try and-a trick us."

Mario realized, after giving his brother's words some thought, that he might be right and that Bowser might carry out such an act. Thinking about the scenario eased his mind. That's right. Peach was not one to give up on him that lightly.

Mario got up, puffing out his chest and stating, "You're-a right, Luigi." With his newly acquired strength, he continued, "Come on, Luigi, lets-a go meet with-a the Princess and tell her what Bowser's plan was!"

Luigi got up and exclaimed, "I'm-a with ya Mario!" inspired by his brother's courage.

After consuming what remained of their meal, the two made their way to the front door of the home. After removing their trademark hats from the rack and positioning them alongside their heads, they unlocked the door and proceeded to Princess Peach's Castle.

As they continued on the route toward the castle, they noticed nothing unusual, which confirmed in their minds that Bowser had set up a ruse with the newspaper. The Mario Brothers only noticed changes when they eventually arrived at Peach's Castle steps after a roughly 30-minute walk. There were flower-adorned wreaths lining the staircase, and the mushroom people appeared to be congregating near the castle's door.

Thinking that they had fallen for Bowser's trick had sparked a sense of pity and a small bit of superiority in the elder brother. The brothers approached the crowd and carefully made their way through it in the hopes of speaking with the princess of the castle.

"I apologize, but the king and queen aren't accepting guests at this time. Please try again later." The mushroom dwellers' hopes of seeing the newly born crown princess were dashed by an older voice.

The audience started to depart, expressing a sense of disappointment that they would have to wait for the queen to formally introduce the princess. With a sigh of satisfaction, the elderly toadstools turned to head back inside, but he was startled to see two figures—the Mario Brothers!

"Mario, Luigi, it's good to see you two!" The elder exclaimed. Smiling at the older gentleman, the brothers were glad that the man in question was able to notice them. Mario responded in a more reserved tone,"It's-a good to see you too, Toadsworth."

Beckoning the brothers inside, which they enthusiastically welcomed. Leading them through the castle, Toadsworth struck up a conversation, saying, "I'm glad you two were able to make the queen would be elated for you to meet her daughter!"

The brothers were perplexed by this: did Peach indeed have a daughter, and was she married? Mario felt something dark well up in his chest. Luigi appeared to have observed a shift in his brother when he looked at him. What if the news they read this morning was true rather than something Bowser had made up for them?

Not noticing the change in the brothers, Toadsworth continued leading them towards the queen's resting chambers. He turned towards the plumbers turned heroes.

"I ask that you please be quiet; the princess might still be sleeping, and I would rather not wake her." The old toadstool said in a hush, exasperated tone.

Opening the door Mario's pluse began to quicken this; was it he would see for himself what was truth and what was fiction once and for all? Slowly, the door opened to reveal Peach. She was there! She looked like she hadn't aged a day. Her dress had completely changed; gone was the puffy dress that she used to wear. In place of it was a long purple and pink gown, and behind her was a purple cape that latched on to a bright red brooch instead of the blue sphere-like earrings for red Lozenge-shaped gems. She looked even more beautiful than she had before; of that Mario was certain. He then quietly breathed a sigh of relief, only to have it hitch. The door had completely opened, revealing Mario's worst nightmare. Peach was there, but in her arm's was a baby, her daughter most likely asleep as her mother sang a lullaby.

Mario's world shattered. Peach, the love of his life, the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom, had gotten married and had a child. No longer was there a dream of a peaceful married life with Peach; now it was a waking nightmare. Luigi saw the change in Mario, but before he could comfort him, his brother Peach had noticed them.

With a sweet smile on her face that caused more pain to Mario, she whispered, "Mario, Luigi, it's so good to see you. Come in, come see my daughter."

The Mario Brothers made their way to Peach. Luigi's steps were light as he slowly made his way towards the queen. Mario was in a panic, his mind a maelstrom of thoughts as he walked with his brother. Mario felt like he was walking through a swamp; with every step he took, it was like he was sinking deeper and deeper.

Having finally made it to, Peach, the pair of brothers, looked upon her child. For Luigi, the younger brother, the baby was the most adorable he had ever seen. She has blonde hair like her mother, a heart-shaped face, and a cute button nose. For Mario, the older brother, all he saw was a hellspawn who had caused him more grief than he could take.

"Shes-a beautful." Luigi breathed rapturously.

Peach's smile grew at the younger plumber's words. She turned to Mario in hopes that he would say anything complementary to her child, but as she looked at his face, she couldn't read his expression. Seeing that Peach was looking at him, Mario gave her a forced smile that seemed to satisfy her.

Luigi turned to face the queen and whispered incredulously, "Who's the father?"

Such an innocent question he had asked that his brother wish that he hadn't for what she would say would shock them both to their very core. Mario was already hoping that this was a bad dream that he would wake up from at any momen-

"Her father is the King, my husband, Waluigi." Peach spoke wistfully, as if she were a young maiden who had found her first love. To say that the two were shocked would be an understatement. For Luigi, he couldn't believe it. Peach loved his brother, and there was no way that she would ever fall for the lankey cheater. What did he have that Mario didn't? Other than that Waluigi was tall. His brother was kind and strong; for Godsake, he was a hero, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Waluigi was rude, self-centered, mean-spirited, a villian. His was Warios brother; the fact that those two weren't branded as criminals confused Luigi beyond belief.

"I heard my name. Is everything alright, Peaches?" There was a quiet yet high-pitched and nasal voice that the brothers immediately recognized. The owner of said voice poked his head around the edge of a doorway that connected to another room from this one.

He made his way into the room to check in on his queen. The first thing Luigi had noticed about his self-proclaimed rival was that he no longer wore denim overalls. Instead, he wore dark grey slacks, a purple silk tunic with a short, red cape clasped to his shirt, and on top of his head no longer was his purple hat that he copied from him and Mario; on top of his head was a crown, signifying his status as a royal.

His voice was louder than he tried to sound as his words stirred the baby princess that was in his wife's arms. Quickly, he made his way towards the queen in an attempt to soothe his daughter back to sleep, but it was for naught as the young princess's eyes opened, which Luigi noted were a beautiful blue just like her mother. Scooping his daughter from the arms of his wife, Waluigi rocked his daughter gentely back and forth in hopes that she should go back to her nap.

For the princess, she thought it was a game her father was playing, so she laughed and giggled with excitement at the thought of a game with her father.

Waluigi sighed; there was no getting his daughter back to sleep. He turned to his queen and said, "Peaches, I'll play with Wapeach so you can have a break."

Peach looked at her husband, grateful that he would take care of their child so that she could take a break.

"Thank you, my love." She said this as she walked to her husband, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

She then turned towards the two guests who had watched the whole exchange between the couple. She walked to the door, gesturing for the two heroes to follow her. Walking down a hallway of the castle with Toadsworth along beside her, the Mario Brothers were walking slowly behind her, each with a different thought process. For Luigi, he was having trouble trying to process how this could happen. The princess that they had just rescued the day before was married to one of the least likely person he could think of, Waluigi. Hell Bowser had a better chance at marrying Peach.

For Mario, his mind was filled with dark thoughts. This can't be possible. His Peach with someone other than him can't happen; she was supposed to be with him! Why was this happening? Had Mario not loved her enough? Had he not saved her enough from Bowser? All these thoughts swirled in his mind as she led the brothers to the throne room.

Walking up to her throne, she sat down and rested her back against the back of the chair with a sigh.

"Your Highness, you must be tried; perhaps you should rest." Toadsworth recomanded. As he walked to the front of her throne.

"Thank you, Toadsworth, but I'm fine." His queen said it with a warm smile, appreciating that he cared for her.

Bowing, the old toadstool backed away from the throne. She then pivoted towards her guest with a smile and said, "So, what brings you to here?"

Caught off guard by her smile, the brothers couldn't respond, though Luigi wouldn't admit it in front of his brother, but Peach, in this moment, was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes upon. Luigi certainly wouldn't say that in front of Daisy, or he might expect a punch in the shoulder, and Daisy doesn't hold back.

Mario's heart soared at the beauty of Peach, but like Icares, his heart flew high and his wings melted, causing his heart to crash to the ground, shattering into a million pieces. The moment was soured for him as he remembered what he had learned mintues before. A thought was growing in his mind. A thought that would escape his lips and become a question towards himself or Peach, he would never know.

"Why?" The elder of the sibling duo croaked out. It was soft and yet loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"I'm sorry, Mario. I couldn't hear what you said. Could you repeat it?" Peach asked, genuinely unable to understand what the red pumbler had said.

"Why!?" Mario once again asked, but louder than before, before startling those in the room.

"Mario, is there something wrong?" The old Toadsworth asked, being the first to recover from the red-clad hero's sudden outburst.

"Why Peach?! Why are you with that purple bastard?! Why did you have a child with him?! This has to be a joke, right?" The suddenness with which he asked caught her off guard.

"I thought you loved me! Were you just playing with me? Was Waluigi the one you loved all along? I thought you loved me. You were supposed to marry me, not that purple freak who cheats!" Every thought that Mario had was coming out; he felt betrayed. How could she do this to him? She was his and his alone.

His younger brother was shaken; he had never seen his brother so angry, so hurt, so heartbroken. Peach was stunned. Was Mario trying to profess his love for her and insult her husband at the same time? This wasn't the Mario she remembered. The Mario she remembered, would never say such harsh words. But if there was one thing she did remember, it was that she is the queen, and Waluigi is her king, the love of her life, and the father of her child. She would not let anyone insult him, not even a hero of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Mario, how could you say such horrible things about my husband like that?" She stood up from her throne, and a fire was lit in her. Now she wouldn't let anyone talk about Waluigi like that.

"I don't know what's wrong, but if you think that I owe my love, then I will tell you right now that my love is mine to give. My love for Waluigi isn't something you can just insult. He has been the kindest man I have ever known. His past isn't what defines him, but his actions that he took to better himself." Peach replied angrly, shocking the brothers.

"My husband has earned my love, while you have sat back and expected that I would always be yours. Let this be a reminder, Mario; you can't control how people feel. I am not some trophy you can show off; I am the queen." Every word from the queen seemed to stab at his heart.

"What's wrong I heard a shout. Is everything okay?" The voice of Mario's current ire was King Waluigi with Princess Wapeach in a baby carrier on his chest, happiely swinging and kicking about.

Mario saw red; if only this man hadn't existed, none of this would've happened. So he stumped over to being, which has caused him grief.

"You! If only you didn't exist, Peach would have married me! We would have been happy, but you just had to take and spawn this demon child! And Wapeach, that's the worst name I've ever heard of!" Mario let all his anger out on Waluigi, shocking the purple-loving man. Mario pointed his finger at Wapeach in the hope that they would just disappear. Thinking it was a new game, Wapeach looked at the finger, opened her mouth, and bit down hard, causing the red pumbler great pain.

Pulling his finger away Mario blew on his finger in the hope that the pain would go away. He turned back to the king and princess and gave them the most hateful gaze he could.

"Enough!" Behind Mario, the queen had seen and heard enough that she would not allow the pumbler to insult not only her king but Wapeach too. It would seem that the Mario she once knew was just a jealous man who couldn't let go of the past and not the hero he used to be.

"Mario, if you had just insulted, I would have forgiven you, but to not only verbally attack my husband but my child too. I'd thought better of you. It would seem I was wrong." The queen was no longer going to let such offenses be made against her family.

"I will have to ask you, Mario and Luigi, to leave this castle. Do not come back until you can think clearly like an adult." The order was clear to Luigi, but to Mario, it fell on deaf ears. Luigi went to his brother and began to lead him to the door to leave the castle.

"Come on, Mario, lets-a go clear our heads." Luigi said all but dragging his brother out of the castle.

Walking up to his wife, Waluigi stood stupified. What had just happened? Why did Mario hate him and his child so much? Peach went to her husband, hugging not only him but their daughter as well confused Waluigi embarced his wife.

Peach looked him in the eyes and spoke, "My love, even if the whole world was against you, I would never leave your side."

The king was confused, but he let it go in favor of returning his wife's embarce. Wapeach, not one to let what seemed like a new game go by, giggled and hugged her mother, bringing a smile to Peach's face as she let out a laugh.

"You always know how to make everything better; don't you, Wapeach?" Peach said, weaping a tear from her eye.

"She-a gets it from you." Waluigi spoke out, causing her to look back at him. She looked into his eyes, seeing only love for her and the bundle of joy between them. She rested her head on his chest, closed her eyes, and said, "Maybe.""Maybe."