Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mel had always seen herself as an average teen - as average as anyone could be. She went to school, went out with friends, hopped from part-time job to the next, etc. The only thing that made her odd was the amnesia and the orphanage she grew up in. 

"Nope, not a memory from before I was 8." She would shrug. "Doctors and the nuns think trauma or head injury since I had a bump and good scratch on my head." 

The orphanage wasn't that bad even - more of a group home than anything. Mel found it easy to blend in and then disappear when she wanted to sneak out into the city. There really wasn't much of an obligation there for her to stay in any case. Brooklyn was the only home she knew, and the streets were her playground. Considering her familiarity, it came as a shock when she fell into what she thought was an open manhole. 

'Huh,' she thought in her long free fall, 'I don't remember this being here.' 

Mel squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact, only to land right side up....and then fell backward, fully disoriented. She refused to open her eyes, unwilling to see what mess she landed in. All she had wanted was a shortcut! 

... For a sewer, it was awfully bright. And not smelly. 

She finally forced her eyes open and gasped. She was lying in the middle of a field, surrounded by soft grass and rolling hills. The sun was warm, and there were no skyscrapers or brownstones surrounding her. The flowers were bright and almost looked like they had eyes. 

"I must be dreaming, I hit my head again or....something," she murmured as she stood. Grabbing her bag from where it had landed a few feet from her at the base of a short, glossy green pipe. "Huh. How... you know what? I'm good." 

If she was dreaming or hallucinating, then she would just let things run their course until she ran into someone. The countryside she was in seemed a bit empty, save the random tree or giant mushroom clusters. It was pretty, at least. Eventually, she found a paved path and began to follow it, thinking in her head that she would find a town or the like soon enough. 

"Woah! Hey! Hey, human girl!" 

Mel pinched her brows together. Human girl? She turned around, only to see what looked like a walking, talking, mushroom running towards her. 

"Thank goodness you heard me! Hi!" They stopped next to her, skidding on their heels. 

"Hello?" Mel said questioningly. "Okay, I'm definitely concussed because you look like a mushroom." 

"I am a mushroom!" They replied proudly. "My name is Toad!" 

"Toad?" She asked. They nodded. "Um... my name is Mel, and I think I hit my head." 

"Oh, that's not good! What happened? Are you hurt? Maybe you should sit -"

"I think I fell through a pipe? I was walking and then falling, and now I'm here. And I have to have hit my head because there are not talking mushrooms in Brooklyn, and-" Mel continued to ramble. "Wait! I know I can prove this is a dream. My phone camera!"

She pulled her phone from her bag and opened the camera. "If I'm right, then this will be a blank screen or will show the sewer I'm in and -"

Mel froze. The mushroom - Toad stared back at her through the phone, the grass followed the breeze, and the clouds were perfect. "Oh."

Toad gently tsked. "It's not every day you accidentally warp through a pipe. Come on, there's a cafe at the Borderlands that's delicious, and I bet you could use something in your tummy."

"Y-yeah. Thank you," she said, letting them lead her by the hand further down the road.   "Where am I exactly?" 

"The outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom! Technically, we're in the border area between it and the Koopa Kingdom," Toad explained. "...It's complicated."

"Ah. So there are more like you?" She asked.

"Oh yes! There's a whole kingdom! The borders are more of a mix though - Toads like me, Koopas, goombas, bo-bombs, lakitu, and even some Beanish! It's a melting pot," Toad said. "You'll catch up!"

"Are there any humans? You called me human girl, so I'm assuming there's not a lot," Mel asked. 

"There are a few, but not usually out in the wild- literally in your case."

Soon enough, they came to a small stone and mushroom-capped building. Mel could smell something delicious from inside, and she immediately regretted skipping breakfast. Toad gestured for her to keep going, and so she did, sitting down at a small table and just as quickly garnered the stares of everything in the room. "Um, Toad-"

"Oh, right- hey guys, stop staring. It's rude! She just got here today, so don't make her uncomfortable!" Toad loudly said. The patrons shrugged, but Mel would occasionally catch them looking at her. "Like I said! Rare!" 

"No kidding," Mel trailed off, swirling her straw in a water glass that a waitress nervously sat down next to her. Toad pointed out several items on the menu she could like, and then pointed out each person in the room with their species - Koopa, goomba, etc. She couldn't really focus on Toad or much else afterward. All Mel could think of was that 1. She was in a whole new world and 2. How was she going to get home? 

A plate of what looked like cinnamon rolls was placed in front of her. "Huh?" 

"I ordered for you, I hope you like the mushroom twists! They're really good," Toad said. 

"Thank you," Mel said, picking one up and biting into it. She hummed in delight. "It is good." 

Toad smiled happily at that before biting into a large piece of toast. She took a few more bites until the twist was gone, then the next. Wiping her mouth, she cleared her throat. "Thank you, Toad. I owe you."

"Eh, no worries! It's just a couple of coins!" He replied. 

"Do...do you know how I can get home?" 

Toad paused at that, putting down his fork. "I don't know. Warp pipes, especially between worlds, are one way, save a few between the kingdoms. I'm sorry, Mel." 

Mel felt her hands begin to shake. "...Is there anyone who...who could?" 

"Maybe, but they never left if they did find a way home," he replied. "Mario and Luigi- they're heroes from a place called New York!  They saved the kingdoms multiple times, and now they're married to princesses!"

'They'd be too busy to help me anyway, probably,' Mel thought, biting her lip. 

"Oh, Mel, I'm sorry! Oh no, I didn't mean to make you upset!" Toad pleaded. "The Mushroom Kingdom isn't bad, and there are good schools and jobs- oh jeez you have a family probably-"

"No, no, just...friends. I don't- I'm an orphan- it's a long story," Mel said softly, rubbing her eyes. Toad pouted. 

"I'm sorry...I can help you here at least! I have a spare room, and maybe you can try to find that way home!" He offered. "I can be a friend here." 

Mel sniffed. "I couldn't ask you to do that. You just met me today."

"And you're a kid! And you need help," Toad replied. "Besides, you have a hero backstory. How neat would it be if I helped the next hero to the Kingdom?" 

And so Mel moved into a small guest room, down the road from the pipe that brought her there, and got a job waitressing at that same cafe. While she couldn't jump into the school system, Mel was able to get her hands on multiple books in the same year as her. She worked, studied, explored, and learned more and more about her new playground until it was as familiar as Brooklyn. 

"If I didn't know better," her boss said once, "I'd have thought you were from here."

"I'm just a quick study!" She laughed. The Cafe had gotten busier with her arrival. A human was a big draw, apparently, and they liked her, from the smile to the big blue eyes and strawberry blonde curls, the no-nonsense attitude and all. Mel was a welcome addition to the Borderlands. 

A few months post her arrival, the residents of the Mushroom Kingdom and a few of their allied kingdoms, plus a few begrudging invites as a show of fairness, were invited to a royal ball, celebrating some success or another. Mel jumped at the chance to go. 

"This can be my chance to meet Mario!" She begged her coworker. "He could help me find the pipe back! Please switch with me?" 

The Koopa sighed. "Fine. But you gotta be back at midnight on the dot. I'm not staying any later than that." 

"Oh, thank you! You're the best!" Mel squealed. Finally, there was a breakthrough in her search! She just hoped that she'd actually HAVE the chance to meet him. An entire kingdom plus other guests to take care of and greet too. She just hoped she'd get a minute to talk. Mel spent a few of her well-earned coins on a simple dress and shoes for the ball, still nice, but she couldn't exactly play princess when she wasn't. But the warm dandelion-colored dress was flowy and long, and she felt beautiful. 

Walking from the warp zone to the palace seemed to drag on the night of, between the crowd and just her impatience. At the very least, she and Toad could go through a normal entrance and didn't have to go through the nonsense of being announced. The crowd inside was vibrant and loud, but there was music over the din. Mel tried to peek over and around whenever she could, trying to catch a glimpse of red and pink, or even green and orange. The ballroom was far too crowded, and more than likely, the royal couples were mingling. Mel could feel eyes on her, and while, yes, she wanted attention. She didn't want to be under a microscope. Besides, would she have already lost Toad in the crowd? What difference would it make if she wandered off? Maybe she would find Mario or Princess Peach better that way. 

Mel wandered the halls, moving away from the din. The castle was beautiful to her, all the pretty carved statues and stained glass, and she decided that she would be content just to look at this place like a museum. There were a few portraits lining the walls: coronations, knighthood ceremonies, weddings, and then one that was veiled. She looked at it sadly, knowing that whoever was beneath was probably dead. 

'They must have been well loved,' Mel thought. 'Otherwise, this would have been put away.' 

She shuffled her feet in her shoes - they weren't the right size - and decided to find a place to sit for a few minutes before she began her search again. Turning a corner, she found a door with a small, golden plaque that read "west parlor." 

"Well, good a place as any," she said. 

-

Prince Bowser Jr. was bored. He understood why he had to come to this ball, but not why he had to stay. Wouldn't it have been enough to just be announced, say hello to Princess Peach and Mario, grab a tray of food, and bounce? But no, he had to stay and be polite. Be a gentleman. Represent the Koopa Kingdom in his father's stead, yadda yadda. 

"Besides, my prince," Kamek tutted, "you were invited, not your father."

Which, yeah, made sense. At least the kidnapping plots had slowed down if not stopped. But Mushroom Kingdom balls were boring: so much protocol, so many people to have to bow to and greet. And Kamek didn't make it easy to try and dip for most of it. Like, he knew why it was important. Junior was almost 18, heir apparent, and if they wanted to be buddy-buddy with any other kingdom, it had to be with him. But again, almost 18, this wasn't exactly how he wanted to spend a Friday night. The second Kamek was distracted, Junior left the ballroom. 

He knew the castle somewhat well, immediately running to a parlor in the west wing. At least there he didn't have to deal with people. Couldn't escape, but he'd take a break. Collapsing on a settee and careful of his shell spikes, he groaned. Just five minutes, that's all. And then he heard the door open. Junior looked up, half expecting Kamek and a long-winded scolding about running off, but instead saw a pretty human girl. She was about his age, if not a year or two younger, with bright blue eyes and brown-blonde hair twisted up, head to toe in sunshine gold. 

"Oh- shoot- I'm sorry!" She said. "I didn't think anyone was in here!"

"No! No, it's okay-," he felt himself stammering. "I, uh, just got here."

She smiled. "Got tired of waiting to see Mario and the Princess too?" 

She didn't know who he was. He wanted to be angry, but it... was nice to not have someone groveling and bowing. So he shrugged. "I've met them before. I just wanted out of the crowd. These balls can be boring."

"You've been to one before?" She asked. 

"Eh, a few," Junior replied. 

"This is my first one," she said, entering the room then and sitting. "I'm new to the whole...everything." 

"They're not so bad the first time, especially if you're here with people," he said. "I'm here with my- a family friend."

"I got separated from my friend in the crowd, so I'm clueless," she laughed. 

"Maybe I could show you around then?" Junior couldn’t believe the phrase coming out of his mouth. "It would probably be less miserable if I'm showing around someone."

"If you're miserable, why come?"

"Had to. It's a long story."

"I see. Well, I would definitely appreciate that all the same," she said. She extended a hand. "My name is Mel."

There was no title. Maybe she didn't care about that shit? Like, a cool noble. He shook it, his hand dwarfing hers. "I'm Junior."

Mel smiled again, fully, and Junior forced every piece of vitriol he had towards stuffy events down. He stood, extending an elbow to her. "Shall we?"

She nodded, and he could just see the bare hint of a blush on her cheeks. Yeah, he could suffer a few hours more. At least now he didn't have to stand around like a mannequin. 

"So where are you from? I've never seen you before."

"I just moved to the Borderlands. You're a Koopa, right?" 

"Yep. And proud!" 

Bowser Jr didn't realize that the Borderlands had royalty, let alone became sovereign. But the area was so contested that it made sense that it would unite or something. No wonder she didn't tack a title on, probably still too new. But she was human and pretty and carried herself with the confidence he recognized in princesses like Peach. The only thing he couldn't place was her accent. It was familiar but he couldn't place it. 

In any case, he showed her the best places to duck into for a break or to escape a chaperone, where to stand to snag the freshest snacks from the kitchen, and how to finesse grabbing a flute or two of champagne, which he demonstrated with a grin. She rolled her eyes but smirked. "Show off."

Bowser Jr tossed his head haughtily. "Thank you." 

Mel snorted behind her hand, clutching the glass so it wouldn't drop. He grinned, ready to say something else when he heard Kamek calling for him. "Shit- hey, want to dance?"

"I'm not really- I don't know the steps, really," Mel stammered. 

"I'll teach you, promise," he continued. He downed his champagne. Mel took a long sip before putting the glass down with a nod. Before she could say anything else, Bowser Jr took her hand and whisked her off onto the dance floor, avoiding Kamek and ignoring the gazes of those around them. Of course, they would stare - he was an almost 7-foot tall dragon with one of the only humans in the room, and she was pretty, so they better, he thought to himself. 

It was an awkward dance at first, between the height difference and her not knowing the steps, but eventually, they fell into a rhythm that worked, dancing through the crowd. Bowser Jr couldn't remember the last time he had fun at a ball that wasn't at home, but this was the first time in a long where he did. Between dancing and talking, showing off, and giving her the low-down on everyone, he actually felt his smile be near permanent, and if he wasn't careful, his tail would wag. 

"This is the most fun I've had in a while," Mel said. They had managed to find a quiet place to sit, away from the main crowds. "I haven't had the chance to hang out with anyone my own age recently." 

"That busy?" He asked. She nodded. "Yeah, I feel that." 

Mel froze after a second, lost in thought. "What time is it?"

"Almost midnight, why? Your coach gonna turn into a pumpkin?" Bowser Jr laughed. Mel didn't laugh, only rushing to put her shoes back on. "Mel?"

"Oh, I'm going to be late for work! I can't believe I lost track of time- and I never got to talk to Mario- Edaline is going to kill me if I'm late!" Mel rambled, stopping briefly to grab his hands. "Thank you for the best night I've had, probably ever. Hopefully, I'll see you soon. Bye!" 

With that, she dashed off. "Wait- hey!"

Bowser Jr gave chase. "Mel! Hold up-"

"Your highness!" Kamek flew in front of him, causing him to skid to a stop. "Where have you been?! You disappeared from the greeting line hours ago! I've been looking for you! And who was that?!"

"Kamek, not now! I need to talk to her-," Bowser Jr peered around, searching for a sign of her. "Gah! Move!"

"Prince Bowser!" Kamek scolded as he pushed around him, looking for any glimpse of sunshine or blonde hair. He made it as far as the front entrance before he realized that he had lost her trail, and he sighed. All he had was her name and the vague 100-mile stretch of land between two kingdoms. Swallowing his pride on the matter, he turned to go back inside when he spotted one singular white and gold shoe. He picked it up between two careful claws, holding it in his hands. He heard Kamek teleport behind him with a 'poof' of magic. 

"What was that about, young man?" The older magikoopa asked. "You were supposed to stay with the other nobles, but instead, you were off galavanting with some girl!" 

 "She - she's never been to a ball before," Bowser Jr said simply. 

"No wonder, those new royals never follow protocol," Kamek scoffed. "And she lost her shoe? How careless."

"I don't think she was royal at all. She said she had to go to work," he replied. "She's just a normal girl." 

Mel, a normal human girl, who had a job and lost her shoe at a ball. He knew a fairytale like that once and decided that he had to find her, just like in the story. At least she'd be easy to find. A human in the Borderlands? Easy. 

"Come along, my Prince. Princess Peach and Mario were worried to see you run off like that," Kamek said. Bowser Jr. nodded with a huffed okay, and cast one more look out into the Mushroom Kingdom before heading back inside. 

The next day, he left the castle early before Kamek or his dad could get on his case or whatever, flying his car over the Borderlands. There were very few towns and fewer citizens overall that had seen a human. By noon, he only had a fraction of the area searched, multiple calls and texts missed, and his stomach was growling. With a frustrated groan, he landed his car down next to a small diner, stone and mushroom capped, and stomped over to an outside table. 

There was already a menu there, even water, but if it was someone else's, he couldn't bring himself to really care. Half-heartedly, he flipped through the menu, barely even reading it when he heard someone say "hello" next to him. He turned and saw the vanilla curls and sky blue eyes, and a wide smile looking up at him. Mel looked tired, probably not having slept much, but it was her. 

"Hi," Bowser Jr replied. "Can I place an order to go?"

--

Mel felt ragged. She only had a few hours of sleep under her belt when she came back to work the following morning, and the breakfast, brunch, and lunch rushes seemed to have no break in-between. She rolled her shoulders and stretched her ankles from behind the counter - all the dancing and running around the night before made her feel sore. 

"Mel, a guest at table 15. A new one," her coworker, Marie, called from the front. "Just scabbed the table from someone in the bathroom, but by the looks of it, I think I'm just gonna not raise a fuss."

Mel chuckled, grabbing her pad and walking up front to her coworker. "Why? Is it a chain chomp or something?"

The toad shook her head. "No! Look! It's a Koopa!" 

"Sis, we've served hundreds of koopas," Mel rolled her eyes. "What makes this one...different."

She recognized the shell and tied back red hair almost immediately. "Oh!"

"Oh is right! I'm surprised you didn't see him at the ball! That's Prince Bowser Jr!" Marie said. "I don't deal with the Koopa royalty, you know? So demanding, and I'm sure you've heard all about his daddy."

Who hadn't, honestly? But, it did explain a lot of things about the previous night to Mel. "I can handle it."

"Be careful!"

Junior or Bowser Jr was sitting quietly at the table, flipping through the menu lazily, and barely noticed her approach. She pocketed her pen pad into her apron and stood at his side. "Hello."

He looked at her, almost in shock. Mel thought or worried more like, that he wouldn't recognize her without all the primping that went into her everything the night before. 

"Hi," he replied. "Could I place an order to go?"

Mel forced herself to not scowl or frown. She couldn't tell if she was upset or angry that he didn't remember her, or didn't recognize her without being gussied up. Or worse, he realized that she was a commoner and didn't want to be around her. She pulled her pen pad from her apron and clicked her pen with more force than necessary. "What would you like?" 

"You."

"Huh?" 

Before she could get any clarification, he had her in his grip, one hand at her waist, the other on her knees. Mel shouted in alarm, trying to pry one of the hands off while she grabbed at a horn or something on his face to spur him into dropping her. But he was far too strong and his scales were perfect armor. He had the nerve, the absolute gall, to laugh instead, walking over to a waiting flying car.

“MARIE! HELP!” She shouted, but the small toad nor the rest of the customers, nor anyone else could really do anything. “Let me go!” 

“Consider it a lunch break!” Bowser Jr joked, hefting her into the back seat. “Hold on!”

Mel tried jumping over the side, but the car took off in less than a second, and she fell backward onto the plush seating. By the time she righted herself, they were hundreds of feet from the ground. She gasped upon seeing that, and threw herself back onto the floor of the car, trying not to panic. Between getting kidnapped and being a thousand feet high, two of her worst fears were coming to fruition. “I-I- I’m not joking! Let me go!”

She hated how weak her voice sounded. If Junior had heard her, he made no show of it. Mel wanted to keep shouting at him, grab the controls or something, but the wind would buffet her, or she would catch a glimpse of anything that reminded her of how high she was. All she could do was try and keep herself from getting ill between the heights and speed. 

The air soon grew hot, and tall black stone mountains began to grow around them. Mel had only seen them from the distance or caught the smell of heat and brimstone on a breeze, but never once had she stepped foot into the Koopa Kingdom. Peering over her kidnapper the best she could, she could see the approaching stone castle, surrounded by lava. The entrance was in the facsimile of what she assumed to be King Bowser's face, but they flew above it. Mel ducked back down, trying to quell her stomach. 

The car slowly descended, landing smoothly on stone. Bowser Jr was first to exit, opening the door and offering a hand to help her down like a gentleman, as if he hadn't just stolen her from work and ignored her protests. 

He was rewarded with a punch to the snout. 

He and Mel both cried out in alarm and pain. His skull was harder than she thought, scales rougher, and she cradled her hand, hissing all the while. He, for his part, rubbed the sore spot on his nose. 

"Ow! What the heck?!" He snapped. 

"You kidnapped me! What is WRONG with you?!" Mel shouted. "I can't believe I was excited to see you again! And you're just a creep!" 

"Hey! I was looking for you all day! I wanted to see you again too!" He said. She looked at him incredulously. 

"So you kidnapped me?! What kind of logic is that?" She continued. 

"It made sense."

"In what damn way? And why didn't you mention you were a prince?" 

"It never came up! And it makes sense because it's a damn Koopa royalty tradition!"

"To kidnap people? What in the-" 

"Prince Bowser! Where HAVE you been?!" Came a sudden shout down the hall. 

Bowser Jr groaned. "Aw dammit- Kamek please don't-"

Who Mel assumed was Kamek appeared in a magic burst in front of them. "Your father and I have been calling you all day, you left the castle without telling anyone- which is typical honestly but-" 

Kamek finally noticed Mel and she felt very scrutinized under the bespectacled gaze. She became horribly aware of how much of a mess she probably looked, and tried to smooth down her hair and skirt. "Hello?" 

"....My prince," Kamek said carefully. "Who is this?" 

"This is Mel, the girl I met at the ball last night. I found her and brought her here," he explained. Mel scoffed. 

"That makes it sound like I had a say in the matter," she hissed. "He kidnapped me from work!" 

Kamek pinched his beak. "Of course. And we're woefully underprepared for a guest, even if she isn't royal." 

"Oh no, I am not staying!" Mel protested. 

"Of course not," Kamek said. "But it's going to take at least a few days for Mario to arrive." 

"What, can't I just leave?" Mel asked. 

"Unless you have the supplies to make it to the Borderlands yourself, including flameproof boots and such, no," Kamek replied. "His highness is simply going to have to deal with the situation. But by the look of it, you already do need a pair of shoes."

Mel looked down to see that she was in fact shoeless. "I must have lost them when someone KIDNAPPED me."

"We get it! I kidnapped you, and like I said: tradition!" Bowser Jr said.

"Yeah, one I don't participate in, idiot!" Mel snapped. "So, get me some flameproof kicks, and let me go."

"You realize that you would have to walk all the way there, right? The warp pipe closest to the diner is still a mile off, and it's a few miles from here," he smirked. "So it would take a few days." 

She glared at him. "Then drive. Me. Back." 

"No. Listen, Mel, there's no real malice I guess? Behind this. I want to get to know you better," he replied, holding her hand in his. "Really."

Mel yanked her hand away. "I would have agreed to a date if you asked. Now, I want a continent between us."

"Oh, this brings back memories," Kamek said fondly. "Just like when your father brought Peach here the first time. Just as much arguing." 

"I'm not going to get much help here, am I?" Mel asked. 

"No, child," the magikoopa replied. "Well, come along. The prince needs to speak to his father, and I can't babysit you. There should be a guest room that can accommodate you."

Mel sat down on the floor. "Oh absolutely not. I'm staying right here."

"She's very stubborn, my Prince," Kamek said wearily. 

Bowser Jr rolled his eyes. "Mel, you can either walk, or I carry you. Or Kammy uses magic on you. But unless you want to be at risk of getting pelted with fireballs or acid rain, I suggest going inside." 

She narrowed her eyes. "I'll risk it."

He groaned. "Kamek? You take care of this, I'm going to go before dad flips or she punches me again."

"You deserved it!" 

Kamek ignored Mel's protests, instead waving his wand in her direction. She found herself going stock still and pin straight, floating a few inches on the ground. As Kamek walked into the castle behind the prince, Mel found herself floating behind him. The castle was the complete opposite of the Mushroom Kingdom’s - dark and gloomy with the odd torch to light the way, and just as many portraits. She tried to memorize the path Kamek took her, just in case she did get the chance to escape. But it all seemed to blur after a while, and there was an oppressive lack of windows that certainly did not help. Kamek eventually came to a stop in front of a pair of double doors, waving a hand toward them. They opened, and Kamek gestured for Mel to enter. Against her will, she floated in, landing solidly on her feet once the magic dissipated. Mel turned, going for the door. 

“Ah ah, young lady. You will stay put,” Kamek scolded. “You did strike the Prince, but you are our guest.”

“I don’t want to be here,” Mel begged. “Please, surely no one would care!”

“You’d be surprised,” the older koopa said. “Someone will be by shortly to make sure you have what you need.”

With that, the doors closed, and Mel heard them lock. Regardless, she tried the handles, pulled at the hinges, anything that could have been a weak point. But they were sturdily made or out of reach. She dashed to the only window, looking out onto the lava and stone that made up the kingdom. Somehow, Mel had been brought up higher than she thought, and the stone courtyard was far below her. She stepped back - no way could she make her way down that way. Mel took a breath. 

“Okay, this is bad,” she said softly. “Let’s just…calm down. Toad and my coworkers probably alerted someone who is going to alert Mario. Hopefully, he or someone will come to get me and I am not unimportant enough to ignore.” 

Mel looked around the room. It was obviously made for human guests or at least non-koopas. The furniture was still oversized, but it still looked comfortable enough for a stay. The bed was large and plush with black bedding, with a red velvet canopy hanging above it. There was a dressing table and mirror, as well as a black wood wardrobe on the other side. Mel assumed that the small door in the far corner was to the bathroom. She was just glad for a window in the long run, and the idea of sleeping in a large bed did seem like a pleasant idea after sleeping in a small, slightly above-average toad-size bed for months. She scowled - that would just be putting fuel on a fire and she wanted to show how displeased she was. 

She opted to sit on the dressing table chair, turning it to face the door. Mel sat and stared, waiting and willing for Bowser Jr. to open the door. She spared a glance down at her fist: it was bruised and a little scraped from the punch. Mel winced, prying open a few drawers at the table. There were a few brushes and the like. The bathroom had a first-aid kit which she took advantage of, cleaning and wrapping her hand before returning to her post. Not before brushing out the tangles and wind-swept locks of hair, just so it wouldn’t be a nightmare later. 

Then, she sat and waited. She heard the faint boom of a voice from somewhere in the depths of the castle, and Mel could only assume it was Bowser. While she couldn’t assume the conversation, but she hoped he was chewing him out. Mel went to the door, trying to hear anything else, but could only hear rumble. She let out a frustrated sigh, pacing the room. The rough stone, while initially a grounding comfort, were biting her feet, but there was only so much sitting and waiting she could stand. There was a click of a lock, and she bolted to the seat, sitting down with her arms crossed and what she hoped with a deep scowl. Mel stared as the door opened, revealing Bowser Jr. 

“Well,” she said, “I hope your dad chewed you out for this.”

“More for not having a plan about it, or talking to him first,” Bowser Jr. shrugged as he approached. Mel groaned and rolled her eyes. “I have something for you.”

“An apology?”

“No, but I figured you might prefer having something of yours back,” he replied. He held up a gold and white shoe and her eyes widened. 

“My shoe!” Mel exclaimed, reaching out for it. He yanked it away. “Hey!”

“Allow me,” he said graciously as he knelt. Before she could stop him, he grabbed one of her ankles, gently at least, and slipped the shoe on for her. “There….on second thought, maybe you would have preferred a full pair.”

“Could you please let go of my ankle?” Mel asked. “And while you’re at it, me.”

Bowser Jr. sighed, standing up. “I can’t.”

“Tradition, shmadition! I want to leave,” she insisted. 

“Look, Mel. Obviously, this isn’t working out how I planned-”
“You had no plan.”

“BUT- if I bring you back, it would be seen as an insult to you,” he said. 

She raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Because it would imply that I changed my mind about you, or that you aren’t- weren’t what I wanted or needed,” Bowser Jr. continued. “If I let you go, it would look like I couldn’t take care of you or worse, that I wanted you to risk danger by crossing Koopa lands by yourself as a non-koopa. I’m next in line, and these things have to be played carefully.”

The last line felt like a repetition - something his father or Kamek said maybe? 

“So the only option is for you to be rescued,” he said. 

“That’s some bullroar, Junior,” Mel hissed. “And how long will I have to wait?” 

“A few days at most, maybe two since no one is ready for a fight, I didn’t set up anything,” Junior rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “All you have to do is chill, and when Mario gets here, I won’t fight him. You’ll be free to go - I also don’t want to get my ass beat right now.” 

“You’re lucky I’m not used to punching a wall of scales,” she said, but after a moment, relented. “Fine. Just…be cool, I guess. I don’t think there’s anymore I could say to you.”

“Fair. Is your hand okay?” Junior asked, and the same person she had met the night before came out as he glanced at her bandaged hand. “For what it's worth, you really did pack a punch there.”

“I’ll live,” Mel shrugged. “But ice would be appreciated.”

“Consider it done.”

While being held hostage definitely was less than ideal, there was a perk or two to it. The bed was huge and comfortable, and she never had to ask more than once for anything. Mel was still not happy with Junior or the situation, but she couldn’t remember the last time she was treated with kid gloves. At the very least, Junior got the memo quickly and left her be most of the time. He was right about the timing, give or take. Three days after she was brought to the castle, a scout informed them of Mario’s imminent arrival. Kamek guided Mel down to the throne room without the use of magic, gesturing for her to stand at a certain spot. 

“The setup is always just so, it creates a lovely symmetry,” Kamek said. “Just a little to the left - there. The stained glass hits you, his royal fieriness is the shadows, and the prince is in the midlight.”

“You’ve had practice, huh?” Mel asked with a wry grin. 

“Plenty, but my prince denied the use of any of the holding cells or ropes for dramatic effect, especially since he won’t be fighting,” he said. “It’s a good thing. I won’t be having him all bandaged for his coronation.” 

Mel rolled her eyes, but Kamek leaned in close. “Also, I don’t like seeing him or his father hurt. I raised them, so you can imagine that I’m partial to seeing them intact.”

“Ah, I see,” she replied. Kamek nodded, quickly adjusting a single lock of her hair before flying off. Bowser Jr. came in shortly, flagged by a dozen troopers. He waved them off, and they went to stand along the walls. “And here I thought the Koopas weren’t one for pageantry.”

“Oh, we love it, just differently than the Mushroom Kingdom,” he said. “More warrior than anything. They love pomp and circumstance shit.”

There was a rattling thud of footsteps, and all the troopers stood sharply to attention. Mel watched as Junior also straightened, just like a soldier, and faced the front entrance to the throne room. The door opened, and Bowser walked in. He was just as Mel pictured him, but with a shock of gray running through his bright red mane of hair. Kamek was at his side as well, running through the scout’s report over his shoulder. Bowser gruffly nodded with a huff before turning his attention to Mel. She felt herself freeze under the stare. 

“So, you’re the little waitress that spurred this,” Bowser said. “Gotta say, when Junior said he met a girl, I assumed a princess. But I can see that he got a blonde bruiser instead. HAH!”

Mel tucked her bandaged fist behind her. 

“Nah, the brat deserved it,” he laughed. “Next time you’re here, he better have a plan and everything set up. I hate having to curtail to that little red-hatted loser.”

“There won’t be a next time if Junior knows what’s good,” Mel said proudly. Bowser stared at her for a moment before breaking into loud laughter. Junior looked ready to keel over. 

“You, I like you,” he said, patting her shoulder with a heavy hand and nearly knocking her flat onto the ground. He made his way up to the throne. “Junior, keep your eye on her - I don’t even care if she’s not royal. She’s got bite!”

“My lord!” a trooper burst in. “Mario has entered the castle.”

“Well? Let him in! The sooner this is over with the better,” Bowser complained, leaning lazily in his seat. Mel wished she could have just met Mario in the courtyard and been done with it, if only to avoid how inconceivably awkward this would have been coupled with her desire to leave. Eventually, the doors opened, and who she assumed was Mario entered. 

She thought he would have been taller, but he looked identical to the portraits and coins she had seen. Like Bowser, his hair had been peppered with white-gray on the sides, and unlike how she imagined royalty, he wore blue denim overalls, a red henley, and a red cap. The only thing that made it all stand out was how well they were made. Usually, plumbers didn’t have tailored work clothes, at least in Mel’s experience. 

“Mario,” Bowser said. He took no effort to hide the malice in his tone. 

“Bowser,” he replied. Mel recognized his accent immediately. He was from Brooklyn like her! Mario looked over at Junior. “Junior. Peach and I had hoped you wouldn’t start this.”

“Oh my god, I wasn’t even planning on it,” Junior said, exasperated. “Trust me, if I was gonna start this, I would have planned better. I just had to keep with tradition. At least we’re not duking it out.”

“Still, it’s the principle,” Mario said. He sounded tired, but from what Mel knew, he had rescued Peach dozens of times from the same place or otherwise, and sometimes even with Bowser as an awkward ally. He turned to Mel and smiled gently at her. “Hello, miss. I’ve come to take you home.”

“Thank you,” she said. “You have no clue how much I’ve been biting at the bit to leave.”

“I think I can guess,” Mario laughed. He stared at her for a moment in the stained glass light. “Have we met before?”

“Maybe you saw me at the ball? I was actually trying to meet you-”

“Yeah yeah, she was playing Cindersoot or whatever,” Bowser waved his hand dismissively. “Now please leave. This is bad enough to have you here as is, Red.”

Mario rolled his eyes. “Goodbye to you as well. If you start anything at the Sports Faire-”

“Rude to insult my sportsman’s honor, princey,” Bowser growled. “Now scram.”

Mel didn’t look back as Mario took her arm and led her out. The air in the Koopa Kingdom was far denser and sulphuric than she thought, and she pitifully coughed once outside. Mario looked at her with worry, not having realized that she wouldn’t have been accustomed to the air there. 

“Easy, nina,” he said. “Hold on.”

Mario looked up and pressed two fingers to his mouth, letting out a high-pitched whistle. The clouds above parted after a moment, and Mel thought for sure she was in a fever dream. Instead, a large cloud-shaped bus flew - drove?- down and pulled up next to the two. A blue-capped lakitu sat up front. “Greetings, Mario! You called for a bus?”

“I did. This young lady can’t handle the air here, and we need a quick route back to the Mushroom Kingdom,” Mario replied. The lakitu nodded, hopping off the car to offer a hand to Mel. 

“Thank you,” she said, sitting down on the cloud seats. Mario joined her, and soon the bus took off into the sky. Mel squeezed her eyes shut, not willing to see how far below the ground was, but they were driving slower than Junior had. “Sorry, I’m a bit nervous about heights.”

“Let me lower this bad boy down once we’re out of Koopa airspace!” The lakitu, whose name was JB as she learned, said. “Cloud upholstery is a pain to clean.”

“I can imagine,” Mel grimaced. Soon the clouds opened up and she saw the familiar blue she had grown so accustomed to. “Sky’s bluer here than in New York.”

“Pollution still bad back in Brooklyn?” Mario asked. It had been decades since he last stepped onto his former stomping grounds. 

“It’s gotten better. But I don’t know, everything just seems brighter here,” Mel said. “When my friend, Toad, said you were from New York, I never imagined the same borough as me.”

“Which neighborhood? My brother and I are from Fulton Ferry,” Mario said. “Damn, our old storefront is probably gutted. Or gentrified.”

“Downtown, just off of Pierremont near the parks,” Mel said. “So I was only ever a few blocks away from it.”

“Ain’t that just the way,” he replied with a grin. “Is, uh, Ol’ Tony’s still around?”

“Oh my god yes! That’s my favorite place in the world,” she exclaimed. “My favorite is the pastrami on rye, and no one can tell me that anything other than Katz’s is better.”

“I haven’t had one in years, and I miss it,” Mario said. “It’s mine too, actually. That and-”

“Italian sausage-egg-n-cheese on a hard roll, no ketchup, add hot sauce,” Mel sighed. “I’ve been thinking about them nearly every morning." 

"My first few months were the same, and I like the one with ham and potatoes," Mario nodded. "They're still called hobos, right?" 

"Yep, still a staple in every bodega," Mel said. "God, this is great. I've been lonely for other humans. Don't get me wrong, everyone is great and I love’em. I tried to meet you and Princess Peach at the ball, but...well, I got distracted by the wrong crowd I guess."

Mario sighed. “Bowser Junior is…eh, rough around the edges. But he’s better than his father was when he was his age. According to Peach, anyway.”

“Yeah well, he screwed up with me for sure,” Mel huffed. “Oh well…but at least I get to talk to you!”

“Let me guess, a fan?” Mario half-heartedly smiled. She shook her head. 

“You’ve been all over the kingdoms, and everywhere else,” she said. “You must have found a warp pipe back home. Have you?”

“Wait, you didn’t come through that one?” Mario asked. “When did you come through?”

“About two…no three months ago,” Mel replied. “From a pipe in the borderlands.”

“Ah! I see,” he nodded. “A few months ago, I faced off with an old foe. He got his hands on an artifact that allowed him to send various people to different realms or worlds then their own. Like, penguins in the Koopa Kingdom, yoshi in New Donk City, a few toads up in space. I can imagine that someone got sent to Brooklyn. When I defeated him and the artifact was destroyed, everyone returned home via warp. You may have just been a wrong place, wrong time accident. I’m sorry.”

“Well, that makes sense, I guess. I’m still getting a handle on everything here,” Mel replied. “But there is a pipe back to Brooklyn? And it goes both ways?”

“Yes, it- it does,” Mario began. “I went back once but…I couldn’t stay and even if I did want to go back, there’s more keeping me here now. A kingdom, my wife, and god know what trying to take over every so often. I have more than I ever imagined here. So, yes, I miss it but I don’t want to go.”

“Could you take me there? I really need to let the orphanage know I’m okay and that I didn’t run away," Mel pleaded. "Not sure how to explain leaving though…" 

Mario shook his head. "I wish I could. It's been very long time since I was last there. It's in the deepest part of the Toadwoods in the Borderlands, and considering no one goes that far, I can't imagine how overgrown things must be." 

"Oh…alright," she replied, dejected. "I'm sure I can manage."

"It was northeast of the main path, past the abandoned vim factory on the side towards Hollijolli village," Mario thought back to a lifetime ago, cleaning up after the Shroob's damage and finding it. "You know? I may have a map.”

She perked up at that. “Really?”

“If not, one can be made,” he replied. Mel smiled as bright as the sun, and once more, Mario swore he saw her before. She couldn’t have been born the last time he was in Brooklyn, so if anything, he must have seen her parents reflected in her if he knew them. “So, an orphanage?”

“Yeah, no big deal though,” she shrugged. “The nuns are nice enough, but I fade into the background being the eldest, you know.”

“I’m surprised you weren’t adopted.  Last my brother and I checked, the blondes were the most popular,” he said, gesturing to himself. “Went between a bunch of fosters until I aged out and took him with me.” 

“I’m technically a Jane Doe,” Mel said. “No one really wanted to adopt me, just in case my family was found. But it’s been eight years since I got taken in, I doubt they’re around.”

“You don’t know your parents or who they were?” Mario asked, shocked. Even he had some memories of his parents, as faded as they were. Mel nodded, maybe sadly so.”

“Yeah, I uh…I was found wandering near the orphanage when I was eight. Someone found me and thought I strayed off from the house and got hurt,” she explained. “The nuns didn’t recognize me, so the police were called, I went to the hospital…No one came forward, and I don’t have any memories from before then.”

She brushed a lock of hair away from above her right temple, revealing a large, faded scar. “The doctors think I got a pretty bad head injury there, and I have amnesia. Nothing has brought the memories back, but I can get some nasty headaches when I try to remember.” 

“I am so sorry,” Mario said. “That’s terrible.”

“In any case,” Mel replied, “it means I can’t miss what I lost. I just wish I knew my real name.”

Chapter Text

When Princess Peach heard that Bowser Jr. had kidnapped someone, she fought tooth and nail to keep a migraine at bay. She had hoped that he would forgo that little Koopa tradition, or at least just put it into a more ceremonial thing rather than a series of nonsense that she had had to deal with since she was a teenager. His father, to his credit, had somewhat ceased his attempts - his age, her marriage, among other things…Peach just hoped he would have the sense to talk to his son about it. Who was she kidding? It took Bowser more than 20 years to slow down. 

Her soldiers had informed her and Mario immediately once it occurred. A waitress and the girl’s guardian had alerted them to their plight. She had been, apparently, at her ball just previously, and had been the one Junior was running with the whole night, and he showed up at her job and out of the blue, took her. It was weak, sloppy, and it told her immediately that he had no clue what he was doing. Peach’s one concern was the girl. Her guardian told them that she had never stepped foot out of the Borderlands or the Mushroom Kingdom - the poor thing had no clue about what dangers would be around if she did escape, let alone about how to navigate Koopa lands. She wasn’t even from the Mushroom Kingdom. 

Peach sighed. Mel, the girl, had found herself trapped in this world without a link back home, but at the very least made friends quickly. She just wished she had met her sooner, that she had come to the castle and sought aid. After all, she was just a child, and now she was trapped in the Koopa Kingdom. 

“Don’t worry. This won’t take long, and I’ll be back with her before you know it,” Mario said. “And hey, Bowser hasn’t had enough time to plan anything, so the castle will be secure.”

“He hasn’t done anything in a while…,” Peach said warily. “If he has any tact, he won’t."

Both of them knew he could have it if the past eight years were evidence. Only five schemes in that whole time. Mario gently took her hand, kissing the knuckles. “I’ll be home soon, mia principessa.” 

“My hero,” she said fondly, like a happy sigh. He hopped, kissing her cheek before heading out into the kingdom and onward. Peach watched as he became a small red and blue dot until he disappeared into a warp pipe. She sighed, turning away from her balcony to tend to her people and kingdom. Toadsworth stood at the ready, though leaning heavily on his cane these days, with a shortened list of duties. “Toadsworth, you know I can handle the full list.”

“And I know that some can be delegated to other staff. Please, my princess,” he said, carefully falling into step next to her, “let me take some burden from your shoulders.”

Peach smiled softly, knowing that she hadn’t the heart to fight him. “Alright. But I am fine! Really…just worried for my husband and the girl he’s rescuing. I wish Junior hadn’t done this.”

“He’s kidnapped you before,” Toadsworth replied. “But that was because he was convinced you were his mother.”

“I was around enough,” Peach laughed. “And he was just little.”

Junior had only been a toddler, so it was really more of his father’s doing. But he was attached to her, calling her ‘mama’ and dragging books and toys to her side to play, often falling asleep on her lap by the end of it. Peach never had the heart to tell him no to playing a game or reading aloud to him. If anything, it only reinforced how much she wanted to be a mother…

“Toadsworth, I want to stop by the west hall…the girl Junior took, she’s the same age,” she said. He paused for a moment. 

“Yes, my princess, but only for a moment,” he relented. Peach nodded in thanks, going down another hallway to the lower level and into the west wing. She passed each portrait commemorating special events to her and Mario - her coronation, his knighthood ceremony, their wedding...and then the last family portrait they had commissioned. Peach couldn’t bring herself to remove the curtain, only brushing it aside for a minute or two to look at a pair of wide blue eyes set in a rosy-cheeked face. She felt Toadsworth touch her hand. “Peach...here.”

He handed her a handkerchief. She hadn’t even realized that a few tears had pooled in her eyes. “Oh! Thank you, Toadsworth.”

“Let us finish the list for the day, and then perhaps we can have dinner in the gardens,” he said. “The rose garden aways does you a world of good.” 

“You know me too well, dear Toadsworth,” Peach replied. She blotted her eyes, handing the handkerchief back. “Shall we?”

“Yes, my princess,” Toadsworth bowed his head. “Shall we start with our department of roads?”

Peach nodded, and let her mind leave the worries plaguing her on the balcony as she went about her afternoon. Things went as normally as she could have wished. Mario would have usually been at her side if he wasn’t out helping a kingdom or their own citizens, and while she was used to him leaving, she couldn’t help missing his presence. A few days had passed like this, and then word came of him arriving soon with Mel, first by the Royal Bus, and now by foot and warp.

She rushed to the castle warp zone, only accessible to her, Mario, and their staff. All she cared about was making sure both were alright. Mario was first to appear, leaping from the pipe and to her waiting arms with a kiss. Before she could say anything, Mel came up, unsteadily so. Peach stepped forward, offering the girl a hand down, only to freeze at the sight of her. The young woman was dirty blonde with bright blue eyes, and for a moment, Peach felt like she was looking in a mirror. But Mel had the tiniest freckles and sported yellow, her grateful, bashful smile was a little crooked but bright. She hoped there was nothing freudian about Junior taking her from work. 

“Hello young one,” Peach said, helping Mel down. “Easy there.”

“Thank you- sorry about that,” Mel clumsily curtseyed. “I haven’t really gotten used to warps, and I’m short a shoe…its a long story.” 

“There’s nothing to apologize for,” Peach laughed kindly. “And trust me, I have returned home in a similar state more than once.”

“That’s true,” Mario added, wrapping an arm around his wife’s middle. “Peach, this is Mel, Mel, this is Princess Peach.” 

“It’s nice to meet you,” Mel smiled. “Mario told me a lot about you!”

“Likewise. I’m just sad that we couldn’t meet under better circumstances,” Peach replied. “Come, let’s see about getting you a change of clothes and some food in you both.”

“That sounds wonderful,” the girl said. “Don’t get me wrong, Koopa cuisine is good but…very heavy, and not a lot of the clothing fit.” 

“Believe me, I know.” Peach smiled. “Once you’ve gotten your bearings, we’ll have some of our guards escort you back to your guardian.” 

Mel smiled in return, warm like a summer breeze, shoulders relaxing in relief. “Thank you both.”

“Of course, Mel,” the princess said. She watched as she was taken to a spare room by a maid, asking her about her favorite colors and her measurements, and if she liked rose or peony-scented soap. Mario gently touched her hand. “Hm?”

“Are you alright, love?” he asked. “You tensed up for a moment there.”

Peach nodded - he had learned to know her too well. “I am now. It’s just…she’s her age, Mario.”

“I know. The hair doesn’t help either, does it?” he said. “But she’s from Brooklyn. There’s no way.”

“Right…did Bowser or Junior give you any trouble?” Peach asked as they made their way back to their own chambers. 

“Bowser was himself,” he shrugged. “Junior looked like he wanted to die from embarrassment.”

“Poor boy,” she chuckled. “I’ll assume they’ll still be making an appearance later this month for the Sports Faire?” 

Mario nodded. “Si, amore. If Mel attends, let's make sure to keep her on our side of the teams, just in case.”

“Agreed. I’m going to check in on the kitchen and staff and let them know we’ll have a guest,” she stated. “You, change. I love you, really, but you smell like charcoal still.”

He couldn't help but laugh, and Peach left with a similar smile on her face. The kitchen was alerted soon enough, Toadsworth quickly catching up with her. "Princess, I heard Mario was successful. Is anyone hurt at all?" 

"No, just a bit tired," she replied. "There wasn't even a fight this time. Junior bowed out." 

"Good, good. And the young lady?" Toadsworth asked. "I know one of the maids took her to a guest chamber." 

"I was also about to check in with her as well," Peach stated. "Why don't you join me?" 

"My pleasure, my princess." 

-

Mel could say that the guest room she was in at the Mushroom Castle was a step up. Bright and warm, with pictures and flowers all over the room. It felt cozier. The maid, Thargarite, had given her some privacy to bathe and change, quickly leaving a dress and a pair of flats on the bed. 

"I'll be back shortly to bring your uniform to the laundry and help with your hair, miss," she said, nodding her head before quietly leaving the room. Mel wanted to tell her she didn't have to, really, but the maid seemed dead set on carrying out her duties.  It was nice, though, to have someone brush her hair as it dried. The maid tsked, dabbing the brush with oil. "The heat in the Koopa Kingdom dries out hair so awfully. This should help though!" 

"Thanks, I hadn't really noticed," Mel said. "It smells nice, like the soap in the bathroom.”

“I made sure to grab the rose oil,” Thargarite said happily. “You said you liked the scent!”

Mel hummed contentedly. “I do-I always have. It makes me feel…safe, somehow.”

“Oh, then you’ll love the rose garden!” she replied. “You have to go through before you leave later.”

“That sounds wonderful! I think seeing it will be good after the past few days. Thank you,” Mel said. 

Thargarite nodded, running the brush down the length of her hair until it was dry and smooth before giving some of the stand-out curls a primp. “There! How pretty.”

Before Mel could say anything, there was a soft rapping at the door. Thargarite lept from the stool she had been standing on to open it. She quickly curtsied upon seeing Princess Peach. “Your highness! Please, enter.”

Mel quickly stood, watching Peach and Toadsworth enter. “Hello again.”

“How are you feeling?” Peach asked. Mel looked better, a bit brighter than before.

“Much better. Thank you for the dress and shoes,” Mel bowed her head. “Thargarite has been a great help.”

Thargarite beamed at that. Toadsworth nodded at the maid. “She is one of our best in the new staff. I’m glad to hear that.”

He stepped forward. “I am Toadsworth, the princess’s head of staff and advisor.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Mel,” she replied. 

“Likewise,” he nodded. “Now, let’s get everything sorted out, shall we?”

“Get what sorted out?” she asked, confused. Mel glanced at Princess Peach in concern. The princess rolled her eyes at her advisor. 

“Oh, Toadsworth, we don’t need a debriefing. From what Mario told me, nothing was planned,” she said. 

“That’s true. Junior basically just…left me alone once he realized how angry I was,” Mel shrugged. She still felt hurt, angry mostly, at the event, even if Junior had respected her space and didn’t fight Mario. “I did punch him in the nose, though.”

Toadsworth sputtered at the thought of that. After a moment, Peach snorted, only to break out into a laugh. “You punched him? Oh my goodness! Your poor hand - his poor ego!” 

Peach wiped a tear from her eye. “I should have done that to Bowser the first time.”

“My princess, that isn’t suitable,” Toadsworth said. It sounded like an old line of his, used over years and years. He sounded like a father. 

“You said the same thing when I got into competitive sports,” she grinned. “Now you cheer me on.” 

Mel giggled behind a hand at the exchange. Peach turned her smile to the girl. “We still have some time before tea will be ready. I can come back to get you soon-”

“Actually, can I take a walk in the gardens? Thargarite was mentioning how pretty the rose garden is, and I would love to see it!” Mel asked. “If that’s okay, of course.”

“I would be more than happy to take you, dear,” Peach replied. “The rose garden is one of my favorite places in the castle.” 

Mel smiled at that, locking arms with the princess as they swept out of the room. Toadsworth turned to the maid. “Please accompany them. I wish to check on Mario before anything.”

Thargarite nodded with a quick curtsey before quickly catching up with the two, following close behind the blondes, one in bright pink, one in yellow. Toadsworth watched as the three disappeared down the hall, and felt a small ache for years prior when a smaller blonde in yellow skipped alongside his Princess, holding onto her hand.  He sighed and slowly made his way to the master apartments in the castle. He knew he was getting too old, but he was loathe to cater to the thought of retiring - not yet. 

He knocked on the door, hearing Mario welcoming him in from the other side, still in the same red and blue, but the adventuring gear was folded at the foot of the bed, replaced with a button-down and dress pants. Despite being prince consort and having access to the funds, he always preferred more common, plain clothing, but now more tailored and well-made with the random embellishment he had been swayed on. His humility had always made him endeared to the castle and the public. 

“Toadsworth!” Mario greeted, adjusting the collar of his shirt. “How has everything been since I left?”

“No changes,” the elder toad replied, beckoning him to lean down. He finely adjusted the shirt collar and shoulders. “Her highness was worried for you of course, but I certainly cannot fix that.”

“I think she’ll always fret, even if it has been years of this,” Mario chuckled.

“I’m only grateful it wasn’t her this time,” Toadsworth replied. He turned to the window, looking down at the gardens. “But not so much that someone new was.” 

Mario joined him there, looking down at Peach and Mel as they walked through the gardens, smiling and laughing like old friends. He sighed. “At least Junior didn’t go through the same nonsense as his father does. No plan, just…snatch and run.”

“I heard she was the one with him at the ball a few nights ago,” Toadsworth replied. “Miss Mel didn’t even know who he was.”

“Junior probably appreciated that,” Mario said. He knew the boy’s lack of patience for people who bowed and fell all over themselves for someone with a royal title. He also knew how it felt, people going crazy because he was a hero. Yes, he had enjoyed the popularity that came with it, but it became very overwhelming to him, not to mention his brother. 

The toad clicked his tongue at that. “If he had stayed with the rest of the royals, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“But we wouldn’t have been made aware of Mel,” Mario said. “She’s from Brooklyn, like me. She got wrapped up in that Dimentio-copycat nonsense a few months ago - wrong place wrong time, got warped here.”

“Ah,” Toadsworth replied. “In any case, she’s adapting quite well - like you did, actually. But I can imagine she misses home and family.”

“She’s…yes,” he said. “I need that map of the Toadwood Forest. Where the warp to Brooklyn is. Could you-”

“Yes, sir,” Toadsworth nodded. “Would it even be safe for her to go out there?”

“I’m sure it will be,” Mario replied. “I haven’t heard anything from Hollijolli village and no rangers have reported anything. And if she has the guts to punch a koopa in the face, I think she can handle a hike.”

“You and Peach are incorrigible,” the advisor sighed. “She laughed and wished she had punched Bowser.” 

Mario laughed at that. “That’s my princess.”

-

Mel felt lighter with the promised map in her hand, and even more so with the invitation to the kingdom-wide sports fair in a month’s time. But she was happier still to be back in the Borderlands. She couldn’t remember Toad running as fast as he did when the guards brought her back home, hugging her tightly and fussing over her. 

“You shouldn’t work there anymore! I can get you a safer job in town-,” he began when she brought up getting back to work in a few days. 

“Toad, I’ll be fine, promise!” Mel insisted. “But I swear, if anything happens, which it won’t, I can easily outrun him, even with the silly car.”

“Alright…well, at least now Mario and the Princess know you!” he replied. “Junior will have to think twice.”

Mel nodded with a hum. She hoped he had taken the hint, but she didn’t plan on worrying about it. While she wanted to head to Hollijolli Village and the Toadwoods, she doubted she would be able to leave Toad’s sight for the few days she had off. Even a few regulars stopped by, checking in and lingering, eyes to the sky for a few minutes, before heading off. Mel hadn’t realized that that many people liked her that much, or cared that much for her safety. Yeah, she’d be fine at work. Even so, her boss and most of the staff refused to let her take any of the outside tables. 

“You know I can keep an eye out for things and come back in if anything feels sketchy,” she said. Marie shook her head vigorously, blue braid following her movements. 

“No no! The last time, you got swooped up and none of us could do anything,” Marie insisted. “Just until we know he won’t do that again, okay?”

She sighed but agreed nonetheless. They were sweet, all of them. Everyone wanted her to stay safe, and Mel couldn’t quite recall anyone being so concerned about it so deeply, not since she was little. Mario and Peach, in lieu of visiting, sent letters and felt their presence just as deeply. It was what she needed, a connection to home and the familiarity there. If she thought too hard on it, she would start to consider putting off returning to Brooklyn more and more than she already had. But she would stop that, and look at the hiking supplies she had amassed for the trek. Once she found the warp, she could always go between the worlds and make a choice later. Mel hadn’t even considered how much she would volley between the two places, only having ever thought about staying in Brooklyn. Now there was a new option that she loved just as deeply. 

And so the weeks went, same as before the ball. 

That is until one day when the whirring of blades filled the air outside the diner. Chef looked outside briefly before running back in. “Mel, stay behind the counter.”

“Is it Junior?” she asked. Mel had hoped he wouldn’t come near the diner at all. Chef shook his head. 

“No. Half his damn family. The uh…Koopalings,” he explained, and then continued at Mel’s raised eyebrows. “Two of his cousins of the seven. They were all raised together and raised enough hell between the lot.”

“Damn,” Edaline swore, grabbing some menus. “I’ll take care of them.”

“Good luck,” Chef nodded. Edaline shrugged, walking outside. Mel listened and waited for something, anything really. A few minutes passed and the koopa stormed back in, dripping wet. 

“Edaline! What happened?” Mel exclaimed, grabbing a towel. Edaline snarled, rubbing her face and shell roughly. 

“They’re jerks is what happened! Dumped water on me and INSISTED that they wanted you,” she replied. “I said you weren’t working, and then they threatened to tear the roof off!” 

“What the hell-,” Mel paused, grabbing her notepad. The koopa moved to stop her. “Edaline, I’ll be fine. Just…have someone ready if things go sour.”

She nodded, waving a lakitu over to relay any message that needed to be sent. Mel squared her shoulders and grabbed a new pitcher of water. She’d had her share of bullies. Outside, two large koopas sat at one of the tables. One had shocking neon pink and platinum hair tied in a high pony tail with a dark pink bow, and a dark red leather crop jacket. The other was massive, easily dwarfing Mel twice over, with bright pink glasses and a matching shell. 

“Well, I’m here,” Mel announced. They turned, staring down from their muzzles at her. “What would you all like?”

The one with the pony tail’s stare turned icy. “I’ll have a venti moccachino with caramel drizzle, choco-bean shavings, and a half-cal whip.”

“...we serve coffee,” Mel replied. The larger of the two laughed. Ponytail glared and tossed the menu at her. 

“We won’t be ordering food. This place feels…lesser,” she said. 

“Come’on Wendy, I’m starving,” the other said. 

Wendy, as she was now known, glared at him. “You can eat at the castle, idiot.”

“I’ll take a cheeseburger, rare, with double fries,” he ordered. “And make it snappy.”

“Roy! What the hell did I say?” Wendy hissed. 

“Listen, you don’t have to order. We have water for drinking. You know, instead of dumping on my coworkers,” Mel replied, placing the water pitcher on the table with more force than necessary. “Now, if you don’t mind-”

“I do, actually,” Wendy replied. She leaned back into her chair. “So, you’re the waitress our cousin made a fool of himself for.”

“If he hadn’t kidnapped me, he wouldn’t have done so. Easy,” Mel shrugged. 

“See, Wendy? Told ya he should’ve waited and planned. We prolly could have made sure the twerps got married,” Roy interrupted. “Besides, she seems…cool enough I guess.”

“Not in your lifetime,” Mel said. “Now do you want the burger or are you just going to keep bugging me?”

Wendy smirked at that. “Hm. Well, at least you aren’t some pansy. I appreciate that.”

She stood, tossing a bag of coins on the table. “Let’s get out of this lame-o joint before I get seen.”

Roy groaned but followed, the two hopping into a flying galleon not too far away. Mel wasn’t quite sure what happened there, but was happier for them to be gone. She picked up the bag of coins, hefting the weight in her palm. Between her and Edaline, there was more than enough to cover two days of pay. Mel hummed, clearing the table and mopping up any remaining water from before. At least, she thought to herself, she wouldn’t deal with them again…hopefully. It wasn’t anything she even wanted to worry about. All she wanted was to find the warp back to Brooklyn, and the tip would cover the last of the stuff she needed. Everything just laid in her being patient. Just a few more shifts, the sports festival, and then she’d be back. 

The actual Sports Faire wasn’t anything insane. Just a multi-kingdom exhibition and competition for those who wanted to show their hand at their sport of choice. Mel had run into a good portion of people from various kingdoms, but never all at once. Penguins, Beanish, Piantas, even a fair amount of inhabitants from the various kingdoms of Sarasaland were present, as well as their respective rulers or ambassadors. It was loud and crowded, and Mel felt both parts comfortable and apprehensive. She was used to the loud and crowd of Brooklyn, of course, so it was nothing new, for the apprehension, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Had she grown unused to the hustle and bustle, or was it anxiety for a repeat of what had happened with Junior? At least Toad was at her side the entire time. There was little her could do, but he would be quick to alert any of the vast amounts of security. 

She pushed that thought to the back of her head, weaving between groups of people. ‘No,’ she thought. ‘No one would cause an international incident today.’ The crowd was so dense the closer they got to the stands, Mel nearly collided with a tall clown-presenting figure. She quickly apologized but paused, turning to look at them for a moment as they disappeared into the crowd - they almost looked familiar to her. But she shook it off and brushed it away. Besides, the city she came from had its fair share of wierdos, she wouldn't have been surprised if they were similar to someone she has seen before. 

Eventually, they made their way to the Mushroom Kingdom stands. Toad shouted ‘hello’ to a few people he knew while still keeping close to Mel until they got to an empty spot. Before they could set anything down, Mel heard a shout from the right of the pair. Looking up at the royal stand, Mel saw Princess Peach leaning over the side, waving and smiling brightly. “Mel! Toad! Come up!” 

Mel and Toad shrugged and were escorted past the guards and into the Mushroom Kingdom-bannered stand. It felt like the parlor room she had had tea in only a few weeks prior if a little more spartan because of the nature of the event. Still pink, gold, and ivory, with touches of red to represent the prince consort. Princess Peach was quick to meet them, gently grabbing Mel’s hands as Toad scrambled to bow. "I'm so glad you both were able to make it! Are you planning on participating?" 

"Yes! I see you are," Mel replied, glancing at Peach's tennis uniform. "I hope to join the baseball game. I would have done lacrosse, but I couldn't get the equipment- at lease some that fit me." 

Peach tsked. "Shame, lacrosse hasn't caught on as much as a few other sports here. And you, Toad?" 

"Oh no! I just like to watch and cheer!" Toad shook his head. "I'm not a sports shroom." 

"That's more than fair," Peach replied with a winning smile before turning back to Mel. "I'll have to make sure you're on my team dear - besides, Mario is out for most of the sports today. Had to go and hurt himself while on a diplomatic visit." 

"I participate every year, mia amore, I can watch this time. Unless Bowser starts something, then I'll have to finish it," Mario said, walking up to her side to join the conversation. His arm was bandaged up to the elbow. "But he promised to behave so-" 

Peach giggled, kissing his cheek. "Just cheer for me, that's all." 

"I always will," he countered before turning to Mel. "Mel, it's good to see you'll be taking my spot on the baseball team." 

"Hey, Brooklyn represent," Mel grinned, holding out her fist. Mario grinned back, pounding it in return. 

"Oh, speaking of Brooklyn rep, you should meet my brother and his spouses," Mario said. "They're stopping by before joining Sarasaland and the Bean Kingdom." 

"Spouses? Plural?" Mel asked, more to herself than anything. She looked to the entrance to see a taller man that looked similar to Mario for her to clock as his brother, just in green, enter. He wasn't dressed for sports, instead in a rather stately suit with gold floral embellishments. He was flanked by a tall woman in orange who looked ready to jump into the fray of a rugby match with a crown to match, and a shorter Beanish man who was dressed for fencing more than anything. 

Mario grinned, quickly gathering the tall green one in a bear hug before wincing as his arm undoubtedly twinged from the pain. The taller one sighed good-naturedly. "Oh fratello, you can't go and over do it so much." 

"Let me be, Luigi," Mario smirked, flicking one of the brown curls on his brother's forehead. "I'm the eldest one." 

"Still up to the same antics I take it, Sir Mario," the Beanish Man said. "I always commend your heroism, but not at the sake of robbing me of a chance to surpass you - as a sportsman of course." 

"Had the green-beans worried, you know," the woman added, lightly punching him before hugging him. "Good to see you." 

Peach gently led Mel to them once she had quickly hugged the three warmly. "Mel, meet Prince Consort Luigi of Sarasaland and the Bean Kingdom, Mario's brother, as well as Princess Daisy of Sarasaland and Prince Peasley of the Bean Kingdom. You three, Mel."  

"She's the girl from Brooklyn I told you about - the one I had to rescue from the Koopa Kingdom," Mario clarified. Mel bowed her head, unsure if bowing or curtseying was appropriate given her sports tank and shorts. 

She was surprised to see Luigi smiling softly at her - there wasn't a look of pity at being kidnapped or for being transported so far from home that she usually came to expect. He came forward, extending a gloved hand. "It's g-good to meet you, Miss Mel!" 

Mel shook his hand. "Just Mel is fine." 

"I have to admit, it's nice t-to see someone from Brooklyn who isn't my brother," Luigi said kindly. "Is Old Tony's really still kicking?" 

"Old Tony is still running the store," Mel confirmed. "Mario said he was ancient when you were running around there, so I can't think of how he would look to you two now." 

Luigi laughed as his wife and husband rolled their eyes. Obviously, they had heard story after story reminiscing about Brooklyn. "Ah, that's g-good to hear." 

"So, little Brooklynite, what are you playing? I need to know if I'll have to hold back so I don't incur these two's wrath," Daisy quipped. 

"Baseball, maybe track," Mel said. "I'll see how I feel after the first." 

"I must insist on inviting you to watch the Bean Kingdom fencing tourney, Miss Mel, as a friend of my in-laws," Prince Peasely said grandiosely. "They lack a fencing team of their own anyways." 

"You say that every year, Peasley," Peach replied. "Don't mind him, dear, you can watch what you wish. Preferably to cheer for the Mushroom Kingdom." 

Peach winked with a sly grin, and Mel couldn't help but laugh behind a hand. She turned back to her brother-in-law. "Are you playing for the Mushroom Kingdom this year, Luigi?" 

"Hard to p-play for both of my kingdoms without looking partial," Luigi replied. "I'll keep Mario company most of the time. I know h-he gets antsy." 

"Hey!" 

"Fratello, you do."

"Alright you two, we gotta get to our places for the opening ceremony, then we can finally get to winning trophies," Daisy replied. "I want to rub some noses in the dirt by getting some back."

"Dear Daisy, you didn't gain those because you were pregnant," Peasley fretted. "And I couldn't bear to see Luigi fret so over you." 

"And the doctor w-was very against you overexerting yourself," Luigi added. He turned to Mario and Peach. "The bambinos are with their governesses for n-now, though Rosa is ready to go and join some of the younger sports groups." 

"Ah, just like me," Peasley said fondly. "We'll see you all in a bit. Miss Mel, it was lovely to meet you."

"Knock some skulls out in the diamond, got it?" Daisy said, smacking her back. Mel stumbled but righted herself. 

"You got it!" She replied, giving a thumbs up. Daisy nodded, linking arms with Luigi in a gentle manner that was a far cry from her demeanor a moment prior. 

The goodbye was short, and they watched the threesome walk to the neighboring royal boxes. Mel felt a warmth in her chest having met them. She couldn't name it, but it felt good - then again, was it ever so bad to gain friends? The feeling soured, however, when she glanced the opposite direction to the black and red decked stands, lined with Koopa Kingdom citizens. And up in the royal box, she could see Wendy and Roy, and the rest of their siblings, Mel assumed, Kamek, Bowser in the center and then, to his left, the last person on earth she wished to see. 

Mel grit her teeth, and was determined that if she faced the Koopa Kingdom at all, she would be sure they lost and preferably by her hand. 

The opening ceremony was the pomp and circumstance that was to be expected for a multi-kingdom event, with speeches and music before the actual events began. Mel found herself running between bleachers and events to try and catch the best of the best there compete and cheer on her new home kingdom. There weren’t many she knew, but the ones she did were quick to pull her into their groups to watch and cheer, and occasionally play a round or two. After everything, it was relieving to just be able to run and have fun. No stakes to be made, nothing to worry too hard over…just games. Of course, come the Mushroom Kingdom versus the Koopa Kingdom baseball game, well, that was a different story. Mel was out for metaphorical blood. But Princess Peach happily pulled her from those thoughts by introducing her to the team and helping her warm up. 

“Okay, the Koopa team usually has a good outfield, but in-field tends to be hit or miss,” Peach explained, catching Mel’s pitch. “Good - when it comes to batting, Bowser is the powerhouse. But you won’t have to worry about him. He’s sitting out because Mario is - the whole rivalry hinges on both of them being there.”

“Is it a rivalry when he’s…well, kind of a villain?” Mel asked before winding the ball up and letting it fly, hard and fast down the center. Peach caught it, only to shake out her hand a second later. 

“Good arm, dear, but yes,” Peach nodded. “I have a feeling that, even if he wasn’t like this, the rivalry would still be there. I know my husband, and I know Bowser to an extent.”

Mel shrugged. “Fair enough. So, for pitching, anything I should be in the know for? I know a little about star skills, but not enough to use it. Or even acquire it.” 

“Since I’m captain, I have the main and true star skill, Heart ball and swing,” Peach explained, tossing the ball back. “It usually charges during the game, and I know when it's ready for me to use. For non-captains, the skill is slower, but it doesn’t need to charge as it becomes available to you during the game. You’ll know when it clicks with you. You won’t be able to do anything crazy, but with the way you’re pitching now, who knows how the star skills will amplify it. You have a very good arm!”

“Thank you! I played a lot, I still play. I’’m on the junior softball team too, it helps me really fight for school funding,” Mel said, tossing the ball high above her and catching it. “This is good for me, right now.”

“I’m glad, Mel,” the princess replied. “I have a good feeling about this game. Alright, so let me tell you the other team’s star skills and how to fight them.”

-

Mario felt old muscle memory twitch as the baseball game started. As much as he wanted to be on the field, his arm was still on the mend - not to mention it was his throwing arm. Mel was already shaping up to be a good replacement for him. He could see the steadfast and sure look on her face from her spot in the batting line-up, ready to spring into action. From behind, he heard the familiar footsteps of his brother joining him. 

“Weegee,” Mario smiled as he turned. Luigi had ditched the fancy suit for one for track and field, a golden medal around his neck. “That’s my bro!” 

“Thank you k-kindly,” Luigi grinned. “Another win f-for the Mushroom Kingdom. My husband won two more. Daisy is about to d-destroy some poor team at volleyball.” 

“Sit, sit. Hungry? Thirsty?” Mario asked, unable to stop himself from slipping into old habits. Luigi shook his head with a laugh, not answering but accepting the water bottle Mario held out to him. “Drink up.”

Luigi took it gratefully, sitting down with an exhausted flop on a chair. “I don’t know h-how many more years I have d-doing this. At least I get the practice chasing after the kids. Rosa is just like her f-father, running around. The twins have the best of me and Daisy on good days. I w-worry Theresa might have my stutter though.” 

“Then she’s just more like you,” Mario shrugged. “Kid’s got your bravery in any case - and do not fight me on this. You just got that anxiety disorder.”

“Thanks, bro,” he replied. “Y-you know how I worry.”

Mario clapped him on the shoulder warmly. “I know.”

They sat and watched the inning progress,  as points were scored or players were tapped out or struck out, accompanied by their appropriate cheers. Peach looked up as their third player was taken down and the teams switched. She smiled and blew a kiss to him as she took her spot on first base. Mel was soon to join, tightening her ponytail high on her head, and quickly waving at the two as she got onto the mound. The umpire tossed the ball to her, and the first koopa batter came up to the plate. The smile went from friendly to determined, fierce. She lowered the brim of her hat, and wound up, throwing the ball sharp and fast. It flew past the batter before he could even think. 

“Strike one!” the ump shouted. The ball was tossed back, and once again, she threw it but with a curve. “Strike two!”

Mario watched with nothing short of pride. Mel hadn’t said a lick about how well she played, only slowing down with a nod from Peach. Luigi nodded at the display. “She’s g-good. Reminds me a little of how you p-play.” 

“She plays like us, Weeg. She grew up only a few blocks from our old haunts, and probably played in the same field too,” Mario said. Luigi hummed at that, watching as the game progressed. Mario could tell there was something he wanted to say. Mel struck out another player, only two on the bases. It was shaping up to be a short inning. She pitched, the ball curving sharp as a knife - a star skill play, Mario realized. He hadn’t expected that so early, let alone from someone’s first game. “Damn…look at that! GO MEL!”

Luigi nearly jumped at the sudden shout. Mario winced, quickly apologizing before turning back to the game. Mel quickly looked up at him, brightly grinning, proud. He smiled back. “Atta girl.”

He felt his brother’s eyes on him again, words looming behind the familiar blue eyes. Luigi had always been more reserved, and had always knew him best - he knew when and where to say somethings. But this time it felt more urgent than anything, Mario could tell. If his brother knew him best it was vice versa. 

“Luigi, what’s going on?” Mario finally asked. There was a lull in the game as the team switched sides. Luigi watched the players go to their positions, tracking each movement. He’d always been good with details, being aware of things like that. Enough late nights wandering in the city and dark hallways in the group homes honed the skill. Once the inning began, Luigi finally turned back to him. 

“I’m worried about y-you and Peach,” he finally managed. 

“Oh, you know I’ll be fine, and Peach can-,” Mario began, gesturing to his arm. But Luigi stopped him. 

“Mel. You know exactly who sh-she looks like,” Luigi said. “Don’t lie and s-say you don’t.”

Mario tried to laugh it off, but couldn’t, nor could he find the words to deny it. “I know…she looks just like her, down to the age and the hair. I didn’t realize it until I brought her back home and Peach…Peach froze.” 

He sighed. “There’s no possibility thought. She’s from Brooklyn, and Honey…”

Luigi squeezed his knee. “I just don’t want y-you and Peach to get hurt. I worry that y-you’ll-”

“Project? I know. But she’s just a kid, and she needs people she can trust until she can get back home,” Mario finished. He sighed, watching as Peach and Mel high-fived over a play, laughing and cheering. He smiled. “They’d be good friends, I think. They would have been…”

“Peasley still has p-people searching, you know,” Luigi said softly. “He wants his n-niece back as much as I do.”

It had been a lost cause for eight years, Mario fought himself not to say. She had simply disappeared without a trace: like she never existed as anything more ephemeral than a breeze. He nearly ran back to Brooklyn in a fit of desperation, only to collapse in the Toadwoods from exhaustion, from regret, and anger. He hadn’t stepped foot there since. 

“I…I appreciate that,” Mario managed to get from himself. “Thank you.”

Luigi leaned on his brother’s side. “With you to the end, mio caro fratello.”

“Back at you, Weeg,” he replied, leaning back. He didn’t feel much like talking afterward. 

-

Mel stared down the diamond from the pitcher’s mound towards the batter’s mound. Bowser Jr. stared right back. There had been a line-up change, swapping a koopa citizen for the crown prince: the team must have been tired of getting destroyed by her arm and their team’s plays. There were two people on the bases already, and Mel knew that if she didn’t play her cards right, they would get to home plate, and so would he. She refused to allow that, just as Junior probably was refusing to lose. The glare was proof enough. 

The first pitch flew past him. The second was a foul ball - the hit box for someone his size was more than she was used to. As was the third. Mel grit her jaw, tugging her cap hard. She tried to figure out her next pitch, only to watch as Junior smirked. 

“Well? You gonna pitch or am I just gonna have to watch your pretty face get sunburnt, Melly?” he taunted. Mel couldn’t tell if her face flushed from anger or what else, and she immediately felt the same heat in her arms and hands. She took a hard step back, winding up, and then she pitched. Mel had never thrown a ball faster, thrown harder, and she wasn’t even sure how she had control over it. Junior watched in awe as it barreled towards him, still trying to swing. It flew past, slamming into the catcher’s mitt. 

“STRIKE TWO!” the umpire shouted. Mel breathed heavily, feeling the friction burn on her fingertips, almost deaf to the cheers of her team as she watched as Junior turned to stare at her in shock. She returned the smirk, standing back up, raising her gloved hand to receive the ball back. 

Junior snarled, hitting the bat on the home plate, beckoning for the next pitch. Mel could feel it in herself - she couldn’t do that again. But she would do whatever she could, no matter what. She wound up for the pitch, but as soon as she let it fly, Mel noticed Junior summon a paintbrush from thin air. ‘Oh shit- the graffiti swing-,’ was the only thought she had as she heard the familiar crack of a bat on a ball, but an illusion was all she saw. “DAMMIT-”

The illusion flew, flying low and splattering on the ground near her, covering Mel and one of the basemen in multi-colored paint. She looked up, finally catching sight of the of the real ball. One koopa team mate had made it home, the second following close behind. Junior was circling, having paused to avoid the paint splatter. Mel grit her teeth, running backwards as she followed the ball, and held up her glove to cheers and shouts of the crowd. She didn’t even realize she caught it until she felt the impact on her palm. Mel breathed sharply, turning on her toes to immediately chase after Junior. He cast a glance over his shoulder, eyes narrowing as he saw her, growling as she pushed closer and closer to him. 

Rounding the third base, he felt her coming up close to his side, just as he edged closer and closer to a home run. Mel hit him, hard, with her hand, ball pressing against his side. He shouted in alarm, not expecting her to actually be able to reach him in time as he turned to face her. He tripped as he did, bringing down himself and Mel along with him to the ground. She yelped, scrambling for something to hold on the way down - Junior felt her hand grab his arm, gripping it tight.  

They landed with a thud and a cloud of dust, just feet from home plate. There was a sound of alarm and hisses of empathetic pain from the crowd. Junior shook his head with a grimace, embarrassed. He looked over at Mel, who looked just as equally mortified over eating shit in front of her team. Mel returned the look, and as if to rub salt in the wound, she tapped him with the ball again. “You’re out.” 

The umpire echoed that officially, and the inning ended. Mel stood, tossing the ball at his lap as he sat up. “Don’t call me Melly.”

“...okay,” Junior couldn’t believe his voice, watching as she walked away to join the rest of her team. He couldn’t quite hear his other teammates, Kamek fussing, or even his cousins teasing, and he couldn’t quite bring himself to care.

-

A week after the Sports Faire, Mario received an urgent summons to the Borderlands. A concerned lakitu had been sent by an equally concerned toad waitress about a koopa prince and a waitress/pitching M.V.P. Nothing had happened when he had been sent, the lakitu had relayed, it was more preemptive than anything. Toadsworth had insisted on sending guards or anyone else in his stead, arm only barely finished healing. But Mario was sent for, and Mel, well, he knew he could take care of herself, but the koopa royals were different than the average koopa. 

Mario also knew that she was more than aware of that. But all the same, he raced for the Borderlands’ warp pipe. The diner, he knew, was barely a thought or a breath away, especially if he ran. He skid to a stop just feet away from the front door, and he could make out the murmur from the inside. The patrons were peering from the window, and Mario could see that some had a few makeshift weapons, just in case they had to step in. He raised a hand to tell them to stand down. Just off the path, Mel and Junior were speaking away from the tables and the restaurant. He sat in his car, hovering a few feet above ground, Mel firmly on the ground and just as unwavering. Whatever they were talking about, there didn’t appear to be any animosity. It appeared as though a goodbye was said, and suddenly, the car zipped into the air and was gone in a second. Mario felt his chest relax, not having noticed that he had held his breath. 

“Mel?” he called out, approached. Her gaze hadn’t left the horizon where Junior had raced off. “Mel, are you okay? Your coworker-”

“Hm? Oh!” Mel gasped, turning to see him. “Oh, Marie- she worries but…but everything is okay. Just unexpected.”

Mario looked at her hands, noticing she was clasping something: a bright yellow scrunchie. Mel twisted it into her hair, flipping her ponytail into a messy bun. “He returned my scrunchie. I didn’t even realize I had left it behind…then again, I didn’t have it on my mind.”

“He came here…to return a hair tie?” Mario asked, puzzled. 

“No- well, yes,” Mel replied. “He apologized too. For the whole thing, for calling me Melly…for taking so long to return my scrunchie.”

He was surprised at that. Mario could tell anyone without thinking the amount of times Bowser had apologized. Twice, in all of almost thirty years and half the time it had to be forced out of him. Then again, Junior wasn’t his father in most ways. “I see.”

Mel looked back at the horizon again. “I think…well, I can’t say I trust him deeply, but I think I can agree that I’d like a better start at being friends.”

He stood by her side and saw a slight grin on her face. It wasn’t wide or bright, but it met her eyes. Mario knew it, recognized it even from what felt like a lifetime ago: a clever or sweet thing was said, he couldn’t remember what it was, but it was rewarded with that same smile in the rose garden, and that smile changed the course of his life and being. Peach still sent it his way, even after so long.  Mel was both players, like him and Peach in that way. Involved in a new world and thriving, involved in a world that was slowly becoming hers with every step and friend made. 

Chapter Text

Whatever Mel had thought or felt before about Junior was slashed within days. She had hoped that maybe, just maybe, Junior would be like anyone else she was friends with back in Brooklyn. But no, he was violently himself but in the worst ways. Mel knew he was boastful, that he was proud and a thousand other things…but annoying wasn’t at the top of the list. He was always there at the diner or there on her way back home or to work, and hell, sometimes he would be in the Mushroom Kingdom. And there he was, sitting at a table at the diner during the last legs of lunch. Mel was exhausted, just wanting to clean and close out the last checks, but Junior almost seemed to refuse to leave until she did. 

“Junior, dude, I have to close out your check so I can go home,” she groaned. “Listen, I’ll use my discount on it and everything if it gets you out.”

“I’m chilling, aren’t I? I’m just enjoying the last few sips of my milkshake,” he replied, taking a long sip. If Mel were in a better mood, in general and towards him, she would have laughed. “Besides, no one makes them better than you, blondie.”

“Don’t you have a chef that can make milkshakes?”

“Why do you want me gone? 

“Because I want to leave.”

“I can drive you home, and anywhere else you could ever want.”

Mel narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah, no. Not after the last time I was in that thing. And I told you I don’t like heights.” 

“I can drive low to the ground. And the speed limit!” Junior insisted. 

“Junior,” Mel said warningly, “drop it.”

“What? I’m being nice!” he said, a bit roughly. 

“No, you’re being a jerk and I don’t appreciate it,” she hissed. Mel smacked the check down on the table. “Here’s the check. Pay it or don’t. I want to close out my shift.”

Before he could reply, Mel turned and went into the back to try and calm down. She walked into the freezer, grabbing a handful of ice cubes and pressing them to her face, her neck, and elbows, just to calm her down and wake her up. She took a deep breath. “Come on, Mel. Just rough it out.”

“Want me to kick him out?” a line cook offered. He barely came up to her waist. Mel smiled. 

“I appreciate it, but no, I can handle it, even if I have to get a fire flower or something,” she replied. She wiped the melted water off her face and hands. The ice hadn’t lasted as long as she wanted - she must have been more overheated than she thought. Grabbing a bucket of warm and soapy water, Mel went back out to the front of the house. Junior was gone, replaced with enough coins for the bill and tip. She hummed at the sight, gathering them up in her hand. At least he took the more ‘beneficial for her’ options that she gave him. And just like that, she was able to close out, clean, and make her way back to Toad’s little cottage where tea would be waiting next to a comfortable seat in the vegetable garden. Mel sighed contentedly at the thought. Starflower tea from one of the Allied Planets was her siren song, and she knew that once she returned to Brooklyn she would sorely miss it until she could come back. 

‘Maybe I should have a can tucked into my bag once I set out,’ Mel replied. ‘Or at least when I actually do leave.’

She couldn’t bear the thought of just leaving to find the warp and immediately going through to Brooklyn in one fell swoop. Mel knew she didn’t have it in her to do so, not without saying goodbye properly. As much as she longed for Brooklyn, her initial drive to go had begun to wane the longer she stayed. She could understand why Mario and Luigi would stay. But Junior was driving her up the wall, and it made her question her own thoughts. Mel clenched her fists, thinking back to how he had been acting. So much for just trying the bare minimum of being a friend.

With a frustrated shout, she quickly took off her flats, and off into a run. Mel was already close enough to the cottage but the speed helped. The cottage soon appeared in its sweet little grove, a little twirl of smoke coming from the thatch and mushroom cap roof. Mel dove in, slamming and locking the door behind her. She panted, dropping her flats and bag on the floor. Letting out a frustrated moan into a hand, Mel slammed a fist onto the door with a loud thud before sliding down to the ground as well.

“Mel?” she heard Toad call out. He appeared shortly afterward, teapot in his hands. “Oh, dear…”

Toad placed the teapot down, walking over to her side to sit down. “Are you okay?”

“No, yes? I don’t know…,” she said halfheartedly into her arms, crossed over her knees. “I thought he would at least try to not be so- so- so insistent. All he does is try to be involved, or flirt, and it just… it's like he doesn’t care about what I said last week. And then I went and upset myself by overthinking everything."

He clicked his tongue gently. “Well, that’s a him problem, I think. Don’t get worked up over him, okay, sweetie-Mel?” 

Mel smiled at the pet name. “Okay, Toad. I’ll try.”

“Atta girl. Come along, tea is just about ready. Our neighbor down the lane and I did a treat trade! They’re new, actually,” Toad said, tugging her up. “My ginger snaps for their little fried dough treats.”

“Mmm,” Mel hummed. Just like that, Toad and the promise of tea and sweets had alleviated her mood. “Want me to get down the cups and saucers?”

“Yes please, thank you, dear,” Toad replied. “I’m going to make sure the table and chairs are clean. The water should be done and the tray-”

“Is on the counter. I got it,” she smiled. The post-work tea was their little ritual at least twice a week, but like clockwork, Toad would always say the same things. It was always endearingly sweet and she couldn’t even fathom being annoyed. The afternoon was exactly as she wished, with tea and cookies among Toad’s bellbell flowers and ivy vineys. It was so easy to forget Brooklyn and her journey to Hollijolli Village in the sweet breeze and warm sun. All her worries and frets dissipated with every little chat and bird song. 

“These little fried dough things are tasty,” Toad commented. “I should see if I can do a recipe swap.”

Mel nodded. They reminded her of fairs and carnivals with the funnel cake stands, light and airy yet crispy, covered with sugar that covered her chin and fingers. “So who is our new neighbor anyway?” 

“His name is Larry, and he’s a toy maker! He didn’t say where he came from, just that he’s been all over,” Toad replied. “He’s very nice! Oh! You should come with me to return the plate later.” 

She looked at the plate - the carved wooden surface was completely empty. “We really put the hurt on them, huh?”

“They were good,” Toad said in defense. Mel laughed, wiping her hands clean.

“They were, all the more reason to get the recipe!” she grinned and began clearing the empty cups. “We’ll have to try our hand at them one afternoon.”

“Agreed! Maybe next tea time - I know you work later tomorrow and have a tennis match with Peach the next.”

She hummed in agreement. Within the hour, they were walking down the path towards Larry’s house and what Mel presumed to be his workshop if he was a toymaker. It was simple, like Toad’s, but lacked the mushroom cap roof. It was still charming and looked almost like a toy dollhouse with its white trim that curled into gentle flourishes and the window shades with carved little stars and moons. “Oh, how sweet!”

“He really cleaned up the place,” Toad said. “No one’s really lived here for a few years.”

He approached with a happy skip to the door, gently knocking. A cherry voice replied from inside, squeaky but obviously a grown adult. The door opened, revealing a smaller person than she expected - taller than Toad, but barely past her stomach, dressed like a toy jester. “Hoo hoo! Hello there! I didn’t expect to see you so soon Toad!” 

“We just stopped by to return your plate!” Toad replied, handing it out to him. “We really enjoyed those little things.”

“They were really good,” Mel added. “I’m Mel.”

Larry shifted the plate to one hand to shake hers. His hand felt like porcelain, cold yet flexible like normal skin. He dramatically bowed. “Hee hee! A pleasure to meet you, Miss Mel! Say, you look familiar!” 

Mel stared at him for a moment. “Oh! The Sports Faire! I almost ran into you in the crowd.”

“That’s it! It certainly was busy that day, hoo hoo,” Larry snapped his fingers. Mel said nothing about how she was struck with deja vu when she first saw him, but now, she chalked it up to walking past him somewhere in the Borderlands or the Mushroom village market. “Well, I’m glad to finally have a name for the face!”

“We should get back before it gets too late, Mel,” Toad replied. “Oh, wait: Larry, could we have the recipe for the fried dough? I’ll happily swap for the gingersnaps.”

Larry brightly smiled and opened the door wider. “Of course! Hoo hoo! Those little gingersnaps were yummy! Come on in, and I’ll write it down. Feel free to look at the workshop too!”

They entered, and the house was just as cute as the outside. Framed watercolors hung on the walls, as well as various toy designs and maps of the world. It smelled like freshly cut wood and paint, and it was strangely comforting. There was a small fire in the fireplace, surrounded by plush furniture in what made up the living room, across from a small kitchen. There was a small set of stairs up to a loft, which Mel presumed was where the little guy slept. There was a small door across from the front one, propped open to reveal a workbench and various tools and toy parts. Mel continued onwards as Toad joined Larry in the kitchen to jot down his recipe. 

The workshop was lined with toy upon toy, clockwork, wind-up and articulated, or simply carved. There was a box full of wind-up toy soldiers, ready for a signal to march, and a toy castle with towers and parapets and a little glass moat. Mel peeked into the windows, before carefully opening the castle up. It unfolded like a book, revealing the detailed interior: a lush throneroom, a ballroom, and even a little dungeon with chains. In a little bedroom was a princess doll, dressed in light blue and yellow with a little gold crown on a head of blonde curls. Mel gently looked around for another toy: she felt bad that the little princess was all alone. There was a soft jester toy filled with sawdust in another room of the castle, so she picked him up and put the two in the throne room. 

“There you go,” Mel said. “Every princess needs a jester.” 

She closed the castle up, continuing to look around. There were little toy versions of koopas and toads, and even little dolls of Mario, Peach, and almost every other royal in the allied kingdoms. There was a half-finished Bowser on a spare workbench, missing teeth and spikes, but still was fairly accurate. Next to him was Junior, smaller but finished, down to the snaggletooth and ponytail. Mel gently adjusted a tiny lock of hair and sighed. “Stupid…” 

“See anything you like, hoo hoo?” Mel turned to see Larry in the doorway. 

“Everything is beautiful, Larry. You’re quite talented,” she said with a smile. “These must sell very well.”

“Hee hee, I’ve had some success,” he replied, modestly. “I just enjoy creating a little kingdom of my own. But I like the look on children’s faces when they get a toy they like.”

Mel’s smile turned soft. “That’s very sweet. I remember this one music box I had when I was little but…”

Truthfully, she could barely remember it, and couldn’t tell if it was pre- or post-amnesia. “Oh, I was so little, I barely remember. It was one of the ones you could put jewelry in. It wasn’t a princess or a ballerina one though…I think maybe butterflies? In any case, I probably gave it to one of the other girls at the orphanage since I didn’t have any jewelry. But I liked the song, and I really liked watching it.”

Larry hummed, and quickly got a sketchpad from his workbench. “Well, I think a nice young lady should have a place for her pretty things, hoo hoo. I can’t promise it’ll look or sound the same though.”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to, really,” Mel protested. “I doubt I’ll still be here by the time it gets finished -”

“Well, I want to. I haven’t made a jewelry box in a while, hoo hoo,” Larry replied. 

“Alright then, how much?” Mel asked. Larry shook his head vigorously, the bells at the end of his hat jingling. 

“No no, no charge! But I would appreciate company sometimes. Maybe you and Toad could join me for tea some days!” he replied. “I don’t have much of company these days.” 

Mel thought about it for a moment but nodded. “Fair enough. I agree.”

Larry’s grin went wider, more than Mel could have pictured on his face. If she wasn’t used to how odd this world could be, she would have been off-put. She only returned the smile. 

“Mel! Let’s get going dear!” Toad called from the main room. 

“Coming!” she called back. “Thank you, Larry. It was very nice to meet you. Good night!”

Larry followed the two to the front door, smiling and waving goodnight. “Good night you two! Hee Hee! See you soon!”

Mel fell asleep very happy that night, belly full, head clear, and she dreamt of little toy castles and dancing butterflies to an unrecognized melody. She awoke refreshed, and happy, and work seemed to fly by. No unruly customers or Junior, no outrageous orders. Even her favorite regulars were at her tables! The windows were open, allowing for the breeze to come in, along with a few little butterflies that flitted to the flower vases on each table. Mel laughed, gently moving them back outside. “There you go, little things.”

“You’re sweet, you know that?” a customer said.

“Only to butterflies and sometimes you guys,” Mel ribbed. The customer laughed, turning back to their meal. Mel returned back to watch the butterflies fly off along the breeze and the wildflowers. She hummed happily before grabbing her tray again and getting back to work. The sun had begun its descent back to the horizon by the time she left. It was still bright out, and she felt perfectly safe. She softly sang under her breath, just a little wordless melody from her dream the night before. 

There was a whir of blades, and the voice died in her throat, turning to a tired groan. Mel heard Junior shout for her. She stormed off, approaching the front door. She heard the car land, and the the tell-tale thump of footsteps. Just as she had a hand on the door, she heard him call for her again. Mel turned, just opening the door. 

“Mel! Wait- wait-,” Junior said, coming to a stop. “Wait-”

“Mel! There you-,” Toad opened the door, but stopped upon seeing Junior. “HEY!”

“Toad, I got this, okay?” Mel said, tiredly. He nodded stepping back from the door. She gently pulled it close, and turned back to Junior, only to be faced with a large bouquet in her face. Roses, lilies, fireflowers, all arranged nicely. “Huh-”

“I got these for you! To make up for…everything,” Junior said. “You like flowers, right? I arranged them myself-”

“A-ah,” Mel said softly, carefully taking the bouquet. “It’s…it’s very nice.” 

“Almost as nice as you,” he replied. “I was thinking maybe we could catch a movie and dinner? I’ll drive low and slow-”

“Junior. No,” Mel said. She sighed. “I don’t know how else to say this, but stop. When I said I wanted to be friends, I meant it. I don’t want anything further. Maybe I did a little bit, once. But now…”

“I just want to be friends. That’s all I really need right now: friends my age,” she continued. “I really hoped that, maybe that would be you. But you don’t listen. I’ve asked you to chill, to be my friend - Do you even have friends?”

“I do! Come on, Mel, I’m trying, really,” Junior replied. “Who said that flowers were flirting?”

“I just…,” She sighed again. “You really don’t get it, do you? A friend would just…oh, why am I even trying?” 

Mel turned back to the door. “I really hoped that you would have listened…thank you for the flowers. They’re…they’re nicely arranged.”

She left Junior there in the front yard, locking the door behind her. Toad softly said her name, but she was on auto-pilot, grabbing a vase from under the sink. She filled it with water, and gently placed the bouquet inside of it, placing it down on a table in the kitchen. Mel wanted to shove her head into the sweet blooms, but couldn’t bring herself to. “Toad, I think I’m going to lay down, okay?” 

“Oh, sweetie-Mel…okay,” Toad replied. “I’ll make you a plate for when you’re ready.”

Mel went to her room, and fell onto the bed. All she wanted was the morning to come. At least Peach would be a welcome source of joy, and hopefully some advice. 

-

Junior angrily banged on the engine of his pet project car. The timing belt was off, and couldn’t focus on it enough to do anything. With an angry sigh, he slammed the hatch closed. “Stupid car - stupid flowers…I knew the fireflowers were too much! Ugh!” 

He kicked the side of the car hard with a hiss before scrambling to check for damage. There was a tsking sound from behind him and he rolled his eyes with a groan. “Ludwig, just say whatever the hell you want to say and get it over with.” 

His eldest cousin was leaning against the door frame of the garage, looking smug and bored all at once. Ludwig pushed off, walking over to him. “I don’t think kicking will help.” 

“Oh what do you know about cars?” Junior rolled his eyes. 

“Enough,” Ludwig shrugged. “But I doubt that’s really in your mind.”

“So you can read minds now. Joy, the know-it-all is omniscient,” he replied, grabbing a rag to wipe his hands free of oil. 

“No, that would be boring if I knew what was on everyone’s minds. Besides, the only interesting mind is my own,” the blue-haired koopa replied. Junior rolled his eyes again. “You’re just like Bowser, you have the same dejected-frustrated look on your face that he does when Peach turns him down - well, turned him down since he hasn’t done that little marriage plot in a while now. So let me guess: the little diamond of the baseball field that won over us? Wendy said as much.”

Junior huffed, smoke rolling from his noise, but didn’t give his cousin the joy of a response before storming out of the garage. Ludwig was close behind. 

“Oh it certainly is!” Ludwig jeered. “Let me guess, she’s turned you down again. Hah! Like father like son.”

“Shut it, Ludwig,” Junior hissed. He continued down the halls, entering the rec room but to his disappointment, the rest of his cousins were lounging. He groaned. “Don’t any of you have a life? Your own territories?”

“Aw, are you trying to kick us out, baby boy?” Morton mockingly cooed. “Your own family, shame.”

“But seriously, who’s watching over your lands?” Junior asked. The Koopalings shrugged. 

“Our magikoopas,” Wendy replied dismissively, flipping through a magazine. “I heard you gave the waitress flowers.”

“Flowers? Oh, sweet boy is definitely definitely in love!” Lemmy giggled. 

“No, I am not. I’m trying not-,” Junior stammered before groaning. “She refuses to like me like that. She just wants to be friends.”

“Okay? You’re a prince with access to the largest treasury in the kingdoms,” Larry said. “Use that.”

“I didn’t think of that. Why don’t I buy her jewelry worth more than a house, surely that will make her swoon,” he replied sarcastically. “Mel’s too cool to like that kind of thing.”

“You really think some peasant girl is “cool”, let alone “cool” enough to match our ranks?” Ludwig asked. “Please. A peasant is a peasant. Aren’t there princesses that would be a better match?”

“Why don’t you try kidnapping again?” Morton asked. 

“One: I like Mel,” Junior asked. “And two: when has that plan worked? If it did, Peach would have fallen in love with my dad and she’d be on the throne. But lo and behold it didn’t work. It doesn’t work, Morton.” 

“Stars forbid Morton tries to help, brat,” Morton snarled. Junior glowered. 

“That doesn’t help, idiot.”

“Morton's not an idiot, YOU’RE an idiot!”

“How about this: you’re ALL idiots,” Ludwig interrupted. There was a moment of silence before someone pounced, the eight of them were a mangle of fists and teeth. Before anyone could strike an actually harmful blow, all eight were yanked apart by magic. They looked down to see Kamek looking tired and irritated at the lot. 

“What in the world do you think you are all doing?” he asked, but he didn’t want an answer. “You’re all royalty, leaders of the kingdom and its territories. You shouldn’t be squabbling like children! Stars, I thought you all would have grown out of this but nooo, heaven forbid.” 

“Sorry, Kamek,” Junior said sheepishly. The elder magikoopa dropped them from his magic hold. 

“You seven, please return to your territories after dinner,” Kamek said. “King Bowser doesn’t wish for you to get lax in your rulings, and I’d rather not send you home hungry and pissy with one another.” 

“Yes, Kamek,” came the group reply. Out of everyone save Bowser, he was the only koopa they would defer to. Kamek looked over at Junior and motioned for him to follow. Junior quickly joined him at his side. 

“Kamek? What’s up?” he asked. 

“I heard half of that little conversation, you know,” Kamek replied. Junior felt his face flush. 

“They were just- I didn’t mean to sound like a jerk about dad and Peach-,” he began. 

“No, I know. Your father is very stubborn, a trait you graciously inherited. But I doubt that your cousins have any idea on how to pursue someone,” Kamek interrupted. 

“You uh, you have a point,” Junior said. 

“I know, I usually do, your highness,” he replied. Kamek gently floated up, fixing Junior’s hair and bandana. “Perhaps asking your father for advice would be beneficial. Although, maybe ignore the kidnapping plot ideas? We simply don’t have time for one right now. Too many engagements, plus the coronation, the acquisition of a new island…it never stops.”

“Oh yeah, the island! Nice,” Junior replied. “Thanks, Kamek. I appreciate it.” 

“Now go on to your father’s chambers. I’ll see you shortly, my prince,” Kamek disappeared in a poof of smoke and magic, and Junior did just that. He didn’t knock before entering, he never had and Bowser had never shouted at him to do so. His father was in the facsimile of work, glasses he so often denied having and needing perched on his muzzle as he leaned over a pile of papers, but Junior could hear the rough, grumbling snores. He laughed, softly approaching. Junior could remember when he was still little enough to climb up his father’s shell and sleep between the spines. He couldn’t do it anymore, so settled for poking his dad in the side. 

“Dad, daaaad,” Junior tried to wake him. Bowser grumbled something in his sleep, swatting at him. Junior laughed again, poking him more. “Daaaad, Mario said your piranha plants were subpar.”

Bowser jolted awake at that. “That ‘stached loser said WHAT?”

Junior couldn’t help but fall over laughing, clutching his sides. His father looked down at him, and his anger ebbed away immediately in favor of a grin, pulling him off the floor. “You little shit.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Junior laughed. “Nothing would wake you otherwise.”

“Not my fault this paperwork is so boring,” Bowser rolled his eyes, gesturing to stack on his desk. “I should be making you do this. Practice for later.”

“I still have a few months!” Junior insisted. 

“I know, I know, kiddo,” his father replied, ruffling his hair. “You grew up too damn fast, you know that? Probably that extra year or two in the egg you had.” 

“I had to make sure I was perfect, that’s all,” Junior said haughtily. Bowser chuckled. 

“Yeah, you’re my kid alright,” he said fondly. “So, what brings you in?”

Junior sighed. Bowser nodded knowingly. “Ah. Girl troubles. That little blonde bruiser, huh?”

“Yeah. I just…I don’t get it. I’m being so nice, but…,” Junior grumped. He wanted to say more, but the more he thought about it, the more it proved Mel was right about how he acted, and he didn’t want to reflect on that. 

“Eh, sometimes, people are just hard to win over. I mean, look at Peach. I was going to create a galaxy just for her, but look how that turned out,” Bowser replied. “She still chose Mario.”

“Did Peach even want a galaxy?” Junior asked. Bowser shrugged. 

“Maybe not, but the grand gesture might have worked…if it worked,” Bowser relented. “But I know she was fond of you and still is, but I wouldn’t have used you to win her over. You’re my kid.”

Junior hummed at that. 

“Did I…you know, your mother and I…we got along well in the beginning, you know? But we really barely knew each other before jumping into the marriage thing,” Bowser said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. Junior snapped to attention at that - his dad never spoke about her. “And because of that, it didn’t last. In and out of the love stuff pretty quick. I think we liked the idea of each other. I think the only reason she would have stayed would have been for you if she saw you hatch.”

“But she left after she laid my egg,” Junior said softly. 

“Yeah, and she’s missed out on the best son and prince a king could ask for,” Bowser said. “That’s her problem. But you know what? I’m glad she left. Neither of us would have been happy with each other, only you. And…”

Bowser paused with a heavy sigh. 

“Maybe if I talked to Peach, got to know her better before I tried marrying her…,” Bowser trailed off, looking at the empty seat across from him. “Who knows. Maybe she would have. Maybe I would have gotten over her.” 

“Dad?” Junior asked. Bowser cleared his throat. 

“Listen, all I’m saying is, be smarter about this than I was. Gain her trust, learn about her, THEN kidnap her,” Bowser finished. “It should work out then.”

Junior stared at his dad for a moment. “I think you’re right for about two-thirds of that statement.” 

He shrugged. “Eh, you kids these days, always challenging things.” 

Bowser stood with a stretch. “Come on, Junior. Let’s go see if dinner is ready. I swear I’m about ready to eat an entire zoo.”

Junior didn’t sleep well that night, instead returning to the garage to continue working on his car. The timing belt finally fell into place. He turned to a hundred different other little adjustments, mind going to a thousand other places. His dad had been right, a little bit, but dropped the ball in the end. He thought about it: he didn’t really know a lot about Mel. She was from Brooklyn, liked the color yellow and baseball, she was pretty, and according to his chefs, liked the braised viola-head ferns they served her. They spoke about the music they liked, and other little things, but he didn’t know her. 

‘She’s cool,’ he thought. ‘She doesn’t kiss up to me like other royals or people.’

Junior thought about that for a moment. That had been the only reason he wanted to hang out with her: the sole fact that she didn’t kiss up to him and he thought she was pretty. But even so, she made the Mushroom Kingdom ball bearable, probably because she wasn’t royal and didn’t know he was. He wiped his face roughly with a rag. No wonder she didn’t like him anymore, she knew he was a prince on top of everything. Junior banged his head on the side of his car a few times. The flowers were definitely overkill, not even just the fireflowers. He stared at the scratches his horns left and sighed. “Dammit.” 

He roughly buffed them out before heading to bed again. Fortunately, Kamek was in bed and couldn’t scold him, and so was his dad. The only people up were a few guards and servants, and they wouldn’t narc on him. Junior flopped on his bed, fitfully tossing to get comfortable. He didn’t know when he fell asleep, just that he awoke to the sun in his face and a knocking on the door. He rolled over, burying his head into a pillow, and tried to ignore the world. 

-

Peach adjusted her ponytail in the mirror, followed by her wristbands and brooch. “There! Mario, are you sure you can’t join in sooner?” 

Mario looked away from the window at that. “I wish, even then, the doc wants me to make sure I don’t overdo it. If I go now, I’ll play the whole time. Show up later-”

“Oh, fine, love,” Peach walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I’ll see you soon then. Are you sure you can handle the meeting with the agricultural department?”

“I’ll suffer through it, but I can handle it,” he nodded. Peach laughed, kissing him deeply. Mario sighed when she pulled away. “My princess.”

“My hero,” she returned. “I love you.” 

“Ti amo,” Mario replied. “Go have fun, love.”

Grabbing her tennis racket, Peach exited their chambers, flanked by two guards and Thargarite. The young maid had requested to be at her side that day, if only to see Mel again. Peach was more than happy to agree, knowing that the two were friends, or at least were trying to be. Work for them both had a way of limiting their time. The guards were standard, as always. 

There was a whir of blades outside. Peach groaned, peering out the window. She half expected to see Bowser, ready with another scheme that would throw a wrench into her day and probably the next week or so. She was questionably surprised to see Junior instead, landing carefully outside the garden. Peach gestured for two of them to follow, sending another guard to go give Mario a head’s up - just to be ready but not to jump into action. She hurried down and outside, squinting in the bright morning light. “Junior?”

“Hey, Peach!” he called out. “I fixed the timing belt on the hotrod!” 

“I can hear,” she replied. The hotrod was really just a vintage flying car that had been in storage for years, and Junior had been working on it for years, only taking it out occasionally to swap with the regular clown car. It was bright blue and nearly blended into the sky. The last time he drove, the timing belt went haywire, much to his frustration. “Sounds great! Did you really drive all the way out here to show me?”

“A little. But I…,” Junior rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. “I need advice.” 

“Oh? Alright then,” Peach said slowly. “Let’s go to the gazebo, shall we? Guard, Thargarite, stand down please.”

Junior hopped down, following behind Peach as she led him to the little gazebo in the garden, the walls lined with ivy and wisteria. He had to duck down to avoid getting tangled. Peach gestured for him to sit as she did. “The chair won’t bite, dear.”

“No, I just…Peach, this is a dainty wicker chair. I don’t think I’m dainty wicker chair built,” he replied. Junior moved the chair over, sitting on the ground instead. It put him lower than eye level with her. 

“So…advice?” she asked.

“Yeah, I tried asking my dad, but I think he might have missed the mark on it?” he continued. 

“What about?” she asked. “I do believe that he wouldn’t have the best.” 

“I mean, half was good?” Junior added. “...it’s about Mel.”

Peach frowned slightly. She had heard everything from Mel on her end. Junior wasn’t like his father in most ways, but… “Ah.”

“I’m kind of…confused. Feelings wise?” he admitted. “Dad talked about how he and my mom liked the idea of each other and I think maybe…”

“What did you initially like about her?” Peach asked. She had heard that story too - in that regard, she had some sympathy for the tryant.

“That she was cool, and she was normal about everything. I mean, she didn’t know who I was, but now I think that she knows, it freaks her out?” Junior said. “I mean…”

“Well, how do you think Mario felt when he met me?” she asked. 

“Starstruck. Love at first sight?” he guessed. She laughed and shook her head. 

“No, he smiled and introduced himself. He didn’t know who I was at first either,” she said. “He was my first friend outside of the castle. Truth be told, the feelings didn’t come until later, and even then, we pushed them away because of duty. That doesn’t happen with everyone.”

“Oh,” Junior replied, perhaps a bit dumbly. 

“Now, what did you do differently than Mario and I?” 

“Everything.”

Peach nodded. “All you knew was that she was cool, and normal. Maybe a few other things since you were with her the whole night. But none of that is enough. And now, Mel wants to be friends, right?”

“Yeah. I just…I don’t have a lot of friends. None that act like her or anything, you know?” Junior replied. “Maybe I didn’t think it through.”

“Maybe you were projecting a little too?” Peach offered. “Liking the idea of someone who treated you like everyone else?”

Junior huffed, crossing his arms. She continued. “And because of that, you tried to rush things, and now she is pushing you away.”

He pouted, and Peach could only think of when he was a child, pouting when she said no to another treat or when she said she and Honey had to go home. How the two had played when they were younger, usually in the small garden at Bowser’s castle, dodging piranha plants like it was second nature. She felt a pang in her chest, and she cleared her throat. “I’m right, you know.”

“I know…,” he relented with a sigh, placing his head on the table. “Thank you.”

Peach gently smiled, petting the long locks of red hair. The end of his tail began to wag - he had liked that even as a baby. “Maybe a little chat with Mel is in order. And an apology, and don’t give me or her the whole macho thing either.” 

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. 

“Just wait until later. Her and I have a tennis match shortly, and I doubt she’d appreciate the intrusion,” she said. “And next time, please call or send a note before coming over. It takes a while for castle to come down from high alert.”

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“Good boy.”

-

Mel returned to the Borderlands that evening feeling more invigorated than ever. Her match with Peach and Mario had been what she had needed, and she had been able to spend time with Thargarite while Mario and Peach faced off 1v1. Mel wished her phone worked, signal-wise, in the Mushroom Kingdom, solely so she could coordinate with Thargarite to hang out on off days or afternoons. Rita, as she liked to be called, spoke so excitedly about everything in town, and Mel wanted nothing more than to be able to explore properly. Not just for errands or shopping for gear, but fully to have fun, just like back in the city. Mel hummed at the idea happily. It would be nice before she left for good, but if she was honest, Mel couldn’t pin down a set day to even go to the Toadwoods to investigate, and even then the actual thought of planning the day she’d leave seemed so far away. 

More and more seemed to pop up, and Mel couldn’t bring herself to want or try to leave so soon. And she couldn’t just leave Toad alone so soon! And Larry was making her a music box, and who knew when that would be done. It would be at least two years before she would have been able to come back, and that was far too long. Peach and Mario were also welcoming and so kind, and Mel couldn’t imagine not being able to see them for that long. If she allowed herself an indulgent thought, one she used to have as a child, Mel liked to have think that if they had come to Brooklyn so long ago or she had fallen down sooner, maybe…well. It was an indulgent thought. Who wouldn’t want to be adopted by nice people, and if you had an imagination, adopted by royalty? It was her entire floor’s fantasy, right after a normal life or getting something brand new that wasn’t a school uniform or out of their own pockets. 

It was, in that way, a literal pipe dream. But dreams are dreams are dreams. Mel could enjoy their company and talks over tea, and would for as long as she could. They were simply the kind of people she wished she had had for longer. In many ways, it seemed like the world she had landed in had all of that in spades. Wide open space and blue sky, and more and more worlds to explore. It was like everything was trying to keep her there. 

There was a far of whir of fan blades. Mel held back a wince - it could have been anyone, and if it was Junior, he had a life that required him to fly around. She didn’t recognize the car once it finally flew over, and it alleviated her worries. So she continued on home, unfazed and unbothered. The late afternoon sun felt warm on her face and shoulders, the wind tugging her pony tail softly. Mel shifted the borrowed tennis bag on she shoulder to stretch her arms, sore from the back and forth for a better part of the day, even with lunch and a tea break Peach insisted on. Mel wouldn’t have complained in any case, nor would she had said no to castle grown tea and little cakes the princess had made herself. She had even promised to join them again for tea within the week - Mel marveled at how many tea dates she had lined up. It wasn’t something she was familiar with, and she loved it. 

She rounded down the path, past Larry’s cottage and the glens of wildflowers. Mel skipped over a few stones in the path, laughing softly as a few little bugs flew away from the grass at the side of the path when she stepped too close. She veered a bit closer to the middle of the path to stop disturbing them, continuing home. The smile faded as she approached: the car had been Junior’s, and he himself was on Toad’s front lawn. Toad, barely knee-high to the Koopa, stood in front of him, shouting. Mel couldn’t quite read Junior’s face, but she knew that whatever Toad was saying was well deserved. She sighed, running up to the house. 

“Hey! What’s going on?” she called, skidding to a stop. Toad went to try and nudge her inside. 

“Don’t worry, I have this all under control!” he stated, pushing against her knees. Mel sidestepped out of his reach. “Mel!” 

“I can handle this. He’ll be off the lawn soon,” she replied. “At least it looks like he didn’t damage any plants.”

“I can land a car, Mel. Thanks,” Junior said with an eyeroll. “I know how toads are about their gardens and stuff.” 

“Joy, the bare minimum of consideration,” Mel deadpanned. Toad gave Junior one last hard stare but went back inside, making a show of going to the front window and watching. She turned back to Junior, eyebrows lowered to glare. He kicked a clod of dirt after a moment. “Well?”

“How…how was tennis?” he asked lamely. Mel shifted the bag again. 

“Good. Fun,” she replied. “Why are you here?”

“Well, just flying by and thought I’d drop in. You know, make sure you’re uh- good?” he said. “You know, someone's gotta-”

“And goodnight,” Mel interrupted, turning to the door. 

“Wait! I’m…,” Junior exclaimed. “I’m sorry, Mel.”

She paused. “That’s the third time you’ve apologized to me, but I don’t know how good they are.”

“You’re right. And you’ve been right,” he continued. She turned to face him again, surpised. “I…look this is going to sound pathetic but I haven’t had many friends. At least none that are, y’know, normal? A lot of the time they’re noble brats or just kiss-ups because my dad’s a king and all that. And that’s why I liked you. You acted like I was on your level.”

Mel considered that for a moment. It had been how she treated anyone, and certainly him when she hadn’t known he was a prince. “You treated me the same, too. I missed being around someone my own age. But-”

“I know! I messed up like crazy,” Junior ran his hand over his hair, pacing slightly before turning back to her. “And I kept messing up. I just got lucky that you even accepted my apology this first time-”

“Still not completely okay about the kidnapping thing.”

“Fair! Fair…,” Junior relented, softly dropping his shoulders. “But I was still…well, in that mindset.” 

He looked in the direction of the Koopa Kingdom. Mel couldn’t quite read his expression, cautiously stepping closer. 

“I talked to my dad, and it was…sort of solid. Peach actually gave better advice, you know? But she’s better at this thing,” he continued. “There’s something he said about liking the idea of someone more than the actual person, and Peach agreed with it. I didn’t give you a fair shake.”

“You…liked the idea of me? More than the actual me,” Mel replied. She was a little thrown off. 

“Yeah! You're just...different. But you can’t really be friends or anything with that kind of thought I guess,” Junior said, kicking another clod of dirt. “I’m sorry.”

“I can’t say I was expecting this,” she said simply. She honestly wasn’t - and how could she? “You really take Peach and your dad’s advice to heart, huh?”

“Some of my dad’s. And Peach is one of the only people I know I can trust outside of my family, you know? And maybe I’d like you to be one of them too? If you can give me a-,” he paused for a moment. “Third chance.”

Mel placed the racket on the ground. “No tricks? No schemes? No nonsense?”

“No to all of the above, promise,” Junior guaranteed, holding up his hands defensively. He slowly extended a hand out. “Friends and a fresh start?”

“I think I can agree to that,” Mel said and grabbed it with a firm shake. 

“Do you want to hang out this weekend?” he offered. 

“I have some plans, but I might be able to work around stuff - I just don’t have a way to reach you,” she replied. “My phone doesn’t link to the service here.”

“Oh easy fix,” Junior replied like it was easy as breathing air. “Lemme see.”

Mel held out her phone in confusion, unlocking it. He took it, grabbing his own phone and a linking cord as she looked on. With a few quick taps and some typing, he restarted her phone. The phone booted up with a familiar chime, and he handed it back. Mel watched in delight as her phone finally had service again. But there was no flood of messages from Brooklyn or her friends - she figured that there more than likely wasn’t a cross-world connection. “There! Now you have a connection to the world here. I took the liberty of adding a few apps to your phone, just the warp finding one, the lakitu ride service, the usual. And my number, of course.”

“Of course. Thank you,” Mel smiled. “The warp one will definitely help. I’ll text you when I figure stuff out - oh! Maybe we can go to the art exhibit that opened in Mushroom Village! Rita was just-”

“An art exhibit? Yes!” Junior replied with excitement that Mel couldn’t believe, with an equal grin and practically vibrating. “Finally! No one I know wants to ever go to those. My dad isn’t that kind of dude, and my cousins are just, well, themselves. Ludwig would go but he’s such a damn buzzkill. Shit, we should go to the one in the Bean Kingdom, they have a really nice-”

He paused and looked back at her, and Mel realized that she had been staring. “I sound crazy, don’t I?”

“No! No no,” she replied. “I’m just surprised that you’re so excited about this.”

“I mean yeah, I really like art,” Junior replied, tossing his chin up slightly. 

“Well, you’re going to have to catch me up on this stuff then. I know human world art, can’t say I’m familiar with it here,” Mel shrugged. Junior grinned wildly and nodded, bravado gone in a second, and pulled up his phone gallery.

“Eventually you’ll have to come back to check out the family gallery and the stuff I’ve painted,” he said excitedly, turning his phone to her. “I’m trying to branch back out into realism, but I’m really good at abstract and graffiti styles.”

His phone was larger than her hand twice over so she had to cradle it. Mel swiped through the photos, and she could feel his eyes on her, scanning over for her reaction. She looked up and grinned. “These are really good! You’re talented.”

She could see his chest puff up in pride, but could also see how he bit back saying something as equally prideful. “Thanks.” 

“I’ll text you, but stay free for Sunday morning, deal?” Mel offered. “We can get coffee!” 

“Deal!” Junior said. “Sorry to, uh, do any damage to the lawn. I can pay to fix it!”

“Don’t worry about it, it can be me and Toad’s project next week,” Mel shrugged. She glanced back to the window. Toad was still watching like a hawk, staring intently. “I think that’s our cue.” 

“Before his cap blows off,” he replied. “I’ll see you later, Mel.” 

“See you, Junior,” Mel waved, watching as he flew off. She hummed to herself, a bit thrown off by everything but nonetheless happy. She heard the door open behind her, and Toad emerged with a croquet mallet. “He’s gone now.”

“Hmph! Well, good riddance,” Toad sniffed. “I hope that’s the last we see of him.”

“Weeeeeeeell-”

Toad sighed, patting her knee with equal parts exhaustion and affection. “Sweetie-Mel, you might be too sweet sometimes.”

“Only to butterflies and some people."

Chapter Text

There had always been something about rose gardens and just the smell that Mel enjoyed and found somewhat comforting. She couldn’t quite place why, and whenever she tried to think about it or remember, it made her head throb. So, Mel chalked it up simply to something in her past that she would never know unless by some miracle. But in any case, the afternoons she was able to spend in the royal gardens were very dear to her. In quiet lulls of conversation, or when she didn’t need to speak, she would close her eyes slightly, just breathing and enjoying the sunlight and perfume. Mel, for some reason, couldn’t help but feel safe.

She blinked a few times, returning back to reality. “Hm? I’m sorry-”

“We just asked how the trip planning is going,” Peach smiled over her teacup, gently cradled in her hands. 

“It’s…I keep putting it off, honestly,” Mel shrugged with an embarrassed smile. “Things just keep coming up, and I can’t really bring myself to actually set a date. I have the map, I have supplies, but none of the will to actually go.”

Mario laughed. “Careful, you might end up staying for the rest of your life.”

“That wouldn’t be too bad,” she replied honestly. “I could get a better job in a few years, my own little house…try my hand at growing roses.”

Mel reached out to a close bloom, gently touching the petals. “I used to dream about a rose garden when I was a kid, almost every night. I think I-”

There was a slight twinge of pain in her head and she winced. Mel rubbed her temple, tracing the scar. Peach reached out, brushed the hair away from the scar, and gently moved her hand away to better look at it as if her stare and gentle gloved touch would heal it completely. Mel had told her exactly what she had told Mario. “You must have had one before everything. Don’t stress yourself thinking over it, love.”   

She smiled, taking another sip of her tea to chase the rest of the ache away. “I won’t, promise.”

“Still, you should go back, finish school before you make any decisions like that,” Mario chided. “You’re only 16.”

“I know, I know,” Mel replied. “I mean I’m still studying while I’m here! I have forms to enroll in school here just in case. But just in case.”

“Hopefully, you won’t have to,” Peach replied, cupping her cheek. “But if you do, we certainly won’t mind seeing you often. We don’t mind now.”

Mel couldn’t help but lean into the gentle touch. Like the rose garden, there was something so comforting about it - how motherly it was, the warmth, there were a lot of things to pinpoint. “I can always sneak away to visit every so often. If the warp goes both ways - and Junior got the WarpFinder app to work on my phone, so I can always visit for a day.”

“He’s still behaving himself, si?” Mario asked. It was tinged with the same kind of concern that Toad constantly had, but it felt more so. “If not-”

“He is! We went to another art gallery last weekend since the first was all modern and we didn’t really get it,” Mel nodded. “But yeah, he’s been a LOT better. It’s nice, you know? Having friends my age. Not that you all and Toad aren’t wonderful! But-”

Mario laughed. “We understand completely! Especially Peach.”

“I hadn’t really left the castle much or interacted with many people outside of the regular nobility until I met him and Luigi,” Peach agreed. “My closest friends were Toadsworth, and he’s more like my father, and Daisy, and her and I have known each other since birth.”

She turned, catching Mario’s gloved hand in hers with a gentle squeeze. “He’s been my best friend ever since.”

“My brother and I mostly kept to ourselves, especially since we worked so much, so we didn’t have many ourselves until we got here,” Mario added, gesturing a hand in a broad motion.

“And now everyone who isn’t in Brooklyn or Queens knows you by name,” Mel smirked, snagging the last biscuit on the plate. Mario made a face of mock disbelief. 

“Oh yeah, like I was going to schlep to Manhattan or god forbid the Bronx to snake pipes for some schmuck,” he couldn’t help the laugh forming at the corners of his mouth. “And the last cookie? Really?”

“Snooze you lose,” she joked, popping the last piece into her mouth. “But in all seriousness, he’s actually like a lot of people I know back in school. Junior’s actually offered to drive me to the Toadwoods too, whenever I’m ready. I, uh, just need to get over my fear of heights. Silly, huh? From the city of skyscrapers and yet…”

“It’s just something that happens,” Peach soothed. “You can’t fix what your brain can perceive as a threat, even if there’s no basis for it.”

Mel wanted to argue that there must have been. In just as many safe rose garden dreams she had, there were just as many dreams where she was falling from an azure sky, clouds becoming smaller and smaller until obscured by leaves and then- the headaches that followed those dreams were the worst. But she just nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Can’t fix what isn’t broken. Mostly.” 

“One day you’ll get your memories back,” Mario said. “Hey, Professor E. Gadd might-”

“Oh no! He is not using her for a guinea pig for some theoretical thingamajig, Mario,” Peach protested.  “I won’t let him touch a single curl on her head. It’s too precious.”

Mel smiled into her tea cup. She would never say it aloud, but she enjoyed being fussed over. 

“Memories or not,” Peach concluded. “Mel is perfect as is. And she can have as many of the last biscuits as she wishes.”

Mel sputtered into her tea, laughing, and was soon joined by the couple across from her. Once again, she was plagued with the guilty pipe dreams of the family she wished she had gotten, or maybe had and lost. All she could say for certain was that she would miss those afternoons at the castle most of all, and when they invited her back for another visit, Mel was more than happy to agree. There was a new schedule to her life, so different than even when she had originally settled into the Mushroom Kingdom. Work was one thing, but then the afternoons or evenings were soaked up by the people she had grown to care about most. 

It was one afternoon, not long after their day in the garden, that she arrived to Mushroom Town, having rushed from work post-insane lunch rush. Mel was sure she looked a sight, hair messy, stained apron, bags under her eyes, and all. She barely skid to a stop at the castle warp, having learned how to access it from Mario and Rita, before hopping in. Mel only continued to run, checking her phone as she did. Rita had to help a fellow maid, and was upstairs in the castle. She had no clue how to get there, let alone how she was going to navigate the rest of the day.

She had had a falling dream the previous night. Mel couldn’t remember exactly the last time she had one, but it was just as intense. She thought she could power it through it, but she felt ragged down to the bone. As much as she wanted to go to a poetry reading with Rita, followed by a little market browsing, Mel’s head and body were protesting. Her head throbbed harder with each step. She knew she was pushing it, but Mel wanted so fiercely to spend time with everyone before she left. Her vision was beginning to pinprick with little flashes of light. She whined, coming to a stop, breathing softly in through her nose and out through her mouth with a wave of nausea as she leaned against the wall. Her knees slowly unlocked, and Mel felt herself slump. Everything felt close yet far away all at once, and she barely took notice of a pair of footsteps rushing toward her. 

“Mel! Mel?” she slowly looked up, wincing under the bright light of the castle. Princess Peach was kneeling next to her - she hadn’t realized she had gone all the way to the floor. Mel felt cool gloved hands trace her face. “What’s wrong?”

“M’ head hurts,” Mel murmured. “Hadda falling dream. Thought I could get through it.” 

Peach tsked, helping her up. “Let’s get someplace a little less bright, okay?”

Mel only nodded weakly, leaning heavily on Peach’s side. “M’kay.”

Peach led her to a small parlor that was thankfully nearby, depositing her on the couch while she closed the curtains. There was a small pitcher of water on the table, ready for anyone to use the parlor for relaxing, and Peach pressed a glass of water to Mel’s hands. “Sip.”

She followed orders. Peach had gone to the door, opening it up a crack and saying something to someone, but Mel couldn’t make it out. She finished the water before Peach returned, being careful to place it down on the table. Peach came back, sitting on the couch next to her. “You mentioned those dreams give you headaches. I didn’t realize they were this bad.”

“It’s been a while since my last one,” Mel said softly. “I thought it was just bad because I was little. It, ugh, it feels like how memory headaches felt after therapy - they took me to sessions when I was little, to try to get me to remember but-”

Mel clutched her head as a hard twang of pain traced through it. “But I couldn’t remember, I just got-”

“Shh,” she heard Peach hush. Mel felt her shift on the couch, and then a hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her down until her head was in the princess’s lap. “Rest. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

She began to stroke Mel’s hair, tracing soothing lines and swirls over her scalp, forehead, and cheeks. The pain felt better with the motions, and Mel allowed her eyes to flutter shut, her body relaxing into sleep with the slightest relief.

Peach stared down at the young woman, watching as her breath began to even and smooth out. She didn’t stop tracing the soft lines through her hair, eventually catching the scar on her temple. With a pause, she brushed the blonde locks away to the thick line of scar tissue that raised up from her scalp. All this from one scar, one horrid event that Mel, blissfully, couldn’t remember but still suffered from. Peach cursed the people who abandoned her, and injured her no less. She hoped it wasn’t her actual parents, but she knew it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility. 

“Poor thing, you shouldn’t have pushed yourself,” Peach murmured, more to herself than anything. “No need to rush through your time here. Don’t rush. Stay as long as you can, as long as you need. As long as we- you want to stay.” 

As much as she tried to deny it, there had been something she had noticed from the first day she met, something that Mario had brought up, something that Luigi had worried over. And it made her feel so selfish for wanting to get Mel to stay, for wanting the girl spend time there. Selfishness wasn’t something Peach regularly allowed herself to feel, or even wanted to feel. But oh, having a child sleeping in her lap again! Granted, Mel wasn’t a child persay, but…

Mel softly murmured in her sleep, and Peach felt her own face soften. She began to hum, barely a lilt above a whisper, the old lullaby tracing over her lips from memory without thinking. Mel was fully asleep, plans for the day ebbing away like the tide. She had already sent word to Rita, and then had a notice sent to Mario as well. Her own schedule was thrown off: he’d be taking on the next meeting alone. At least it wouldn’t be long or tiresome, and Mario was more than capable as much as he was loathe to sit still through those proceedings. Besides, Mel was ill. So Peach continued to trace thin lines on her scalp, humming. 

-

Mel woke up, head still heavy but the pain was gone, and she could chalk it up to being exhausted. She blinked with a murmur, wishing to will herself back to sleep. There was a soft chuckle from above her, and she peered up to see Peach. “Did I…did I fall asleep?”

"Yes, dear, for a solid hour and a half,” she replied, gently petting her hair. “You really needed it.”

“I guess so,” Mel said. She still couldn’t bring herself to move, but Peach wasn’t pressuring her to. “I feel better. Oh man, Rita-”

“Rita knows, and she understands,” Peach said, pulling her back from launching up from laying down. “Don’t rush - I don’t want you to almost faint again.” 

“I’ve genuinely never felt worse,” she murmured, gently touching her scar. “I thought those dreams were over.” 

“Sometimes things pop back up after a few years, or from stress,” Peach offered. “Is everything okay?”

It was then she allowed Mel to slowly sit up. “I…I guess thinking about leaving is more stressful than I thought. I did finally make arrangements to go out to the forest, but actually going?”

“I know, dear, but it will have to be done, as much as we don’t want you to go any sooner than you have too,” she replied, handing the girl back her water glass. Mel took a few sips, looking down at the water. “Mel?"

“My neighbor, he keeps asking stuff,” Mel felt the princess’s eyes narrow on her. “Stuff about my past? He knows the Brooklyn stuff, but he wants to know the things I can’t remember. I know he’s kind of ditzy? I guess. I don’t think he means harm, but I’ve asked him to knock it off. I’ve somehow managed to fight off a bunch of headaches.”

“He shouldn’t have to be asked after the first time,” Peach said sharply, gently petting Mel’s hair. 

“I thought it was because he’s making me a jewelry box, you know? And he wants to get it close to one I had as a kid,” she replied. “But…I don’t know, he just kept on.” 

“I’m sorry, Mel,” Peach pulled her into her arms. “Your poor head.”

There was a gentle rapping on the door, and Mario slowly opened the door. “She awake?”

“Yes, love, she is,” Peach called out. Mario entered with a small plate in his hands. “What’s this?”

“Well, when I had bad headaches, eating something salty always helped,” he replied setting down the plate in front of them before sitting on one of the armrests. “I figured it might help Mel. I haven’t made them in a while, so feel free to tell me if they’re bad, okay?”

“What are they?” Mel asked, looking at the golden fritters, and then to the flour and egg on Mario’s sleeves and pants. “And you made them yourself?”

“Crocchette di patate e parmigiano,” he said. “La ricetta di mia madre. I got her recipes when I turned 18, but Luigi is way better at cooking than me, so-” 

He was interrupted by a loud crunch as Mel bit into the first one. It was gone seconds later. “Ah, I have your approval?

Mel nodded, reaching for another one. He chuckled. “Well, can’t say I’m that bad at cooking then.”

“You didn’t have to do that, Mario,” Peach said. “You know how the chefs fret when I go to the kitchen to bake.”

“Eh, it’s something that helped me, and I know the recipe so,” he replied. “Besides, I needed something that wasn’t talking about water mains. Which, easy to talk about, but not for over an hour.”   

“Love, you’re the only person who calls water mains easy,” Peach rolled her eyes, but goodnaturedly. Mel laughed softly, wiping her chin with her apron. “How are those treating you?”

“Very good,” she replied. “They’re delicious, and definitely helping my headache.” 

“Kid, don’t run yourself into the ground, okay?” Mario asked. There was a stern quality to it. “You can’t help yourself or anyone if you don’t take care of yourself.” 

Mel looked up at him with a nod. “I will. Promise.”

“Atta girl,” he said, patting her back. “Once you’re better, we’ll take you home, okay?”

“And straight to bed,” Peach added. “I’ll grab the sleepy tea from the pantry, that always keeps people from having bad dreams.”

“You don’t have to, really-,” Mel protested. The little itch of feeling guilty swelled. “You’ve already done so much right now. Hell, I slept on her lap, and you made me food! I can’t think of anyone who had this done for them.”

There was a flash of something over their faces, and Mel knew that if she had blinked she would have missed it. It was hard to make out: pain maybe? She couldn’t tell. But in the second it was there, it was gone, replaced by the usually calm sweetness she was used to with them. 

“Don’t worry about it, Mel,” Peach said sweetly. “It’s alright.”

Mel smiled, ignoring the itch and allowing relief to take precedence over anything else. “Okay.”

“Alright, mangia, bambina,” Mario nudged the plate. “Before they get cold.”

“Fat chance they will,” Mel laughed, grabbing another. He laughed, patting her shoulder. 

“Atta girl.” 

-

"It's a shame Mel couldn't join us for tea, hoo hoo," Larry said offhandedly. He was sitting comfortably in the garden with Toad, over a cup of starflower tea and biscuits. 

"Oh, sweetie-Mel has just been so busy. She's been the real social butterfly as of late," Toad replied. "She's…well, she's also tired. She had a pretty bad headache recently that knocked her through a loop." 

"I hope it wasn't from my questions, hoo hoo. I'm intrigued by the little queen bee's past - or lack thereof. But mostly for the music box, hee hee! I want it to be perfect," Larry replied with a giggle. Toad shrugged. 

"I think its just something that happens, you know? But maybe slow down. Mel doesn't like it, as you know," he said. "Dwelling makes her head ache. It's part of the amnesia, I think. She doesn’t quite get it either."

“Ah, I see,” the toy maker nodded. “Where is she again?”

Toad craned his head to peek inside his kitchen. “Hm, 2 o’clock? Walking home now. I should make a fresh pot. She does love her starflower tea.” 

“An excellent choice, hoo hoo,” Larry looked into the light blue tea in his cup, and quickly downed the rest. “I’ll be on my way.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to make you feel unwelcome - and you don’t have to go just yet,” Toad protested. Larry only smiled. 

“No, I really must. I have orders to work on before we lose daylight, and it’s already 2, hoo hoo!” he replied. “I’ll take care of my plates. Perhaps I come by tomorrow for tea? We’ll have a full party then, considering the day.”

“Well, I would enjoy your company, Mel may be with friends after work,” Toad nodded. “You’ll have to wait and see, dear friend.” 

Larry grinned, cleaning off his portion of the table and bringing the plates to the kitchen as Toad prepared another pot of tea. “If I don’t see Mel tomorrow, would you let her know her jewelry box is almost done? It’s just the paint and choosing the music box for the butterflies, hee hee.”

“Of course,” he said. “I’m sure she’s going to appreciate it.”

“Oh I hope she loves it!” Larry grinned again. “Well, until tomorrow, Toad!”

Toad walked Larry to the front door, watching as he disappeared down the path to his workshop. He liked Larry very well, but he couldn’t understand how things just rolled off his back so easily, or were somewhat ignored or so. Mel had warned him a few times not to ask about what she did or didn’t remember, but it seemed like he was in his own little world. But the kingdom or anywhere else in the world wasn’t without it’s odd ones, but at least he was polite most of the time. Toad heard the familiar whir of fan blades from down the path and turned to see Junior and Mel in his flying deathtrap of a clown car. He was flying low to the ground and slowly, which Toad could appreciate, and he knew that Mel certainly did. It had been routine the past few days since Mel’s headache, and even though she felt better, she happily took his offer of a chauffeur after work. Toad was not completely sold on the prince, but Mel had allowed his presence. Even so, it was helping with her fear of heights.  

Junior landed a few feet off, avoiding the lawn and any flower beds, before opening the door and helping Mel down. She seemed in good spirits, maybe a little tired, but that could easily be remedied by a strong cuppa and rest. 

“I’ll see you later, Beej!” Mel called. “You can still make it to the market Friday morning, right?”

“Anything to get me away from the palace. My dad is actually making me help with paperwork - I still have a few months of freedom!” Junior said, sounding exasperated. He looked up from her to Toad and awkwardly waved. “Hi, Toad!”

Toad waved back with a slight grin. The two said their final goodbyes, and he flew off, Mel walked home. She smiled at him. “I hope I’m not too late for tea.”

“Never,” Toad shook his head, welcoming her inside. “You just missed Larry, but I know you worry about him triggering another headache like that. I told him myself to stop this time though!”

“I really appreciate that, Toad,” Mel said. “I don’t want to have to walk out on tea if he starts, but if he doesn’t listen to you, then it may come to that.” 

“If he starts, I ask him to leave, easy as that, sweetie-Mel,” he replied, pulling the kettle from the stove top and refilling the teapot. “I don’t think it will. He seems too…oh I don’t know…cluelessly sweet to be malicious.”

Mel giggled at the description: it did fit. She grabbed her cup and saucer from the china cabinet, placing them on the table in the garden. With a languid stretch, Mel sat comfortably in her seat, curling her legs under her. Toad was soon to join her, filling their cups before sitting down himself to the pleasant silence of the wind and sunshine through the little glen. He thought, perhaps a bit sadly, that this would be one of the last afternoons they had. Her venture to Toadwoods was coming closer, and it worried him. He knew that she wouldn’t leave immediately, and that she may not even find it right away. Mel had become very dear to him - he had long since taken to referring to himself as a godfather, since he didn’t feel comfortable taking on any closer familiar titles. He hadn’t had much luck being in a family way nor did he have much family to begin with, similar to the girl he had taken in. But his godfather Toadsen had been everything and more, so being like him for Mel was one of his best accomplishments. 

“Will you be here for tea tomorrow?” he asked. “I wasn’t sure.”

“Rita and I were going to another poetry reading and maybe to a cafe. Her girlfriend is performing and needs the support,” Mel replied, sipping her tea. “Maybe Junior if he can sneak out, but that remains to be seen.”

Toad chuckled lightly. “As long as you don’t spoil dinner, that sounds lovely.”

“I won’t!” Mel smiled. “But the day after, I’m all free for tea. Next week will be a bit busy. Mario offered to teach me how to use fire flowers and run me through an obstacle course for practice for the woods. I think he’s more worried than he lets on about me going out there.”

“I’m also worried, but I trust you. You’re too stubborn sometimes, sweetie-Mel,” he replied. “Though, that worries me too.”

“Oh, you worry too much. I’ll always come back, and in a year or so, I’ll be back again,” Mel replied. She looked up at the bright blue sky. “I don’t think I can just go and leave this all behind, not forever.”

Toad tried to hide the joy he felt, and knew that if anyone else heard that, they would feel the same. “Well, you’ll always have a home here in the Borderlands.”

She smiled again, that sweet grin, and squeezed his hand affectionately. “Thank you, Toad. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

-

Junior tried to think that his parking job was elegant and perfect, the image of a future king and battalion leader, but in reality, it was a haphazard rush job. In his defense, escaping home was also a rush job, ducking to avoid family, couriers, his dad, and Kamek. Yes, the new island was important, and yes, the coronation was only months away, but he needed a break. Besides, Mel wanted him there, and so did he! 

Not to mention, he was not going to miss their usual vendor’s take on cheesy drumsticks, as he promised before. 

Mel was waiting near the market entrance. It was more or less a clear and flat patch of field that was easy to set up tables and tents on, and the only thing that marked the entrance was a banner. But it was central and easy to access for those who didn’t have time to go to one of the bigger towns for their markets, and there were dozens of vendors. Not to mention, it was one that wouldn’t blink or raise of fuss if he showed up. She smiled once she spotted him, bright like the sun was, and waved him over. 

“Beej!” she called. He smiled back, picking up the pace to join her. “You made it!”

“I escaped the clutches of the castle,” he laughed. Mel returned the laugh, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the market. “You’re awfully excited to run errands.”

“And you’re more than happy to escape to join me for them, you dink,” Mel stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Only because I like you and the food here,” Junior sniffed the air. “God, I could eat everything here.” 

“I mean, you could,” Mel shrugged. “I don’t think I could stop you.”

“You can’t,” he replied proudly. She laughed again. “So, list?”

“Just the essentials, milk, eggs, butter,” she stated, pulling the list up on her phone. “But I have time and the coin to splurge on things.”

“Um, hello? Prince here,” he said. “I can pay for anything here.”

Mel rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, prince-y money blocks, but I can at least buy my own food and drinks.”

Junior decided to drop the issue, knowing exactly how the conversation would play out, as it had multiple times before. He wasn’t making up for anything or trying to ensure her friendship, truly, but he was in the position to pay for anything. But Mel always said no, insisting otherwise. 

“Fine, but the first round of food is on me, got it?” Junior said. 

“Oh fine,” she rolled her eyes again. “I am hungry, to be honest.” 

“After you then, princess,” he said with a bow, extending his arm forward. Mel smacked his plastron, but kept going anyway. He knew she didn’t care for most pet names or nicknames, but the smile on her face and the light little blush on her ears said otherwise for that one. “So, the usual place?” 

“Yes yes yes,” Mel rallied. “And boba coffee.” 

“Blugh, I don’t get how you like that texture,” Junior stuck out his tongue as they wove through the crowd towards the stand. “It’s like…cheep cheep eggs but sugary as hell.”

“Ew, thanks for that comparison,” she shuddered. “....You’ve eaten cheep cheep eggs, huh?”

“They’re at every fancy party, and usually on a cracker,” he shrugged. Mel wrinkled her nose before turning back to seek out their cart. 

“Give me a lift,” Mel said, grabbing the edge of shell. With a ‘hup,’ he hefted her up onto his shoulder, careful of the spikes. Mel held onto one of his horns for support as he held her leg, peering over the crowd and down the rows. She tugged his horn to the right. “There he is!”

Junior managed a nod, careful not to jab her and pushed through the crowd. He could have simply smelled it out, or craned his neck, but Mel would have climbed onto his shoulder at one point anyway. Her only excuses were that she liked being tall, and that he walked faster than she did, even with the shell. At that point in any case, the move was so practiced that she probably only had to grab the edge of his shell. Getting down was also just so, a careful glide down his arm to the crook of his elbow, then an assisted hop down. 

Markel, the toad cart owner they always went to, was used to it, and had long since dropped the acrobat jokes. He smiled at their approach, waving them over. “Ah, there you two are! Was wondering when you two were going to show up. Come come come.” 

“Hey Markel!” Mel greeted. “How’s the market been so far today?”

“Oh, busy as usual,” he nodded. “But that’s the opposite of a problem for lil ol’ me! You haven’t eaten yet have you two?”

“Nope, you’re the first person we’re coming to,” Junior replied. “Please tell me you aren’t out of cheesy drumsticks.” 

“I made sure to save some for you two,” Markel grinned, grabbing two napkin lined serving containers before opening the steam tray of his cart. “I hope I did them justice - it’s my first time attempting it.”

Junior could tell, immediately by the smell alone, he was going to enjoy them, confirmed by the sight. Markel handed them over, waiting patiently for their response. Mel tapped her’s against his with a ‘cheers,’ and a little laugh before digging in. Junior laughed, and took a hearty bite. He heard Mel hum happily - even if he did’t like it, like boba, he would get her twenty just for the smile and happy hum. It was a guilty little thing, he would admit, especially considering everything else. But she had her own guilty little things : Mel told him and Rita how guilty she felt for wanting to leave and for wanting to stay - a choice between a rock and a hard place. He wanted her to stay, she was his friend, but...Junior hoped that her phone would still stay connected when she did go back. 

“Well?” Markel plied. “What do you think?”

“It’s delicious!” Mel chirped, wiping a crumb off her chin. “Really good.”

Junior nodded in agreement. “You’re gonna have to fight the chefs at the castle to see who makes it better, but you might beat them. Don’t tell them I said that though.”

Markel beamed. “Oh excellent, excellent! I’m glad they’re good enough, your highness.”

“Could we get another round to go?” Junior asked, pulling the coins seemingly from thin air. Markel nodded, getting the next two to go as Junior paid and tipped more than necessary. Mel watched in approval, grabbing a few napkins as well. “Thanks, man.”

“Enjoy you two!” he called after them, watching as they disappeared back into the throng. Mel walked through the market, Junior close behind as she searched for deals or haggled. It was fascinating to watch, especially since he never had to. He didn’t even have to then, but he still ended up helping to carry things. Months prior it would have been mortifying, but now he couldn’t bring himself to care. He almost felt poorly when Mel took the bag from his arm, peering inside and rearranging things. 

“Aaaand that’s everything on my list,” Mel stated. “The ice flowers will keep things nice and cold for another hour or two, so we have plenty of time to walk around!”

“Thank the stars for power-ups,” Junior replied. “And hell, the longer I stay out of the castle the better.”

“It isn’t that bad,” Mel chided. 

“Babe, I’m literally being named, officially, as the next king. Things like this won’t exactly be easy to come by in less than a year,” he said, waving a hand at everything. “Sorry about the babe.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she shrugged. “But seriously, you still have time before that, and even then, I doubt you’ll become king any time soon.”

“I know, but I’ll still have everything to do,” Junior groused. “Yeah yeah, honor and privilege are paid in sacrifice, yadda yadda.” 

“And you get to live in a palace with servants and money, jet off to conquer a new island or small country - which isn’t cool, by the way,” Mel said with a mock dreamy tone as they strolled by the stands of flowers and crafts. “You’ll marry a beautiful princess and have darling little princes and princesses, and fill the wings with paintings.” 

He scoffed. “Yeah, I get your point, Mel.” 

“I know,” she said. She paused to look at a dyed scarf at one stand, running light fingers over the embroidered flowers on the edges before dropping it at the sight of the price. “I get what you’re saying too.”

Junior gruffly hummed in response, tossing a few gold coins at the stand, and took the scarf off the rack while Mel wasn’t looking, stuffing it into her bag as she walked ahead. She could yell at him later for it. “I promise I’ll pull back on colonizing. Besides, isn’t there some country or whatever in your world that got so big it collapsed?”

“Ancient Rome. And most great modern world powers are heading that way after years of that nonsense,” Mel replied with a shrug. “Resources got stretched too thin, people in power didn’t care about those under them, too many people hungry and angry.” 

“I wanna avoid that,” Junior said honestly. “I want my people happy.” 

Mel smiled at him when he said that. “That’s why I think you’re going to be good at this, even though all you do is bitch right now.” 

“I am allowed to. I’m a prince. I can bitch how I please.” Mel snorted at that, trying to hide her laughter behind a hand. Junior felt himself beam, even as she smacked his arm. “Come on, let’s go see what else is here, princess.”

Mel bumped into his side with a smile - it faltered slightly when she heard someone call her name. Junior immediately felt himself go on alert, head snapping in the source’s direction. There was a small clown-looking fellow at an equally small stand, laden with little toys. Larry, her neighbor, he remembered. He also remembered that he was nosy, from what she had told him. Mel had said he was harmless, and Junior trusted her judgment, but as they approached, he found himself doubting it. There was an odd smell around him - it wasn’t the wood, paint, or lacquer from the wooden toys, but underneath it. It set him on edge, how he couldn’t place it. But Larry smiled widely, friendly, waving them over. Despite everything, Junior followed Mel to the little stand. 

“I didn’t know you were going to be here today,” Mel said, clasping the bag in her hands. 

“I had enough toys for a sale, hee hee, so I thought I’d set up today,” he grinned. “I’m afraid I don’t anything for you two, hoo hoo. Most of them are for the little ones.”

“We just stopped to say hello,” she replied. “Oh, right, Larry, Prince Bowser Junior, Beej, Larry.”

“Hello,” Junior said, pulling himself to his full height. Larry dramatically bowed, all the bells on his hat and coat jingling. 

“Welcome your highness!” he said grandiosely as he popped back up. Junior looked at him a bit awkwardly. 

“Thanks. Good to meet you,” he said shortly. Mel bumped his side - he must have sounded ruder than needed. “We won’t keep bothering you-”

“Oh, you’re not bothering me at all, hoo hoo!” Larry said, waving his hand nonchalantly. “In fact, I’m glad Miss Mel is here!”

“Oh?” Mel asked. “Oh! Is it the jewelry box?”

“Yes!” he cheered. “I have the music bobbins in - you never specified the song, hee hee.”

“I suppose I never did…I don’t think I remember it,” she replied. Larry pulled out a small reel and wind-up key with the note comb, followed by a small case of small cylinders pressed with little teeth to catch the notes. 

“Why don’t you pick one and see how you like it?” he asked. Mel pursed her lips, pointing to one in the center. Larry nodded, plucking it and locking it in place before winding up the mechanism. A soft melody began to play - it was pretty, but Mel shook her head. Larry picked the next one, replacing it. A new one played, but she shook her head again. He placed a new one, winding the key. Mel stilled at the song, eyes narrowing. 

“I…I know this song. I don’t know where from though,” she replied. “But that one.”

“It’s a lullaby,” Junior said. “From the Mushroom Kingdom. I heard Peach sing it a few times, but it’s pretty common.”

“I must have heard it somewhere around here then,” she replied, a bit softly. He watched as she gently rubbed her temple. “I’ll do that one, Larry.”

Larry smiled, placing the cylinder to the side. “Excellent! It should be done soon, hoo hoo!” 

“Thanks, Larry,” Mel said. “I’ll see you for tea soon, I suppose.”

“Of course, of course!” he grinned. “Now you two go on and enjoy your little date!”

“We’re not- we’re just- this is a friendship,” Junior stumbled through, gesturing between the two of them as she pulled them away. “Bye!”

“Okay, bye Larry,” Mel said quickly. “Thank you!”

Junior stopped once they were far enough away, looking at Mel firmly. There was a small band playing nearby, so no one could hear them speak over it. “Are you okay? You were touching your scar.”

“Yeah, I just…,” Mel shook his head. “I don’t know what triggered it.” 

“I don’t like that guy. He always seems to cause them,” he said a little harshly. She shook her head. “He also doesn’t smell right.”

“What?” she replied. “I didn’t smell anything.”

“My sense of smell is way better than yours, not a brag, but a fact,” Junior replied. “I don’t know like what, but I don’t like it.”

“I mean, I’ll give you that,” she replied. “I think I was just trying too hard to remember where I heard that, so he didn’t do anything on purpose.”

“Alright. But you’re sure you’re okay?” he asked. Mel nodded, hugging his arm since it was the one part within reach she could wrap her arms around without having to avoid spikes. 

“Yeah, thank you, Beej,” she replied. She pressed her forehead to his shoulder for a moment, and he pulled the bag from her hands. “Thank you.”

“Want to call it a day or-” he began to ask. She shook her head, taking the bag back only to place it on the ground nearby. Mel gestured to the small band, and Junior noticed that a group of people had begun dancing in the small clearing near them. She held out a hand. 

“Want to dance? Last I checked, there aren’t any balls coming up before I would leave, so…,” Mel trailed off. “Besides, you’re the only person I’ve really enjoyed dancing with.” 

“You don’t mean that,” Junior replied. He hoped it didn’t sound as pathetic as he thought it did. Mel shook her head. 

“I do. Please?” she asked again, taking his hand. Like always, he was always stunned at how small they were compared to his. Junior nodded, and once again allowed her to pull him into the fray. Uncomplicated, no weaving through other pairs, no footwork to worry over. Just her smiling face as she spun and danced, and all he wanted to do was follow. 

Chapter Text

Mel stared at the obstacle course above her. The floating blocks, climbing vines, and mock flames were daunting, but there were power-up blocks throughout the course, which certainly helped. ‘If I can do this, the woods will be a breeze,’ she thought to herself. Mel tied up her hair tightly into a bun, secured at the back of her head, and then stretched her arms and legs. 

“Okay, I’m ready, Mario,” she announced. Mario nodded, holding up a small stopwatch. He and Peach had been oddly busy the past few weeks, and it had taken what felt like forever to get to meet with them. 

“Lets-a go!” he cheered, pressing the start button. Mel took off, leaping onto the first platform, and refused to look down, dodging the fake enemies that popped up or even jumping on top of them for a boost. It felt a bit like parkour, old muscle memory jumping back into action.  She skirted past a row of flames…and fell onto the mats below. “Mel! You good?”

She sat up, nodding. “I’m good! It wasn’t that far of a drop.”

“Alright, let’s start back up - you need to get to the power-ups so you can practice with them,” he said, running over to help her up. “You won’t find many ice flowers there, but you’ll find plenty of fire flowers and mushrooms.” 

“Got it,” Mel nodded. “What was my time?”

“You only got three minutes in. At that rate,” he said, glancing up to where she had fallen from,    “you’ll complete it in maybe 15.”

“And what’s your time?”

“6 minutes, 15 seconds,” Mario stated with a grin. “But who’s counting?”

“Now I have a goal,” she said, getting back to the starting spot. “I just have to get to 6 minutes and 14 seconds.”

“You can try, kiddo,” he laughed. “Ready, set, GO!”

Mel started up again, jumping, leaping, trying to punch brick and settling to hop over the barriers, falling and starting over. Peach watched from nearby, cheering her on with Mario. When she fell for the fourth time, Mario called for a break. She rolled up from the mats, stretching and rolling her joints as she made her way over to Peach, flopping down onto the picnic blanket. “Maybe we should just skip to the power-ups.”

“You should have seen Mario the first time he was doing this,” the princess giggled, handing her a glass of water. “It took time before he could even get that record. Of course, we have a different timeline.”

“You’re just not used to this,” Mario added. “New York is a bit different for obstacle running, but you obviously can manage.”

“Not to mention, Toadwoods doesn’t have layouts like this,” Peach said. “This is more to help you think on your feet.”

“I know. And I can do that, easy!” Mel said. “And I doubt that I’ll run into half of this there, let alone any danger. Besides normal woods danger, anyway.”

“True,” Mario said, rubbing his chin. “We can do an early lesson on power-ups, but one more attempt on the obstacle course after, capiche?”

“Understood.”

He nodded, grabbing a fire flower from a small table alongside a super leaf, an ice flower, and a few mushrooms. “Alright. So there are multiple power-ups throughout the world you’ll run into. But these are the most common in Toadwoods.” 

Mario passed it over to Mel. The leaves and stem were warm in her palms. “Just brush against the flower, and it’ll do the rest.”

Mel could only describe the power being absorbed into her like being hit with a wave of heat exhaust, and looking down, she saw that her clothing was changed to scarlet and white. “Woah-”

“Now, extend your hand out and summon a fireball,” Mario continued. He extended his hand, and a small flame appeared just above his hand. “Like this.”

“How did you do that? You didn’t get a fire flower,” Mel replied. 

“I was given the ability a long time ago - it’s called a firebrand,” he explained. The flame arched and danced over his fingers. “Luigi learned a version with lightning. It was around the time he and Peasely met - another international issue I’ll have to tell you about.”

Mel laughed, and held out her palm, concentrating. After a moment, a fireball appeared, but engulfed her whole hand and up her arm. “Mario-!”

“Easy! Easy, just breathe,” he said. “You and fireflowers are just sympatico. Don’t let it go crazy on you. Just breathe…atta girl.”

The fire settled, curling in her palm again and Mel calmed. Peach watched her carefully, Mel could feel her staring. “I’m good now!”

“Alright, target practice, then obstacle course,” Mario listed, turning her around to a set of targets at different lengths. “Just like pitching, okay?”

Mel nodded. “Just not in the field and likely on the run. Easy.”

“Hopefully not like that, and hopefully not at all,” he replied, taking a step back. “Let’er rip!”

A good-sized fireball formed in her hands, about the size of a baseball. Mel wound up, and the fireball roared with flame just before she sent it flying. It fell just short of the first target, and Mario heard her curse under her breath. “Damn-”

“Don’t overthink it, Mel!” Peach called. The girl turned and nodded, and sent the next one. It overshot. Peach knew exactly what was throwing her - the weight of a fireball was different from a baseball, and felt different based on the strength of the flames. The more Mel adjusted to the fireflower’s power, the stronger the flames were. Mario had been correct: she and the fireflowers went along well. Mario had been similar, even before he received the firebrand. He had jokingly said it was because he was Italian and hot headed and hotter-blooded, but Peach had always thought it was only sign enough that he belonged in their world. Eventually, one hit a target. Far from center, but Mel had adjusted to the weight of the flames. A few more rounds got her closer. 

“There you go,” Mario said, clapping her shoulder. “You’ll get better in time. Now - one more run on the obstacle course.”

Mel nodded and jumped up to the starting point. A few minutes later she was on the ground, and the firepower boost flickered away. “Ouch.” 

“You did better than last time, Mel,” Peach reassured as the girl approached. “Come, sit and get some water and something to eat. I made lemon rose cake.”

“That’s my favorite flavor! I need the biggest slice!” Mel laughed. “Especially after all those falls.”

Peach felt the knife slip a little in her hand. Her mind went back years and years ago, to another little picnic in the garden, another lemon rose cake, and a little voice saying she needed the biggest slice, little hands impossibly dwarfed by the plate. She forced a laugh. “Of course.”

She felt Mario’s eyes on her. He saw the falter, and had the same moment of memory. A quick glance proved it, but before she could even recover, Mel let out a hum of delight. “Peach, this is amazing!” 

“Oh, thank you!” she replied. “I haven’t made this one in a while, but I thought you might like it.”

She only made it once a year for the past ten years, and it largely was only eaten by the two of them. Mario just looked at the slice in his hands. Mel looked at the two curiously. “Are you both okay?”

“We’re fine, really. Just…tired,” Mario replied with a half-smile. “We’ve just been busy the past few days.”

“I hope I haven’t given you too much to worry about with training,” Mel said, placing the empty plate down. 

“No no no!” Peach said, grabbing the girl’s hand. “You haven’t at all. If anything, we’ve been more worried about missing you.” 

“Aw, I’ll be right back once I find it, and then I’ll be back to visit!” Mel replied. “Besides, I’d miss everything too much. This place is practically home, and you both have just…you’ve been wonderful. You’ve both done so much for me.”

Ever since her migraine, Peach and Mario were as constant as Toad was. Checking on her, inviting her to tea and games more. Even when she was just stopping by the palace to grab Rita, they always managed to hold her off from leaving with something or another, even if it was just a ‘hello.’ It didn’t help the greedy thought and wishes she fostered from so long ago, but it still felt nice to go along with it. 

“Think nothing of it, honey-,” Mario had started to say, only for Peach to drop her glass. Water spilled all over the blanket and her lap. “Peach! Are you alright?”

“Here,” Mel said, grabbing a cloth napkin. Peach took it, blotting her skirt. 

“The condensation made the cup so slippery! I hadn’t paid attention to my grip,” her explanation came too quickly. She smiled as though nothing happened. “I’m alright you two! Don’t fuss so much.” 

Mel felt relieved at the smile, but a quick glance at Mario told a different story. He looked….guilty, regretful. 

“Perhaps we call it a day?” he said. “You’re going be fine in the woods, Mel. And you’ll have Junior this round, and likely a whole traveling party when you do go all the way home.” 

“Yeah, yeah you’re right,” Mel knew her smile was weak. She wanted so badly to ask or say something but she knew they would brush it off, blame exhaustion or something else. It hadn’t been the first time this had happened. In all the times they had spent together, there had been other little slips like that, but she didn’t know if there was something going on in the kingdom or if, horrifically, it was her. She hoped that she hadn’t looked at everything with rose-colored glasses, lost in the little dream of a family like them that she ignored everything else. This thought bothered her, all the way to the day she and Junior flew towards Hollijolli Village and the Toadwoods. 

Junior was flying a bit higher than the last they flew, and had been excited to celebrate Mel’s new height benchmark, but she made no reaction at the elevation, just blinking gently against the wind. He noticed her silence, and it was heavy. 

“Hey, Earth to Mel,” he said, reaching to his side to nudge her. “You okay?”

“Huh? Oh no yeah, ‘m fine,” she replied, snapping from her stare into the distance. “Just thinking.”

“Nervous about your adventure?” he asked. “Trust me, this will be a cakewalk - and then, we can probably get some cake later when you tell Peach and Mario about everything!”

She looked down at her hands at that. Junior furrowed his brows, and slowed down the klown car to a more leisurely pace. “What’s going on? Usually you’re excited about things, like this and going to the Mushroom Castle. Did Mario say something? ‘Cause I swear if he did-”

“No, no he didn’t start anything,” Mel interrupted. “It’s just…they were acting weird last I saw them, and they have been a little weird in the past few weeks. Maybe I’m just overthinking things, or maybe I overstayed my welcome? I don’t know.”

Junior sighed. “No, it’s not you Mel. I’m honestly surprised no one told you, but I’m also surprised no one did.”

Mel looked at him curiously, and he slowed the car down further. “So, you know that one painting they have covered up?”

She nodded. Mel had caught Peach and Mario staring at it briefly when passing by it. “It’s a family portrait. Peach and Mario had a, uh, had a daughter. Princess Honey.”

That explained Peach’s reaction to the word at the picnic-slash-training session. “What happened to her?”

“No one really knows,” Junior continued. He leaned back heavily in his seat. “She just disappeared from the garden one day eight years ago. The guards were knocked out. No one saw anything. The um…the anniversary was a few weeks ago. They tend to overload their schedule during that.”

“Damn, that’s terrible. How old was she?”

“Eight, only a few years younger than me. We would play together sometimes, especially when my dad kidnapped Peach - he would grab her too so she would be with a parent, and we would run around the castle together. I don’t think she ever realized it was a kidnapping,” Junior chuckled. “She was one of my only friends.

“I didn’t even know what happened for days afterward. Dad and Kamek sat me down and explained it but…,” Junior trailed off. He could remember the day prior to that vividly. He had been in his playroom when the alarms around the castle sounded. He had run to the window, wondering who would attack the Koopa Castle, only to see a battalion of Toad Soldiers with Mario and Peach at the front. That had been a source of confusion the entire time, even as he was scooped up by a bodyguard and hidden - they had never attacked before. Junior couldn’t hear his father’s booming voice from the throne room - it always carried. He must have been speaking quietly. And just as soon as they came, they were gone, but with a fleet of their best soldiers in tow. He cried when he was told his friend and playmate was gone. “My dad wouldn’t let me leave the castle without an escort or three for years afterwards. I don’t think he’s relieved a fleet of searching in years, as a favor to Peach.”

“That’s awful. I can’t imagine how they feel…,” Mel said softly. 

“I don’t think anyone could,” Junior looked at Mel for a moment. “You kind of look like her. The blonde hair, mostly.”

“Is…do you think that’s why Mario and Peach-”
“Hell no. I think they like you because you’re sweetly annoying and clever.”

Mel scoffed, smacking his arm.

“If anything, they both like having another human around, you know? Kind of a rarity.”

“It's surprising, especially if there’s a whole warp to Brooklyn here,” she added. “I was a freak accident.”
“I mean-”

Mel responded with another smack to the arm, but Junior laughed all the same. “I’m glad you did end up here. I know you miss home and everything but, yeah.”

“I’m…I’m honestly glad I did too, in a way,” Mel replied. She leaned on the side of the car, staring straight ahead to ignore the height. “Part of me is still questioning how much I want to actually go back and stay. I know I can come back, but I think I want to stay permanently once I age out of the system.” 

“Wait, really?” Junior couldn’t help the excitement in his voice. “But you’ve wanted to get back so badly and-”

“I know. It’s just that the orphanage was good to me, a lot of people have been and I don’t want to leave them worrying, especially since I’ve been gone so long - oh shit what am I even going to say to them?” Mel winced. “But…I’m really happy here. I feel - well, I don’t know what the feeling is. Maybe it’s what Mario and Luigi felt when they came here and decided to stay.” 

Truth be told, neither of them had given an exact reason. At first they assumed it was because they went from plumbers to heroes overnight, but that idea was fleeting the longer they stayed and the more adventures were had. The warp pipe was always there, always accessible, with a storefront and life that could have been returned to easily. Maybe Brooklyn and the city lost their charm when a world with princesses and magic existed. Maybe they were just happier. Maybe, deep down, they just clicked with the world on such a deep level they knew that this was where they belonged, and maybe that was what Mel felt too. 

“Maybe,” Junior shrugged. “But you gotta listen to your gut. Sometimes your brain is wack so you have to listen elsewhere.”

“Is that wisdom from your dad? Because the cadence there-”
“I’ll turn the car around.” 

Mel laughed at that, falling backward into her seat. He wouldn’t, regardless of what she said. If not due to a promise, then due to being close to the Toadwoods. 

-

Junior circled the woods for a few minutes before landing next to the abandoned vim factory, overgrown with plants and rot. The windows were shattered, and a few of the walls looked less than stable, but it was still a bit unsettling to look at. The whole Shroob incident had been shortly before he hatched, but he had heard about everything from Kamek and his father. Mel grimaced upon hearing it. But the Shroobs, their queen and their torment of the toads were far in the past, and the Toadwoods had healed for the most part. A few trees were scarred and some patches of earth refused to bear plants, and the shell of the factory stood, but a few more years would make the difference. 

“Got everything?” he asked, helping Mel down from the car. She nodded, waving the map in her hand while adjusting her bag with the other. 

“Yep. Got the map, got my power-ups, got a bottle of water and snacks,” she replied, unfolding the paper. “I’m ready.” 

“Alright, lead the way, princess.”

Mel rolled her eyes, tracing her finger on the map to the factory and then to the location of the warp, circled and annotated by Mario’s hand. “North of the factory for about….a half mile. Which way is North?”

Junior looked up at the sky for a moment before pointing behind the factory. “That way.”

“That was cool,” Mel said as they began walking. “Where’d you learn that?”

“Part of the military basics,” Junior shrugged. Mel was aware of that - part of being heir, prince, and tradition in the royal family in general. She let out a soft ‘oh yeah’ in response. “So if you get tired I can carry you out of the trenches here.”

“Oh yeah, it’s gonna be really intense here. Oh no, a butterfly, I’ll never recover,” Mel deadpanned. “Ah, a tree root.” 

“Keep talking like that and I will carry you,” he mock-threatened. “At least you’d have a higher vantage point.”

“A short jab? That’s low… wait no-”
“Then it’s the perfect height for you.”

Mel groaned as Junior laughed, shoving her face into her map, mostly to hide her own grin. They continued to idly chat and laugh as they made their way through the woods, enjoying the greenery and the slight fall chill to the air. Snow always came early to this part of the world, and it wouldn’t be long before the trees would have a coating of it. Likely, the underbrush had had frost before the sun had come out in full force. Oaks and pine stretched high into the air, speckling the ground in dotted shadows around them. Mel snapped a few photos, sending them to Toad and Rita, or posting them to her social media - Toadsta was essentially instagram but mushroom dominated. 

Otherwise, according to her map, they were getting closer. A few large boulders marked just over half way, and Mel couldn’t tell if the pit in her gut was excitement or nerves or something else. She took a swig of her water, hoping that would help, and took a handful of trail mix from her snack bag before handing it to Junior. “We’re getting close.”

“Oh,” Junior said, tossing a handful straight down his gullet. “You nervous?”

“I’m not sure.  There’s a finality to this I guess? Like, I'm finally here, and soon I’ll be back in Brooklyn,” she shrugged, picking through the trail mix for almonds. “I don’t think that’s an emotion.”

“Eh, fair enough,” he replied, stretching his arms above his head. “Been a few months since you got here, and just as long trying to get back.” 

“Apprehension could be an option, like, what if it's broken?” Mel offered. “What then?”

“Well, you’re stuck with Toad worrying about you until you move out of his guest room,” Junior started. “Maybe you’ll go to Bean University with a baseball scholarship, then be Rita’s maid of honor when she and her girlfriend get married, and then whatever else you want. Which, let's be honest, might have already been on the cards if you decided to come back.”

Mel hummed, staring up at the tree branches crossing overhead. “You have a point. Going back just skips out on me sleeping in a small ass bed for two years.”

Junior smirked at that, grabbing the trail mix for another handful. “I know - hey, you ate all the almonds! What the hell, Mel?”

“Sorry not sorry babe.”

“Can’t have shit in these woods,” Junior huffed. Mel snorted and broke out in laughter at his scowl. 

It wasn’t long until a clearing appeared ahead of them. Mel couldn’t stop herself from pointing ahead and running in front of Junior, pushing through the brush. If it had been a common thoroughfare to Brooklyn once, it no longer was. Any path had been overgrown, with young trees sprouting up among the flowers and grass, rocks that lined where the path had been were overgrown with moss. Vines had grown over and around the warp to the point that it was hard to make it out through the greenery, part of the opening a bit worn from time. Mel stared down the barrel. 

Something was deeply wrong. 

There was a pit in her stomach and she felt ill. Mel felt…frightened. Well she had been apprehensive before, this felt wildly different. She wanted to leave, and fast. She wasn’t one to run from things, but this terrified her. It wasn’t the going home aspect, or leaving at all. Mel honestly couldn’t pinpoint what it was. The shadows of the warp pipe, deep and deeper still stared back at her, and she couldn’t move. Mel felt rooted to the spot. She felt ready to vomit. She felt her scar throb in pain. 

“Mel! Mel! Hey-”

Junior’s hand on her shoulder snapped her out of it, and she jumped. “Oh shit-”

“You okay?” he looked at her with concern, eyebrows furrowed. 

“I…I don’t know,” she replied. “I guess I’m just nervous.” 

“Okay…,” he didn’t really believe her, but let his hand drop from her shoulder before looking around. “No one’s been here in a while huh?”

“This is basically abandoned,” Mel said after a moment, tearing her legs from the ground to walk around. “Not like Mario and Luigi have tried going back any time recently.”

Junior nodded. “Kinda eerie.”

Mel hummed, looking around the woods, away from the warp. That was another mistake. Looking up she saw a glimpse of the sky through the branches, clouds small and far away, obscured by leaves, and suddenly she found herself in one of her last falling dreams. Her head screamed in pain. “Junior-”

She stumbled back, away from that keyhole into the sky, and tripped over a rock. Junior made a sound of alarm at her falling, running over to help her up. “Woah - Mel, are you okay?”

“I don’t think so - something’s wrong, Junior,” she mumbled, rubbing her temple. “I don’t want to be here - I don’t think I should be-”

Mel moved to tuck her feet under her to try and stand, but hit something metallic, hidden under the grass. “Huh? What’s this-”

She reached forward in an odd moment of clarity from her pain and confusion, reaching into the tangled mass until fingers found purchase, and yanked. When she opened her hand, shaking the torn up grass free, she found a small little crown on her palm, tarnished, bent, child-sized, with little yellow and blue gems. 

Mel felt Junior bristle next to her, and watched as he reached out, taking it from her. “What-?”

“This is…this is Honey’s crown,” he murmured. “But…but how? They searched the woods- they searched everywhere! How-”

“Junior, I think we need to go,” Mel said. Whatever clarity she had left was gone. “Something is deeply wrong here.”

“But- what if she’s still here? Or what if-,” Junior started to glance back towards the pipe, mind going to one singular direction. 

There was a snap of a branch from the woods next to them. Then another. Junior’s attention snapped to that. There was a sickly sweet smell in the air, like rot, with the unmistakable smell of something pungent that only belonged to a wild animal. “Mel, stay close to me-” 

He leaned forward onto all fours, placing an arm over her, staring into the forest. There shouldn’t have been anything in the Toadwoods. There were more snapping branches, approaching quickly - whatever it was was gaining speed, and had numbers. Junior felt the flames in the back of his throat, and growled, steam escaping his nostrils, and dug his claws into the ground for purchase. 

Soon the sources of the noises were revealed. At first glance, Mel thought it was a small pack of wolves. Sick wolves. Their eyes were glossy, with no pupils visible but Mel could feel them on her. Their jaws hung slack, exposing rows of teeth and drooling wet maws, and their fur was matted, as though they were just as abandoned and worn by time as all the structures in the woods. And the way they moved…it was disjointed, like a marionette, but with purpose. Mel could almost imagine them creaking with age like old hinges and joints. After a moment, she realized they weren’t wolves at all, but a mimicry. 

“What the -” Junior began to say, but as he did, the creatures gained on them, the one front and center lunging haphazardly at Junior. The koopa prince barely had a moment to swipe the thing away, sending it hurtling into the trees like a rag doll as the other two advanced on him, sending him backwards. Mel fumbled for her bag, trying desperately to reach for the fire flowers in there. She began cursing, fumbling for items as she watched Junior fight the two off, swiping and pelting with fire balls. There was a growl to her right. 

The main one had righted itself, stalking towards her before leaping at her. Mel held her bag up in time, and it sank its teeth deep into the canvas, tearing it apart as she still tried to reach for one of the flowers - the bag should have been close to the-

She screamed in pain when the creature readjusted its bite, grabbing her hand between sharp teeth as she tried to reach back in. As one would normally respond, she punched it in the face. Only there was a blaze around her fist as she did, the creature barking in pain and shock. Mel looked at a flame - she must have just touched the fire flower after she had been bit. Before the leader had a chance, she lobbed her bag at it before throwing a fireball at it wherever she could land it. Junior glanced over, watching her go after the damned thing. ‘That’s my girl!’ was the one other thought he had other than ‘get those things away from Mel’ and ‘find out what happened to my friend.’

Mel biffed the creature square in the eyes, glazed over as they were, and its fur had gone from matted and filthy to singed as well, just as the other two had. It bellowed deeply from his chest - a hollow, fake sound, and tinny as though it was an old recording. It was laden with pain, and Mel felt a twinge of regret; the creatures were probably starving. But as it ran off in a disjointed gait, retreating, the other two followed, wounded and singed. Mel gasped for air, feeling exhaustion. 

“What. the. Hell,” Junior panted. “They didn’t stop! I thought these woods were safe!”

“That’s…that’s what Mario said,” Mel replied. “Where did they come from?”

“No idea…but you handled yourself really well 1v1,” Junior said with a proud smile. “You doing okay?”

He glanced her over, looking for injury. She looked drained beyond belief, but she was already not well prior to the fight. That’s when he noticed the blood dripping down her wrist. 

“Mel! Your arm!”

Mel finally noticed that she was bleeding then, two rows of punctures encircling her arm, each one inflamed and already raised. She grimaced, the pain setting in. He gently grabbed it, holding it up. “This looks bad, Mel. It almost looks like-”

That’s when he smelled it - the same sickly sweet smell but from the wound, and like the rot that comes with meat. Part of the military training he had done was medical, and that included learning how to detect toxins in food, water, and ones that came from animals. It was venom. The not-wolves were venomous. He would have been fine. He had felt the bites, but his scales were too thick, and even then, he was three times Mel’s mass - it wouldn’t have an effect on him. 

“We need to get you to a doctor, asap,” Junior said. “Those things were venomous.”

“Oh, that’s…,” Mel’s sentence slipped away from her in a slur. “Junior- I don’t-”

She slumped over then, eyes rolling back into her head. Junior shouted in alarm, catching her. “Mel! Mel!”

He gently smacked her on the cheek, trying to rouse her, and waved his hand in front of her eyes. She didn’t blink, and her pupils didn’t react to the light changing. She was still breathing, and he could feel her heartbeat, but it was speeding up. He cursed, and then, hefting her up into his arms, began to run. Away from the clearing, away from the woods, not even cognizant of how fast he was going, and not even caring. The crumbling smokestacks of the vim factory appeared and he pushed forward to his car. Junior threw open the door, laying her down on the seats before scrambling for the first aid kit. He emptied it out onto the floor, brushing aside everything for something - anti-venom should have been in there, but it wasn’t. He didn’t think to include it. He never ran into that kind of thing, nor would he have been affected by it. 

“Dammit!” he shouted. Mel’s pulse was erratic, and it might as well have been pounding in his own head. Junior did the only thing he could think of: buckle her in carefully, and absolutely gun it to the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach would know what to do. 

-

Mario and Peach had been listless, as always, like clockwork this time of year. It sullied the season, really. But they were getting better at this point, actually letting themselves time to relax and walk outside without a purpose. Besides, Mel was off on her adventure, and they couldn’t help but worry. It was her first one in the Mushroom Kingdom afterall. Mario had his fair shake of bumps and bruises from his own. But if they guessed correctly with how fast Junior drove, the two would be coming back any minute with a report and stories. 

“I wonder how the forest has recovered since we were last there,” Peach mused. “I know the ranger reports said things were rapidly healing, but one of these days we should check it ourselves. It might be nice to get away for a few days - and hopefully not get involved with some catastrophe.”

Mario laughed. “With our track record? Maybe not.”

Peach smiled at that. “Fair point, dearest.” 

She looked up, scanning the horizon to the northwest. “I hope they arrive back soon. I want to know so badly how things went.”

“I’m sure things went great! Without the Shroobs, that forest is very safe. Nothing too wild that those two couldn’t handle - and speak of the devil!” Mario pointed to a small, rapidly approaching dot. “There they are!” 

“Well! Look at that,” Peach said happily. But then she squinted, watching the car approach. “He’s driving really fast, Mario. More so than usual.”

Her heart sank to her feet, and before she knew it, she was running to the landing pad in the back of the castle, Mario right next to her. Something was wrong. 

Junior came in hot, skidding off the pad a few feet and tearing up the lawn before stumbling out in a flash and throwing open the back door. Peach and Mario were quick to meet him, seeing the smoke from the skid marks just barely fade out as he turned to face them. He looked like he had been in a fight, with scratches on his arms and face, hair windswept and tangled, untied, but the look on his face was hollow, scared in a way Peach hadn’t seen since he was a child, and then she saw why. Cradled in his arms was Mel, just as battered, but pale. She gasped, rushing over. “Junior! Junior what happened?”

“I- we were attacked by these- these things and they were venomous and one bit Mel, and I can’t get her to wake up- why can’t I?” he stammered out, voice reedy. “I can’t- I couldn’t-”

He was starting to panic, and he took a step and his knee nearly gave out. “She’s gotten worse and-”

Mario stepped forward, no words of comfort, only taking Mel from his arms. “I got her!”

In a flash he ran into the castle, and Peach could hear him shouting for help. Junior fell to his knees then, and tears began to flow rapidly down his shout with a whimper. Peach knelt next to him, pulling him into her. “Easy, easy…Mario’s got her.”

“I couldn’t protect her - and I didn’t have any stupid anti-venom in my car!” he sobbed. “If she hadn’t used a fire flower-”

Peach hushed him gently, rocking him through the rest of his sobs and panic. “It’s okay. It’s okay…”

“How can I be a good prince or king,” he wheezed,” if I can’t even protect someone I care about?”

He went quiet after that, just unevenly breathing. After a moment, she stood, grabbing the scattered contents of the first aid kit, and began cleaning the boy’s wounds. “I’ll call your dad and Kamek to come get you in a little bit, alright? Let’s get you calm first, and patched up.” 

Junior only nodded, letting her do so. Peach carded her fingers through his hair, detangling the red locks as best she could, before braiding it back. She helped him up, steadier now but eyes distant. She could remember the first time this had happened to her. Mario didn’t come out of one of his adventures injury free, and had all but collapsed once she crossed the threshold into her castle. She hadn’t moved from his bedside for days. 

Toadsworth met her as soon as she entered. “Princess-!”

“I know,” she said softly. “I need you to send word to Bowser and Kamek to come pick up Junior. He’s in no shape to drive right now.” 

“Where’s Mel?” Junior’s voice was reedy still. 

“The medical wing,” Toadsworth replied. “The doctor has her stable for now but-”

Junior let go of Peach’s arm and rushed up the grand staircase, running on all fours to the ward. Toadsworth called out to stop him, but Peach stilled him. “What did the doctor say?”

“They need an anti-venom specifically from the monster that did this. They’re going to isolate it from her own blood. Professor E. Gadd has been summoned already. Mario is still with her.”

“Thank you, Toadsworth,” Peach replied. He nodded, and went off to summon Bowser and Kamek. Once he was out of sight, Peach sat down on the steps, and let herself cry. It was supposed to have been an easy adventure - a safe one at that. She didn’t want to lose another ray of sunshine that had entered her palace. Not again. 

Bowser and Kamek arrived just as quickly as Junior had. The Koopa King pushed past everyone, even Peach, to get to his son, Kamek close behind with urgent apologies for his king’s hurry. He found him in one of the larger bedrooms of the medical wing, slumped against the wall across from the bed, eyes trained on the prone figure of the little blonde bruiser his son fawned over. Bowser knew exactly what he was watching and listening for: her breathing and her heartbeat and any signs of fluctuation. He didn’t even notice when he lumbered in, softly for his size, and sat next to him. 

“They have machines for that, kid,” he said softly, pointing to the machines that were hooked up to Mel. “See? There’s her heartbeat, and that tube in her nose is getting her air. You don’t have to do that.”

Junior finally looked up to his father before burying his face in his plastron, sobbing. “I failed to protect her.”

“Ah shit kid…this kinda thing happens, okay?” Bowser said. Comforting wasn’t exactly his strong suit. “By the looks of it, you did your best. And she held her own for a bit, huh?” 

He felt his son nod. “She used a fire flower and was just wailing on the thing.”

“Told you she’s a bruiser.”

“But I should have- she shouldn’t have had to. How can I take care of her in the future? What about the kingdom if I can’t handle whatever those things were?”

Bowser hummed at that. “You don’t want to know how many times this has happened to me. Even to ‘Stache. No one will think less of you. And if they do? We exile’em. Easy.” 

A doctor, followed by Peach and Mario, came in. The two rulers looked tired, even for the time of year, and Mario’s shirt still had a few flecks of blood on it, likely from Mel’s bandaged arm which was still spotting blood. Whatever bit her gave her something nasty if it hadn’t coagulated. He wanted to greet Mario as usual, but Bowser held his tongue despite his nature. Besides, Peach was there, and she had sent the summons. And Mel…well, even he knew how partial they were to her. 

“So…what even happened out there? The Toadwoods are exactly a hotbed for apex predators,” he asked. 

“Mel and Junior were attacked by…some sort of venomous wolf-like creatures,” Peach replied. “Mel was bitten. The anti-venom we have is helping, but we need to make one for this venom. It’s already been absorbed in her bloodstream, so we can’t make one from her.”

Bowser snapped his fingers toward Kamek, gesturing with his head. The magikoopa nodded, floating over. “Allow me to offer my assistance. It could be possible that these creatures are a by-product of the Shroobs and the vim factory. Mel wouldn’t have any immunity to shroob poisons. The best way would be to capture one of them so we can test.”

“Already ahead of you. We sent out a few soldiers and set a bounty,” Mario replied. “But even then, that might take too long, even with E. Gadd working with us.”

Kamek scoffed at that. “Well, who else in this room has been directly exposed to Shroobs that would possibly have some sort of immunity?”

“Mario,” Peach said softly. “And I. But Mario is also from the same place she is - that would help-”

“Like a transfusion or something? I don’t think-” Mario began. “Unless you plan on doing our original plan.”

“If it is Shroob based,” Kamek replied. “I’ll need a blood sample. If anything, the exposure you have to pathogens here would help with a vaccine for her.” 

“But that doesn’t help if it isn’t Shroob related,” Junior mumbled. “Wait, one of them bit the hell out of her backpack. What if-”

“It could still have some of the venom on it, my prince,” Kamek nodded. He turned to the doctor. “You, blood sample from Mario and Mel. I’ll go collect that venom sample. My magic can preserve it. I’ll get you a sample as well, Princess, so Gadd can do his little science experiments. Heh, using science when you need an alchemist.”

Kamek left with a burst, leaving the five alone. It seemed like Mario was suddenly aware of the Koopa’s presence, and kept his eyes trained on him. Bowser rolled his eyes, glancing down at his son and then over at Mel as though to say: ‘Not today.’ Mario relaxed at that, giving his attention over to the doctor as Peach brushed a few strands of hair from Mel’s forehead before blotting it with a cool cloth. Kamek better figure this shit out sooner rather than later. Bowser, despite it all, didn’t want to see Peach so upset. 

-

Kamek sorted through the mess that the backseat of Junior’s car had become. Discarded hair ties, medical supplies, a small bloody pool on the ground…Kamek wanted nothing more than to wave a wand over it all and set it right, as though it never happened. But it had. He should have gone with them. Now his prince was bereft, and Mel…the poor thing. 

The backpack had flown under the backseat. He grabbed it and looked it over. The front was shredded but still wet, and carefully with a wave of a wand, venom was extracted from the fabric and into two little bottles he had on hand. It smelled vile, almost stale. Not from the past few hours, but what seemed like longer. That struck Kamek as odd. 

What struck him further, however, was the faint red glow in her bag. He rummaged around to a small bag, buried somewhat deep, and pulled it out. A complete set of power-ups sat in his hand, a standard adventurer’s array, but the fire flower remained intact, unabsorbed.  Kamek stared at it…and then crushed it in his hand. No one needed to know. 

He waved his wand, the interior of the car was put right again, and then he was gone. 

Nothing had changed in the few minutes that had passed. He placed the small vial into the doctor’s hand. “Here. You can use that for Mel’s antidote. I think I need to run a few tests on this venom, more than I expected. But I will endeavor to create an antivenom as well.”

The doctor nodded, and immediately rushed off to do so. Mario pressed two little vials into Kamek’s hand, both labeled with his and Mel’s names. “I hope I can help.”

“You usually do, regardless of how you go into things,” Kamek replied. “It’s an annoying trait, but it is useful. I’ll let you know what I’m able to do with it all.” 

Kamek turned back to his king and prince. Junior wasn’t leaning on his father anymore, looking at Kamek for support, and the magikoopa remembered how young he really was. He smiled gently. “You got her back very quickly, my prince. She’s in good hands now.”

“See? Kamek will work his magic and you two will be off rablerousing in no time,” Bowser nudged his shoulder. “And she’ll have a pretty sick scar to boot. It’s gonna be metal as hell.”

“Only you can find the bright side to all this, your fieriness,” Kamek replied. “Perhaps, we take our leave?”

“Yeah, before we wear out the warm welcome. Can’t remember the last time I stayed this long in Mushroom Castle without getting my ass beat,” Bowser said, standing with a stretch. “Pardon my language, princess.”

Bowser reached down, grabbing his son by his shell as though he was a hatchling again. “Up you get. Getting too big for me to carry like a toddler bud.” 

That seemed to make Junior snap out of his daze and wiggle out of his father’s grip. “W-wait- Wait!” 

“Kid, Mel’s gonna be fine-” Bowser started. 

“No, when we were out there, just before those…things attacked us,” Junior said, reaching into his handkerchief. “Mel…Mel found this on the ground near the warp.” 

He approached Peach and Mario. “You two…you both need to know.”

Junior extended his hands to the pair, and placed the little all too familiar crown into Mario’s hands. The man froze, recognizing it in a second, and he started shaking his head. “No…no the woods were searched. This can’t-”

“Oh stars,” Peach pressed a gloved hand to her mouth. “Mario…”

Bowser placed his hand on Junior’s shoulder. “Come’on. We need to go. They…they need a minute, I think.”

He ushered him out the door, followed by Kamek, but even then, he heard the sobs from the Mushroom Kingdom sovereigns, the cries of disbelief and despair. He never wanted to hear it again, not even from his worst enemy.