Categories > Games > Mario
Friendship
0 ReviewsThe story of how Peach became friends with the koopalings.
Friendship
The soft afternoon breeze played with princess Peach Toadstool long blonde hair as she walked around the park. She was currently near the play ground watching the little mushroom children run about laughing and having fun. She loved going for a walk around her kingdom as often as she could. It was so calming and peaceful on days like this away from the eternal drama of being kidnapped ever so often. She should be used to it by now but she couldn't help it but to get an uneasy feeling every time Bowser kidnapped her. True that if he had any intentions of hurting her he would have done it by now but still she felt uncomfortable yet not afraid. It was only natural.
The sounds of frightened children got her out of her thoughts as a small group of kids ran towards her. One child stayed up on a slide looking down from there with no intentions of going down any time soon while another two climbed to the top of the jungle gym and stayed there watching the same thing the boy on the slide was watching. The mushroom kingdom was a safe place for the citizens even if not so much for the princess who always got kidnapped so it was alright for children to play there on their own after school.
Being the only adult around and a royal no less Peach must have represented protection for them as all the kids immediately ran to her save for those who stayed up on the slide and jungle gym. "Princess Peach! Princess Peach!" A little girl called frightened.
"What is it?" Peach kneeled down on the glass and waited for the girl to continue.
"A koopa, there's a koopa!" The little girl said pointing in the direction where the kids up on the slide and jungle gym were looking.
Surely a koopa couldn't be enough to scare them. Koopas came and went from the kingdom all the time and her people knew that not all koopas were bad. "Show me."
"This way!" "Over there!" The children called as they led the princess to where they saw the koopa that gave them a scare. When they approached they hid behind her.
Peach saw the reason why they had been scared. This wasn't just any koopa. He had spiky blue hair and spikes on his green shell. But surely what really scared the kids was the large chain chop beside him. The boy held the end of the chain chop's chain while he sat on the glass. "Hello."
"Mama Peach! I mean Princess Peach!" The koopa boy quickly corrected himself. If she didn't know who he was he thought it would be best not to give her any clues and if she knew then why would she be talking to him like that?
"Did you come here to play?" Peach asked. The little koopa was only a child so she didn't think he represented any danger.
"Yes, I was bored and my siblings didn't want to play with me. I was playing with my chain chop but he ran away chasing a Toad. I thought it was funny. I followed him here and then came to play in the park" the koopaling said.
"Well if you let your pet chain chop chase people then of course they won't wan to play with you. Then you won't have anyone else to play with when your siblings are busy. Can you play nicely without causing trouble?" Peach asked.
The boy nodded. He appeared quite surprised that she was talking to him so naturally. "Yes." As much fun as it would be to watch his chain chop chase those kids instead of playing with them he decided that it was not the time for that.
"Alright then, you can stay in the park and play." Peach glanced at the mushroom children who still looked frightened. It looked like it was up to the princess to set the example. "What's your name?"
"Larry" the koopaling said.
"It's nice to meet you Larry, as you know I'm Peach. Now how about we go play" she paused. He would probably scratch the slide with the spikes on his shell making sliding a bit difficult. Playing catch with a chain chop would make them end up wit without a ball. Then she spotted the merry go round. It was the kind they have in parks without horses some called it the spinning wheel. Children would make it spin while others rode it and then hop in them selves holding on to the bars. "Over there."
Larry still a bit surprised that Peach was willing to play with him agreed. "Sounds fun." He tied the chain hop's chain to one of the bars while Peach and a few brave mushroom kids climbed in. Larry climbed in next to Peach and signaled for the chain chop to start running. The chain chop ran in circles giving everyone quite the ride. They all held on to the bars feeling the wind as the park spun around in their view.
"There he is!" A voice was heard.
"Larry, tell the chain chop to stop!" Peach called. Larry gave the order and the chain chop stopped. The marry go round continued spinning from the impulse it had pulling the chain chop around with it a few times before finally coming to a stop. Peach jumped off and approached the alarmed group of mushroom people. "Is there a problem?"
"Princess, that koopa's chain chop tried to eat someone. I saw it!" A man angrily said.
"He wasn't going to eat him just chew on him" Larry said amused as if it made a world of different. Either way no ordinary mushroom person could survive being a chain chop's chew toy.
"Calm down everyone. Larry means us no harm" Peach said loud enough for everyone in the small crowd of people that gathered around them to hear. "I, princess Peach Toadstool, give you my word." The crowd was filled with gasps and faces of shock and surprise upon hearing her words. "That incident will not occur again or Larry will no longer be allowed to bring his chain chop to play in the park." She glanced at Larry as she said this.
"Princess with all due respect, not allowing that monster back into the kingdom would not make up for the damage already done." A very angry looking mushroom woman said. "That was my younger brother that thing was chasing."
Peach wasn't sure if both 'monster' and 'thing' were to refer to the chain chop or if only 'thing' was and the other was aimed at Larry. Either way the crowd was in an uproar. Surely her father would know how to calm them. This never happened when he spoke to his people. "Everyone listen! This will not happen again!"
An elderly man made his way to the front of the crowd. "You gave us your word your highness. Do you know what that means? You are making yourself responsible for the boy's actions, actions that you have no control over."
They doubted her ability to lead the kingdom, she knew it. Maybe she was too kind natured after all. She felt like crying listening to the murmurs of the crown surely talking about what a bad princess she made and wishing she never became queen. "Please... just listen." She said it so quietly that her voice was lost in the whispers of the crowd.
"Stop it!" Larry yelled. All heads turned forward and all eyes were on him. "Peach is nice, she's good to me just like dad said she would be. That's why... that's why..." He trailed off. He was saying too much. He and his siblings had their doubts that their father should continue insisting on kidnapping Peach. She wasn't exactly happy in the castle and that's not the image of a mother they had even if some of them like Larry never knew what having a mother was like. Ludwig being the oldest was the one who remembered her best and even his memories were a blur due to his young age when she died. "I'm leaving" Larry said. "Come on Cheatsy!" The chain chop rushed to his side and eyed the mushroom people who shivered in fright. "Sorry, you can't chew them" Larry said petting the chain chop. "I'll find a chew toy for you later."
The koopaling and his chain chop approached the crowd who quickly parted to let them pass eager to watch them leave and never return. "Wait!" Peach called. She was tired of having everyone stand up for her when she should be able to stand up for herself. Now even a little boy had to stand up for her. "Larry, you are welcome to stay. Everyone should fallow the rules and respect others. It is both your duty and your right as it is for everyone. I, Peach Toadstool, as princess of the Mushroom Kingdom peacefully invite you to join us."
The crowd wasn't happy with her words. "This is too much!" "We'll have to take the matter to the king!" "Yes, the king will help us!" People in the crowd shouted.
Larry was not one to care about those weak annoying mushroom people but Peach of course was quite different from her kingdom's people. "I accept your invitation" Larry said. He glared over at the crowd grinning in amusement at their frustration. 'Way to put your foot down mama Peach' he thought.
"Thank you Larry, I'm happy you do." Peach knew she didn't have to worry about the koopa boy's safety since she knew the people wouldn't try anything and the boy although very young would easily over power them anyway. She only had to make sure he kept his word so she could keep hers. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about what she said. She had given her people her word and the word of a princess is not to be taken lightly. She felt a little scared thinking about it but at the same time confident and happy that she stood up for herself. The crowd continued complaining and discussing the matter among themselves. More people joined in after hearing the commotion and Peach started to fear a riot. Once again she faced the crowd. "You do have a point this matter should be taken to the king. I am certain my father would be very disappointed at your behavior towards my guest. We must remember to always treat others with respect."
That did the trick as the crowd quieted and dispersed. They knew the king was a firm believer that not all koopas were bad and that sometimes a less than warm welcome was the cause for hostility. It appeared that no one was willing to put their word against the word of a princess before her father without solid proof so no one argued back. However the park soon became empty as parents did not want their children to be in a place that could become dangerous.
Peach wanted to be welcoming to Larry and make up for his recent bad experience but she didn't want to make her people feel scared. She remembered her place as a princess and the fact that it was her duty to put her people first. She solved the dilemma finding a convenient happy medium. "Let's go play in my play ground at the castle, ok Larry?" Peach smiled. In the castle grounds no one would fear and no one would be upset. She trusted the staff of the castle to be much more accepting of none mushroom people since they tended to guests from far away places all the time.
"Well it is getting kind of late." Larry looked at the sky. The sun would be setting by the time he got back to the Koopa castle even if he took all the warp pipes and shortcuts he knew. "Can I come back tomorrow and can I invite my siblings?"
"Of course you can" Peach replied.
"Ok, then we'll be here tomorrow! How does two in the afternoon sound?" Larry asked.
"That sounds great, I'll be waiting for you with some yummy afternoon snacks" Peach said.
Larry's smile widened. "I can't wait, see you tomorrow!" He waved goodbye and took his chain chop's chain as they walked out of Toad Town towards a warp pipe just outside of the city. Peach stood there looking after him until he was out of sight, then she cheerfully headed back home. She needed to have a word with her father.
Larry Koopa hurried back home to Bowser's castle. For most of the trip when he wasn't inside a pipe he was running as fast as his legs would carry him pulling his chain chop long. The chain chop had a bit of trouble keeping up his young master was running a lot faster than ever before. It confused the chain chop since they weren't really running away from anything or towards something unusual. He did it's best to fallow Larry and not slow him down. Nearly out of breath the young blue haired koopa reached the entrance to the Koopa castle grounds.
Taking only a few seconds to get some oxygen into his thirsty lungs, Larry resumed his running this time not as impatient as before. A few steps away from the main door on the bridge he realized that he still held the chain chop's chain and released it. "Go on now Cheatsy, I'm sure your dinner was served a little while ago." The chain chop happily hopped off. The castle grounds were quite large allowing plenty of space for the koopaling's pet chain chops to run and play. There were koopa troopas assigned to feeding them spearing the koopalings from having to do 'pet chores' save for taking the chain chops for walks but that was fun so they didn't mind. Around the castle there was a river of lava, a large stone bridge served to cross it.
Excited about the news he had for his brothers and sister, Larry ran inside. He bumped into a few koopa troopas along the way. They quickly apologized while wondering why the youngest prince was in such a hurry other than being very late for dinner. He sometimes stayed out playing and was often late but there was something different about his haste this time. Nearly tripping over a goomba Larry reached the dinning room where his brothers, sister and father were half finished with their dinner. Bowser didn't look too happy. "Sorry I'm late?" Though it was an excuse it came out sounding like a question.
"You need to stop being late." Something in his father's voice hinted to Larry that this was not only about him being late. Not wasting any time Bowser ignored his half finished food and went straight to the point while Larry sat down. Bowser was sitting at one end of the rectangular table. On the side to his left were Morton, Iggy and Roy. To Bowser's right were Ludwig, Lemmy, Wendy then Larry. "I know where you went today."
Larry stared at Bowser. The table grew silent as his siblings paused eating their meals and watched. "I... Um..." He couldn't quite find the right words to express something that reassembled a more or less good excuse.
"Ludwig said you went with him to Tadpole Pond to find some famous composer named Toadofsky or something like that. He's challenging him to a composing competition. I much prefer Toads to be burned, fed to the chain chops or otherwise disposed of immediately but I supposed proving koopas are better every now and then is alright." Bowser paused as Larry took a moment to glance at his older brother. He would have to thank him later and ask him why he did this.
Chef Torte entered the dining room with Larry's food after taking a moment to heat it up when he returned. He served the meal at the table in front of Larry and quickly left after glancing at everyone else's plates. He shook his head at his apprentice who stood at the door indicating that nothing else was needed for now. They still had plenty to drink in their glasses and were not yet finished with dinner so dessert wouldn't be brought in yet.
"What I cannot understand" Bowser continued. "Is why you insisted on staying there to play with your chain chop a little longer after Ludwig came home. You should have returned with him. Not only were you late but you were outside of Darkland territory by your self other than the chain chop. Never do this again." He stressed the last four words making a small pause after each one. "Understood?"
Larry nodded. "Yes, father. I won't be late for dinner anymore or go outside of Darkland territory alone." It would seem he was off the hook as Bowser did not say anything else but instead resumed eating his dinner. The regular noises of plates and silverware continued being heard in the dinning room as everyone else including Larry also turned their attention towards dinner.
Roy stabbed a piece of barbequed meet hard with his fork sending a bit of sauce flying towards the table next to Wendy who was sitting across from him. "Roy, you eat like a pig!"
"Shut up bow head, I'll eat how ever I want" Roy replied while stuffing the meat into his mouth against his better judgment that told him to cut it into smaller pieces.
"Keep zat up and one of zese days you'll choke" Ludwig quietly commented more to himself than anyone else but the comment was heard by Roy.
"Wanna make something of it?" Roy asked ready to pick a fight with his brother although Ludwig was his least favorite brother to fight with. He preferred to pick on Lemmy, he couldn't breathe fire yet.
"Quiet! Everything was fine until Larry got here and obviously he didn't start the argument. Were you waiting for him so he wouldn't miss the show?" One day, if only they would let him have a peaceful meal for one day. He was starting to think it was impossible. For as long Bowser remembered the koopalings never finished a meal weather it was breakfast, lunch or dinner without getting into at least one argument.
"She started it!" Roy pointed an accusing finger at is sister.
"You're the one who's eating like a pig!" Wendy replied pointing at the barbecue sauce stain on the white table cloth.
"Let's just end it there and eat in peace" Browser said at the end of his patience. Sometimes dealing with seven hyper kids could be very hard. Dinner continued without little more incident than a few glares and Larry nearly choking as he tried to keep up to finish dinner at the same time as his siblings.
When it was time for dessert Chef Torte and his apprentice brought a very nice looking cake. Bowser eyed the cake suspiciously. "It's not alive is it?"
"No, your highnez ze cake is perfectly normal!" Chef Torte replied.
"Zis time we got ze recipe right!" His apprentice added.
Morton was about to open his mouth to speak but Bowser looked at him warningly and the koopaling closed his mouth again. Until he learned not to be such a chatterbox it was forbidden for him to say more than yes and no while at the table. That is nodding or shaking his head.
"A living cake?" Iggy voice the question in everyone's mind.
"It happened while you were away on vacation, long story" Bowser replied. Clearly he wasn't in the mood to tell that story so no one asked about it. The cake was cut and served proving that it was in fact a normal cake and Bowser and the koopalings ate dessert.
After dinner was over the koopalings continued with their normal activities. Iggy returned to his room to work on an odd machine he was building that would most likely blow up. Ludwig went to his room to finish writing the melody he was working on. Lemmy and Morton were playing video games in the arcade room. Wendy was trying on different bows in her room, all of them pink to match her shell with different designs. She still liked the pink one with the white dots best. Roy was watching TV.
Larry quietly headed to Ludwig's room. "Ludwig!"
"Come in" answered Ludwig's voice from inside. "I thought zat you would come" he said when his brother entered the room closing the door behind him.
"I wanted to thank you for excusing me at dinner and ask you why you did it. I have feeling you know more than you're letting on" Larry said.
"You're absolutely right. Now I must ask you vat vere you doing with ze princess of ze Mushroom Kingdom?" Ludwig placed his pen on the desk next to the musical sheet with the unfinished song and turned his chair around to face another chair anticipating this would be a long conversation.
Taking the hint Larry sat down. "I was playing with my chain chop, Cheatsy just outside the Mushroom Kingdom territory in the neutral portion of land. Cheatsy saw a Toad and started chasing him. I thought it was funny and fallowed. I guess I lost track of how far I went because we ended up chasing him all the way to Toad Town. He rushed into a house so we couldn't chase him anymore. The Toads that were in the area ran away so I decided to look round and got to a park. It looked like a fun place and I wanted to play with Cheatsy there. There were some mushroom kids in the park who ran away. I didn't pay attention to them. I just sat down in the grass to rest from all that running and then mama Peach came to talk to me."
"A very interesting story" Ludwig said.
"How did you know in the first pace?" Larry had been wondering about that since he started to suspect at dinner.
"A paratroopa who was on spy duty told me she flew over ze area and saw you" Ludwig answered.
"Dad didn't sound like he knew, why wasn't he informed?" Larry asked.
"I guess she must have been smart enough to know zat ven it comes to the koopalings, the koopalings must be informed first. I told her not to tell anyone else and zat I would handle ze situation. Now continued with your story I was told zere vas a crowd at some point and zey didn't look happy" Ludwig said.
"Yes they wanted me to leave but Peach stood up for me. She said I could comeback tomorrow afternoon and that I could invite my siblings. Ludwig, she's welcoming us to her castle!" Larry was clearly happy and exited about it.
"Zere's the catch!" Larry looked confused at Ludwig's words. "Ze princess is much more conning zan I suspected. We cannot valk into her castle grounds. It could be an ambush."
"No, it's not! She gave people her word for me. I'm not sure what it means but I'm sure it's important, the word of a princess must mean a lot to her kingdom. She told them I wouldn't cause trouble and gave them her word. She trusts us" Larry insisted.
Ludwig shook his head. "All ze more reason to believe it's a trap. If she gave her word for you zen if you are found guilty so will she. She wouldn't take such a risk, it must be a trap."
"No, it's not!" Larry said defensibly.
"Larry... I am sorry for ze disappointment but it is ze truth" Ludwig said.
Larry sighted in defeat. "I guess you're right."
"You're still going aren't you?" Ludwig asked. Larry started at his brother amazed of how well he could read him and nodded knowing it was useless to try to hide it. "I vill go vit you but do not tell anyone else." So it was agreed.
During dinner at the Mushroom Kingdom castle Peach was unusually quiet. Her father tried to make conversation while he wondered why his daughter wasn't cheerfully telling him about her peaceful afternoon. He had been busy at a meeting with the royal council and although by now everyone in Toad Town and other cities of the Mushroom Kingdom had heard about the princess's daring move he was yet to find out. "Peach is there something you want to tell me?" She was hiding something and it was bothering her, he could tell. She had that look in her eyes as if she broke something that couldn't be repaired.
"Father what happens when a princess gives her word for someone?" Peach went straight to the point before she changed her mind about telling her father what she did. Deep down she knew that with all the commotion it caused he would find out most likely sooner than later. It was best if he heard it from her.
The king of the Mushroom Kingdom nearly choked when he heard his daughter's question. He took a sip of f his drink and a deep breath. "Why would you ask me that?" The question had a rather obvious answer but he wanted to know for sure what his daughter had done.
"Because I did." Peach stared at her half eaten dinner as she said this. She had suddenly lost her appetite but looking at the plate in front of her was more encouraging then finding out if her father's expression was as disapproving as she thought it was.
"For who?" The king asked with growing alarm. If it was the wrong person then this could mean serious trouble, already a plan as forming in his mind to free the princess of her promise.
"I said he wouldn't cause trouble and that I gave me word." Peach didn't quit answer the question as she thought telling her father a name would not do very well in her favor. She didn't think Bowser's children were bad they were just doing what their father told them to do.
"Who was it Peach? Tell me." The king insisted on his question. He could feel his blood pressure rising and a head ache well on its way.
"What difference does it make if it was a mushroom person or a koopa or someone else? The point is that I don't think anything bad will come out of it. There were people there when I said it. They didn't like it but they were just being... well..." She paused searching for the right words.
"How many people?" The king asked in alarm. Already his plan to get his daughter out of trouble was falling apart.
"I'm not sure, about a dozen maybe a few more" Peach answered.
Her father's eyes were open wide for a moment as he stared at her in disbelief. He leaned back on his chain closing his eyes in deep thought. "Let us hope your friend really doesn't cause any trouble." He decided not to interrogate her further. He just couldn't take it and there was nothing that could be done anyway.
Peach breathed deeply and quietly. Obviously her father didn't approve of her actions but he didn't seem too angry about them. Maybe was just surprised. He didn't insist on obtaining a name from her. She wondered how it would affect his perception of the situation if he knew her friend he was actually Larry Koopa, Bowser's youngest son.
The next day Peach baked a cake. That afternoon Larry arrived at the time he was expected, this time he left Cheatsy at home and brought only one of his siblings. They were seated on a table, large enough for all the koopalings to fit in it had they come, outside under an oversized umbrella that provided shade for the entire round table. There was a play ground near by where the princess used to spend endless hours of fun when she was little. The playground hasn't been used for a long time but she had made sure to have it ready for her guests. Peach cut and served the freshly baked cake and poured some cold milk into their gasses.
Ludwig poked the cake with his fork not because he thought it was alive or anything but because he couldn't help it but to be suspicious of it. Then again they each had a piece of the same cake. Peach had also served herself a piece. If there was anything wrong with it she wouldn't eat it. The milk came from the same large container poured into each glass so it must be safe as well. He glanced at his younger brother who didn't take the time in analyzing the snack as much as he did and was already savoring the sugary cake. "This is really delicious!"
"Thank you Larry. I'm happy you like it I baked it myself" Peach said smiling. "Are you ok Ludwig?"
"Yes I vas just thinking" Ludwig tried the cake letting the soft combination of strawberries and sugar melt in his mouth. "This is delicious!" He paused. "I didn't tell you my name..."
"You have both been very quiet since you got here. I thought maybe a snack would give you more energy. I know who the two of you are, there's really no sense in hiding it" Peach said.
"And you're ok with that?" Ludwig asked.
"Yes, you seem like nice people. I won't blame you for anything your father did." It was just the way she was. Good natured, forgiving and very kind.
"He's really not a bad person" Ludwig said slightly annoyed. Larry paused from eating his cake and watched on.
"I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying that I won't blame you for my kidnappings. You must admit that being kidnapped doesn't exactly sound pleasant. However I know Bowser isn't that bad. I've never been hurt while I was captured and everything turned out well in the end" Peach said.
"Because Mario saved you" Ludwig said. Had Larry known his brother would be this defensive he would have invited another sibling or come alone. Then again Ludwig already knew so he would have come anyway and he wasn't saying those things to be mean, he had the rights to be a little suspicious.
"No one likes to be taken away from their home against their will." Peach tried to explain but it was hard. She tried to find the words to phrase it so that the message would come out how she wanted it to come. "I'm not angry. I don't like being kidnapped but I'm not angry and I don't hate anyone for it."
"What if Mario got hurt?" Ludwig asked.
Larry didn't like where the conversation was gong. "Ludwig, stop that!"
"I await your answer princess" Ludwig said. His tone didn't sound angry or upset, just curious to hear what she had to say.
"Then things would be different" Peach admitted. "But he wasn't hurt. He could have been but he wasn't. I rather live by the facts and let go of the past."
"Sometimes the past can teach us a valuable lesson and facts alone are not enough to predict the future. Possibilities that could have but didn't happen also need to be taken into consideration. What could have been could still be" Ludwig said.
"So young and worrying about such things" Peach was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"You really are a sheltered princess then" Ludwig said.
"Ludwig!" Larry glared at him.
"It's ok Larry" Peach said. Both the koopalings looked at her with curiosity. "Ludwig is right I am a bit of a sheltered princess. I guess everyone has an image of me as being fragile like a glass doll and to be perfectly honest I haven't been making as big an effort as I could to change that image. I do want to improve. To show people that I'm not simply a name, that I can be a good ruler like father, to make them trust me. Maybe that is why I said what I did at the park yesterday. It feels good to make my own decisions, to trust myself over the advice of others for once. I'll still listen to what people recommend but I will compare it to what I think and decide what's best instead of assuming they are right and I am wrong."
An uncomfortable silence overcame them as Peach waited for one of the two koopalings to say something. "I guess we're always learning something new" Ludwig said.
"You're a good prince Ludwig" Peach said.
"Thanks" Ludwig smiled. Peach sounded so sincere. Maybe spending some time with her wasn't such bad idea. The next few minutes passed quietly as they finished their cake and milk. Then they played on Peach's play ground for a while. She had forgotten how much fun it is.
The king walked by quietly. He knew his daughter had guests but she didn't mention who they were. Assuming it was the Mario brothers whom she often invited to the castle he didn't give it much thought and focused on other matters such as the rumors of the princess standing up for one of Bowser's children. He wished with all his heart that Bowser's son was not the friend that Peach stood up for at the park the previous day. He headed towards Peach's playground where he had seen her earlier setting up the table in preparation for her guests. He needed to speak to her, he wouldn't interrupt her reunion with her friends for too long but he needed to know if the rumors were true. Besides, he owed a lot to the Mario brothers after they had rescued his daughter countless times and he wanted to at least say hello. He quietly stood a few feet away from the play ground staring at the scene before him. Peach's guests were not the Mario brothers. On the swings laughing like happy children were his daughter and two koopas, Bowser's sons. "Peach!"
Peach stopped her swing and walked towards her father as soon as he made his presence known. "Care to join us father?" It was the way she said it so naturally as if the two koopalings were regular guests at the castle that bothered him the most.
"Peach what is the meaning of this? They are our enemies." The king spoke in a hushed whisper.
"Of course not how could you even say that?" Peach said visibly upset. "We do not judge others by the actions of people of their nation but by their own actions only" She reminded him. Feeling that she gained a point in her favor she smiled.
He took a moment to study her carefree expression with disapproval. "They took action against the Mario brothers who saved your life."
"They did not hurt the Mario brothers, attempted to but didn't. Besides they were just doing what Bowser told them to do, what they were taught was the right thing" Peach argued.
"They should have the judgment to know that wasn't right. How could you do this after the Mario brothers did so much to save your life?" The Mushroom king asked.
"Maybe now that they know me a little more they will have that better judgment. And just so you know my life was never in any danger. I am thankful to the Mario brothers for bringing me home but I wouldn't have been hurt if they haven't" Peach said.
"You'd still be locked up in a dungeon in Bowser's castle." The king said feeling as if he was right but was going to lose the argument anyway.
"I would have escaped by now and I was never in a dungeon to begin with. I was in a guest room." Surely she would have conquered her fears and gotten tired of waiting for a hero. By then she would have found a way out. "I'm not made of glass."
Her last few words held a lot of meaning to her father. "I know, Peach I know. Maybe it was wrong of me to shelter you from the harsher side of life and overprotect you. Maybe if I..." He paused not knowing what else to say.
"Maybe if you weren't so overprotective I would be a stronger princess? It's alright, I know you do this because you care about me and I appreciated it, I really do. I can still become a better princess" Peach smiled. Perhaps she was braver than she was given credit for.
"I will trust you. It's about time I trusted you with something like this." Peach's father felt an odd sense of security. He couldn't understand it, he expected himself to worry but somehow he felt calm. It was as if deep down he knew his little girl had grown up so much that she now had everything under control.
"Thank you" Peach said with a smile. Ludwig and Larry had stopped the swings and were simply sitting on them trying to listen to as much of the conversation as they could without looking too obvious. They could tell by their expressions that it didn't start too well but it ended well.
Epilogue
After that day Larry and Ludwig had told their siblings about what happened and they all started going to the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach had insisted that they had no intentions of causing trouble unless of course someone provoked them but what could happen while they were in the castle? Later the king stopped worrying save for the small worries in the back of his mind that would take a long time to fade away.
It didn't take long for the Mario brothers to find out about Peach's special guests and try to talk her out of inviting them again but she wouldn't have it. When the koopalings and the Mario brothers visited at the same time there was always a certain tension between them that Peach could never stop no matter how hard she tried. She decided then that she would invite them separately save for special occasions.
Of course it didn't take too long for Bowser to figure out where the koopalings were running off to specially next time Peach was kidnapped and she disappeared from her guest room to be later found playing videogames with Lemmy. "Since I'm not going to convince you to let me go and I know that, at least allow me to make it so I'm not bored" Peach had said returning to the game. A long talk between Bowser and the koopalings fallowed.
Bowser was certainly annoyed and angry that he was not informed that Peach had extended an invitation to visit her castle to the seven koopalings. Although the invitation wasn't for him at least it was something. He found himself wondering what he should do if use this new development to his advantage and have the koopalings assist him in kidnapping Peach a lot more often or if he should simply leave things as they were. If the koopalings helped him it would only work once before Peach lost trust in them plus it might bring her trouble in her kingdom. He preferred the idea of having her get along with the koopalings. Since she was with her seven little friends she wouldn't try to escape and instead would patiently wait for Mario to show up. At least her stay would be more pleasant.
All in all it was a big change and at the same time it wasn't. Peach was still kidnapped as she usually was. The koopalings, most of the time stayed in the castle with her although a few times they helped Bowser against the Mario brothers. Peach was always upset about it and made it quite clear to Bowser. This caused the koopalings to be sent against the Mario brothers only in cases of emergencies when Bowser thought he was close to a victory. But she was always rescued, that part didn't change. How their friendship worked out so well despite being in opposite sides would always be a mystery to the Mario brothers. Maybe it was deeper than they thought.
End
The soft afternoon breeze played with princess Peach Toadstool long blonde hair as she walked around the park. She was currently near the play ground watching the little mushroom children run about laughing and having fun. She loved going for a walk around her kingdom as often as she could. It was so calming and peaceful on days like this away from the eternal drama of being kidnapped ever so often. She should be used to it by now but she couldn't help it but to get an uneasy feeling every time Bowser kidnapped her. True that if he had any intentions of hurting her he would have done it by now but still she felt uncomfortable yet not afraid. It was only natural.
The sounds of frightened children got her out of her thoughts as a small group of kids ran towards her. One child stayed up on a slide looking down from there with no intentions of going down any time soon while another two climbed to the top of the jungle gym and stayed there watching the same thing the boy on the slide was watching. The mushroom kingdom was a safe place for the citizens even if not so much for the princess who always got kidnapped so it was alright for children to play there on their own after school.
Being the only adult around and a royal no less Peach must have represented protection for them as all the kids immediately ran to her save for those who stayed up on the slide and jungle gym. "Princess Peach! Princess Peach!" A little girl called frightened.
"What is it?" Peach kneeled down on the glass and waited for the girl to continue.
"A koopa, there's a koopa!" The little girl said pointing in the direction where the kids up on the slide and jungle gym were looking.
Surely a koopa couldn't be enough to scare them. Koopas came and went from the kingdom all the time and her people knew that not all koopas were bad. "Show me."
"This way!" "Over there!" The children called as they led the princess to where they saw the koopa that gave them a scare. When they approached they hid behind her.
Peach saw the reason why they had been scared. This wasn't just any koopa. He had spiky blue hair and spikes on his green shell. But surely what really scared the kids was the large chain chop beside him. The boy held the end of the chain chop's chain while he sat on the glass. "Hello."
"Mama Peach! I mean Princess Peach!" The koopa boy quickly corrected himself. If she didn't know who he was he thought it would be best not to give her any clues and if she knew then why would she be talking to him like that?
"Did you come here to play?" Peach asked. The little koopa was only a child so she didn't think he represented any danger.
"Yes, I was bored and my siblings didn't want to play with me. I was playing with my chain chop but he ran away chasing a Toad. I thought it was funny. I followed him here and then came to play in the park" the koopaling said.
"Well if you let your pet chain chop chase people then of course they won't wan to play with you. Then you won't have anyone else to play with when your siblings are busy. Can you play nicely without causing trouble?" Peach asked.
The boy nodded. He appeared quite surprised that she was talking to him so naturally. "Yes." As much fun as it would be to watch his chain chop chase those kids instead of playing with them he decided that it was not the time for that.
"Alright then, you can stay in the park and play." Peach glanced at the mushroom children who still looked frightened. It looked like it was up to the princess to set the example. "What's your name?"
"Larry" the koopaling said.
"It's nice to meet you Larry, as you know I'm Peach. Now how about we go play" she paused. He would probably scratch the slide with the spikes on his shell making sliding a bit difficult. Playing catch with a chain chop would make them end up wit without a ball. Then she spotted the merry go round. It was the kind they have in parks without horses some called it the spinning wheel. Children would make it spin while others rode it and then hop in them selves holding on to the bars. "Over there."
Larry still a bit surprised that Peach was willing to play with him agreed. "Sounds fun." He tied the chain hop's chain to one of the bars while Peach and a few brave mushroom kids climbed in. Larry climbed in next to Peach and signaled for the chain chop to start running. The chain chop ran in circles giving everyone quite the ride. They all held on to the bars feeling the wind as the park spun around in their view.
"There he is!" A voice was heard.
"Larry, tell the chain chop to stop!" Peach called. Larry gave the order and the chain chop stopped. The marry go round continued spinning from the impulse it had pulling the chain chop around with it a few times before finally coming to a stop. Peach jumped off and approached the alarmed group of mushroom people. "Is there a problem?"
"Princess, that koopa's chain chop tried to eat someone. I saw it!" A man angrily said.
"He wasn't going to eat him just chew on him" Larry said amused as if it made a world of different. Either way no ordinary mushroom person could survive being a chain chop's chew toy.
"Calm down everyone. Larry means us no harm" Peach said loud enough for everyone in the small crowd of people that gathered around them to hear. "I, princess Peach Toadstool, give you my word." The crowd was filled with gasps and faces of shock and surprise upon hearing her words. "That incident will not occur again or Larry will no longer be allowed to bring his chain chop to play in the park." She glanced at Larry as she said this.
"Princess with all due respect, not allowing that monster back into the kingdom would not make up for the damage already done." A very angry looking mushroom woman said. "That was my younger brother that thing was chasing."
Peach wasn't sure if both 'monster' and 'thing' were to refer to the chain chop or if only 'thing' was and the other was aimed at Larry. Either way the crowd was in an uproar. Surely her father would know how to calm them. This never happened when he spoke to his people. "Everyone listen! This will not happen again!"
An elderly man made his way to the front of the crowd. "You gave us your word your highness. Do you know what that means? You are making yourself responsible for the boy's actions, actions that you have no control over."
They doubted her ability to lead the kingdom, she knew it. Maybe she was too kind natured after all. She felt like crying listening to the murmurs of the crown surely talking about what a bad princess she made and wishing she never became queen. "Please... just listen." She said it so quietly that her voice was lost in the whispers of the crowd.
"Stop it!" Larry yelled. All heads turned forward and all eyes were on him. "Peach is nice, she's good to me just like dad said she would be. That's why... that's why..." He trailed off. He was saying too much. He and his siblings had their doubts that their father should continue insisting on kidnapping Peach. She wasn't exactly happy in the castle and that's not the image of a mother they had even if some of them like Larry never knew what having a mother was like. Ludwig being the oldest was the one who remembered her best and even his memories were a blur due to his young age when she died. "I'm leaving" Larry said. "Come on Cheatsy!" The chain chop rushed to his side and eyed the mushroom people who shivered in fright. "Sorry, you can't chew them" Larry said petting the chain chop. "I'll find a chew toy for you later."
The koopaling and his chain chop approached the crowd who quickly parted to let them pass eager to watch them leave and never return. "Wait!" Peach called. She was tired of having everyone stand up for her when she should be able to stand up for herself. Now even a little boy had to stand up for her. "Larry, you are welcome to stay. Everyone should fallow the rules and respect others. It is both your duty and your right as it is for everyone. I, Peach Toadstool, as princess of the Mushroom Kingdom peacefully invite you to join us."
The crowd wasn't happy with her words. "This is too much!" "We'll have to take the matter to the king!" "Yes, the king will help us!" People in the crowd shouted.
Larry was not one to care about those weak annoying mushroom people but Peach of course was quite different from her kingdom's people. "I accept your invitation" Larry said. He glared over at the crowd grinning in amusement at their frustration. 'Way to put your foot down mama Peach' he thought.
"Thank you Larry, I'm happy you do." Peach knew she didn't have to worry about the koopa boy's safety since she knew the people wouldn't try anything and the boy although very young would easily over power them anyway. She only had to make sure he kept his word so she could keep hers. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about what she said. She had given her people her word and the word of a princess is not to be taken lightly. She felt a little scared thinking about it but at the same time confident and happy that she stood up for herself. The crowd continued complaining and discussing the matter among themselves. More people joined in after hearing the commotion and Peach started to fear a riot. Once again she faced the crowd. "You do have a point this matter should be taken to the king. I am certain my father would be very disappointed at your behavior towards my guest. We must remember to always treat others with respect."
That did the trick as the crowd quieted and dispersed. They knew the king was a firm believer that not all koopas were bad and that sometimes a less than warm welcome was the cause for hostility. It appeared that no one was willing to put their word against the word of a princess before her father without solid proof so no one argued back. However the park soon became empty as parents did not want their children to be in a place that could become dangerous.
Peach wanted to be welcoming to Larry and make up for his recent bad experience but she didn't want to make her people feel scared. She remembered her place as a princess and the fact that it was her duty to put her people first. She solved the dilemma finding a convenient happy medium. "Let's go play in my play ground at the castle, ok Larry?" Peach smiled. In the castle grounds no one would fear and no one would be upset. She trusted the staff of the castle to be much more accepting of none mushroom people since they tended to guests from far away places all the time.
"Well it is getting kind of late." Larry looked at the sky. The sun would be setting by the time he got back to the Koopa castle even if he took all the warp pipes and shortcuts he knew. "Can I come back tomorrow and can I invite my siblings?"
"Of course you can" Peach replied.
"Ok, then we'll be here tomorrow! How does two in the afternoon sound?" Larry asked.
"That sounds great, I'll be waiting for you with some yummy afternoon snacks" Peach said.
Larry's smile widened. "I can't wait, see you tomorrow!" He waved goodbye and took his chain chop's chain as they walked out of Toad Town towards a warp pipe just outside of the city. Peach stood there looking after him until he was out of sight, then she cheerfully headed back home. She needed to have a word with her father.
Larry Koopa hurried back home to Bowser's castle. For most of the trip when he wasn't inside a pipe he was running as fast as his legs would carry him pulling his chain chop long. The chain chop had a bit of trouble keeping up his young master was running a lot faster than ever before. It confused the chain chop since they weren't really running away from anything or towards something unusual. He did it's best to fallow Larry and not slow him down. Nearly out of breath the young blue haired koopa reached the entrance to the Koopa castle grounds.
Taking only a few seconds to get some oxygen into his thirsty lungs, Larry resumed his running this time not as impatient as before. A few steps away from the main door on the bridge he realized that he still held the chain chop's chain and released it. "Go on now Cheatsy, I'm sure your dinner was served a little while ago." The chain chop happily hopped off. The castle grounds were quite large allowing plenty of space for the koopaling's pet chain chops to run and play. There were koopa troopas assigned to feeding them spearing the koopalings from having to do 'pet chores' save for taking the chain chops for walks but that was fun so they didn't mind. Around the castle there was a river of lava, a large stone bridge served to cross it.
Excited about the news he had for his brothers and sister, Larry ran inside. He bumped into a few koopa troopas along the way. They quickly apologized while wondering why the youngest prince was in such a hurry other than being very late for dinner. He sometimes stayed out playing and was often late but there was something different about his haste this time. Nearly tripping over a goomba Larry reached the dinning room where his brothers, sister and father were half finished with their dinner. Bowser didn't look too happy. "Sorry I'm late?" Though it was an excuse it came out sounding like a question.
"You need to stop being late." Something in his father's voice hinted to Larry that this was not only about him being late. Not wasting any time Bowser ignored his half finished food and went straight to the point while Larry sat down. Bowser was sitting at one end of the rectangular table. On the side to his left were Morton, Iggy and Roy. To Bowser's right were Ludwig, Lemmy, Wendy then Larry. "I know where you went today."
Larry stared at Bowser. The table grew silent as his siblings paused eating their meals and watched. "I... Um..." He couldn't quite find the right words to express something that reassembled a more or less good excuse.
"Ludwig said you went with him to Tadpole Pond to find some famous composer named Toadofsky or something like that. He's challenging him to a composing competition. I much prefer Toads to be burned, fed to the chain chops or otherwise disposed of immediately but I supposed proving koopas are better every now and then is alright." Bowser paused as Larry took a moment to glance at his older brother. He would have to thank him later and ask him why he did this.
Chef Torte entered the dining room with Larry's food after taking a moment to heat it up when he returned. He served the meal at the table in front of Larry and quickly left after glancing at everyone else's plates. He shook his head at his apprentice who stood at the door indicating that nothing else was needed for now. They still had plenty to drink in their glasses and were not yet finished with dinner so dessert wouldn't be brought in yet.
"What I cannot understand" Bowser continued. "Is why you insisted on staying there to play with your chain chop a little longer after Ludwig came home. You should have returned with him. Not only were you late but you were outside of Darkland territory by your self other than the chain chop. Never do this again." He stressed the last four words making a small pause after each one. "Understood?"
Larry nodded. "Yes, father. I won't be late for dinner anymore or go outside of Darkland territory alone." It would seem he was off the hook as Bowser did not say anything else but instead resumed eating his dinner. The regular noises of plates and silverware continued being heard in the dinning room as everyone else including Larry also turned their attention towards dinner.
Roy stabbed a piece of barbequed meet hard with his fork sending a bit of sauce flying towards the table next to Wendy who was sitting across from him. "Roy, you eat like a pig!"
"Shut up bow head, I'll eat how ever I want" Roy replied while stuffing the meat into his mouth against his better judgment that told him to cut it into smaller pieces.
"Keep zat up and one of zese days you'll choke" Ludwig quietly commented more to himself than anyone else but the comment was heard by Roy.
"Wanna make something of it?" Roy asked ready to pick a fight with his brother although Ludwig was his least favorite brother to fight with. He preferred to pick on Lemmy, he couldn't breathe fire yet.
"Quiet! Everything was fine until Larry got here and obviously he didn't start the argument. Were you waiting for him so he wouldn't miss the show?" One day, if only they would let him have a peaceful meal for one day. He was starting to think it was impossible. For as long Bowser remembered the koopalings never finished a meal weather it was breakfast, lunch or dinner without getting into at least one argument.
"She started it!" Roy pointed an accusing finger at is sister.
"You're the one who's eating like a pig!" Wendy replied pointing at the barbecue sauce stain on the white table cloth.
"Let's just end it there and eat in peace" Browser said at the end of his patience. Sometimes dealing with seven hyper kids could be very hard. Dinner continued without little more incident than a few glares and Larry nearly choking as he tried to keep up to finish dinner at the same time as his siblings.
When it was time for dessert Chef Torte and his apprentice brought a very nice looking cake. Bowser eyed the cake suspiciously. "It's not alive is it?"
"No, your highnez ze cake is perfectly normal!" Chef Torte replied.
"Zis time we got ze recipe right!" His apprentice added.
Morton was about to open his mouth to speak but Bowser looked at him warningly and the koopaling closed his mouth again. Until he learned not to be such a chatterbox it was forbidden for him to say more than yes and no while at the table. That is nodding or shaking his head.
"A living cake?" Iggy voice the question in everyone's mind.
"It happened while you were away on vacation, long story" Bowser replied. Clearly he wasn't in the mood to tell that story so no one asked about it. The cake was cut and served proving that it was in fact a normal cake and Bowser and the koopalings ate dessert.
After dinner was over the koopalings continued with their normal activities. Iggy returned to his room to work on an odd machine he was building that would most likely blow up. Ludwig went to his room to finish writing the melody he was working on. Lemmy and Morton were playing video games in the arcade room. Wendy was trying on different bows in her room, all of them pink to match her shell with different designs. She still liked the pink one with the white dots best. Roy was watching TV.
Larry quietly headed to Ludwig's room. "Ludwig!"
"Come in" answered Ludwig's voice from inside. "I thought zat you would come" he said when his brother entered the room closing the door behind him.
"I wanted to thank you for excusing me at dinner and ask you why you did it. I have feeling you know more than you're letting on" Larry said.
"You're absolutely right. Now I must ask you vat vere you doing with ze princess of ze Mushroom Kingdom?" Ludwig placed his pen on the desk next to the musical sheet with the unfinished song and turned his chair around to face another chair anticipating this would be a long conversation.
Taking the hint Larry sat down. "I was playing with my chain chop, Cheatsy just outside the Mushroom Kingdom territory in the neutral portion of land. Cheatsy saw a Toad and started chasing him. I thought it was funny and fallowed. I guess I lost track of how far I went because we ended up chasing him all the way to Toad Town. He rushed into a house so we couldn't chase him anymore. The Toads that were in the area ran away so I decided to look round and got to a park. It looked like a fun place and I wanted to play with Cheatsy there. There were some mushroom kids in the park who ran away. I didn't pay attention to them. I just sat down in the grass to rest from all that running and then mama Peach came to talk to me."
"A very interesting story" Ludwig said.
"How did you know in the first pace?" Larry had been wondering about that since he started to suspect at dinner.
"A paratroopa who was on spy duty told me she flew over ze area and saw you" Ludwig answered.
"Dad didn't sound like he knew, why wasn't he informed?" Larry asked.
"I guess she must have been smart enough to know zat ven it comes to the koopalings, the koopalings must be informed first. I told her not to tell anyone else and zat I would handle ze situation. Now continued with your story I was told zere vas a crowd at some point and zey didn't look happy" Ludwig said.
"Yes they wanted me to leave but Peach stood up for me. She said I could comeback tomorrow afternoon and that I could invite my siblings. Ludwig, she's welcoming us to her castle!" Larry was clearly happy and exited about it.
"Zere's the catch!" Larry looked confused at Ludwig's words. "Ze princess is much more conning zan I suspected. We cannot valk into her castle grounds. It could be an ambush."
"No, it's not! She gave people her word for me. I'm not sure what it means but I'm sure it's important, the word of a princess must mean a lot to her kingdom. She told them I wouldn't cause trouble and gave them her word. She trusts us" Larry insisted.
Ludwig shook his head. "All ze more reason to believe it's a trap. If she gave her word for you zen if you are found guilty so will she. She wouldn't take such a risk, it must be a trap."
"No, it's not!" Larry said defensibly.
"Larry... I am sorry for ze disappointment but it is ze truth" Ludwig said.
Larry sighted in defeat. "I guess you're right."
"You're still going aren't you?" Ludwig asked. Larry started at his brother amazed of how well he could read him and nodded knowing it was useless to try to hide it. "I vill go vit you but do not tell anyone else." So it was agreed.
During dinner at the Mushroom Kingdom castle Peach was unusually quiet. Her father tried to make conversation while he wondered why his daughter wasn't cheerfully telling him about her peaceful afternoon. He had been busy at a meeting with the royal council and although by now everyone in Toad Town and other cities of the Mushroom Kingdom had heard about the princess's daring move he was yet to find out. "Peach is there something you want to tell me?" She was hiding something and it was bothering her, he could tell. She had that look in her eyes as if she broke something that couldn't be repaired.
"Father what happens when a princess gives her word for someone?" Peach went straight to the point before she changed her mind about telling her father what she did. Deep down she knew that with all the commotion it caused he would find out most likely sooner than later. It was best if he heard it from her.
The king of the Mushroom Kingdom nearly choked when he heard his daughter's question. He took a sip of f his drink and a deep breath. "Why would you ask me that?" The question had a rather obvious answer but he wanted to know for sure what his daughter had done.
"Because I did." Peach stared at her half eaten dinner as she said this. She had suddenly lost her appetite but looking at the plate in front of her was more encouraging then finding out if her father's expression was as disapproving as she thought it was.
"For who?" The king asked with growing alarm. If it was the wrong person then this could mean serious trouble, already a plan as forming in his mind to free the princess of her promise.
"I said he wouldn't cause trouble and that I gave me word." Peach didn't quit answer the question as she thought telling her father a name would not do very well in her favor. She didn't think Bowser's children were bad they were just doing what their father told them to do.
"Who was it Peach? Tell me." The king insisted on his question. He could feel his blood pressure rising and a head ache well on its way.
"What difference does it make if it was a mushroom person or a koopa or someone else? The point is that I don't think anything bad will come out of it. There were people there when I said it. They didn't like it but they were just being... well..." She paused searching for the right words.
"How many people?" The king asked in alarm. Already his plan to get his daughter out of trouble was falling apart.
"I'm not sure, about a dozen maybe a few more" Peach answered.
Her father's eyes were open wide for a moment as he stared at her in disbelief. He leaned back on his chain closing his eyes in deep thought. "Let us hope your friend really doesn't cause any trouble." He decided not to interrogate her further. He just couldn't take it and there was nothing that could be done anyway.
Peach breathed deeply and quietly. Obviously her father didn't approve of her actions but he didn't seem too angry about them. Maybe was just surprised. He didn't insist on obtaining a name from her. She wondered how it would affect his perception of the situation if he knew her friend he was actually Larry Koopa, Bowser's youngest son.
The next day Peach baked a cake. That afternoon Larry arrived at the time he was expected, this time he left Cheatsy at home and brought only one of his siblings. They were seated on a table, large enough for all the koopalings to fit in it had they come, outside under an oversized umbrella that provided shade for the entire round table. There was a play ground near by where the princess used to spend endless hours of fun when she was little. The playground hasn't been used for a long time but she had made sure to have it ready for her guests. Peach cut and served the freshly baked cake and poured some cold milk into their gasses.
Ludwig poked the cake with his fork not because he thought it was alive or anything but because he couldn't help it but to be suspicious of it. Then again they each had a piece of the same cake. Peach had also served herself a piece. If there was anything wrong with it she wouldn't eat it. The milk came from the same large container poured into each glass so it must be safe as well. He glanced at his younger brother who didn't take the time in analyzing the snack as much as he did and was already savoring the sugary cake. "This is really delicious!"
"Thank you Larry. I'm happy you like it I baked it myself" Peach said smiling. "Are you ok Ludwig?"
"Yes I vas just thinking" Ludwig tried the cake letting the soft combination of strawberries and sugar melt in his mouth. "This is delicious!" He paused. "I didn't tell you my name..."
"You have both been very quiet since you got here. I thought maybe a snack would give you more energy. I know who the two of you are, there's really no sense in hiding it" Peach said.
"And you're ok with that?" Ludwig asked.
"Yes, you seem like nice people. I won't blame you for anything your father did." It was just the way she was. Good natured, forgiving and very kind.
"He's really not a bad person" Ludwig said slightly annoyed. Larry paused from eating his cake and watched on.
"I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying that I won't blame you for my kidnappings. You must admit that being kidnapped doesn't exactly sound pleasant. However I know Bowser isn't that bad. I've never been hurt while I was captured and everything turned out well in the end" Peach said.
"Because Mario saved you" Ludwig said. Had Larry known his brother would be this defensive he would have invited another sibling or come alone. Then again Ludwig already knew so he would have come anyway and he wasn't saying those things to be mean, he had the rights to be a little suspicious.
"No one likes to be taken away from their home against their will." Peach tried to explain but it was hard. She tried to find the words to phrase it so that the message would come out how she wanted it to come. "I'm not angry. I don't like being kidnapped but I'm not angry and I don't hate anyone for it."
"What if Mario got hurt?" Ludwig asked.
Larry didn't like where the conversation was gong. "Ludwig, stop that!"
"I await your answer princess" Ludwig said. His tone didn't sound angry or upset, just curious to hear what she had to say.
"Then things would be different" Peach admitted. "But he wasn't hurt. He could have been but he wasn't. I rather live by the facts and let go of the past."
"Sometimes the past can teach us a valuable lesson and facts alone are not enough to predict the future. Possibilities that could have but didn't happen also need to be taken into consideration. What could have been could still be" Ludwig said.
"So young and worrying about such things" Peach was starting to feel uncomfortable.
"You really are a sheltered princess then" Ludwig said.
"Ludwig!" Larry glared at him.
"It's ok Larry" Peach said. Both the koopalings looked at her with curiosity. "Ludwig is right I am a bit of a sheltered princess. I guess everyone has an image of me as being fragile like a glass doll and to be perfectly honest I haven't been making as big an effort as I could to change that image. I do want to improve. To show people that I'm not simply a name, that I can be a good ruler like father, to make them trust me. Maybe that is why I said what I did at the park yesterday. It feels good to make my own decisions, to trust myself over the advice of others for once. I'll still listen to what people recommend but I will compare it to what I think and decide what's best instead of assuming they are right and I am wrong."
An uncomfortable silence overcame them as Peach waited for one of the two koopalings to say something. "I guess we're always learning something new" Ludwig said.
"You're a good prince Ludwig" Peach said.
"Thanks" Ludwig smiled. Peach sounded so sincere. Maybe spending some time with her wasn't such bad idea. The next few minutes passed quietly as they finished their cake and milk. Then they played on Peach's play ground for a while. She had forgotten how much fun it is.
The king walked by quietly. He knew his daughter had guests but she didn't mention who they were. Assuming it was the Mario brothers whom she often invited to the castle he didn't give it much thought and focused on other matters such as the rumors of the princess standing up for one of Bowser's children. He wished with all his heart that Bowser's son was not the friend that Peach stood up for at the park the previous day. He headed towards Peach's playground where he had seen her earlier setting up the table in preparation for her guests. He needed to speak to her, he wouldn't interrupt her reunion with her friends for too long but he needed to know if the rumors were true. Besides, he owed a lot to the Mario brothers after they had rescued his daughter countless times and he wanted to at least say hello. He quietly stood a few feet away from the play ground staring at the scene before him. Peach's guests were not the Mario brothers. On the swings laughing like happy children were his daughter and two koopas, Bowser's sons. "Peach!"
Peach stopped her swing and walked towards her father as soon as he made his presence known. "Care to join us father?" It was the way she said it so naturally as if the two koopalings were regular guests at the castle that bothered him the most.
"Peach what is the meaning of this? They are our enemies." The king spoke in a hushed whisper.
"Of course not how could you even say that?" Peach said visibly upset. "We do not judge others by the actions of people of their nation but by their own actions only" She reminded him. Feeling that she gained a point in her favor she smiled.
He took a moment to study her carefree expression with disapproval. "They took action against the Mario brothers who saved your life."
"They did not hurt the Mario brothers, attempted to but didn't. Besides they were just doing what Bowser told them to do, what they were taught was the right thing" Peach argued.
"They should have the judgment to know that wasn't right. How could you do this after the Mario brothers did so much to save your life?" The Mushroom king asked.
"Maybe now that they know me a little more they will have that better judgment. And just so you know my life was never in any danger. I am thankful to the Mario brothers for bringing me home but I wouldn't have been hurt if they haven't" Peach said.
"You'd still be locked up in a dungeon in Bowser's castle." The king said feeling as if he was right but was going to lose the argument anyway.
"I would have escaped by now and I was never in a dungeon to begin with. I was in a guest room." Surely she would have conquered her fears and gotten tired of waiting for a hero. By then she would have found a way out. "I'm not made of glass."
Her last few words held a lot of meaning to her father. "I know, Peach I know. Maybe it was wrong of me to shelter you from the harsher side of life and overprotect you. Maybe if I..." He paused not knowing what else to say.
"Maybe if you weren't so overprotective I would be a stronger princess? It's alright, I know you do this because you care about me and I appreciated it, I really do. I can still become a better princess" Peach smiled. Perhaps she was braver than she was given credit for.
"I will trust you. It's about time I trusted you with something like this." Peach's father felt an odd sense of security. He couldn't understand it, he expected himself to worry but somehow he felt calm. It was as if deep down he knew his little girl had grown up so much that she now had everything under control.
"Thank you" Peach said with a smile. Ludwig and Larry had stopped the swings and were simply sitting on them trying to listen to as much of the conversation as they could without looking too obvious. They could tell by their expressions that it didn't start too well but it ended well.
Epilogue
After that day Larry and Ludwig had told their siblings about what happened and they all started going to the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach had insisted that they had no intentions of causing trouble unless of course someone provoked them but what could happen while they were in the castle? Later the king stopped worrying save for the small worries in the back of his mind that would take a long time to fade away.
It didn't take long for the Mario brothers to find out about Peach's special guests and try to talk her out of inviting them again but she wouldn't have it. When the koopalings and the Mario brothers visited at the same time there was always a certain tension between them that Peach could never stop no matter how hard she tried. She decided then that she would invite them separately save for special occasions.
Of course it didn't take too long for Bowser to figure out where the koopalings were running off to specially next time Peach was kidnapped and she disappeared from her guest room to be later found playing videogames with Lemmy. "Since I'm not going to convince you to let me go and I know that, at least allow me to make it so I'm not bored" Peach had said returning to the game. A long talk between Bowser and the koopalings fallowed.
Bowser was certainly annoyed and angry that he was not informed that Peach had extended an invitation to visit her castle to the seven koopalings. Although the invitation wasn't for him at least it was something. He found himself wondering what he should do if use this new development to his advantage and have the koopalings assist him in kidnapping Peach a lot more often or if he should simply leave things as they were. If the koopalings helped him it would only work once before Peach lost trust in them plus it might bring her trouble in her kingdom. He preferred the idea of having her get along with the koopalings. Since she was with her seven little friends she wouldn't try to escape and instead would patiently wait for Mario to show up. At least her stay would be more pleasant.
All in all it was a big change and at the same time it wasn't. Peach was still kidnapped as she usually was. The koopalings, most of the time stayed in the castle with her although a few times they helped Bowser against the Mario brothers. Peach was always upset about it and made it quite clear to Bowser. This caused the koopalings to be sent against the Mario brothers only in cases of emergencies when Bowser thought he was close to a victory. But she was always rescued, that part didn't change. How their friendship worked out so well despite being in opposite sides would always be a mystery to the Mario brothers. Maybe it was deeper than they thought.
End
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