A Nutcracker and the Beast

Chapter 24: Meanwhile In The Mushroom Kingdom

Back in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario was getting all patch up with the Wario Brothers. The Toads asked Peach what had happened to her and the others, but all she wanted to do was go to her room and rest after 48 hours of non-stop journey. Once in her room, she removed her crown and started to undress as the dress she wore felt gross and stuck to her skin.

"PEACH!" yells Daisy as she opens the door without knocking. Peach covered herself as best she could as Daisy walked over without closing the door.

"Can you at least close the door before you come any closer!" Peach said as Daisy turned around and did so. She soon sat on Peach's bed as Peach walked over to her restroom to wash herself.

"Okay Peach. What happened while you were at Bowser Castle, and why the sudden change in feeling?" Daisy asks as Peach turns on the water in the bathtub.

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, why are you being nice to Bowser now? You always talk about how he annoyed you and how you want to come home every time you're there. Why were you fighting us this time?' Daisy asks as she walks over to the door or the restroom when she hears the water come on. She didn't go in, but she did lean against the wall next to the entrance to listen to Peach better.

"I got to know him okay?" Peach started as she got in and started to wash, "I'm always just staying there for roughly two weeks so I never bother to learn anything about him. I got to hang out with him and Junior a lot better this time around."

"Playing mommy for your enemy son isn't a good idea, Peach."

"I've been playing mommy since he was born, cut him some slack - for both of them," Peach said, relaxing into the bath, "Junior really likes having me around and I enjoy all the cute things he does. Not to mention that he's a sweet boy, always looking out for others even when he's trying to be bad like his Dad. Speaking about his Dad, Bowser is trying his best. Poor guy is drowning in work and when he's not, he's playing with Junior. I would find him up in the late hours of the night working or wondering about. I'm glad he has Kamek to help him, but Kamek is old and slow. He can't take on so much workload and the work he does have is still too much."

"It sounds like you feel sorry for him, Peach," Daisy says as she sees Peach come out of the restroom in a bathrobe and her hair in a towel, making her way to her closet. "Nothing good can come out of this."

"I get that you don't like this but give it a chance." Peach said as she pulled out a dress to change into, "I and Bowser have gotten to be friends and with the new arrangement, things should start to get better."

"That's another thing. What is this arrangement that you're talking about? The one that none of us knew about?" Daisy asks as she sees Peach come out again dressed in her pink dress.

"Look, a few years ago, maybe six- seven years ago or so Bowser asked me about an arrangement. He had told me that he had a kid on the way, and refused to tell me who the mother was but that he needed some help when the baby did come. I was skeptical since why would he have a child with another woman if he was always chasing after me? Not to mention that what kind of woman would want to be with him? But he kept pushing it till I gave in, which was honestly better for me than him. The arrangement was that he kidnapped me at least six times a year; more or less depending on who much help he needed. I stayed at his Castle for at least two weeks or more but I would just stay for two weeks. And we paid for the damage we both caused; I paid more than he did since Mario really likes to make a mess of things sometimes." Peach said, taking a beach from her rambling before she went on, "Once Junior was born I was speechless that he was telling the truth. I felt that it was my job to at least keep my end of the arrangement but I knew that none of you would listen to me so I kept it from all of you. But now it's different since we made a few changes to it."