You know, I have been reading Peach/Bowser stories lately because my brother persists with them and I happen to look over his shoulder. But upon reading them, in which I find them real good but cannot get over the whole Peach/Bowser romance, it had me questioning: well how would Mario react?

And so after thinking about it (not to mention a little from experience), I decided to come up with this story.

Now enjoy it (maybe).

So what was edited? Well, I fixed a lot of grammar and spelling and put more words into the story. The plot and course of the story have not changed, if you read this before then you're not missing much.

Angst of a Plumber

No matter how he looked at it, he tore him apart. Twenty years spent with her, twenty years saving her from the clutches of the tyrant that ruled the Darklands, twenty years he thought they had something more than a friendship, and now those twenty years meant nothing to him anymore.

Mario, the famous red plumber and hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, was riding in Luigi's kart, with Luigi as the driver, on his way to fix a plumber problem somewhere he really did not want to go. Those same thoughts ran trough his mind as fast as the wheels of Luigi's kart were turning, haunting him, constricting him, never wanting to let go and leave his mind forever.

And why would he constantly think this way? Simply because it was all over the Mushroom Kingdom. The news of this event raised such an uproar that not one kingdom was unaware of it; and from what Mario could tell, everyone approved of it (probably more than just politics too).

But not him, Mario thought that perhaps he was the only one who felt this way – maybe including a few.

The two brothers finally reached their destination: the formidable and lava-infested castle of Bowser. Mario gazed upon it, the memories of all the encounters he had against Bowser flooding back to him. All those times, all those times for the last twenty years, were for her...

"You ready Mario," Luigi asked after inspecting all his various tools and gadgets he would need for the job.

Mario only gave a sigh, "Let's-a just get this over-a with Luigi." The two brothers walked over the hot bridge, watching a fireball jump out ever so often. Finally they reached the door, Luigi gave one last worried look at Mario before he proceeded to knock on it. Mario nodded and Luigi knocked upon the huge, metal doors. Almost a minute passed before it was answered and they were greeted by a long time henchman and adviser, Kamek the Magikoopa: leader of all the Magikoopas and Bowser's Army (if Bowser was not present) and pretty much Bowser's second hand Koopa.

"Ah, if it isn't the Mario Bros.," he greeted politely. "Please come in." Mario and Luigi did as they were told and waited patiently for Kamek to close the doors. Mario sighed, "Normally, we would be attacking each other right now." Everything changed when that event happened, the relationship between the Darklands and the Mushroom Kingdom changed drastically for the better, as in everyone else' point of view; in his own point of view, it wasn't. Maybe he was selfish to think that, but he could care less because if things remained the way they were before the event then he could defeat Bowser any day. He had a reason to defeat Bowser, back then; now they were basically buddies.

Kamek finally closed the doors and motioned the two brothers to follow him. They walked through many hallways and passages, passing by various Koopas, Goombas, Spiny Beatles, Lakitus, and many more former enemies they encountered several times; they also even bumped into several of the Kooplings along the way. Mario repressed the memories forming inside his mind as he passed to each and every single one of them, it was beginning to hurt him the more he thinks about it.

"Here we are," Kamek announced approaching a door and at once opening it, revealing a series of broken pipes that continued to spew water from their broken origins. The entire room was flooded and it did not seem to be stopping any time soon. "Sorry," Kamek apologized, "We had an accident with Bomb-ombs and well...this happened. Anyway, the room is deeper than the water shows, you might have to swim to get to some of them."

"Not a problem," Mario spoke the first time since he entered the castle. "Luigi, you pack the Frog Suits?"

"Sure did," Luigi piped as he fished in his toolbox for two Frog Suits. He handed Mario one of them and the a quick white light flashed before you got to see Mario and Luigi dressed as a frog.

"Ah Frog Mario and Luigi," Kamek mused. "Correct me if I am wrong, but those allow you two to swim better in water right?"

"Yep," Luigi nodded, "Not to mention these are actually quite comfortable to wear."

"I see, Bowser told me of this power-up after his third failed conquest of kingdom domination."

Luigi nodded quickly, sensing a sudden apparition to end this conversation early. "Yep, that is right. Okay Kamek, you just go do whatever you feel like and we will take care of this."

"Agreed. Well, I will check on you two later then. Call me if you need anything." Kamek closed the door behind him as he left.

Luigi sighed a huge breath of relief, "You okay Mario?"

"Yeah, thanks Luigi. Come on, let's-a finish this quickly."

When Mario meant quickly, he really did mean it. It took the brothers no less than seven minutes to fix the entire pipe system and it surprised Kamek no less, "Sheesh, you guys know what you are doing."

Just as Mario was about to urge Luigi to go home, she came. The person that captivated the hero since his first rescue; her golden, crisp, long hair, her posture, her pink dress, her rosy lips, her smile that always made him fall head-over-heels, everything about her Mario just simply loved. "Mario, Luigi," she cried happily hugging them both, "I was not expecting to see you two!" Mario loved to hear her voice as well, no matter how others would complain about it. Mario was so much in love with the princess.

"It is great to see you too Peach," Luigi smiled. Mario simply put on a fake smile, hoping that Peach would buy it and also hoping his extreme level of discomfort would wear off soon. But it only grew more intense as Mario's former archenemy, Bowser, showed up as well. Seeing him just opened up a deep level of hidden jealousy within Mario, but he managed to suppress it.

It only proved much worse and harder to control when he saw Peach give Bowser a kiss on the cheek.

"Well if it isn't Mario and Luigi," Bowser mused. "I see none of you changed one bit." Bowser laughed as he found it funny; Peach also joined in on the laughter and even Luigi chuckled a little bit (desperately trying to keep an elevated mood in the room). Mario did not find it one bit funny at all, he really just wanted to beat the snot out of Bowser, yell at him, scream at him, do anything to relieve him of his growing hatred – And the one thing Mario never did was hate anybody, no matter how evil they were. But he managed to chuckle along with Luigi, much to his dismay.

"Please, I insist you stay for dinner," Peach offered. "I made steak tonight with cake for dessert."

"That sounds delicious honey," Bowser cooed.

"It does sound rather tasty princess," Luigi started.

"But we have to...uh...go and fix other pipes," Mario said quickly. "I will meet you in the kart Luigi." Mario quickly walked off and out through the front large, metal doors.

"What is wrong with him," Peach asked the minute Mario was out of an earshot.

Although Luigi knew the reason, he did not want to expose the truth and hurt anyone. "He is just...well...he has been real moody lately." There was some truth to that though, Luigi told himself.

Peach frowned, looking at the direction in which Mario left, "Well, I am going to going to talk to him and..."

"That will not be a good idea Peach," Luigi suddenly outburst-ed, attracting the attention of everyone else around them.

Both Peach and Bowser were taken aback, but the fair princess just took no heed of Luigi's words and went after the red plumber.

"So tell me Luigi," Bowser asked. "What is Mario's deal anyway?"

Luigi sighed, thinking this whole thing was turning into a mess. "I think it would be better if he told you." He told Bowser to lead him to the second floor that had windows overlooking the front. There, Bowser and Luigi stood anticipating and listening intently for what was about to be heard; and not just them either, it caught the attention of Bowser's many henchmen who now also waited to see what would unfold.

They observed Mario, sulking and leaning against Luigi's kart; he failed to even acknowledge the approaching princess as she took more wide steps to him. "Mario," she greeted in her usual polite way.

The plumber finally turned his head to look at her, to long for her, to feel like he still had a chance. But whenever he ever took a glance at her, he would see just nothing. He felt the forbidding power of love, yes, but not the reciprocal. Giving her a false smile, he greeted her as well, "Princess."

The minute that word left Mario's lips, Peach instantly knew something was wrong. He never addressed her as 'princess;' he always addressed her as Peach. But why? She could not understand why the great hero of the Mushroom Kingdom was acting so depressed lately, why he would never show up at Mario Kart Grand Prixs anymore, why he never joined in on any sports, why he never attended Mario Parties anymore; what happened to the happy-go-lucky Mario that always brought joy and happiness around everyone he met? Where was the Mario that she grew up with, because this Mario is surely not him...

"Tell me what is wrong Mario." She tried to ask him nicely, but it sort of came out as a demand almost.

"Nothing," Mario said bluntly, he wanted to avoid this conversation at all cost.

Peach remained unmoved, however, not going to take a 'nothing' for an answer, "Mario, you can tell me..."

"No." Now Peach knew something was definitely wrong and Mario was just trying to hide it; she was going to get to the bottom of this.

"Mario..." she tried once again, only this time Mario did not reply this time. Peach was now getting anxious and annoyed of how childish he was beginning to act like now.

"Mario..." she tried once more, this time putting a little sternness in her voice.

"What," Mario spat in her face.

"Just tell me what is bothering you," now Peach's voice was starting to rise, in which was now freaking out everyone overlooking the whole situation from the second floor castle windows; nobody ever made Peach upset enough to raise her voice, not even when she was playing soccer (the most aggressive sport in all of the Mushroom Kingdom).

Mario was just about to confess the truth, but he stopped himself from getting anymore upset and still persisted on telling her nothing. It was best if he kept it this way to prevent any mishaps later on. But the princess is not one to give up so easily, she was going to get to the bottom of this no matter how long it takes.

"Mario, tell me."

"No."

"Mario Mario, you better tell me."

"...No." Peach realized by Mario's last remark, he was cracking. It would not be long before she found the truth now.

"I will not stop until I get what I want."

"...Then keep trying princess." By this point, Mario was starting to mock her, taunting her as if she was wasting her time; she did not take so lightly to it though. The two were now pretty much in a word-war, it was either Mario crack and expose the truth or Peach finally cave in and give up.

"Tell me now Mario," her voice rising dangerously high.

"You really want to know princess," Mario snapped. The usually happy plumber had enough of her back sass; if she wanted the truth then she was going to get it. "I have known you for twenty years princess; twenty years by your side, risking my entire being just for your sake! I did not have to princess, I could have left you with that huge Dragon Koopa if I really wanted to!" He shot his finger straight for the Koopa King, in which somehow made him flinch; Bowser was never one to flinch. Worry and shock struck the faces of everyone who was listening to the argument, especially Peach; all except Luigi who only frowned, knowing that it would have came to this eventually and wishing that he and Mario left sooner.

"Twenty years I thought we had something," Mario voice calmly slowing down. He was remembering all the good times he and the princess shared together; all of them – priceless for Mario as he treasured each and every memory. But that was the past now; today was the present, this was now. And he could not change that. "Was everything I did, all the near death experiences I've had, all the times I sweated to see you to safety, everything I have done for you... Did that not mean anything to you?"

"Maybe I am selfish," Mario said firmly, "Maybe I did not deserve you and I can respect..." He stopped suddenly, squishing his hands into his face, "I loved you princess Peach, I loved all those twenty years. I did not save you because everyone asked me to, I did not do it because it was my duty; no, I did because I loved you more than any other girl I have ever been with. "Maybe I waited too long I suppose. I mean twenty years is a long time to wait. Maybe I just thought you knew how I felt and understood me. Maybe I was just chasing a fool's dream. Maybe..." He paused again, trying to recollect his thoughts; as he was doing so, he even chuckled a little, "I would have never imagined you with Bowser, but you are with him and I have to respect that, no matter what." He took a deep breath before motioning Luigi to come and take them home; but by that time, Luigi was already in the kart ready to go. Mario walked to the kart and before hopping in, he took one last look upon Peach's blue eyes. He used to always himself in them, but today he was unwilling to do so. The two stared in silence at each other for several long seconds before Mario finally hopped into the kart, giving Luigi the cue to drive off, away from Bowser and his castle but most of all: the fair princess of the Mushroom Kingdom.

The drive back home was made with relative silence, in which Mario was grateful to Luigi for respecting him. But about half-way through the trip, Luigi decided to break the silence, "You okay Mario?"

It took Mario several minutes to say nothing, in which worried the green plumber very much until Mario said, "More or less." He took the less part though, Mario was feeling lighter but he regretted everything he said to Peach, regardless if it was the truth or not.

"Maybe...you could...um...find another special person," Luigi shakily suggested. Mario's response was to rest his elbow on the side of the kart and stare at the night sky and its glimmering stars. Luigi felt bad for suggesting his suggestion in the first place, Luigi could easily have done it but Mario's case was different.

You see, Luigi also lost the girl of his dreams; he lost Daisy to that jerk Waluigi. He never understood why, maybe because they were compatible or something; but even though he and Daisy got along really well, she just simply left for Waluigi. It pained him to see that she and him would never be, but it all changed when he met another girl named Rosalina. She was lonely, he was lonely and the two of them just clicked.

That was not Mario's case however, Peach has been the sole woman Mario set his eyes on. There was no other woman he felt so attached to, not even his first girlfriend: Pauline. Mario loved Peach for twenty years, never flinching to another girl except if they pecked or smooched him; but he would never love anyone else other than Peach. And that is why Mario was taking it so hard; to build something and then having it all crash down in such a short time.

"Even if I found another," Mario started, "They would not be the same as my Peachy."

He did something that he nor Luigi had seen him do since their baby years: he teared up and slowly began crying. All Luigi could do was stop the kart and hug his brother and comfort him the best he could.

"I am sorry Mario."

The saddest, longest sad story I probably will ever write.

This story is a one-shot, but perhaps I will make a story with it. Not sure though, I will think about it.

And as a closing statement: ciao!

P.S: I have gotten some feedback to making this one-shot a story. Although I strongly dislike Bowser/Peach and Waluigi/Daisy (I like the Luigi/Rosalina pairing for some reason), I might do it. Not sure yet. :P