**Chapter 5 Part 1** Lucy knew where she was going. The green plumber set off in a direction as far away from civilization as possible. Yoshi’s Island was the only oasis left for her. The Yoshis were the only ones who probably knew the truth, as they warded her and her brother as infants. At the sight of her boat making landfall the denizens of the island crowded around her. Lucy was now being greeted by many old dinosaurs she barely remembered. Lucy, who knew Yoshi language, couldn’t make anything out over the din. “Everybody, please stop,” She tried to raise her voice without sounding angry or frightened. It did the trick. “Is it okay if I stay on the island for a while?” she asked shyly. A green Yoshi, the one who first rescued her brother Mario, stepped forward. “You and Mario are welcomed here always. Where is the red man?” “Back at the Mushroom kingdom. It’s a long story.” “Okay, then, tell us later. I see you’re no longer wearing that mustache.” The Yoshis led her deep into the wilderness. Lucy explained her tale over a lunch of fruits and lake water. The Yoshis never really knew she faked her gender. They all just thought she wore that mustache for fashion purposes. She was a strange baby. “Lucy, I have to be honest I am disappointed that you left Mario to sort out your problems.” “I can’t go back. I’m not a man to the Mushroom Kingdom so I’m nothing.” “Lucy, we personally ferried you to safety. You were not and never will be nothing. You and your twin are special.” “Mario’s more special then.” The Yoshis sighed. They were tired of constantly dealing with Lucy’s envy: it was heartbreaking and they all loved Lucy, but gets to a point where you just repeat the same conversation too many times. “Explore the island. Why don’t you take a few days for your mental constitution?” The eldest Yoshi among them said. “I think I will,” Lucy said in a small voice. Yoshi’s Island was a lush utopia for it dinosaur denizens. The trees all bloomed with fruit. The waters were crystal clear. The mountain peaks were perfectly capped with snow. It was a picturesque land. Lucy couldn’t enjoy any of it. She knew she couldn’t and wouldn’t. Every time she had been here it was with Mario. Her older brother who she left behind in the Mushroom Kingdom. Each night she would climb into the bed inside the house the Mario siblings had built as a retreat here. She would try to sleep but fail. The effort would fire her out and she would descend into blackness. In that void she saw Mario, Peach, and Daisy. They were sipping tea. All of them were burnt and weary. “Every single day. I had to let Lucy tag along with me,” Mario hissed. “If I wanted a solo adventure or time to myself I knew the moment I got home I would have to deal with Lucy’s insecurities.” “To be honest with you Mario I only gave Lucy accolades out of courtesy since she was there with you.” Peach sipped her tea. She was more annoyed than anything. “This puts everything into perspective for me.” Daisy slammed a fist onto the table, spilling tea. “I always thought Lucy was a little childish with her grandiose gestures, trying way too hard to treat me like a fairy tale princess. However I now see she wasn’t childish, she was a child. Even if her feelings were sexually and romantically genuine, I wouldn’t want her. Lucy was a pathetic soul who thought being with me would put her closer to her dream of being you, Mario.” “Maybe It’s time to just give up,” Mario rubbed his eyes. “I did everything I could now it’s time to let Lucy handle her own demons for once instead of hiding behind me.” “I can’t let her in good faith continue to be a champion of the Mushroom Kingdom.” “I’m just going to kill her.” “Have at it,” Mario replied. Lucy would try to start screaming. No words would come out. She couldn’t move, locked totally into place. After what felt like an eternity of thrashing she would jolt awake in bed. The green plumber wasn’t getting any better, she knew it. She sought out the Yoshis for company. Often they would just laze about or be hiking up the mountains and walking through the forest. This went on for days. Lucy’s emotions were frozen by this. It stopped her from spiraling but it prevented her from feeling better.