Fanfic - Mario: Your Princess Is In Another Castle
Jesus Christ I had forgotten how bastardly difficult the Mu boss fight was. The next screencap adventure might be delayed for a lil' bit.
However, that doesn't mean no new content! I have been on a fanfic ROLL recently and finally rewritten a little Mario story that I've had sitting around for a few weeks. Basically, it's the very first time Mario saved Peach, waaaaay back in SMB1. (Because, if my canon is right, he was saving Daisy or Julia or someone in Donkey Kong.) Naturally, there is a little bit of Mario/Peach, because EVERYTHING I WRITE TURNS INTO A LOVE STORY ARGH
Also, a warning: most of the fic I write turns out to be wildly OOC because...I dunno, I'm not a very good fanfic writer. I may just be being overly harsh with myself, though. I DUNNO, REALLY.
Anyway.
--
Title- Your Princess Is In Another Castle
By- neutraltwin
Rating- Er...PG?
Fandom- Super Mario Bros.
Pairing- Mario/Peach
Warning- Uh, violence against Koopas? I dunno.
Disclaimer- Don't own Mario, Bowser and Peach, obviously.
(Yes I am aware that title is wildly unoriginal I couldn't think of a good one shush)
--
Italics denote Peach's thoughts.
Princess Peach drew her knees up to her stomach as she slumped down onto the floor of her cell, hugging them tightly against her chest. She didn’t know how long she had been imprisoned here. It seemed like weeks; months; years could have passed by while she had been stuck in this room. Nothing ever changed, nothing ever moved. Only the occasional gloating visit from the Mighty Koopa King Bowser - the jerk, Peach mentally added - broke the monotony of the same cold, grey walls surrounding her, day after endless day. Bowser would stomp in, boast his ‘incredible power’, his ‘awesome army’, his ‘stunning good looks’, and generally try to talk himself up. Peach still couldn’t believe how arrogant he was; she’d heard stories from various ambassadors and dignitaries who had visited Bowser’s Castle, but only now that she had spent an extended amount of time in his company could she fathom just how relentless Bowser’s narcissism was. He must have been mollycoddled and spoiled rotten his entire life to gain this sort of ego. Peach would, as a rule, try to respond as little as possible, and Bowser would eventually tire and go back to his duties, ordering the Koopas guarding her door to ‘not let her out for anything. You hear me?’
Peach hadn’t heard a word about the outside world for...however long it had been since she had been captured. The princess let out a heavy sigh; it depressed her that she didn’t even know how long she’d been in here. Bowser was a lot of things - a jerk, a bully, an arrogant excuse for a reptile, her mind automatically spat - but he kept his castle security very tight. She had been blindfolded on the way into the castle when she had been captured, but the sheer amount of clanking that she heard led her to the assumption that Bowser had a very elaborate dungeon, not to mention the scores of guards and other troops that were cheering like it was the Star Festival when their mighty Koopa King returned victorious.
Peach closed her eyes, trying to shut out the grey walls she had been staring at for…however long. She hoped that there was someone, anyone, coming to rescue her. The days had long since started to blend into one another, and the constant, nagging boredom niggling at the back of her eyes was slowly becoming another part of the flat, grey, dull scenery. Slowly, unsteadily, Peach got up and walked around her cell. At least I’m being taken care of, she thought. A bathroom, a bed, all the necessities. I suppose Bowser could have left me in some horrible dungeon to rot. But of course he wouldn’t do that. After all, all the palace servants have been whispering for months that Bowser wants to- Peach blinked and shook her head violently, shivering in disgust at the images that the end of that thought might have produced. Ugh! I don’t even want to think about that.
Peach walked over to a small bust of Bowser, sitting next to her cell door. The ‘Koopa King’ had apparently been collecting images of himself for his entire life, a hobby clearly evident from the myriad portraits, pictures, and statues of his grinning visage set up all around the castle. The Koopa King’s rough, boastful echoed in Peach’s memory; her frustration had gotten the better of her on Bowser’s last visit and she had asked him, in a fit of irritation, why he needed so many images of himself all over his castle. Bowser had merely laughed his loud, dark laugh, almost a roar of amusement in its depth. ‘What else would I want, Princess?’ he had said. ‘I’m the best, most handsome Koopa in the world, and my castle only deserves pictures of my mighty bod! What else could possibly match up to these muscles?’
Bowser had stopped and flexed his muscles then, making the most manly grunting sounds he could muster. Peach had wanted to slap some sense into him, but instead she simply turned her head away and huffed. Everything about this jerk of a Koopa irritated her.
Returning herself to the present, Peach gave the bust a smack on the head and returned to slumping against the wall, her legs slowly sliding out under her until they were splayed out on the floor. What’s the point of royal poise if no-one can see you, Peach thought dully, looking down at her dress. It was stained, dusty, and even ripped in a few places; a far cry from the splendid pink ball gown it used to be. Peach sighed again. Even my favourite dress is giving up.
The princess closed her eyes and focused her breathing, slowly letting her chest rise and fall, calming herself down. The constant nagging boredom and sense of hopelessness had become second nature by now; Stars help her, even that stupid, arrogant jerk of a turtle was starting to get interesting, if only for his gift of breaking up the monotony. Peach let her wind wander, searching for something, anything, to occupy her and while away the time of her endless day. An image of officious old Toadsworth flashed up in Peach’s memory; it had been about five years ago, in one of her mandatory ‘Princess Poise’ lessons that Toadsworth had taught her ‘the most important thing any young Princess should know.’
‘A princess must always be poised, prim, and polite, Princess.’ Toadsworth had said, twirling his moustache around one finger, obviously enjoying the alliteration he had written into the lesson. ‘Pronounce your words, perfect your posture, pursue the proper title when addressing someone, and make sure to always keep your calm. Anger is rarely an emotion that befits a Princess.’
A memory of when Bowser had first placed her in this cell flashed up in Peach’s mind. As soon as her arms had been released, she had rounded on the grinning Koopa King and, flaunting every rule of Perfect Princess Poise that she knew, given him a hard slap across the face, shouting every insult she could think of in his face. Luckily, she had not caught any of his numerous spiked surfaces, and further shock of shocks, Bowser was even dazed by her strike! The mighty Koopa King, dazed by a slap! Peach thought triumphantly. Maybe I’m not so helpless after all.
A loud thump came from outside; Peach froze in place. Is someone here? There were no windows in her cell for her to peer out of, so Peach strained her ears as hard as she could to catch any sounds that she could. What’s going on out there?
Another thump followed the first, followed by something that sounded like a man screaming in pain. A great roar of anger - Bowser - quickly followed, drowning out all other sound. A strange springing noise came from somewhere, followed by another thump. The very faint sound of something followed that; Peach wasn’t sure, but it sounded like something was getting cut by…an axe, perhaps? A loud splash soon followed, and the room fell silent for a few seconds. Peach got up and quickly hurried over to the door to try and catch more sounds, but was knocked back by the earsplitting roar that filled the air. Peach clapped her hands over her ears; it was so loud! The roars went on and on, until Peach was sure she could feel her ears bleeding, when...silence.
The door to her cell slowly creaked open, revealing a rather odd-looking man. He was slightly chubby - Peach placed him somewhere in his mid-thirties - wearing an extremely tattered and stained pair of blue overalls over a red shirt tapering down into a pair of stained white gloves. His eyes were obscured beneath a red cap with a large ‘M’ on it. The man staggered into the room, leaning heavily against the doorframe, lifting his head to look at Peach.
Under his hat, Peach could see he had big, tired black eyes with dark rings under them, as well as a very large black moustache and an almost comically large nose. The man blinked several times, trying to focus his eyes, and stared at Peach.
“Are you...” the man croaked. “Princess Peach Toadstool?”
“Y-yes...” Peach stammered. It had been awhile since she had last spoken; giving the silent treatment to Bowser was so satisfying.
“The-a real Princess Peach Toadstool?” the man asked. He had a strange accent that Peach couldn’t quite place. Southern Sarasaland, maybe?
“Yes...why wouldn’t I be?”
“There were...” the man began, but shook his head and sighed. “Never mind. It-a doesn’t matter. I’ll-a tell you all about it on the way back.”
The man offered his hand to Peach, who hesitated. “The way back?” Peach echoed, hope edging its way into her voice. “So, you’re...”
“Ah. My apologies, Princess.” said the man. He took a step back, brushed down his tattered overalls, and taking off his hat, gave a small bow. “My-a name is Mario Mario. I’m here to rescue you.”
Peach gasped. Is...am I really...am I going to get out of here?
“So you...Bowser...” Peach whispered. Mario nodded gravely.
“He’s-a...taken care of.” Mario said. “He won’t be bothering anyone for a while. Now let’s-a get going.”
Peach nodded silently and followed the man out of her cell and into the hallway. The two Koopas who were guarding her seemed to have been knocked out cold, and for reasons that Peach could not discern, they seemed to have bootprints on their heads. The princess looked up at Mario, a few steps ahead of her; he was stumbling slightly every few steps, his face and hands were smeared with blood, and he was peering around the corner of the hallway as if he was being pursued, but somehow he still looked like…
Something. Peach finished. He’s really...something.
Satisfied that the area was safe, Mario turned around and walked back to the princess. “Is-a everything all right, Princess? Did we-a forget anything?”
Peach smiled, shaking her head. “No. It’s just…”
The princess took Mario’s hand in her own and gave a low curtsy.
“Thank you, Mario Mario.” she said. “I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate you braving the dangers you must have braved to come and rescue me. When we return to my castle, I’ll...” Peach paused. What will I do for him? Peach frantically tried to come up with something that she could do as a personal ‘thank you’ that wouldn’t horrify Toadsworth into an early grave.
“I’ll...bake you a cake.” she finished lamely.
Mario smiled down at the princess and pressed his hand in hers. “That’d be nice, princess." he said, scratching the back of his neck. "But first, I think-a I’ll need to rest for a little while.”
“Oh?” said Peach.
“About a month would do it, I think.” Mario said. A friendly grin worked its way onto his face. Peach giggled at how silly he looked.
Mario helped Peach up and the pair continued down the hallway. A thought occurred to Peach and the smile left her face.
“How long have you been travelling to save me, Mario?”
Mario closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Silence held for a minute as Mario collected himself until he slowly began to speak.
“Well-a...it’s been about a month, I think. Since Bowser closed down all the roads and Lakitu travel, I-a had to walk all the way from the Mushroom Kingdom. Plus, I-a...got sidetracked with decoys a lot. Kidnapped Toads, in bags.” Mario finished bitterly. “I’ve-a been hunted by Bowser’s troops the entire time.”
“Oh my...” Peach said. “I…I don’t think I can begin to imagine the hardships you’ve gone through.”
Mario dismissed Peach’s concerns with a wave of his hand. “It’s-a alright, Princess. As long as you’re safe, it was all worth it.”
Peach felt a swelling sensation in her chest; my hero, she thought with a chuckle. He’s not exactly a shining prince riding in on a Lakitu cloud, but he definitely gets the job done.
“Are we going to be alright getting home?” Peach asked.
“That’s-a all arranged. “ Mario said. His voice was becoming more and more monotone; Peach wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay standing. “I-a found a phone in Bowser’s inner chambers and called your Castle. They’re-a sending over a Lakitu to get us home quickly, now that the-a roads and skies are mostly secure.”
Peach found Mario’s hand again and squeezed it as they walked out through the front gates of Bowser’s Castle, into the first sunlight she had seen for…she still didn’t know, but now she didn’t even care. A gasp involuntarily escaped her lips as she took in the scene outside; as far as the eye could see, Koopas, Goombas, Shy Guys, and all other assortments of Bowser’s troops were laid out on the ground, either dead or unconscious. Peach glanced to Mario at her side; did he do all this?
Mario noticed Peach’s stare and hung his head. “I-a hope you don’t think I’m a monster.” he said. “I did what I had to...to save you.”
Peach bit her lip and looked at the carnage again. Setting all these troops after just one man...Bowser really didn’t want to let me go. She glanced back at Mario, his eyes lowered in shame at his handiwork. But he did it...all of this...just to save me? Someone he barely knows? He seems penitent about it...surely that counts for something.
Peach leaned over and gave Mario a soft hug. The plumber flinched at first, but slowly his shoulders dropped and he put his arms around the princess as well. Peach spoke slowly into her saviour’s back, not realising that she was crying until she felt the warmth of her tears running down her cheeks.
“You are not a monster.” she said fiercely. “I can never, ever thank you enough for saving me from this horrid reptile. When we return to my castle, I will name you as the greatest hero in the Mushroom Kingdom and make sure you are taken care of for life.”
“Um...” Mario replied awkwardly. “That’s-a better than a cake.”
Peach laughed through her tears. “Promise me that if I’m ever in trouble again, you will come and save me. Seeing this...seeing you...I know you could do it. I know I could depend on you.”
Silence held as Mario slowly separated from the princess and stared into her eyes, holding her hands tightly within his own. His expression was the most serious that Peach had ever seen.
“I-a promise, Princess.” he said.
Peach smiled. “Thank you.”
Mario nodded and glanced up at the sky. “Oh, Princess, look. The-a Lakitu is here.”
Peach looked up as well, and true to his word, a Lakitu sporting a pair of dark sunglasses, riding on a very large cloud, was floating its way towards them. In no time it was hovering in front of the plumber and the princess, the Lakitu tapping the front of his could impatiently.
“Princess.” the Lakitu grunted.
“Lakilou.” Peach smiled. “Thank you for arriving so quickly.”
“No problem.” Lakilou replied. “Now get on before the last of the Paratroopas regroup.”
“Right.” Mario said, jumping onto the cloud. Peach was momentarily surprised at how high he could jump. The plumber extended a hand down, and Peach took it and boarded the cloud as well.
Without a word, Lakilou lifted up his cloud and rose into the air. “We all ready?” he said.
Mario glanced at Peach, who nodded. The ghost of a smile appeared on Mario’s face; he looks cute when he smiles, thought Peach.
“We’re good.” said Mario. “Let’s-a go.”
Okay, now to get back to fighting that bloody Mu boss. Though I should probably have some breakfast first since it's...10am, jesus. Way to get away from me, time.
Also: PLUG FOR DOX AND CHRISTMAS CHEER YAY
~ Aaron
However, that doesn't mean no new content! I have been on a fanfic ROLL recently and finally rewritten a little Mario story that I've had sitting around for a few weeks. Basically, it's the very first time Mario saved Peach, waaaaay back in SMB1. (Because, if my canon is right, he was saving Daisy or Julia or someone in Donkey Kong.) Naturally, there is a little bit of Mario/Peach, because EVERYTHING I WRITE TURNS INTO A LOVE STORY ARGH
Also, a warning: most of the fic I write turns out to be wildly OOC because...I dunno, I'm not a very good fanfic writer. I may just be being overly harsh with myself, though. I DUNNO, REALLY.
Anyway.
--
Title- Your Princess Is In Another Castle
By- neutraltwin
Rating- Er...PG?
Fandom- Super Mario Bros.
Pairing- Mario/Peach
Warning- Uh, violence against Koopas? I dunno.
Disclaimer- Don't own Mario, Bowser and Peach, obviously.
(Yes I am aware that title is wildly unoriginal I couldn't think of a good one shush)
--
Italics denote Peach's thoughts.
Princess Peach drew her knees up to her stomach as she slumped down onto the floor of her cell, hugging them tightly against her chest. She didn’t know how long she had been imprisoned here. It seemed like weeks; months; years could have passed by while she had been stuck in this room. Nothing ever changed, nothing ever moved. Only the occasional gloating visit from the Mighty Koopa King Bowser - the jerk, Peach mentally added - broke the monotony of the same cold, grey walls surrounding her, day after endless day. Bowser would stomp in, boast his ‘incredible power’, his ‘awesome army’, his ‘stunning good looks’, and generally try to talk himself up. Peach still couldn’t believe how arrogant he was; she’d heard stories from various ambassadors and dignitaries who had visited Bowser’s Castle, but only now that she had spent an extended amount of time in his company could she fathom just how relentless Bowser’s narcissism was. He must have been mollycoddled and spoiled rotten his entire life to gain this sort of ego. Peach would, as a rule, try to respond as little as possible, and Bowser would eventually tire and go back to his duties, ordering the Koopas guarding her door to ‘not let her out for anything. You hear me?’
Peach hadn’t heard a word about the outside world for...however long it had been since she had been captured. The princess let out a heavy sigh; it depressed her that she didn’t even know how long she’d been in here. Bowser was a lot of things - a jerk, a bully, an arrogant excuse for a reptile, her mind automatically spat - but he kept his castle security very tight. She had been blindfolded on the way into the castle when she had been captured, but the sheer amount of clanking that she heard led her to the assumption that Bowser had a very elaborate dungeon, not to mention the scores of guards and other troops that were cheering like it was the Star Festival when their mighty Koopa King returned victorious.
Peach closed her eyes, trying to shut out the grey walls she had been staring at for…however long. She hoped that there was someone, anyone, coming to rescue her. The days had long since started to blend into one another, and the constant, nagging boredom niggling at the back of her eyes was slowly becoming another part of the flat, grey, dull scenery. Slowly, unsteadily, Peach got up and walked around her cell. At least I’m being taken care of, she thought. A bathroom, a bed, all the necessities. I suppose Bowser could have left me in some horrible dungeon to rot. But of course he wouldn’t do that. After all, all the palace servants have been whispering for months that Bowser wants to- Peach blinked and shook her head violently, shivering in disgust at the images that the end of that thought might have produced. Ugh! I don’t even want to think about that.
Peach walked over to a small bust of Bowser, sitting next to her cell door. The ‘Koopa King’ had apparently been collecting images of himself for his entire life, a hobby clearly evident from the myriad portraits, pictures, and statues of his grinning visage set up all around the castle. The Koopa King’s rough, boastful echoed in Peach’s memory; her frustration had gotten the better of her on Bowser’s last visit and she had asked him, in a fit of irritation, why he needed so many images of himself all over his castle. Bowser had merely laughed his loud, dark laugh, almost a roar of amusement in its depth. ‘What else would I want, Princess?’ he had said. ‘I’m the best, most handsome Koopa in the world, and my castle only deserves pictures of my mighty bod! What else could possibly match up to these muscles?’
Bowser had stopped and flexed his muscles then, making the most manly grunting sounds he could muster. Peach had wanted to slap some sense into him, but instead she simply turned her head away and huffed. Everything about this jerk of a Koopa irritated her.
Returning herself to the present, Peach gave the bust a smack on the head and returned to slumping against the wall, her legs slowly sliding out under her until they were splayed out on the floor. What’s the point of royal poise if no-one can see you, Peach thought dully, looking down at her dress. It was stained, dusty, and even ripped in a few places; a far cry from the splendid pink ball gown it used to be. Peach sighed again. Even my favourite dress is giving up.
The princess closed her eyes and focused her breathing, slowly letting her chest rise and fall, calming herself down. The constant nagging boredom and sense of hopelessness had become second nature by now; Stars help her, even that stupid, arrogant jerk of a turtle was starting to get interesting, if only for his gift of breaking up the monotony. Peach let her wind wander, searching for something, anything, to occupy her and while away the time of her endless day. An image of officious old Toadsworth flashed up in Peach’s memory; it had been about five years ago, in one of her mandatory ‘Princess Poise’ lessons that Toadsworth had taught her ‘the most important thing any young Princess should know.’
‘A princess must always be poised, prim, and polite, Princess.’ Toadsworth had said, twirling his moustache around one finger, obviously enjoying the alliteration he had written into the lesson. ‘Pronounce your words, perfect your posture, pursue the proper title when addressing someone, and make sure to always keep your calm. Anger is rarely an emotion that befits a Princess.’
A memory of when Bowser had first placed her in this cell flashed up in Peach’s mind. As soon as her arms had been released, she had rounded on the grinning Koopa King and, flaunting every rule of Perfect Princess Poise that she knew, given him a hard slap across the face, shouting every insult she could think of in his face. Luckily, she had not caught any of his numerous spiked surfaces, and further shock of shocks, Bowser was even dazed by her strike! The mighty Koopa King, dazed by a slap! Peach thought triumphantly. Maybe I’m not so helpless after all.
A loud thump came from outside; Peach froze in place. Is someone here? There were no windows in her cell for her to peer out of, so Peach strained her ears as hard as she could to catch any sounds that she could. What’s going on out there?
Another thump followed the first, followed by something that sounded like a man screaming in pain. A great roar of anger - Bowser - quickly followed, drowning out all other sound. A strange springing noise came from somewhere, followed by another thump. The very faint sound of something followed that; Peach wasn’t sure, but it sounded like something was getting cut by…an axe, perhaps? A loud splash soon followed, and the room fell silent for a few seconds. Peach got up and quickly hurried over to the door to try and catch more sounds, but was knocked back by the earsplitting roar that filled the air. Peach clapped her hands over her ears; it was so loud! The roars went on and on, until Peach was sure she could feel her ears bleeding, when...silence.
The door to her cell slowly creaked open, revealing a rather odd-looking man. He was slightly chubby - Peach placed him somewhere in his mid-thirties - wearing an extremely tattered and stained pair of blue overalls over a red shirt tapering down into a pair of stained white gloves. His eyes were obscured beneath a red cap with a large ‘M’ on it. The man staggered into the room, leaning heavily against the doorframe, lifting his head to look at Peach.
Under his hat, Peach could see he had big, tired black eyes with dark rings under them, as well as a very large black moustache and an almost comically large nose. The man blinked several times, trying to focus his eyes, and stared at Peach.
“Are you...” the man croaked. “Princess Peach Toadstool?”
“Y-yes...” Peach stammered. It had been awhile since she had last spoken; giving the silent treatment to Bowser was so satisfying.
“The-a real Princess Peach Toadstool?” the man asked. He had a strange accent that Peach couldn’t quite place. Southern Sarasaland, maybe?
“Yes...why wouldn’t I be?”
“There were...” the man began, but shook his head and sighed. “Never mind. It-a doesn’t matter. I’ll-a tell you all about it on the way back.”
The man offered his hand to Peach, who hesitated. “The way back?” Peach echoed, hope edging its way into her voice. “So, you’re...”
“Ah. My apologies, Princess.” said the man. He took a step back, brushed down his tattered overalls, and taking off his hat, gave a small bow. “My-a name is Mario Mario. I’m here to rescue you.”
Peach gasped. Is...am I really...am I going to get out of here?
“So you...Bowser...” Peach whispered. Mario nodded gravely.
“He’s-a...taken care of.” Mario said. “He won’t be bothering anyone for a while. Now let’s-a get going.”
Peach nodded silently and followed the man out of her cell and into the hallway. The two Koopas who were guarding her seemed to have been knocked out cold, and for reasons that Peach could not discern, they seemed to have bootprints on their heads. The princess looked up at Mario, a few steps ahead of her; he was stumbling slightly every few steps, his face and hands were smeared with blood, and he was peering around the corner of the hallway as if he was being pursued, but somehow he still looked like…
Something. Peach finished. He’s really...something.
Satisfied that the area was safe, Mario turned around and walked back to the princess. “Is-a everything all right, Princess? Did we-a forget anything?”
Peach smiled, shaking her head. “No. It’s just…”
The princess took Mario’s hand in her own and gave a low curtsy.
“Thank you, Mario Mario.” she said. “I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate you braving the dangers you must have braved to come and rescue me. When we return to my castle, I’ll...” Peach paused. What will I do for him? Peach frantically tried to come up with something that she could do as a personal ‘thank you’ that wouldn’t horrify Toadsworth into an early grave.
“I’ll...bake you a cake.” she finished lamely.
Mario smiled down at the princess and pressed his hand in hers. “That’d be nice, princess." he said, scratching the back of his neck. "But first, I think-a I’ll need to rest for a little while.”
“Oh?” said Peach.
“About a month would do it, I think.” Mario said. A friendly grin worked its way onto his face. Peach giggled at how silly he looked.
Mario helped Peach up and the pair continued down the hallway. A thought occurred to Peach and the smile left her face.
“How long have you been travelling to save me, Mario?”
Mario closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. Silence held for a minute as Mario collected himself until he slowly began to speak.
“Well-a...it’s been about a month, I think. Since Bowser closed down all the roads and Lakitu travel, I-a had to walk all the way from the Mushroom Kingdom. Plus, I-a...got sidetracked with decoys a lot. Kidnapped Toads, in bags.” Mario finished bitterly. “I’ve-a been hunted by Bowser’s troops the entire time.”
“Oh my...” Peach said. “I…I don’t think I can begin to imagine the hardships you’ve gone through.”
Mario dismissed Peach’s concerns with a wave of his hand. “It’s-a alright, Princess. As long as you’re safe, it was all worth it.”
Peach felt a swelling sensation in her chest; my hero, she thought with a chuckle. He’s not exactly a shining prince riding in on a Lakitu cloud, but he definitely gets the job done.
“Are we going to be alright getting home?” Peach asked.
“That’s-a all arranged. “ Mario said. His voice was becoming more and more monotone; Peach wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay standing. “I-a found a phone in Bowser’s inner chambers and called your Castle. They’re-a sending over a Lakitu to get us home quickly, now that the-a roads and skies are mostly secure.”
Peach found Mario’s hand again and squeezed it as they walked out through the front gates of Bowser’s Castle, into the first sunlight she had seen for…she still didn’t know, but now she didn’t even care. A gasp involuntarily escaped her lips as she took in the scene outside; as far as the eye could see, Koopas, Goombas, Shy Guys, and all other assortments of Bowser’s troops were laid out on the ground, either dead or unconscious. Peach glanced to Mario at her side; did he do all this?
Mario noticed Peach’s stare and hung his head. “I-a hope you don’t think I’m a monster.” he said. “I did what I had to...to save you.”
Peach bit her lip and looked at the carnage again. Setting all these troops after just one man...Bowser really didn’t want to let me go. She glanced back at Mario, his eyes lowered in shame at his handiwork. But he did it...all of this...just to save me? Someone he barely knows? He seems penitent about it...surely that counts for something.
Peach leaned over and gave Mario a soft hug. The plumber flinched at first, but slowly his shoulders dropped and he put his arms around the princess as well. Peach spoke slowly into her saviour’s back, not realising that she was crying until she felt the warmth of her tears running down her cheeks.
“You are not a monster.” she said fiercely. “I can never, ever thank you enough for saving me from this horrid reptile. When we return to my castle, I will name you as the greatest hero in the Mushroom Kingdom and make sure you are taken care of for life.”
“Um...” Mario replied awkwardly. “That’s-a better than a cake.”
Peach laughed through her tears. “Promise me that if I’m ever in trouble again, you will come and save me. Seeing this...seeing you...I know you could do it. I know I could depend on you.”
Silence held as Mario slowly separated from the princess and stared into her eyes, holding her hands tightly within his own. His expression was the most serious that Peach had ever seen.
“I-a promise, Princess.” he said.
Peach smiled. “Thank you.”
Mario nodded and glanced up at the sky. “Oh, Princess, look. The-a Lakitu is here.”
Peach looked up as well, and true to his word, a Lakitu sporting a pair of dark sunglasses, riding on a very large cloud, was floating its way towards them. In no time it was hovering in front of the plumber and the princess, the Lakitu tapping the front of his could impatiently.
“Princess.” the Lakitu grunted.
“Lakilou.” Peach smiled. “Thank you for arriving so quickly.”
“No problem.” Lakilou replied. “Now get on before the last of the Paratroopas regroup.”
“Right.” Mario said, jumping onto the cloud. Peach was momentarily surprised at how high he could jump. The plumber extended a hand down, and Peach took it and boarded the cloud as well.
Without a word, Lakilou lifted up his cloud and rose into the air. “We all ready?” he said.
Mario glanced at Peach, who nodded. The ghost of a smile appeared on Mario’s face; he looks cute when he smiles, thought Peach.
“We’re good.” said Mario. “Let’s-a go.”
Okay, now to get back to fighting that bloody Mu boss. Though I should probably have some breakfast first since it's...10am, jesus. Way to get away from me, time.
Also: PLUG FOR DOX AND CHRISTMAS CHEER YAY
~ Aaron