Yes...it is back. And now, with a whole new mystery for Mario and his friends to solve. For those of you ho have never read the first version of this story, please feel free to do so. It won't really matter, though, but a few characters and scenes I talk about are from the first one.
Also, I've separated the story into ACTS instead of CHAPTERS. As those that my last story know, the chapters were generally from 800-1200 words, and there were 26 of them. This time, there will only be about 7 acts, but each will be around 3,000-6,000 words (Act 1 is pretty long, maybe the longest, at around 6,000 words). Since the acts are pretty long, if you decide to take a break in the middle, you should probably stop somewhere with a line divider and remember where you left off.
But ANYWAY, I hope to see all of my old readers, and perhaps some new readers, enjoying this story very much. Thank you, and enjoy.
Murder In the mushroom Kingdom: 2
Act 1-Before the Get-Together
Princess Peach was lazily roaming around her castle after a tiresome previous night. And to make it worse, she hardly managed to get any sleep. This made her moody and more likely than usual to be erratic.
The last entire week, really, wasn't that incredible. She hardly got to see Mario at all, and more importantly, she had a bad virus that stuck with her for several days. It wasn't exactly the most pleasant of times...
"Princess..." A familiar voice called. Peach watched as one of her most trustworthy servants, Toadia, came waltzing into the room with a letter in her hand. Not only was she trustworthy, but she had to be the nicest person Peach knew, "There is a letter for you,"
Peach leaned over to grab it, but Toadia pulled the letter back.
"I just want you to know, that it's from the Countess of Chocolate Mountain. I'm sorry I looked, but I couldn't help it. Please don't be angry with me. I told you I was sorry,"
Peach awkwardly admitted that she could care less, and reached for the letter again. This time, Toadia let her have it, rushing out of the room, soon after, "Thank you..."
The princess opened the letter, and, sure enough, Toadia was right. The text read as follows:
Dear Princess Peach,
I would like to invite you and your friends, Mario, Luigi, and Daisy, to my mansion to celebrate the New Year. This get-together will take place on New Years Eve, at seven o'clock. You have all done so much for me, and I would like to repay you as best as I can with this invitation. I won't take no for an answer.
Your friend,
Countess Choco
Peach nodded a satisfied nod. She figured that the letter would involve some kind of party or get-together. She just wasn't quite sure what it would have been for, exactly. Somehow it slipped her mind that it was going to be New Years Eve in four days. It was almost as though she had completely lost her sense of time, which was very un-princess like.
Peach reached to her right, grabbing the phone and holding it in front of her. She then dialed Mario's home phone number, hardly even having to look down at the numbers. Obviously you get used to dialing a specific number when you call the same person ten times a day...
"Hello?" Mario answered the phone, quite sure that it was Peach calling him, like normal.
"Mario? It's Peach...did you get a letter, by any chance?"
"No...from who?"
"From Countess Choco. Apparently she's inviting us to a New Years get together on the 31st at seven. She's inviting us all...you, me, your brother, and even Daisy..."
"Oh, really?" Mario sounded quite surprised. It shouldn't had been much of a surprise though, considering Mario had saved the Countess's life more than once. And even the other three played significant roles in her life.
"Yeah...is that a problem?"
Mario shook his head and answered, "Of course not...but look Peach, I have to go, alright?" He heard Peach murmur some words of departure, and then hang up. He did the same...
"Princess?" Toadbert suddenly appeared, making Peach jump at the sound of his voice, "Toadia told me about the letter...are you going?"
"Yes, of course..." Peach said quietly, quite unsure why he had been asking her that question. Something seemed fishy...but she couldn't just place what was so fishy...
"Alright, let me mark that you'll be busy, then. And I'll tell all the others, okay?" Peach nodded, suddenly figuring out the answer to her previous thoughts. But it still seemed odd that Toadbert was the one to take that role in announcing it and filling in the date on her calendar.
That night, Peach found herself falling quickly asleep, dreaming peacefully about what the following days would bring...
The day afterwards, Countess Choco found herself examining her mansion for anything out of place or dirty. Sure, it was a bit early to be cleaning for the get-together, but a lot of people would be coming, and she wanted to make sure everything was perfect. And besides, she was a Countess, who wanted to present herself as best as possible...
"Countess..." The butler entered the sitting room, where he found her rearranging the furniture as thought she only had a few hours to set up, "I don't understand why you are working so early. Either way, why are you working at all? The maids and I can surely keep this place tidy until New Years Eve..."
"But still...I want to look presentable,"
"And you will," The butler said, shaking his head at her persistent behavior. She seemed awfully serious when it came to presenting herself in front of many people. But he still didn't like how she was doing all the work, "Just let us do it..."
"Where's my husband?" She suddenly said, changing the subject entirely. This caught the butler off-guard, who found himself stuttering with his words and admitting that he truly didn't know, "Well when you find him, send him to me. We have some private matters to discuss..."
"Of course..." He replied quietly, waiting a moment, and then exiting the room. He continued to shake his head in disagreement of the Countess's desire to work.
Back in the Mushroom Kingdom, the following morning, both Mario and Luigi found themselves boarding Daisy's private jet to go to Sarasaland to pay a visit...and to pick her up for the get-together.
"I still don't get why you need me to come with you..." Mario said as the two waited patiently on the plane before take-off. The red-capped plumber found himself wondering why Luigi needed him to pick up Daisy.
"I just want company. It would be lonely, you know?" Mario felt like retaliating, but instead, nodded and murmured words of agreement. Deep down, he didn't agree with Luigi one bit. Besides, he could use Daisy as company.
"But anyway..." Mario began, looking at his brother, who was sitting next to him and tightly gripping the arm rests on the chair. By the look of it, Luigi was stupidly frightened of flying in a plane, "What do you make of Countess Choco inviting us?"
"What do you mean 'what do I make'? I make or feel nothing out of the ordinary from it. It's not like this is some weird mystery, where every little detail like this could pose as a clue..." Luigi stated, still holding on for dear life. He watched as his brother reclined his chair slightly, and then continued speaking, "Why, what do you make of it?"
"Nothing, really. I was just trying to hold conversation..." He admitted, watching as his brother nervously reached down to pick up a magazine he had brought with him that he accidentally knocked on the floor. By the way he tried to reach for it, nervously and quickly, it looked as though he thought that if he didn't hold on with two hands, he would fall out of the plane. Poor, poor Luigi...
"So..." He said, once he recovered from that death-defying reach for his magazine, "You said we'd stay a night at her castle?"
Mario nodded, "At least that's what Daisy told me. And anyways, it would be nice to get a chance to relax a bit before taking the flight back home, you know?"
He heard his brother mumble something in agreement, "We're moving..." Luigi suddenly noticed, watching as they ever-so-slowly inched their way down the runway before they began to pick up speed. Mario couldn't help but to chuckle at Luigi's intense fear of flying in a plane...
That same morning, Peach was in her castle, moving about lazily. She felt very lonely, despite the fact that she had dozens of servants also with her in the castle. Peach felt that whenever Mario went away on some trip...and she hated it.
The princess's eyes widened as she picked up a copy of the Mushroom Times. Rapidly, her mind drifted onto this new subject, ignoring her loneliness, for once. She stared at the front page of the newspaper, rereading the title of the top story, just to ensure that she wasn't imagining things. But she wasn't. What she was reading was real, and she wanted to learn more. Immediately, she flipped over the page and began to read the text with a rush:
Double Murder at the Choco Mansion
Yesterday, December 28, Count Choco found a rather unpleasant surprise in his front yard. What he saw was 'indescribable', as the Count put it.
As he was beginning to leave the mansion for a nighttime stroll, the Count stumbled upon two dead bodies in his front yard. He, and everyone else in the household, recognized both.
The first was Toodletta, 28, one of the many maids in the Count's mansion. The second was Bom-ba, 34, the Count's head of the household. Both were found shot, yet no one in the mansion appeared to have heard the shots.
The two bodies lie only within thirty feet of each other, posing as a rather 'insignificant clue' for the police. If anyone has any information pertaining to the matter, please do not hesitate to reveal it to the authorities.
Writer-
Goombelle Goombly
Peach twitched nervously as she lie the paper down on the coffee table in front of her. From somewhere, she recognized the writer's name, but couldn't quite place where she had heard it. But that did not matter. The real matter was that there were two dead bodies in front of the mansion that she would be going to in only two days.
What surprised Peach even more was the name Toodletta. She and Peach were good friends from college, and still were thought of as best friends. They were very close to each other...and now...one of them was dead.
Peach felt a tear run down her eye. Why did it have to be her?! There were twenty other maids that could have faced an unfortunate death! But why her...?
And now, would they even be going to the get-together with the Countess? Or would the whole thing be called off after all that? This made her wonder if Mario and Luigi knew about this...if not, then there would be no reason for them to pick up Daisy, unless the Countess still planned to go through with the get-together. But still, they should at least know...
"Scarlet?" The Count called from outside a locked door, "Come out! Please!" Silence...and then the sound of the Countess blowing her nose in a tissue...and then the sound of continual weeping, "Honey...?"
"I-I'm here..." A trembling voice called, followed by another loud nose-blowing session. By the sound of it, the Countess was reacting as though she had just been told that her nonexistent children had been killed..., "Wh-what do you want...?"
"I'd just like to see you and talk this over..." Came the quick reply. The Countess seemed to have ignored this however, due to another nose-blow that most likely drowned out her husband's voice.
"What's going on?" The butler suddenly appeared.
"Oh...you know..." The Count said, even though he clearly did not know..., "It's about...Toodletta and Bom-ba..."
"Oh..." The butler nodded, realizing he should have figured that out on his own. Why else would she be going through boxes of Kleenex and sobbing like there was no tomorrow?
"Wh-Who's out there?" The Countess called, listening to a faint conversation between two people behind the door. Despite her tragic state of mind, she seemed awfully curious...
"It's the butler, honey. He says he wants you to come out..." Her husband called back. He heard as she gasped one final sob and thankfully opened the door. She looked terrible.
"Countess..." The butler began, but was silenced by the wave of her hand. The two men watched as she silently disappeared down the hall to complete some business of her own...
That very evening, Mario and Luigi found themselves being greeted by
an excited an overjoyed Daisy, "Welcome! Come on in! Please! Please! You hardly come down here anymore...it must seem very different here?"
"Nah, not really..." Mario admitted, despite the fact that she was probably right. But it wasn't like they had a chance to explore town yet, or anything. All they did was land a plane and a quarter mile to Daisy's castle.
"Oh, well then you have to see the town square! You'd be so surprised with all the what-not they added to it!" She seemed awfully jumpy and talkative today. It seemed as though she just got back from a big coffee break.
"Town square? Wasn't it already pretty...new?" Mario asked.
"If you mean new as in expensive, then yes. But now, oh man, it's got this huge nightclub they added. And a casino. And, oh, it's just so bright there, you know?" Daisy was flinging things at them left and right, forcing both of them to exchange curious glances as she ranted and raved about the square.
"Restaurants?" Mario couldn't help but to ask, suddenly realizing how hungry he really was. This made Daisy jump with excitement and nod her head.
"Uh huh...big and fancy ones, too," This obviously was to Mario's liking. As any living thing that saw him could have guessed, Mario liked his food...especially pasta. He always said that his version of paradise was to be relaxing comfortably while eating a huge plate of pasta smothered with Alfredo sauce.
"Well that's good..." Mario said, trying to hold back his immense desire to drive over there right now and sit in a comfy booth while eating some spaghetti, "We're leaving tomorrow...why don't we go over their tonight?"
"Sure," Luigi said, somehow not putting Mario's 'are there restaurants', Daisy's 'yes', and Mario's 'let's go' together. That was unlike him. Generally he noticed a lot of minor details that most would miss, "Sounds like fun..."
"Pick up the phone!" Peach screamed at absolutely no one as she angrily paced around her bedroom. At that very moment, she was in the process of trying to call both Mario's and Luigi's cell phones, obviously unsuccessfully...
It was nearly the tenth time that hour she tried calling either of the them. But if worse came to worse, she could simply call Daisy, which would have posed as the more quick, less stressful way...
RING...RING...RING...RING...
"This is princess Daisy of Sarasaland. I cannot come to the phone right now, but I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Please leave a message after the beep..."
BEEP!
"Daisy? It's Peach...I've something important to tell you. Please call me back as soon as possible..." And with that, Peach hung up the phone, taking a relaxing lounge on her comfy chair. She sat there, staring awkwardly at the phone, almost as if waiting for Daisy to call back so soon.
"Peach?" Toadia appeared in the room unexpectedly. This made the princess uninterestedly look up at the fidgeting Toadette that stood before her. By the look on her face, Peach concluded that she had some unfortunate news to tell her..., "I've received an urgent message from some reporter that would like to meet with you..."
"Meet with me?" Somehow this sounded very fishy to the princess. There was just so...little information. For all Peach knew, this so-called 'reporter' would take her into some dark alleyway and stab her to death..., "Any other information?"
"What do you mean...?"
"Don't you have a name? Or at least where to meet? And when?"
"Oh, yes!" Toadia jumped up, surprising the princess. Obviously she had said something that Toadia found to her liking. Or at least that's what it seemed like..., "At the Mushroom Diner, as soon as possible..."
Peach nodded, but didn't speak. The situation sounded a little less fishy, but she could tell something was up. And she planned to find out what...
"Tell me..." Daisy said as they drove around town square, "Whaddaya think?" She couldn't help but to point out all of the new sights and buildings before they got a chance to answer.
"This is really nice..." Mario admired, looking out the window at hundreds of people who were busily running about the square to different buildings and stores. They had everything there...from stores, to theaters, to nightclubs...it was like they picked up a piece of Hollywood and just dropped it there..., "Look at that!"
The other two watched as he pointed to a large restaurant that proudly stood between two small stores, engulfing people one-by-one as they entered into its dark interior. The whole building, itself, looked as though it was enough to suit a king.
"I think I know where Mario wants to eat..." Luigi joked, watching as Daisy pulled the car into a large parking-lot that was dedicated solely for those who wanted to explore the town square, "And was that one building on the end a theater? Like, for actual plays?"
"Uh huh. I go there all the time. It's really nice..." She said, pulling into one of the few empty spaces. After she turned the car off, the trio waited for a quick moment, and then stepped excitedly onto the pavement. They couldn't help but to wonder what the following hours would bring...
Peach was getting out of her car in the diner's parking lot. She feared what this meeting would be about. And when it involved meeting with reporters...then she assumed that they had some questions to ask her...unfortunately...
As she entered through the door, her eyes fell on a specific person, at a specific table. No, this definitely wasn't good...if anything, it was Peach's equivalent to getting shot in the head...
"What do you want?" Peach asked harshly, not even bothering to sit down. She figured that the reporter would get about two words out of their mouth before Peach slapped them and walked out...
"Please...don't show such anger without even knowing why I brought you here...princess..." The reporter said, acting as though they were talking to anybody at all. But this was a princess they were talking to...what kind of brat would talk to a princess that way...?
The Goomba girl. Yes, the very reporter ho had once - and still was - an extreme rival of Peach's. The one who called her an attention-seeker. The one who nearly put her into tears in front of over fifty people. Yes, it was her...and Peach wasn't happy...
"Just tell me what you want," Speaking in such a tone made her think of the hopeful moment when she actually stood up to this manipulative brat. Apparently this reporter never learned her lesson. Peach was vulnerable, yes. But when she gets mad...the vulnerable one is you...
"Sit down, please..." Peach reluctantly did so, giving her a penetrating death stare that the Goomba girl tried to ignore. She remembered that look. It was the look Peach had given her while she was turning the table and embarrassing the Goomba girl unexpectedly, "I want you here for two things..."
Peach wanted two things, too: To slap the Goomba girl, and waste no more time talking to this sad excuse for a living being...
"We will meet with Peach in two days," Countess Choco said, pointing an accusing finger at her husband, who spoke no words, for fear that she would go ballistic on him. She was definitely that kind of moody person..., "So don't try and talk me out of it!"
"Dear, I'm not..."
"Yes you are! I can tell! Just by the way you go about talking to me and everything. It's like you want to push this off!" She yelled, clearly failing at trying to hold in her anger. Not only was she moody, but at times, she definitely needed some anger management classes...
"Sylvia, I swear; I'm not trying to do that!" He said in response, trying his harding to sound intimidating and, at the same time, try and cool off his wife's anger. It was clear to him that this might not be as easy as he expected...
"I still don't believe you...but there's no point about going on and fighting about it. Let me just make this clear: we will have the get-together..."
Her husband spoke no more, but simply nodded. He wasn't entirely sure if he agreed with his wife's opinions, but nonetheless, he knew he better not try and argue with her. With New Years Eve only two nights away, they had much more important things to do than complain to each other...
"First off...tell me everything you know about the murders at the Count's mansion..." The Goomba girl said, almost as though this were any old interview. Not only did this annoy Peach, but getting up and leaving ran through her mind many times.
"What do you mean, 'everything I know'? It's not like I was there..." '
"Well...can you describe your friend for me? Why would she have been shot?" She asked. Peach glanced at her almost as though she had two heads, or something. The look made the smile on the reporter's face slowly disappear.
"Why would she have been shot? How am I supposed to know?! Uhh, it's called, be in the line of fire and get hit with a bullet..." Peach stated the obvious, making the Goomba girl look at her stupidly.
"Peach, don't play dumb with me. Did she have any rivals that would be willing to shoot her? Did she do anything to make anyone angry?"
"No," Peach said blankly, watching as the Goomba girl shook her head, dissatisfied. The princess was obviously not exactly being competent toward the Goomba's questions. If anything, she was purposely playing dumb to waste time and to get on her nerves.
"You apparently don't want to be a good girl..." She replied, acting as though she as the mother and Peach was her disobedient child, "I thought maybe you'd be willing to give me some information, but I guess not. So onto step two..."
"What's step two?"
"I know who the murderer is..." The reporter said. By the expression on Peach's face, one might suspect her flesh might just melt away out of sheer surprise. She knew who the murderer was?! But...how?
"Well then why did you need to get information from me?!" Peach practically yelled, making some of the nearby customers look at her awkwardly. Some even found themselves engaging in surprised conversations that the princess would raise her voice in such a tone.
"Because...I need all the information I can get so I can make myself look good. But you just won't listen..." She said, giving Peach a death glare of her own, "I have a proposition to make you, princess. I'll give you all the information I know...for a fee. It'll make you look good, and you'll be respected from here to Chocolate Mountain for solving this mystery..."
"Don't even tell me the price. I'm not buying..." Peach said firmly. This Goomba girl was really something...not only as she a little brat, but she craved money, "I'll tell the police about this..."
"Do it..." She said, tempting Peach n an awkward way, "But then I'm sure the Mushroom Kingdom would love to hear about how the great princess Peach ignored her best friend's mystery, hmm? And didn't you always tell that dead Toadette that you would do anything for her?"
Peach shrieked. How did she know that Peach would always say that? This Goomba girl obviously did her homework before confronting Peach with this, "How..."
"I'd love to read that on the newspapers. 'Princess Peach leaves her best friend's mystery unsolved'. Sounds catchy, doesn't it? You go to the police, and I'll make sure your life becomes miserable. Don't worry, saying that won't be the only way I'd ruin your reputation..."
Peach backed away in her chair, wanting to run right out of the diner at that very moment. But some unknown force made her stay...and it was beginning to make her wonder if she truly feared this Goomba girl..., "Fine. I-I won't go to the police. But I'm absolutely not buying..."
"Very well...I'm sure the world would love to know how amazing I am, anyway..."
Mario, Luigi, and Daisy found themselves, in awe, sitting in one of the many rows in the theater Luigi had pointed out earlier. As of yet, the play was fantastic, holding each of their attention to the extreme.
"This is good..." Mario leaned over nonchalantly, trying not to disturb any other spectators. He was speaking to Daisy, although Luigi, too, had heard him, and answered with his own murmurs of agreement.
"Yeah it is...I don't know why I never came to see this sooner..." Daisy replied. Mario simply nodded his head and smiled, drawing his attention back to the grand production he was viewing on stage. He hadn't realized how much, until now, he enjoyed drama. It was like a whole other side to him that he never knew had existed...
Daisy suddenly heard her cell phone start buzzing in her purse. Groaning angrily as she picked it up, Daisy began fishing around her massive bag for her phone. Once in her hand, she stood up quickly, disturbing other guests, who simply looked around her in order to see the fantastic play.
For a brief moment, Daisy looked down at her phone, recognizing that it was her castle home phone calling her. She pushed her way uncomfortably through the aisle, wasting no time before she hurriedly walked to the nearest exit.
She found herself in a dark hallway, the very hallway in which hundreds of excited guests walked through in order to get into the auditorium. At the moment, Daisy felt very lonely. Beside the janitor and the occasional guests that entered the hallway to use the restroom, the area was utterly deserted.
"Hello?" Daisy asked, answering her phone as quickly as possible, for fear that she would miss the call. Not that she would really care anyway, considering there was a million dollar performance going on in the adjacent room...
"We received a call from Peach a few hours ago. She said that...well, you should probably just call her yourself. She left no details, but seemed urgent. You better call her...something could be wrong..." A voice said on the other line. Daisy recognized her as one of her most trustworthy servants, ShyGirl.
"Alright...I guess I will..." Daisy mumbled, clearly annoyed. Not only was she missing the show, but she had just been urgently called, only so they could tell her to call someone else...how annoying..., "Bye,"
The princess immediately did as she was told, realizing that ShyGirl might be correct. If there was something seriously wrong with her best friend, no performance would turn her away from helping out. Dialing Peach's number as though she were on steroids, Daisy lifted the phone to her ear, eager to speak with her friend.
But there was no answer. Little did Daisy know, Peach was in the middle of discussing an important matter with one of her most despised enemies...
"Think about it, Peach. What would it do to your reputation? Solving a friend's murder would boost you to the top of the popularity charts..." The Goomba girl said. Peach wanted to brag and claim that she most likely was already at the top of the charts, but she restrained herself. In a way, the Goomba was right...but it wouldn't change her opinion of paying someone like that for answers...
"I don't care. I'm not paying you anything," The princess said firmly, hoping to scare away the girl with the tone of her voice. But it obviously didn't...
"Peach...I'll give you three days to think about it. And you can expect a call from me tomorrow..." The reporter said, in an annoyed tone. Such an annoyed expression on the girl's face surprised Peach; usually she didn't succumb to frustration as easily as this...
"Don't give me three days. Don't give me any time at all..." But she was already gone, leaving Peach to sit by herself in the diner. This gave her a moment to think. If the Goomba girl really knew the solution to the case, then Peach figured there would be no need to pay her off. As long as the real criminal was arrested, Peach would be happy...
The following morning seemed to come by quickly. With Mario, Luigi, and Daisy enjoying the play, and Peach simply thinking over what she and the Goomba girl had said, the night rushed by.
Not only that, but Peach also received an unsuspected call from the Countess, who explained to her that the get-together would still be going on that night. Daisy found this out, too, and ordered her pilot to schedule an early trip to the Mushroom Kingdom.
At that very moment, Peach was sipping some coffee, Mario was sleeping on the plane, along with his brother, and Daisy was reading a fashion magazine. She would have preferred a lively conversation between the three, but with such an early rise, the Mario brothers needed their sleep...maybe she needed hers, too?
Daisy ignored the thought of sleeping. She wasn't even really that tired, anyway. All of the last minute checks she made in her castle drew all of the tiredness right out of her. She wasn't even yawning.
For some reason, the whole trip seemed to just be...out of place. Daisy was sensing a strange feeling that something very out of the ordinary was going to happen, and it scared her. Sure, she wasn't a fortune teller, but she could tell when she wasn't feeling right...
It was a nervous kind of feeling, but also a scared kind of feeling. One might suspect she were watching a horror movie by the way she felt. It wasn't normal, and Daisy knew it. Maybe she should be getting some sleep, after all...
Peach wasn't feeling strange at all, and she definitely wasn't predicting the future. Instead, she found herself thinking over the Goomba girl's offer. She wouldn't accept it, of course, but something fishy was obviously going on...
What if it was all a lie? Could the Goomba girl be trying to lure her into a trap? She's definitely known for manipulating things. Such thoughts reminded Peach of when the two of them used to be battling it out in the front of the castle. Peach remembered those times vividly; she remembered looking out to see an army of reporters, waiting to hear what she had to say. And she, of course, remembered that the Goomba girl was always in front, ready to make her strike as though she were lion and Peach were the prey.
It was obvious the girl was manipulative, but Peach would never think that she would sink this low as to try ruining Peach's reputation after not being paid off. And it frightened Peach to think that the girl had numerous reasons that could ruin her. It wasn't like Peach killed anybody, or even attacked somebody, so what did she do that would disappoint thousands of people? She wasn't a criminal, and the most dangerous thing she ever did was probably light a Sparkler off on the Fourth of July...
In the midst of Peach's deep thinking, Toadsworth walked in the room and interrupted, "Princess...you are to arrive at the Countess's house by seven. I would prefer it if you made it by six forty-five. With the highway and the windy roads, it will take at least an hour to get there. We should have you out the door by five thirty..."
"Yes...okay..." Peach said awkwardly. She wasn't entirely sure why Toadsworth had to be telling her this...
"It's ten in the morning. Do you have your outfit picked out? You don't have much time..."
"Don't worry, I have plenty of time. And besides, I do have my outfit picked out..." Peach had always been the unprincess-like kind of person. She never seemed to worry about time, and she generally didn't need to go out each and every night looking like she was a multi-billion dollar celebrity. But tonight, she would...
It was five o'clock. Mario, Luigi, and Daisy had arrived by around noon. Daisy got herself a hotel room, and the four spent a few hours together before disappearing to their respected houses to get into their very best outfits.
"Daisy?" Mario knocked on the door of her hotel room, listening to the nothingness that came from the other side. But then he heard her voice, turning to his brother as she spoke, almost as though it was him who as talking...
"I'll be out in a moment..." Then they heard some shuffling around on the other side of the door. And a few seconds later, her voice returned, "Alright, open up. How do I look?"
Mario opened the door, looking at the amazingly attractive Daisy that stood by her bed in a stance that a fashion model would use. Both of the shocked brothers would have been surprised if they heard an offstage 'hot girl' whistle.
"You look beautiful, Daisy..." Luigi said, admiring not only her attire, but other details, like her hair and face. She looked as though she had been preparing for this night for months...
"Thank you," She said, blushing a little bit, "But don't you think the dress could be a little darker? I mean, it doesn't really go-,"
"Daisy..." Luigi interrupted with a raise of his hand, "You look fine..." She was definitely the type to overreact about the tiniest detail. Once, she chose not to eat a single brownie for fear that she would gain weight. She worried too much.
"Ready?" Mario asked, watching as the other two nodded. And as they all got in Mario's car to arrive at Peach's castle, they didn't know what to expect in the hours to come...and if Daisy's nervous suspicions were right, tonight might not go as well as they suspected...
END OF ACT 1
Hmmm...curious as to what happens next? Wait a few more days, and ACT 2 will be out and ready to be read!