"Come on Peachy, say something!" Peach continued to defiantly stare ahead through the windshield to the dark deserted highway streaming far-too quickly beneath the wheels. Her eyes narrowed and her lips tightened to a frown. Of course he would drive well over the speed limit, she thought bitterly to herself. Typically they took the Clown Car, but tonight Peach found herself inside Bowser's slick black convertible. "Look, I know you're mad that I crashed that boring party, but look at the bright side: now you get to have fun with me!" Fun is not getting kidnapped and taken to your dreary castle, Peach thought angrily to herself. "Oh this is a good song!" Bowser commented, turning up the volume on the car's stereo. It was one of his noxious '80s hair metal CDs that Peach loathed. She closed her eyes and plugged her ears, imagining a serene tropical beach front. She could almost smell the fresh sea water when her meditation was interrupted by ridiculously off-key singing. "Girl, don't go away mad! Girl, just go away!" Bowser belted. "I wish you would go away," Peach whispered to herself. But her complaints went unrecognized as the convertible sped forward past forgotten hills drenched black with the night sky.
The Darklands was far from the Mushroom Kingdom, but especially far from where Peach's socialite gala was held. With two hours down and four more to go, Peach's rage only worsened. After the tiny nub that Bowser called a brain registered that Peach would not speak to him for the entirety of the ride, he decided to fill the silence with his singing. "Once bitten twice shy baby! My, my my once-" an alarming thunk was heard from beneath the car, followed by a low clicking noise. Peach looked over at Bowser, gauging his expression. "It's probably fine, I'll just turn up the music." Peach wanted to protest, but that would require a break in her silence. Yet as they drove on, the clicking noise grew louder and louder. Peach raised her eyebrows and shot Bowser a knowing look. "It's fine, trust me." He said, but his confidence waned. Finally, five songs later, after the music was at full volume and the clicking noise was still audible, Bowser pulled over. "I'm sure something just needs a little bit of tweaking under the hood," he said as he let himself out of the car. Peach considered running away, but she knew she wouldn't get far. She had foolishly chosen to wear her five inch silver heels, and her feet were still sore from the hours she had spent at the party. She exhaled a short breath of annoyance at her choice to put fashion before comfort, and hoped that Bowser would fix the car quickly.
Bowser returned to the car, his hands grimy from the engine grease. "It's as good as new!" He said cheerily. "We'll be home in no time!" That hell-hole is not my home, Peach seethed. Bowser turned the key and the engine coughed to life. The convertible stuttered forward, eventually easing back into a smooth gait. "Gummy worm?" Bowser asked. Peached wanted to inquire whether they were regular or sour, since that made all the difference, but held her tongue. "More for me I guess," Bowser said, as he tossed a few chewy candies into his mouth. "Chocolates are my favorites, but this was all they had at the gas station, I-" The car slammed to a halt, throwing both of them forwards. Peach bit back expletives as she massaged her neck. "What the hell?" Bowser muttered, as he vainly turned the key in the ignition. "Did you try the gas pedal?" Peach asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She had temporarily forgotten her silence, but now that it was broken there was no use in keeping mum. "Of course I've tried the gas pedal." Bowser answered angrily. He continued to turn the key, but nothing happened. "Come on, come on, come on," he chanted. Still nothing. Finally leaned back against the seat, defeated, and together they stared out the windshield, lost in thought. Peach's rage was replaced by an acceptance and discontented acknowledgement of the situation, and after a time, she spoke again. "We could try to call someone," she offered. "Can't. There's no service out here." Bowser responded automatically, his voice void of emotion. "I would suggest that someone might drive by and find us, but that's not going to happen, not on this road." Peach remarked. "Yeah. We're screwed." "Yup." After a pause, Peach declared, "I guess I'll have a gummy worm now." She took the bag from Bowsers hands, and grabbed one of the candies. With an almost imperceptible smirk of approval she bit into its colorful sour body.
"The closest place with a phone is a cabin-ground five miles down the road. If they pity us then maybe they'll lend us some beds for the night without a reservation. That's our best bet to find help." Bowser noted. "Five miles away?" Peach asked, her heart dropping in her chest. She cringed at the thought of walking five miles in her towering shoes on already aching feet. "It might be a little more than that, but roughly five," Bowser replied. Peach nodded and sighed with dread. "We better start now, it's already pretty late," Bowser said as he swung open his door to the highway before them. Peach gathered up her courage and opened her door, delicately placing her stiletto heel onto the rough pavement of the road. Her feet screamed in agony, but she steeled herself. The closer she was to Bowser's castle the closer she was to Mario's rescue. And for freedom she would walk a thousand miles.
In actuality, she would walk two. "Do you want me to help you push the car?" Peach asked once they were both outside. "No, you just wait there," Bowser replied, as he shoved his car to the side of the road. "You didn't leave any valuables inside, right?" Bowser inquired. "Just my optimism." Peach quipped. Bowser chuckled. "You've got a great sense of humor, you know? Just let it out more often." Peach's cheeks flushed at the compliment. Sensing her unease, Bowser continued. "So now we need to follow the roadside. There's a lot of trash and random car bits out here, so watch your step," he advised, as he picked his way along the highway. Peach watched his hulking form in front of her, noting when to step around rubble. She let her mind drift as she slowly made her way along the dark path. Her subconscious brought her back to the party.
"He wants me to meet his parents!" Daisy giggled loudly in Peach's ear. "That's wonderful Daze, I'm so happy for you." Peach said reflexively. But Peach's mind was racing. Mario had never asked her to meet his parents... Even though Peach and Mario had been dating three months longer than Daisy and Luigi, it seemed that Peach's relationship lay stagnant while Daisy's sparked with passion. Daisy had her first kiss within the first month of their relationship, while Peach had barely received more than a hug from her boyfriend."Would you like to dance?" Luigi asked, walking towards the girls dining table and interrupting Peach's thoughts. Daisy's green eyes flashed with excitement. "Of course!" she bubbled, as Luigi grasped her hands and spun her away from the dining area and onto the dance floor. Peach watched her best friend go with longing, as she found herself seated all alone. Mario was still in line at the buffet waiting to try the decadent chocolate creme brulees. Peach tried to comfort herself in the fact that he would be back soon, alleviating her solitude, but the pang in her chest remained. What difference did it make if he was with her or not, if she still felt broken either way? Peach's eyes began to sting and she knew that tears were fast approaching. Tucking her chin down she excused herself from the table, and walked out the elegant French doors, leaving the ballroom behind her.
Peach's mind was wrenched back to the present, as she fell forwards, her foot catching on an unseen rock lodged in the roadway. She screamed, and Bowser, who was ahead of her, rushed to her side. "What happened?" He asked concernedly. "I just tripped over this stupid rock." She said angrily as she pulled herself off the ground and picked the gravel out of her palms. Her hands were skinned, and her knee felt wet with what Peach hoped was water, but knew was blood. "Didn't you see it?" Bowser asked. "No, of course I didn't see it, in case you haven't noticed, it's night time." Peach said wryly. "What difference does that make?" Bowser inquired. "Wait," he continued, "you mean you can only see in the day?" "Well yeah," Peach answered. "But it's not that bad, let's just keep going," she suggested as she took a step forward. Her leg buckled, her feet shooting with pain. She righted herself, narrowly avoiding a fall, though Bowser's arms were poised to catch her. "Peach, you've got to stop. You can't walk like this." He urged. "I'll be fine," she responded, as she took a miniscule step forward, wincing at the pain. "You can't even see, you're injured, and you're in pain. There's no way you can keep this up for three more miles." Bowser said. "Really, I'll be fine. I'd rather walk than wait for you to get help." Peach responded. "You won't have to wait, or walk, if I carry you." Bowser replied with a smirk.
AN: Hi! This is my very first story that I have ever published on Fanfiction and truth be told I'm a little nervous! Please let me know what you think of this story and ways that I can make it better. Really I just want attention :-) Anyway, thank you so much for reading!