Hello! This is my first fan fiction and I hope you all enjoy it. I wrote this because Daisy's my favorite Super Mario princess and there isn't enough love for her. (It's also because my Super Mario ship is Mario x Daisy but that's a whole other can of worms.) Disclaimer: I Don't own Super Mario or its characters. All character rights go to Nintendo and co. Takes places after 3D World and Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS, but before her appearance in Super Mario Run and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate reveal. Without further ado, here we go.
It was an icy, frosty winter morning in Sarasaland; a light snowfall was peacefully covering the kingdom's landscape. Sarasaland had grown quite a bit in the past few years. Because of Bower's continuous assaults on the Mushroom Kingdom, many citizens moved to the much more peaceful and mostly unoccupied sister kingdom. And while Sarasaland had developed and flourished, it still wasn't the empire that was the Mushroom Kingdom; but it began to hold its own weight as a proper and prominent country. All seemed to be well and calm during the holiday season in Sarasaland, except for the young flower princess who ruled it.
She tossed in turned in her bed; thoughts plagued her mind. She had woken up about an hour ago but tried to get back to sleep. "You're forgotten," a voice at the back of her mind told her. She squeezed her already closed eyes turned to her left side. "No one cares about you," it echoed. She grimaced trying to mute the wicked sound. "You're not important." She pulled her pillow over her ears as a tear rolled down her cheek. "You don't matter."
"STOP!" she wailed as she shot up into an upright position.
"Princess Daisy are you all right?!" a young Toad servant came rushing into the bedroom. She turned to the small attendant, wiped away her tears, and smiled bittersweetly.
"Yes Toadbias, I'm alright. I was a having a nightmare. I'm sorry to make you worry."
"Oh. Phew. I thought it was real emergency. I uh, mean…" Toadbias flustered as he rambled on, "…that we'd have to call the guards, and cause the nation to panic!" A small grin grew on Daisy's face as Toadbias tried to clarify his previous statement. "Heck, I was going to call the Mario Brothers!" Toadbias's eyes opened wide as he shouted, "AUGH! I TOTALLY FORGOT! IT CAME IN THE MAIL LAST NIGHT! I'LL BE RIGHT BACK!" He dashed out the room in a frantic pace leaving Daisy semi-bewildered. Her mind wandered for a few moments, with her thoughts troubling her, when Toadbias dashed back into the room with a sealed letter on a platter. Toadbias sheepishly looked up to the princess and uttered with an embarrassed tone, "This invitation is from Princess Peach and the Mario Brothers." She slowly picked up the envelope and gazed at the Mushroom Seal on it; it had been a while since she last saw her friends. While she had been with them at the last Mario Kart event, that was ancient history compared to their more recent adventures in the Sprixie Kingdom and the latest Super Smash Bros. tournament.
"You weren't included or even invited to tag along to those important events. Maybe this letter is their way of finally saying goodbye and getting rid of you." She sighed and mentally shut out the vile voice before she broke the wax seal on the envelope. The note read:
Dear Princess Daisy,
You are cordially invited to the Winter Wonderland festival celebrating both the winter solstice and the return of our heroes to the Mushroom Kingdom. We do wish that you'd come and join us on this most joyous night,
Sincerely,
Toadsworth and the Toadstool Castle Staff
The message only took up a quarter of the sheet and the rest appeared to be three different handwritten notes in pink, green, and red ink respectively.
Hey Daisy! It's been forever since we talked. I would love it if you came over so we could catch up! I'll see you there!
-Peach
Daisy smiled warmly at the thought of meeting up with her best friend to reminisce about old memories and hearing about her new experiences. She glanced down to read the green note next.
Hey Daisy! It's-a me Luigi! I can't wait to-a see you at the festival, and I can't wait to hear how Sarasaland has grown! Best wishes!
-Luigi
Daisy smirked at Luigi's message. He was one of her closest friends and she really did want to bring Luigi up-to-date on how far her kingdom has come. She then looked towards the last note, written in red.
Ciao Daisy! It's been a while since we've last-a spoke. I would-a love to see you again and just-a talk about, well, anything. I send my best hopes and wishes towards-a you and I-a really deeply hope I get to-a see you at the festival.
-Mario
Her heart skipped a beat as a blush slowly rose on her cheeks. "Mario…" her thoughts wandered. Even though Daisy had developed a close relationship to the younger greener Mario Brother, her heart still yearned for the red-capped hero who saved her from Tatanga a lifetime ago. She did love Luigi, but more along the lines of a sibling or a very close companion: an unconditional love. Her warm, pleasant thoughts slowly began to fade as an air of gloom crept in ever so slightly. While grateful for the relationship she had with the Mario Bros., her heart sank when she thought about Mario and her being together. She knew that Mario was devoted to Peach and that sentiment of anguish internally tormented her. 'But still,' she thought to herself, trying to be optimistic, 'It's a wonderful chance to meet up with everyone.' A smile slowly formed on her face and she gradually turned to look towards Toadbias. "Toadbias," Daisy said in an enthusiastic tone; the boyish Toad servant turned to her at full attention, "Put on your best clothes and get cleaned up real nicely," Toadbias eyes gleamed with excitement and joyfulness, "We're going to a festival."
Fireworks lit up the night sky in a rainbow of colors. Princess Peach's castle was illuminated in a flourish of bright vibrant multicolored light. There were Toads, Koopas, Goombas, and many of the native Mushroom Kingdom citizens already enjoying the festival; the Castle was practically bursting with guests.
Daisy's carriage, which was a special kart she had costumed made (as she isn't one for traditionalism,) arrived at the party with very little fanfare. Most of the guests were already enjoying the various activities. Daisy slowly exited the vehicle and looked around in awe at the spectacle before her. The voice from the back of her mind once again entered her thoughts, 'No special treatment or entrance for the Sarasaland Princess huh? It's to be expected at this point.'
'Everyone's already inside or doing something else. I came late, that's all,' Daisy thought back as she tried to hush the voice down.
"Hey Princess!" a voice came from the inside of the carriage. Daisy turned to see Toadbias waving behind the steering wheel. "I'm going to park the car around the back and then go inside to relax for a bit. Just come look for me when you wanna go back home." Daisy couldn't help but giggle as the kart drove off.
'Alright Daisy,' she mentally coached, 'You can do this. Just go and have a fun time.'
The party was bustling with activity at every corner of the halls and rooms; at every turn and glance something seemed to be going on. Daisy was trying to maneuver herself through the sea of party-goers making sure not to bump into someone. Daisy, although being extroverted usually, wasn't used to large crowds, much less one of this size. That and she wasn't the most gracious princess to begin with. 'This is fine. Nothing I can't handle Just gotta find my friends and then things will really get started!' she thought trying to lift her spirits. 'Yeah! This will be…' her thoughts were cut off short as she bumped into someone. "Oh I'm sorry! I didn't see where I was going," she apologized.
The young Koopa turned to the princess, "Hey that's no problem. It's hard to move… WOW! You're Daisy! Can I have your autograph?!" He held up a pen a small notebook to the Princess. Daisy eyes widen; she was taken back a little by this.
"You want… my autograph? Me?" she questioned. The Koopa just sheepishly nodded.
"Well, if it's too much of a hassle…"
"Oh no! I don't mind at all!" Daisy interrupted, "It's just that it's been a while since anyone has ask me for autograph of mine." Daisy signed the notebook and handed it back to the Koopa. "Here ya go!"
"Wow, thanks! Now I get two Princesses' autographs in one night!" he beamed enthusiastically.
"Huh? Whaddya mean?" Daisy asked puzzlement with a puzzled tone.
"What did you think this line was for? Look ahead!" the Koopa pointed to the far end of the line where Peach was handing and giving out autographs, as well as taking pictures with the guests. As Daisy looked at Peach joyfully taking a picture with two young Toads, she couldn't help but feel a little envious.
'Stop,' she thought to herself, 'that's being petty. Just be happy for Peach.' After the two young Toads took their photo, Peach looked back towards the line. She managed to identify Daisy and she excitedly yelled at her best friend to come over.
"Daisy! Come, just for a quick second!" Peach's call snapped Daisy out of her thoughts as she rushed to her blonde-haired companion. As soon as Daisy was near Peach, Peach wrapped Daisy in a hug. "It's so good to see you!" Daisy couldn't help but widely grin at the friendly affection.
"Same! It feels like forever since we talked."
"I know!" Peach replied, "I can't wait to tell you about the things we did back in the Sprixie Kingdom. Oh it was so much fun! Even Rosalina helped us out!"
"Oh, Rosalina? I didn't expect her to be there," Daisy responded as her excited attitude slightly lessened.
"None of us did either!" Peach laughed, "but she proved pretty useful with that spin-attack of hers." Peach looked back at the line of guests waiting for a chance to meet and talk to her. She turned back to Daisy, "I hope I'm not being rude, but I'd like to finish this conversation in just a little bit. There's still quite a fair bit of people I have to meet," Peach tried to explain as she gestured towards the line.
"Oh, don't sweat it! You gotta do your princess duties and all that," Daisy said as she side-stepped to Peach's side.
"Thank you so much for understanding. You really are the greatest friend anyone could ever ask for," said Peach as she gave a quick hug that Daisy reciprocated. "I'll talk to you as soon as I'm done with this. I promise." Daisy simply nodded and gave a thumbs up then turned to walk away.'Well, it's a shame I couldn't talk to her as much as I wanted to, but we'll catch up again later tonight,' Daisy mulled for a moment.
'Or so she says,' the voice again spoke.
'Shut it, I'm not going to let you ruin this night,' Daisy snapped internally back. Daisy then tried to get herself to enjoy the party. It wasn't ideal and she felt a little awkward at first but she was genuinely having some fun; especially winning at some of the card games. Some time passed until Daisy decided to head to the dining room and kitchen area as she felt a little peckish. The dining hall had table after table filled with a wide arrange of succulent dishes and treats from across the kingdom. 'Wow, Toadsworth really went all out for this,' Daisy mused while picking up a bite sized Shroom Cake. 'Mmm… and it tastes just as good as looks too!' she thought joyfully as she took another bite. As she was reaching for a second one, she noticed that there was a crowd forming around a large circular table. Curious, she slowly walked to see what the commotion was about.
"…I-a jumped… missile dove into- Fox… Pokéball summoned…" she could hear a very familiar voice as she was getting closer. "Ganondorf hit me…last stock left…" the voice and sentences became much clearer. "It was-a down to-a me and Kirby. He-a got me with his with Upper Cutter move launching me-a quite high." The voice then gave an awkward chuckle. That moment was exactly when Daisy knew the voice belonged to the younger, taller Mario Brother in green: Luigi.
As she got closer, she could see how everyone at the table was organized; he was at one end of the circular table and many party-goers gathered around him enthusiastically to hear his tale.
'Looks like he doesn't need you either,' the voice once against sneered at Daisy.
'I didn't ask for your opinion,' she flatly thought back, 'Besides, I'm glad he's finally getting some attention for once.' Daisy began to reflect on how much Luigi has grown. Luigi was used to being in the shadow of his older brother, but these past few adventures have made him come out of shell more. While still not at the center of the spotlight, he's become more confident of himself and has gained a fanbase that truly supports him. Luigi still isn't sure how to exactly deal with his newfound popularity, but he's grateful for his new fans all the same.
"Hey Daisy! I didn't-a see you there!" Luigi happily said as finally noticed one of his closest friends standing among the fans. Luigi's voice awoke Daisy from her memories. She shook her head and looked at the green plumber.
"Hey Luigi! It's so great to see you!" she smiled as she proceeded to hug him. Luigi happily returned the gesture and then gestured towards the group at the table.
"Daisy! These are-a MY fans. They're-a here for-a ME!" Luigi enthusiastically said with a sparkle in his eyes. Daisy couldn't help but stifle a giggle. It's been a while since Luigi was this excited about something. "I was-a in the middle of-a telling them on how-a I won the Smash Bros. Exhibition Tournament." Daisy looked back the group who nodded with beaming eyes.
"Oh, I interrupted your story, didn't I?" Daisy said with a worried look on her face. "I'll let you get back to it," she spoke as she was beginning to turn around.
"Oh no! I don't mind at all!" Luigi stammered as he gently tugged on Daisy's arm. "If anything, you came at-a just the right time! This was-a the final matchup," he explained with a grin. Daisy looked back at the eager audience who were waiting for the climatic finale of the story.
She shook her head with a soft smile and said, "Sorry Luigi. I don't think it'd be fair to you if I only got to hear the climax and not your entire run." She looked back at the fans who were slightly disappointed at fact that she wouldn't be sticking around for much longer. She looked back at Luigi, "And it wouldn't be fair to your fans or you to have to repeat it just for me." Luigi reluctantly nodded as he took a seat. "But tell you what," Daisy said as Luigi's head perked up a little bit, "Once you're finished hanging out with your fans, come hang out with me and I'd love to listen to your story; that is if you don't mind re-telling it." Luigi got a wide grin on his face after hearing Daisy's proposal.
"Of course! First-a thing once I'm-a done with the group for the night-a," Luigi said as he gave a thumbs-up to the flower princess.
Daisy smiled back, "All right, I'll see you then!" She gave a thumbs-up back to Luigi and proceeded to walk back towards the other end of the Dining Hall. As she was getting farther away from the table, she could hear Luigi continue his tale to his eager audience. A slight uneasy feeling sept into her once the table's conversation became muddled with the noise of the rest of the party. She swallowed that feeling and went back to get more food. She picked up her plate and sat down by herself, toying with her meal. That uneasy feeling kept coming back, and stronger each time. She looked at the rest of the food on her plate and decided she wasn't really hungry anymore and needed some fresh air. She headed on her way to a private terrace that only royals and special guests could get access to. Once there, she shooed the guards away stating that if she needed anything she would call them. They complied and went to an adjacent room. Alone on the terrace, Daisy sighed; she needed some time to herself.
It was a beautiful sight: a large full moon illuminated the terrace and the nocturnal countryside behind the castle. Daisy stood at the railing and gazed at a small tranquil lake in the middle of a flower patch; the water reflected the star-filled sky above. Daisy slowly turned her gaze to the moon then closed her eyes as she breathed a heavy sigh. 'In the end you always end up alone, don't you?' the voice seeped back in. 'I don't even know why you bothered to show anyway, it's not like they would've missed you.'
'Shut it,' Daisy internally snarled, 'I got an invitation, of course they wanted me here.'
'That's not the feeling I got from them tonight. I mean they barely had any time for you,' the voice responded almost mockingly.
'They were busy with fans and guests I couldn't just interrupt them,' Daisy argued back.
'They moved on Daisy,' the voice coldly replied, 'They aren't stuck in the past like you are. The times have changed, and you've been left behind.'
Daisy could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, "No," her voice barely louder than a whisper, "That's not true."
'Oh please,' the voice scoffed, 'if they truly did care about you they would've made the time.'
"They were just busy," Daisy said as her voice was breaking.
'Too busy for you,' the voice laughed, 'I mean did you even see him?' Daisy remained silent. 'Did you even see HIM?' the voice once against asked louder.
Daisy, barely audibly, even to herself, said, "No."
'Of course, you didn't,' the voice replied in an almost pitiful tone, 'Too busy to even actually greet you. I told you before, you don't matter.'
"Shut up," Daisy said in a tone that slightly louder than before, "You're wrong."
'Oh, you poor, naïve child,' the voice condescendingly spoke, 'Haven't you been paying attention so far? Let's look at the facts from tonight.'
"Stop," Daisy sternly replied with tears almost spilling out.
'Your two best friends have fanbases, you have nothing.'
"Stop," Daisy's tone being more desperate.
'They preferred to be in the spotlight than be around you: forgotten.'
"Stop," she was practically begging at this point.
'And then there's your crush: Mario. He didn't even have the decency to actually say hello to you. You think he loves, let alone actually cares about you?' the voice savagely tore into Daisy's fragile state, 'Face it Princess, you're alone. You're a burden to your friends and NO ONE cares about you.'
"S-stop," Daisy stammered. She was at her breaking point, "The-they do care."
'Then why are you alone on a terrace arguing with yourself in the middle of a party?' the voice said a in a near emotionless manner as it left Daisy alone to reflect. That's when Daisy finally broke; she wept silently as she kneeled, not even finding the strength to stand up right. She couldn't hold in it anymore; she just let her emotions roll out of her while barely making a noise.
"Hey! I was-a looking for you-a everywhere tonight!" an excited high toned yet still obviously masculine voice spoke from behind her. Daisy stopped crying as her eyes went wide: it was him. "Mamma mia! Are-a you alright Daisy? Let me help you up," she heard him say as he got closer. She could hear his footsteps; he was walking calmly but firmly as if he was determined to get to her but not startle her. She felt his arm interlink with hers. She took a glance at the arm just to see if he truly was there to support her; she saw the iconic red fabric. She then felt his other hand wrapped around her lower back. "Okie-dokie," the man said in a chipper tone, "On the-a count of-a three, I'll-a help you up." Daisy simply nodded in response. "Ok, a-one, a-two, and-a three," he said as he helped her get back on her own two feet. "We can-a sit down here," he pointed to a bench that overlooked the lake on the terrace. Daisy once again, simply nodded in agreement. He carefully and gently led the way; once at the bench he patiently waited for her to sit down before he himself did. "Daisy…" the man softly spoke. Daisy then slowly turned her head and finally looked directly at her crush for the first time tonight; Mario had a worried smile on his face. "Are-a you ok?"
Daisy blinked and wiped the few tears that left in her eyes. She formed a smile on her face as she said, "Yeah, I'm fine," she forced on a fake grin, "There's no need to worry."
"Daisy," Mario began to speak, "I…"
"I'm cool!" she said with a lively attitude, "Don't sweat it," Daisy gave a thumbs-up to Mario. "Don't worry about me, besides you've got a party to keep track off."
Mario smiled softly, "It wouldn't be-a much of a party without-a you." Daisy couldn't help but looked surprised at the comment. "You're-a my best-a partner whenever Weegee's not around," he continued, "The party doesn't-a feel the same-a without you."
Daisy's mood faltered for a bit, but she quickly resumed her positive façade, "Oh. Well I'll join in a bit then. I just needed some fresh air." Daisy began to get up, but Mario grabbed her hand. A blush crept to her cheeks and her expression went blank; she slowly sat back on the bench.
She turned around to Mario who stared at her with kind eyes and a warm demeanor, "And I-a care about-a you Princess," Daisy's heart fluttered in her chest at his words, "So let me-a help you, please," his voice sounding as earnest as possible. Daisy looked away, trying to keep her composure.
"It's," she began to say, "There's no real need," her words began to falter, "I-I," she stuttered.
Mario then grasped Daisy's held hand with his free one, "Please, I want to-a help you." Daisy went silent and looked at Mario.
She took a deep breath, "Ok," she felt her body relax slightly, "I, just felt alone, ya' know? I mean you guys have been through so many adventures since the last I saw all of you." She frowned as her emotions finally came clean, "I know I should I be happy for all of you, and I am. But you guys got new stories and experiences and I'm still the same old me," she said defeatedly, "I'm only Daisy."
"And-a what's-a wrong with that?" Mario replied as he waved his hands around, "I think-a being Daisy is-a perfectly fine." Daisy turned away to conceal another blush creeping in on her cheeks. Mario beamed, "Who else can-a be the best player 2 around? Who else can-a make her-a kingdom more-a powerful and-a steady?" Daisy could feel her eyes water up a tiny bit. "Not to-a mention," he continued, "One of the best and-a most kind-hearted friends a plumber could-a ask for."
She laughed and turned back to Mario. "Ex-plumber," she teased.
He chuckled, "You-a got me there." Daisy lets his words sink in, and it fills her with a warm, comforting feeling.
She finally let herself have a genuine smile. "Thank you," she said sincerely.
"Any-a time," Mario smiled back. They both sat in a comfortable, friendly silence for a few minutes.
"So…" Mario eventually spoke, "Is there-a anything else on your mind?" Daisy's entire body went still; a wave of thoughts came crashing down. 'Do I tell him?' she compilated, 'What would his answer be? Would this ruin the friendship we already have?'
"Daisy," Mario's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Is there-a something-a else?" his voice laced with compassion.
"No, there…" her words cut short by his gaze; she felt a desperate need to express her true feelings. It was eating at her for far too long; she simply couldn't lock it away anymore. 'I guess this is a good as time as any,' her internal debate finally decided. She took a deep breath and averted from his eyesight, "Mario," she softly spoke, "I, I uh, I…" she stammered; Daisy's heart was in her throat. She looked back at Mario and saw he had a curious, but comforting look on his face. "I love you," she finally breathed out. "I always have. Ever since that day you saved me from Tatanga," she turned her gaze to the moon, "I tried to stop myself from having these feelings, since you're Peach's hero and all, but every sports tournament, every Party, and every time we get together," she paused; her heart was pounding in her chest, "I fell in love with you more." Silence filled the air for a few moments; for Daisy it felt like eternity. "I'm sorry," her voice began to crack, "I-I should go." She quickly stood up and was about to run, but a hand firmly grabbed hers. A massive blush formed on her cheeks as her eyes went wide for the second time that night.
"Daisy," she heard him say tenderly, "Per favore (Please)." Daisy turned around to face him once again; Mario spoke only spoke in full Italian when he was extremely emotional about something. "Daisy," he looked up into her eyes, "While I-a may be the hero of the-a Mush-a-room Kingdom, Il mio cuore appartiene a te (My heart belongs to you)." Daisy was surprised to say the least; here was the man she was pining for, returning her feelings. What Mario did next however, absolutely sent the stunned princess through a loop: he kissed her. It was a soft and gentle kiss, but it shook Daisy to her core. After processing what her current situation was for a few seconds, Daisy leaned into the kiss, deepening it. For a few moments, everything stood still for the pair; the only thing that mattered was the person they were currently caressing. They broke apart, both with a flushed expression on their faces. Daisy held her hand to her chest; It was beating rapidly as she was trying to make sure that this was still reality and she hadn't dreamt these last few moments.
"Mario," she broke the silence, "You have no idea how happy this makes me feel," her mouth formed a timid smile. Her demeanor then quickly grew to that of worry, "But what about Peach? Aren't you her savior? Her special one?"
Mario chuckled in response, "I-a care for the Princess yes," he mused, "And she's-a close to-a me," Mario slowly shook his head as he closed his eyes, "But I-a realized that we weren't-a meant to-a be." Mario stopped shaking his head, but his eyes were still closed; he was in deep thought. "I-a love her like I-a love Weegee," he began to explain, "She's-a important in my-a life, and I don't want-a anything to-a happen to her." He took a pause as Daisy observed him with an endearing look. "But," he opened his eyes and looked at her, "What I-a feel for-a you is-a different," he grinned, "Like you-a said, the more times I-a got to be around-a you, the more I-a fell in love-a with you." She couldn't help but let out a tear of happiness. "The more I-a saw you, the more I-a talked to-a you, the more I-a realized how-a perfect you are." Daisy bashfully looked away at his comment. "You're the funnest person to-a be around, and I-a understood that I-a couldn't be-a truly-a happy without you." His expression turned to one of relief, "I-a never confessed because I-a thought you liked-a Weegee."
Daisy turned back to Mario and let out a small laugh, "I do love him yes," she closed her eyes for a second, trying to think of the right words, "But it's like what you said about Peach. I care about him and I don't want him to be harmed in anyway. And to make things perfectly clear," she held Mario's hand, "What I feel for him definitely isn't what I feel for you." They both lovingly gazed into each other's eyes, letting their emotions calm down a bit. The pair then sat down and watched the tranquil nocturnal country side.
Minutes of peaceful serenity had gone by; the couple still holding each other's hand. "Mario," Daisy said as she turned to him.
"Mhm," he responded as he turned to her.
"Does this mean we're official?" she asked with a playful smile; Mario laughed.
"Ti adoro, Principessa (I adore you, Princess)," he said as slowly leaned in. Daisy followed his lead and for the second time on that snowy winter night, they kissed.
Oh man, this fanfic took longer than was necessary. It's ironic I posted a winter/holiday themed fanfic during summer. Oh well, what can you do? I started this around 2016 when Daisy didn't get a lot of attention or hype and man, after two years it's great to see her in the spotlight again. The reason why I took so long for this fanfic was because I was on-again, off-again during writing it. And I took a major 9-month hiatus when I didn't write anything at all. But in the end, I'm proud with how this turned out and I'm glad I was able to eventually share it with all of you. Thank you for ready and have a fantastic rest of your day/night.
