"Oh, the stars are so beautiful tonight! Don't you agree?" The graceful blonde asked her undersized counterpart. The two were relaxing on the grandest tower of the castle, with refreshments between them. It had been a long day, and it was about time to call it a night.

"Mmhmm," Her attendant answered, his beady eyes focused on a strange object in the far distance. She directed her attention as well, and could just make out a red delivery truck on the path below, heading toward the castle.

"My ingredients!" She squealed, surprising her small friend. He rolled backwards off of his chair, his mouth open in shock. This didn't faze her though, and she continued to jump up and down in excitement. "I ordered them from the catalog a few weeks ago, and I've been waiting forever. But they've finally arrived!" she exclaimed in her high-pitched voice.

She rushed to the edge of the tower wall, and waved to the crimson vehicle below, smiling all the while. This only made her companion roll his eyes however, but when she kicked off her rosy high heels and headed for the staircase, he sighed and began to follow her.

"La, Dadum, da-DAH!" she cheerfully sang as she made her way down the dark, spiral staircase. She held her elaborate, pink dress up while she ran, her bare feet making a soft sound every time they hit the cold, stone floor. Her little buddy tried his best to stay with her, but his short legs wouldn't allow him to keep her quick pace.

When she finally reached the bottom of the stairway, she swiftly changed direction, and lunged toward the dining hall. Her elderly steward, who was reading in the sitting room, raised his head in just enough time to catch a brief glimpse of her golden hair flying by the door. "Princess!" he called.

Oh, hush. She thought, dismissing the shout. She was almost to the door anyway. She rushed past the dining room table and dashed through the door leading to the front room. As she leaped over the furniture, she could see the now parked truck through the intricately-designed glass windows.

Just as she made it to the grand front entrance- The doorbell rang. After she stood and gleefully clapped several times, she opened the majestic door with a flourish.

"Hello." She welcomed the deliverymen with an inviting smile. There were three of them standing in a row, the one at the right end holding a clipboard. His lavender hair hung down almost to his shoulders, and when he brought his threatening green eyes to meet hers, she almost gasped.

"Good evening. My name is…" He hesitated for a moment, and looked expectantly at the woman standing directly beside him. She had elongated, deep, purple hair that curled slightly at the end, and she was wearing green, bulb earrings. She shot him an irritated glance, and looked back at the girl, a distasteful look on her face.

"He's Jamie. I'm Jessica. And that's Marvin," Jessica told her, pointing her thumb at the petite man beside her. Or, at least, the princess thought he was a man. He grinned, somehow finding his own name amusing, and bowed, saying, "How do you do?"

"Just fine, thank you," The princess responded. She almost said something, paused, and then decided to ask. "Where's Brownie? He's usually the one who delivers my ingredients."

Jessica smiled a sly smile, and emitted a short laugh. "Brownie... took a vacation. He won't be back for a while." Her voice was lighthearted, but it was somehow sinister at the same time.

"Oh," The fair-haired girl replied, her eyebrows furrowed and her lips pursed. Brownie had delivered for years. And he'd never left on a trip without telling her about it beforehand.

"You are Peach, correct?" Jamie asked, making eye contact. Every time he did, she felt violated, and this time, a cold chill ran through her body.

"Yes," Peach said, avoiding the sinister green beads.

"And who might this be?" Jessica asked her voice curious and wistful. Peach's trusty sidekick had arrived in the middle of the conversation, drained and out of breath.

"This is Toad," Peach told her with a grin. "He's been my best friend and loyal servant for I don't know how long." Toad nodded and peeked up at the princess.

"He's not a Pokémon, but he'll do," Jessica stated, directing her gaze toward the others.

"Excuse me?" Peach said.

"Nothing, dear. Would you like your package?"

"Yes, please! How much do I owe you?

"It's on us," Marvin insisted, "Besides, you'll be paying soon enough." This statement caused the other two to laugh, and Peach was beginning to be annoyed by their mysterious behavior.

"Thank you very much," she said as Jessica handed her the hefty, brown box. "Come on Toad, let's go inside and see what we can get into." She shook the awaited parcel, waved to the trio, and motioned for her counterpart to follow her.

"You have a good night now," Jessica advised with a gleam in her eye.

"Okay!" Peach made her way inside, sat the package down, and had begun to shut the front door behind her, when she realized Toad was still on the castle steps. He was standing, quiet, watching the deliverymen intently.

They had walked to their truck, and Marvin was the last to jump inside, although it was difficult for him because of his small stature. He quickly shut the door behind him. As soon as he did, the truck came to life, grumbling and revving up. After a few seconds, the group was off, and the automobile was disappearing into the distance.

"Toad?" Peach addressed him, kneeling down so that she was on his level, and she peered into his frightened eyes.

"I didn't like them," Toad said, turning to her.

"They did seem a bit odd," Peach admitted, recalling the hidden coldness in Jessica's cheerful voice.

"I just don't understand why Brownie would just go off with no warning."

"I know! I just spoke to him the other day about this delivery, and he told me he'd show up."

"I just wouldn't trust those three if they returned," Toad mumbled, glancing dreadfully at the road behind him.

"Oh, not for the world! That Jamie character was shooting me creepy looks."

"And Marvin moved and spoke sort of like a cat," Toad added.

"Well, that's what you get when you live in Mushroom Kingdom!" Peach joked. Toad emitted a nervous laugh and grinned at the princess. "Come on Toad; let's go bake a cake or two."

"Mario will love that," Toad replied sarcastically. Peach playfully hit him and grabbed his arm, pulling him inside.