The Coward and the Beast

Once upon a time in a faraway land, a young princess lived in a shining castle.

Although she had everything her heart desired, the princess was spoiled, selfish, and unkind.

One winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered her a single rose in exchange for shelter from the bitter cold.

Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the princess sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away.

But, the beggar warned her not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within.

And when she dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.

The princess tried to apologize, but it was too late, for the enchantress had seen that there was no love in her heart.

As punishment, she transformed her into a hideous beast and placed a terrible spell on the castle and all who lived there.

Ashamed of her monstrous form, the beast concealed herself inside her castle with a magic mirror as her only window to the outside world.

The rose the enchantress had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom for a hundred years.

If the beast could learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken.

If not, she would be doomed to remain a beast for all time.

As the long years passed, she fell into despair and lost all hope.

For who could ever learn to love a beast?

Chapter One: A Beastly Tale

"Mama, is he here yet?"

Mrs. Morel sighed as her son's mushroom-capped head bobbed over the rim of the counter. "No, not yet," she said. "Don't wiggle so."

If anything, the wiggling only increased. "Is he here now?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"Todd, please! You need to be patient!"

Todd stood on his tiptoes, straining to reach the glass stand of the cake holder. It scraped across the wood as the tiny fingers probed. "When's he gonna get here? We've been waiting all day!"

Mrs. Morel calmly swept the cake holder out of Todd's reach, causing the boy to stifle a groan. "We've only been here for an hour. Don't be so dramatic. There's no rush." She stole a glance at the clock on the wall even as the words were leaving her mouth. As much as her son's restlessness grated on her nerves, she sympathized. She, too, would much rather be outside at her post at the market, shouting out thanks and prices over the din of the shoppers as the sunlight fell over the vegetables, dyeing them a brighter color. And, if her son were outside, he would have the streets to romp and roam in and would be too busy and happy to bombard her with ceaseless questions.

But, she knew that the thing they were waiting for was more than worth it.

"Hey, Mama, maybe he's on his way right now! If we go outside, we could meet him halfway!"

Mrs. Morel was more cunning than that. "Or, maybe he'll come to the house while we're out, and we'll miss him entirely!"

Todd's eyes popped. Only now did he realize the scope of their predicament.

Mercifully, at that point, there was a knock on the door.

"He's here!" Todd threw himself down from the stool, causing the legs to scrape loudly across the wood floor, and bolted to the front door. Mrs. Morel only barely caught up before the boy threw it open.

"Buon pomerrigio!" The man on the doorstep moved his head out from behind the enormous package in his arms so Mrs. Morel could see his smile. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long."

"Of course not, Mr. Mario! Please come in!"

Mario stepped inside as Mrs. Morel shut the door. Todd buzzed at his waist like a bee.

"Is that it? Is it heavy? How much does it weigh?"

Mario laughed. "Probably more than you, little one!"

Todd was delighted with this answer. "More than me? Really!"

Mrs. Morel held out a sack of coins as Mario slid the package onto the counter. A bundle of cloth was wrapped around something solid, bound in place by several thick cords. Mario pocketed the coins as Todd climbed back onto the stool and began tugging at the ropes.

"Todd, stop that! Let him do it!" Mrs. Morel smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry. He's just been so excited. He's been asking if it was ready every day."

"Well, I hope we don't disappoint!" Mario climbed up onto a stool himself and buried his gloved hands in the folds of the cloth. Normally, Mrs. Morel would chafe at the sight of a guest standing on her furniture, but as the ropes and fabric fell at the machine's feet, she was as mesmerized as her son.

Standing on the counter was a beautifully painted sculpture of a castle. The towers and walls of the top half gleamed white under the pointed, gold roofs, while the bottom half was tinged with a cool blue. A wobbling grid of brighter waves was painted over the blue, creating an effect whose likeness could be seen on the surface of a fountain as the sunlight streamed to the stony bottom. Sculpted into the base of the castle was a line of sand, with green fronds reaching softly up over the castle's base. It looked as though the castle was deep in the center of an invisible sea.

Mario grinned at the awed reaction from mother and son and produced a small, silver key from the pocket of his coat. He quickly moved around the counter to the back of the castle. "You might want to stand back," he advised.

Mrs. Morel pulled Todd's stool back. Mario inserted the key into the small slot hidden amidst the sea grass. As soon as the key clicked into place, the walls of the castle flew open. The interior was divided into two floors along the waterline. The blue lower half contained a scene of watery caves and blooming anemone. The top half looked to be a golden ballroom. A man in royal dress stood alone on the top half, his outstretched arms empty. Hidden amongst the reeds far below his feet was a woman with a long fishlike tail. Her painted eyes were turned upward.

Mario turned the key in the back. The clicking of gears whispered as the figures inside began to move. A soft, sad melody played as the mermaid ticked and swam along the bottom, the stand holding her up masked by the swaying plants and colorful fish that wiggled by her. Once she reached the other side, she disappeared around a corner and reappeared in the ballroom, her dainty feet barely visible underneath a beautiful gown. She twirled gracefully in the prince's arms as he spun to keep his eyes on her. But, too soon, the clicking mechanisms carried her away from his gaze. She twirled away from his admiring gaze and disappeared behind a pillar. Soon, the mermaid appeared again below, gazing longingly up at a prince who couldn't see her.

Todd's eyes sparkled as he watched. "Can I go inside?" he asked his mother.

Even Mrs. Morel couldn't stop herself from laughing. "I'm afraid you're far too big to fit in there!" said Mario.

"It's beautiful!" Mrs. Morel exclaimed. "My husband will be so thrilled to finally see it!"

"I'm glad to hear you say that! It wasn't easy to get it in the carriage!" said Mario, working a crick in his shoulder.

"You must be so proud. Not many men have the talent to make something like this."

Mario blinked then shook his head. "Oh, signora, you're mistaken. I am proud, but I just sell the works. I don't make them."

"Huh?" Mrs. Morel stared as Todd poked the clockwork fish. "Then who does?"

Luigi kept his head down as he moved through the crowded market.

Several vendors called out to him as he passed in tones both friendly and accusatory, offering him all manner of foods, flowers, jewelry, and animals, but Luigi kept his gaze on the cobbled pathway ahead of him. Pant legs, the heels of boots, and the hems of skirts crossed in front of his view, but no faces. Every soliciting word that reached his ears just made his steps quicker.

A Koopa looked up from his stand and saw the mustached man hurrying through without sparing a glance to anyone.

"Hey, see that guy over there?"

"Hmm?" the Paratroopa fluttered over the goods laid out in front of him, his tone uninterested.

"He looks kind of shady to me. I wonder if he's up to something."

The Paratroopa finally lifted his head and followed the Koopa's gaze.

"Oh, that's just that clockmaker," he said. "Trust me. That guy's harmless."

"Are you sure?" the Koppa asked as Luigi disappeared into the crowd. "'Cause he's in a mighty big hurry, and it looks like he's carrying something. I hope he didn't steal it."

The Paratroopa snorted. "He's no thief. He'd need half a spine for that."

Luigi was moving too fast to hear this conversation, but its contents wouldn't have surprised him. He darted through the crowd as though being pursued, only raising his voice to mumble quick apologies to whoever he happened to bump into. A few others stared or glanced at him in annoyance as he knocked into them, but most people paid him no mind at all as he reached the library at the end of the street and disappeared inside.

A bright, unfamiliar face appeared in his field of vision as soon as the bell above the door chimed.

"Welcome, sir!" said the Toad before him. "Can I help you find anything?"

Luigi startled. He wasn't expected to see someone unfamiliar here. "Sorry, I, um, I'm just looking around."

The Toad smiled kindly. "No worries. Just let me know if you need any help." Her gaze moved to the book clutched against Luigi's chest. "Oh, do you need to return that?"

Luigi lowered his eyes, embarrassed, though over what, the Toad had no idea. "Yes. I'm sorry." He sheepishly held the book out to her.

The Toad took the book and glanced over the cover. "The Little Mermaid," she read. "That's a good one! What was your favorite part?"

Inexplicably, a look of panic came over Luigi's features. "Uh…" he stalled, "I liked all of it."

The Toad giggled. Behind her, a blue Toad behind the counter looked over with a dismayed expression. "All of it, huh? I guess you really liked it! Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

"No. I mean, I don't know. I'd just like to look."

"That's fine! Take your time!"

Luigi stepped quickly away from the Toad and headed over to the fantasy section. The furtiveness of his movements made it seem as though he was fleeing.

As soon as Luigi's back was turned, the blue Toad stepped up to her and touched her arm.

"Toadiko," he said, "Don't ask him stuff like that."

"Huh?"

"Stuff like, 'What's his favorite part.' Don't ask him that. He didn't say anything, but it bugs him."

"What do you mean? Why not?"

"He can't read."

Toadiko's eyes widened. "What?"

"He comes here all the time, but he can barely read a word. He just likes to look at the pictures."

Toadiko flushed with embarrassment. "Oh my goodness, I had no idea!"

The blue Toad shook his head. "It's not your fault, by boogity! You just started working here. But, for future reference…"

"Of course, of course!"

Luigi made a show of sticking his nose deep in a book and turning the pages as noisily as he could, trying to give them the courtesy of believing he couldn't hear them. In truth, he felt his cheeks warm. That the librarian's words were compassionate instead of mocking did little to soften the blow. His blue eyes wearily moved over the printed script on the yellow pages, taking in the loops and points for only a moment before flicking back over to the illustration on the other side.

A tall, valiant knight rode upon a white steed, its hooves raised and its mane rippling. Snarling at the horse's feet was a long, serpentine dragon, its green body coiled like a spring. A spear was held stiffly in the knight's outstretched arm, the head plunged into the dragon's back. A thick plume of blood spurted from the wound, and the dragon's mouth was open in a hideous snarl.

Luigi shuddered and slid the book back onto the shelf. He pulled out another and flipped through several pages of indecipherable text before he came to this first picture.

Unlike the painted illustrations of the last book, the image on the page before him was done in pencil. It depicted a young girl holding an ugly soldier doll in her arms. There was a bandage wrapped around the dolls head. The gray etchings that comprised the girl and her toy made the drawing look busy yet detailed.

Luigi curiously flipped forward a few more pages. On the page was another ugly doll in a baby's crib. The doll's huge round eyes above its bared teeth were fixed on an enormous rat that sat at the foot of the crib. On the rat's head was a crown.

Luigi flipped forward again. The book opened on two drawings back to back. In the first, the ugly doll in the crib was in the midst of transforming into a beautiful, crowned girl. The artist had drawn each intermediate stage of the doll's transformation in fainter pencil. Here was the doll slightly taller and thinner, here it was with longer hair and smaller eyes, here the seams below its mouth were gone. A morph that had perhaps lasted only a moment lay dissected for the viewer. On the opposite page was a similar time lapse of a boy turning into another doll. The same doll, Luigi realized, that the girl in the first picture had held in her lap. Before his shocked expression stood a fainter outline of a shorter version of himself with a rounder head. Here, his eyes swelled, here a beard grew, now he was only knee height with hideous bared teeth.

Luigi stared, fascinated. What story could result in such things? Children twisting and untwisting into grotesque forms? The sunlight in the window turned orange as he stood in that spot, flipping back and forth between the different drawings, his mind churning.

It was that same book that was placed in front of the librarian. He adjusted his glasses as he looked at the cover.

"The Nutcracker," he read. "Good choice."

He made a note while Luigi waited. "Due for renewal in a week," he said, sliding it back.

"Take care!" Toadiko called as Luigi hurried out the door.

The vendors were closing their stalls as Luigi walked back through the market, his pace much slower than before. The sketches in The Nutcracker were mesmerizing, though he couldn't fully make sense of it, try as he might. He flipped back to the end of the book to see the girl, now a grown woman, smiling serenely down at a man who was dressed the same as her ugly doll. So, he had managed to change back after all? What had done it? Luigi knew he would never be able to do more than guess.

Luigi was so entranced he forgot to be on alert.

Abruptly, the top of Luigi's boot collided with a bony ankle. Luigi sprawled face-first onto the street, sending the book flying, as a loud, raucous laugh wheezed above his head.

"You better watch where you're going, Luigi! You wouldn't want to hurt yourself!"

Luigi lifted his head, cringing. Not just from the impact but from the voice, which was now chortling at its own wit. He didn't have to turn and look to know it was Waluigi looming over him and smirking. He realized, with a pang of shame, that he might have been able to see him coming if he hadn't been so absorbed in the book.

The book. Luigi saw it lying face down just ahead of him, its pages bent between the street and the cover. Quickly as he could manage, Luigi tried to scramble to his feet.

"If you'll excuse me…" he muttered, "I'm in a hurry…"

A foot came down on his pant leg, sending him sprawling again. "Oh, really?" said Waluigi. "Seems to me like you have plenty of free time." He reached over and plucked the book off the street, holding the front cover between two fingers. There was a slight tearing sound that made Luigi's blood run cold.

Luigi pulled himself upright as Waluigi held the book out in front of him. "Say, Luigi, what's this book called?" he said with a sneer.

Luigi felt himself abruptly put on the spot. "The Nutcracker," he said nervously.

"Uh huh," said Waluigi, "And what's it about?"

"It's… It's about a boy who turns into a doll."

Luigi knew as soon as he saw the delighted look on Waluigi's face that he'd gotten it wrong. "A doll?" he exclaimed. "Don't you know what a nutcracker is? I knew you couldn't read; I didn't know you were stupid, too!"

The warm sensation Luigi had felt on his cheeks in the library had now spread all throughout his shoulders and back. There weren't many people left in the street, but he was sure all of their eyes were on him. He stretched out a hand, though he knew it was no use and said, "Please, give it back."

"Sure, you can have it back," said Waluigi, "if you beg me for it!"

Luigi tried to make himself look Waluigi in the eye, but he couldn't do it. His eyes dropped back down to the cobblestone. "May I please have my book back?"

Waluigi clicked his tongue in a show of mock disappointment. "Come one, Luigi, you can do better than that!" he said. "Say, 'O, great Waluigi, I beg you to do me the kindness of returning that book to me, though I am but a worm and unworthy!"

"Now, now, Waluigi, you can't expect my brother to say something that stupid with a straight face."

Waluigi frowned and Luigi felt a wash of relief as Mario approached, smiling ruefully. "Really, don't you have anything better to do than make a nuisance of yourself?"

Waluigi crossed his long arms, book still in hand, as Mario took his place beside Luigi. "What's this? Can't I do anything without you making wild accusations? I was just saying hello to Luigi."

"No, you weren't," said Mario flatly.

"Mario, he has my book," Luigi said quietly.

"I saw that," Mario said. Waluigi, who towered over both brothers, stretched to his full height and held the book aloft in one hand. "Fine, I took it. But, I'm not sure what you can do about it from all the way down there!"

Mario effortlessly jumped up, snatched the book from Waluigi's hands, and casually handed it back to Luigi.

"Here you go."

"Thanks, bro."

"Hey!" Waluigi fumed. "Don't ignore me!"

Mario looked over his shoulder at Waluigi with a contemptuous smile. "Oh, you're still here? If you just wanted to say hello, then you should be done by now."

"I feel sorry for you, Mario, I really do," said Waluigi. "It can't be easy to constantly play bodyguard to this weakling. What's poor Luigi going to do when you're not around?"

"That'll never happen," said Mario simply. Luigi said nothing. He was torn. It comforted him to know that Mario would stay by his side, but to always be the one being protected was…

"You don't know that for sure," said Waluigi. "A lot of strange things can happen, especially to travelers. If you're not careful, one of these days, you could be snatched up by the beast."

Mario rolled his eyes. "Not this again," he said.

"You only scoff because you've never seen it!" said Waluigi with relish, "The beast is a huge, fanged monster with scales as hard as iron and claws as sharp as steel. Anyone who strays into its path ends up dead!"

Mario snorted. "It'll take more than some campfire story to scare us! Right, Luigi…?"

Mario knew as soon as he saw the look on Luigi's face that he'd spoken too soon. Luigi's eyes were wide, and his jaw was firmly set. He knew it was a mistake, but he couldn't stop shaking.

Waluigi smirk became somehow even more wicked. "You ever seen a wild animal eat its prey?" he said. "I have. They start with the belly first. They tear into the soft, bouncy skin to get to the juicy meat underneath." Waluigi poked Luigi's stomach. Luigi jumped behind Mario's glare. "No matter how many men the king sent to slay it, the beast tore into all his knights just like that. Belly first. What a mess. And then it ate the king, too."

The air was filled with the sound of Luigi's teeth chattering. "The beast lives in the forest. Your portly brother travels quite a bit, doesn't he? You'd better tell him to watch out. I'll bet the beast has never had a feast quite like him!" Waluigi chuckled at his own cleverness. "And once it's through, it'll decide it likes the taste so much that it has to have more. So, it'll come looking for you!"

Luigi whimpered and clutched his book tightly over his stomach, as if it were a shield. Mario shot the hardest glare he could muster at Waluigi. "What's wrong with you? You must be sick or something!" He placed a hand on Luigi's shoulder and turned him away.

Luigi could still hear Waluigi's laughter as Mario marched him away. "Don't fret, Luigi!" he called after them. "Maybe you'll get lucky, and it'll swallow you whole! Then, I'll cut you out!"

Luigi was still shaking even as Waluigi's voice faded into the distance. "Why do you let him do that to you?" said Mario. "You know it's what he wants."

Luigi lowered his head. He didn't need to be reminded. "I'm sorry," he said.

Mario sighed. "You need to learn to stand up for yourself, bro. The only reason Waluigi treats you like that is because you let him get away with it!"

Mario glanced from the street ahead to the look on Luigi's face. He smiled gently. "Hey," he said, nudging Luigi's shoulder, "don't worry about him. He's not worth listening to."

"I know," said Luigi. The words sounded as though he were reciting them before a teacher. Yes, sir. No, sir.

"Listen," said Mario, "The butcher had fresh ground beef today! How would you feel about spaghetti and meatballs?"

Luigi managed a smile. "I'd like that," he said.

The whisk had already circled the rim of the bowl, and the kitchen smelled of garlic as Mario scooped a palm of beef into his wet hands. His fingers curved gently even as they darted around the softness in his hands, molding it into shape. Luigi had once drawn those hands in the midst of that motion. Frozen in time in pencil, the hands appeared to be hiding a warm egg or even the chick itself, all yellow softness and tiny sounds.

As the meatballs appeared one by one on the tray, Mario heard a distant tinkling coming from the back room. Mario smiled fondly. He was familiar with his brother's work habits.

In the studio, Luigi bent over his desk as the woman in the music box turned behind him. It was one of Luigi's favorite pieces, and he never find it in his heart to cell it. It was much simpler than the bigger contraptions his wealthier clients ordered. It depicted a woman with long hair spinning slowly in place. All around her were the long petals of a flower, opening and closing like fingers. As the song played, the woman was hidden from view, only to be revealed again as the petals opened. The image had come from a book the librarian had called "Thumbelina." Luigi had no idea what thumbs had to do with women in flowers, but he felt too embarrassed to ask.

The nutcracker book was open in front of him. Small jars of paint pinned down the fluttering pages to expose the drawing of the girl holding her nutcracker to the lantern light. Luigi's pencil moved quickly over the paper pinned below the book, copying the lines and forms of the book's drawing. Once the girl and toy had emerged, he drew them again below, this time from a side view. Then he drew the girl standing up. Facing the back, facing the front, holding her arms out, her skirt caught in the whirl of her motion. He flipped back and forth through the book, looking for different poses, and when he couldn't find one, he rifled through the flurry of loose papers on his desk, looking for his old drawings. From this mosaic of pencil marks, the shape of the girl emerged as a single unified being.

The pencil was still moving when the studio door opened, letting in the warm smell from the kitchen that had already flowed through the rest of the house.

A pouch of coins clattered onto the desk. Luigi started slightly and glanced over at Mario.

"Here. From the sale today."

Luigi pulled the pouched closer and slid the coins out onto the wood with his fingers.

"I didn't interrupt, did I?" Mario asked.

"No," said Luigi, his eyes still on the coins, "It's fine."

Mario reached over to the lamp on Luigi's desk and twisted the knob. The dark orange orb around Luigi became brighter. "Geez, bro, you could at least turn up the light in here. You'll go blind if you keep squinting in the dark."

Luigi looked up, alarmed. "Is that really true?"

Mario shrugged. "I don't know. Mama always seemed pretty convinced, though."

Mario gently shifted the papers on Luigi's desk, peering at the drawings of the nutcracker girl. Meanwhile, Luigi clinked the last few coins into his hand. He frowned.

"Hey, Mario? Did those people pay us extra?"

"No," said Mario, "they gave us the amount we asked for."

Luigi took a small handful of coins and slide them over the desk to Mario. "You gave me too many."

Mario didn't touch them. "Now, Luigi-"

"Fifty-fifty. That's what we agreed on."

"Luigi, you're the artist! You deserve a bigger cut!"

Luigi shook his head firmly. "We wouldn't be able to sell anything without you, bro."

"I'm not so sure about that." Mario pulled up a chair next to his brother. "The customer today really wanted to meet you. She seemed disappointed that the artist wasn't in her house."

Luigi said nothing. "You ought to come with me when I'm making a delivery sometime. Shake some hands. They'd love it!"

Luigi picked up his pencil. "I'd just get in the way," he said. "I'm not good in situations like that."

"Luigi…" Mario sighed. "You do good work. Really good work. Nobody in town can make the kind of things you can. But, I really feel like there's for than being cooped up in a dusty workshop for the rest of your life."

"It's not dusty," said Luigi indignantly. "I always keep everything in order."

"That's not the point! Dusty or not it's a single room, and that one isn't much for conversation." Mario nodded over at the woman in the music box, who had long since grown still, the petals at attention around her. Luigi cast his eyes down, discomfited.

"Let me ask you something. What do you do when I'm out travelling?"

"I work."

"What else?"

"I watch the house."

"Is that really it?"

Luigi kept his eyes on the pencil lines in front of him. "That's enough to keep me busy," he said.

Mario exhaled. "Luigi, can you do me a favor?"

Luigi looked up at his brother, puzzled.

"When I leave tomorrow, try and do something. Go somewhere fun. Talk to someone. Cut loose somewhere."

Luigi grimaced. "I don't know if I can do that."

"Sure you can! Everyone can! You'll be glad you did it."

Luigi fidgeted uncomfortably. Mario smiled encouragingly. "Come on. Can you at least try? For me?"

Luigi sighed. "Alright. I'll try."

Mario clapped Luigi on the shoulder. "It'll be good for you. I promise."

"Mario…"

"Yeah, bro?"

"Is something burning?"

Mario jolted to his feet. "Shoot!" he exclaimed. In less than a moment, Luigi heard frantic clattering in the kitchen. Luigi turned back to the sketches littering his desk, posed in the shadows of the yellow light. "Somewhere fun…" he murmured.

The dawn air was chilly as Luigi passed an unwieldy package into Mario's arms. Mario grunted as the weight sank into him.

"You sure there's not an actual royal court in here?" he said through his teeth.

"Just try not to drop it," said Luigi.

Mario gingerly lowered the package onto the carriage floor, though it landed with a heavier thunk than Luigi would've liked. Mario swung his feet over the back and landed on the gravel in front of the house. "Is that the last of it?" he asked.

"Just one more," answered Luigi. He picked up a small clock from the blanket he'd laid out behind him. The face of the clock was a moon over a blue, wooden pond. When the minute hand struck the hour, the small, misshapen duckling disappeared, and a beautiful swan flowered below in its place. Mario took the clock from Luigi's hands.

"I wish they were all this size," Mario said. He carefully stowed it into the carriage.

"Good luck," said Luigi.

Mario grinned. "Why are you wishing me luck? You made everything. I ought to be wishing you luck!"

"I don't mean just with the fair," Luigi admitted. "I always worry when you go through the woods. I just want you to be careful."

Mario frowned. "You're still thinking about what Waluigi said."

"I know you said the beast doesn't exist! But, even if it doesn't, the woods are full of monsters, aren't they? If anything happened to you-"

"Luigi," Mario admonished as he stepped around to the front of the carriage, Luigi anxiously following, "I've been through the forest tons of times. The monsters are no big deal if you know how to handle them. Besides, if I went around the woods, the fair would be over by the time I arrived in town." Mario pulled himself up into the driver's seat. The brown mare pawed indifferently at the presence of an unfamiliar driver.

"Then maybe you should've left sooner," said Luigi.

Mario waved off his brother's concern. "I can take care of myself. Waluigi's worse than any monster in that forest. The monsters aren't nearly as annoying."

Luigi smiled weakly. Mario clicked his tongue, and the carriage began to roll slowly forward.

"Addio! And, remember what you promised!" Mario called.

"Be safe!" Luigi waved. His hand dropped, and he sighed. "I will," he said.

AN:

I know I'm not the first person to do this. Heck, I found another BatB Mario fan fic when I was clicking randomly around Archive of Our Own. However, I do feel like I might be the first person to do this with a female character in the "Beast" role.

This is quite a far cry from "Mario and the Music Box," isn't it? But, even here, Mario can't get away from music boxes. I'm sorry, Mario. I blame Kevin Kline.

The best telling of The Nutcracker I've ever personally encountered was, of all things, the Eyewitness Books version of the story. It was a picture book that also functioned as a historical learning tool for children. It included vignettes and facts about German society, culture, and technology in the time the story takes place, as well as these fantastically beautiful watercolor illustrations. I rented that thing so many times from the library at my elementary school. Ballet is nice and all, but no production has stuck with me the way that book has.

There wasn't really any way to convey this in text, but the Enchantress at the beginning is actually Rosalina. You can't tell! If I could draw, I would draw this a comic, and then you could see her. On a similar note, the blue librarian Toad is actually Toadbert. I couldn't come up with a smooth way to namedrop him, but I feel like the catchphrase might have given him away.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast is probably the runner up for the film I've seen the most times in my life. (The Brave Little Toaster is first, obviously.) As such, I was able to type the opening prologue basically from memory. I did check the actual recording once to correct a few words, but for the most part, I was pretty accurate. Some people could be saddened by that ability, but I choose to be proud of it.

Bleh, I've already typed too much. I hope you all have as much fun reading this as I did writing it! Ciao!