"Extra puffy clouds skimmed against the cornflower blue sky like they had nothing better to do. As they drifted in front of the sun, the occasional shadow would fall down on top of the fresh green lawn. Where there wasn't crisply cut grass, there were either huge orange and pink flowers sturdy enough to jump on or hard grey pavement built to walk on. Tourists of every shape and race-toad, yoshi, hooski-puttered about as they took in the sights of Mushrise Park. Among the various visitors stood-or rather, hovered- a little yellow star sprite by the large fountain in the shape of a Zeekeeper.
"Man, where are those guys…?" Starlow muttered to herself as she floated back and forth. Her star-tipped antenna twitched impatiently. "We were supposed to meet here an hour ago!"
Pouting, she glided to the ground to sit on the stiff concrete stairs in front of the fountain. Not in the mood to people watch, she pierced her stare at the ground. She swung her tiny feet back and forth idly, and huffed a quiet sigh.
A distressed sound suddenly reached her ears. Curious, she raised her head and looked around. When the star sprite got a meter away from the fountain, she craned her neck to her left. She should have looked to the right instead, or she could have avoided her fate of having something crash into her.
"OWCH!" Starlow was pushed to the ground, and received a mouthful of grass and soil. After spitting out the bitter earth, she whipped around to whoever shoved into her.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" She barked. "You could seriously hurt someone!"
"I-I'm sorry, my apologies…" An orange mass croaked. It sprang up from the ground and hastily brushed off some dust. In a split second, Starlow took in the pillow shaped head, long cloak, and dark eyes of this stranger.
"P-Prince Dreambert?!"
"Ah…? O-oh, Starlow, it's you!" The pi'illo blinked with recognition.
"Hey, it's been a while! How are-"
"I'm terribly sorry," He interrupted, "but I don't have time to talk right now!"
"Huh? Why?"
"PRINCE DREAMBERT!" An enthusiastic cry vibrated through the air. "OH, PRINCE DREAM-BERT!"
"Oh no…" The prince cringed as he began to inch away from his spot.
"Wait…I've heard that voice before…" Starlow knitted her invisible eyebrows together until her brain clicked on a memory of a certain quirky character by the name of…
"That's Bedsmith, isn't it?"
"Yes, and he's ambushing me again." Dreambert nervously uttered. "I'm trying to lose him, but-"
"Prince Dreambert! Your nappableness!" That impassioned yell rang out again. Starlow and Dreambert peeked from behind one of Mushrise Park's large flowers and saw a yellow clad Pi'illo with thick goggles obscuring his eyes.
"Your fluffyness! I just want one nap! Just one!" He shouted with hands cupped around his mouth. "Now where are you?!"
"…He hasn't changed much, has he?" Starlow deadpanned.
"I'm afraid not." Dreambert's eyes suddenly grew large. "Oh no, he's coming this way!"
The star sprite twitched, wondering what to do about this dilemma. Her eyes landed on a particularly large flower behind the fountain.
"Uh-quick, hide over there!"
The orange Pi'illo wasted no time in obeying her command and dove into the brightly colored plant. Just as the petals settled, Bedsmith appeared around the corner.
"Your softness, where are you?" The bed maker cried as he frantically looked left and right for the Pi'illo royalty. "Now where on earth could he have gone…?"
"H-hey, Bedsmith!" Starlow called out, a bit uncertainly.
"Hm?" He turned his attention to the talking yellow orb. "Oh, I'm sorry, do I know you…?"
"It's me! Starlow! Remember when we asked you to make the Ultibed last year?"
"…Oh! Of course! Yes, the little sprite without any clothes!"
"HEY, I wasn't naked!" She fumed in his face. "I had on shoes! And I still do!"
However, the bed crafter remained unfazed by her tantrum. "Yes, yes, anyway, you haven't happened to see Prince Dreambart around here, have you?"
The flower the prince hid into twitched with fret as Starlow bit her lower lip. "Oh-erm-y-yes, actually! Just a second ago!"
"Really?!" Bedsmith leaned closer, excited. "Where?! Which way did he go?!"
"Um-he went that way!" She pointed with her eyes down the path leading to the south side of the park. "He seemed to be in a hurry, b-but if you run, you-"
Starlow didn't even have to finish her sentence; in the blink of an eye, Bedsmith jerked in that direction and dashed off with a hasty "Thanks!" faster than you could say 'Zeekeeper'.
A moment of stone-still silence stood in the air before Dreambert dared to slowly emerge from his hiding spot. He untangled his orange cape from the petals before breathing a sigh of relief.
"I can't thank you enough, Starlow." He said as he brushed a few petals from his arms.
"Sure thing!" She chirped.
"Oh, by the way, what are you doing here back on Pi'illo Island?" The prince inquired. "Are you on a little vacation now that Antasma is gone?"
"You could call it that," She floated down to a different flower and sat down. "See, last Christmas after we defeated Antasma, Dr. Snoozemore sent me, Mario and the others invitations for a fully paid vacation here!" She paused. "Except we were supposed to meet here an hour ago, but they haven't shown up yet."
"Hmm…I see."
"You didn't happen to see them while Bedsmith was chasing you, did you?"
Dreambert nodded his pillow head sadly. "I'm afraid not. I wasn't paying much attention to the people around me while Bedsmith was after me."
The star sprite paused for a moment before saying, "You know how Bedsmith always goes on about how soft and fluffy and nappable you are?"
"Yes…?" The Pi'illo prince replied, a bit confused.
"Are you really-um-all that? Like, more nappable than the average Pi'illo?"
"…Oh! Well, yes, you could say that. You see, a Pi'illo's-er-'nappableness'-is based on genetics. Fluffiness, fullness, and even pillow shape is defined by a Pi'illo's DNA." He held up his hand and stared at it as if seeing it for the first time. "My family lineage happens to possess strong traits favorable for a pillow…and those traits have caught Bedsmith's undivided attention."
Starlow snorted with amusement. "'Undivided attention' is an understatement."
"Indeed." He chuckled with her. "The day he gives up is the day hooski's grow wings and fly."
"Yeah, haha!" She grinned, and then hesitated. "…Hey, Dreambert?"
"Yes?"
"This may sound a bit weird, and maybe a little ironic, but…could I…could I nap on you?"
The orange Pi'illo raised his eyebrows in surprise. "H-huh?"
"I know you hate Bedsmith bugging you about that, so I'm okay with a 'no'." She explained while gazing at her brown shoes. "I was just curious…"
Dreambert glanced to the side in thought for a second before looking at her straight in the eye. "Well, okay then."
"R-really? You don't mind?"
"It's not that I particularly dislike people napping on me or anything; I'm just not fond of Bedsmith's…enthusiasm to do so." He floated away to the ground as he spoke. "But you asked me politely, so I don't see why not. Besides, you helped me escape from Bedsmith, so it's the least I can do!" With a puff of smoke, his body disappeared and his head sat on the soft grass, nothing but a pillow.
The star sprite hovered down, landed on the lawn, and laid back on him with her face facing the sky.
"Hmm…you actually are pretty comfy, Dreambert." She said as his cotton soft fabric curled around the back of her head.
"Mmm mm mmf mmn!" He mumbled from behind. Starlow had to bite her lower lip to refrain from bursting into laughter. The Pi'illo could still feel the vibrations of her chuckle, however.
The star sprite directed her attention to the partially cloudy sky above. White, puffy shapes glided through the endless space of blue, making it look like a work of art. To her, it resembled a blue canvas an artist had splattered gracefully with whipped cream…or maybe cotton candy… or perhaps cotton balls…
These easygoing images acted like a sleeping drug, making her eyes close more and more until they were almost completely shut.
Almost shut…barely even open…
"BEDSMITH! IS! SHOCKED!"
"W-what? Huh?!"
Starlow's eyelids shot up, revealing a full view of the bed crafting Pi'illo leaning over her, blocking her gorgeous view of the sky. His bulky goggles gleamed mysteriously, despite the fact he was facing away from the sun.
"O-o-oh, hi, Bedsmith!" She stuttered. "Um-did you catch up to Dreambert?"
"His nappableness is right beneath you!" He bellowed while pointing at her pillow. When he did so, the soft orange mass behind her head twitched.
"W-what? Oh, that? N-no, it's just-uh-a normal pillow!" She bluffed half heartedly. "Y-yeah, this is my pillow!"
Bedsmith didn't buy it for a second. He shoved her off to reveal Dreambert's unmistakable form.
"Prince Dreambert! There you are!"
"Erm…H-hello, Bedsmith," The prince converted back to his Pi'illo form, and his body reappeared with a poof. "H-how nice it is to see you again…" He uttered in a tone one uses when addressing an unwanted houseguest.
"How did you end up back here? And why is she napping on you?" The bed maker pointed accusingly at Starlow as if she was a criminal.
"Hey, it's not like-"
"Starlow, wait," Dreambert raised his left hand at her. He turned to the yellow Pi'illo. "Allow me to explain; while you were chasing me, I ran into Starlow, and she helped me hide from you."
Bedsmith jumped in his spot. "W-what…? Hide?"
"Yes, Bedsmith, hide." He stressed. "After she sent you down the wrong way, we began to talk, and she politely asked if she could nap on me."
"…Hmm…I see." The eccentric Pi'illo mused as he hung his head lower, letting the sun gleam on his goggles.
"So…do you understand?" Dreambert's voice held a hint of hope that this bed creator had finally had a sense of empathy and that his days of being chased would end.
"Yes…yes, I do…" Bedsmith suddenly tightened his fists and shouted in the air, "BEDSMITH! HAS! REALIZATION!"
"Really?" Starlow asked with optimistic expectancy.
"Yes! His royal softness only lets fair yellow maidens to nap on him!"
Both the prince and the star sprite fell to the ground with their high held hopes crashing with them. Starlow was the first to pluck herself off the ground.
"What?! Didn't you listen to a word Dreambert said?!"
"Of course. I have asked him countless times to nap on him, yet he let you sleep on him on the first try. The answer is simple; his nappableness prefers to have females nap on him -"
"T-that's not what I meant at all!" Dreambert cut the other Pi'illo short. "What I mean is-"
"That I must look more like a girl to convince his pushiness to let me nap on him!" Bedsmith ranted, oblivious to the prince. "Right, I now have a clear idea of what I must do!" He took a wide stance and pointed at the sky, shouting, "TO WAKEPORT!"
Bedsmith galloped away with conviction while the prince and star sprite duo stared at him, dumbstruck.
"Wakeport…?" Starlow frowned, baffled. "What in Grambi's does that have to do with-uh-females?"
"Your guess is as good as mi…Uh-oh…" Dreambert's voice trailed off on a worrisome note.
"'Uh-oh', what?"
"I was there the other day, and saw a new dress boutique open up in the shopping district."
"O-kay…" She said slowly before her black eyes sprang open as a light bulb went off in her head. "Wait, you mean he plans to raid that place for a dress?!"
"I can't be certain, but it doesn't seem entirely implausible to me…"
"Well, we can't just float here and do nothing!" She barked. "We've gotta stop him! C'mon!"
"R-right! We must make haste!"
Starlow flew as fast as she could with the prince at her heels. They left nothing behind as they vanished, pursuing their bed making Pi'illo.
…Ten seconds later, a trio entered the Mushrise Park area. A short mustached man clad in overalls and a red hat with an 'M' on the front strolled out on the lawn. Behind him walked a man of taller, lankier stature dressed in darker overalls and a green hat with a large 'L'. Moseying in the rear of the gang was a beautiful blonde woman with a lovely pink dress draped over her frame and holding a matching parasol. Resting elegantly on her head was a golden crown with blue gems gleaming in the sunshine, just like her eyes.
The unmistakable three of Mario, Luigi, and Peach made their merry way to the large Zeekeeper fountain and looked around. All three sets of sky colored eyes scanned their surroundings as if looking for someone.
"That's-a-strange…" Mario's mustache twitched with puzzlement. "I don't see Starlow any-a-where."
"Maybe she's-a-late?" Luigi rolled up his green sleeve to glance at a simple wristwatch. "It's –a-time…huh?"
"What is it, Luigi?" Peach asked, glancing curiously at the tiny clock. He tapped at the glass with a gloved finger.
"Uh-oh…"
Now Mario gained interest. "What's-a-wrong, bro?"
"…I think my watch stopped."
"W-what?! For how-a-long?"
"I-I dunno…but now I think we are the late-a-ones…"
"Mama-mia!" The brother in red cried. "But if we are-a-late…then where could Starlow-a-be?"
"Maybe she went back to Pi'illo Castle?" The pink princess offered. "We could check back there and see if anyone's seen her."
"Good idea!" Mario and Luigi jumped in unison. The brothers and the toadstool princess turned around and walked away from the very spot their little yellow friend sat moments before.