It's an extraordinarily warm and sunny day over the ocean as a small passenger jet painted with pink stripes flew above the clouds, leaving a thin white contrail behind it as it soared. The insignia of the proud Toadstool dynasty, a Starman, was embossed on the top and bottom of the right wing and the tailfin of the plane, designating it as private plane of Princess Toadstool herself.

In the pink main cabin of the plane, its residents were all very comfortably enjoying the flight. Towards the front sat the beautiful and elegant Princess Peach, sporting her usual prink gown, blue medallion, sapphire earrings, and golden crown, but her long blonde hair was uncharacteristically wrapped into a ponytail. As much as she loved to have her locks flow free, she knew she couldn't let it get in the way where she was going.

Being a princess wasn't all it is cracked up to be. The responsibility of an entire kingdom on her shoulders, combined with the near constant kidnappings, made life incredibly stressful for Princess Peach. It still had its perks, however, and one of them was being able to go on vacation to wherever she wanted.

At that moment Peach's trusted advisor Toadsworth, a short old man with a large white moustache, purple vest, a light brown mushroom hat with dark brown spots, and small walking stick with a pallet swapped version of his cap topping it, came back from the bathroom and sat down on Peach's right. As Peach's right hand, it was his duty to remain by her side as much as possible.

Sitting on peach's left was Mario, who needs no introduction.

A computer screen at the front of the cabin showed the plane's progress toward their destination; the beautiful Isle Delfino, which was an island in the shape of dolphin. In a few seconds, a prerecorded message specially made for the Princess began to play.

What appeared to be a Starman suddenly appeared over the island, but the center was too round, and it had eight points instead of five. "Ooh, look at that" said Peach as a delightful charm began to play. A stylized tropical island and ocean then appeared onscreen, with the logo "Welcome to Isle Delfino" in bright bold letters in front of it.

"Welcome to the sun-drenched tropical paradise of Isle Delfino" said a man's disembodied voice before the logo cutaway to reveal a small crowd of people; the Piantas. They were of average height, but were made slightly taller by the small green or orange palm trees sticking out the tops of their heads. They all wore grass skirts dyed a variety of colors, from blue, to yellow, to brown, and everything in between, and each matching the color of their hair. They stood in front of a large statue of a Pianta in military garb, and with a large volcano looming over them all in the background.

"We're so pleased to welcome you to our beautiful home" continued the Pianta in front of the group.

"Come enjoy a natural wonderland to which we've added the world's finest resort facilities, a spectacular amusement park, and succulent seafood. All this and more await you on Isle Delfino. Come relax and let us refresh your body and spirit". All the while, photos of the island's attractions flashed across the screen.

"Mama mia!" Mario thought. "What I wouldn't give to sink my teeth into that crab". He was practically drooling onto his plane seat.

Toadsworth, meanwhile, was fantasizing about all the great rides he'd get to ride, and how he'd finally be able to relax away from work.

But Peach saw something in the video that no one else seemed to. It was in the background, and only for a few seconds, but she could have sworn that she saw…Mario.

That was impossible; she knew that. Mario was right there next to her, and she knew that Mario had never even heard of this island before a few days prior. She tried to ask Mario about what she saw, but he was too engrossed in the video to give a response. Toadsworth was equally caught up in his fantasies of the island to notice anything out of the ordinary, so Peach decided not to press the issue.

They were on vacation after all; they were doing this to help escape from needless worry. But even as the plane dropped through the clouds towards the airport, Princess Peach had the feeling that their worries had only just begun.


Story inspired by and with cover art by 蓮男 on Pixiv.