"He's been sending you roses every single day?" Princess Daisy asked with astonishment.

"Yeah, it's been more than a week now and I'm running out of places to put them." Princess Peach answered as she leafed through the ballet program that was handed out before the performance started.

"Huh. That's so unlike him. Usually he just kidnaps you." Daisy pointed out, her eyes fixed on the closed red curtains in front of them.

"I know, I wonder if everything is ok. Hopefully nothing is wrong." Peach fretted.

"Something's definitely wrong here, hon." Daisy said as she pointed to her cousin's brain. "Are you seriously worried about the guy who is creepily obsessed with you, stalks you and frequently holds you hostage?"

Peach held her tongue as she turned one of the pages.

"You could have died in that fire." Daisy added, but her comments remained unacknowledged by her cousin. After a pause, she added, "I just want you to be safe, that's all."

"I know," Peach reassured her, "but it's more complicated than you know." She sighed. "Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and keep everything from getting so messy."

"Do you even remember a time before the conflict between you three?" Daisy probed.

"Barely. That was before Mario transferred to our school in the middle of the year." Peach reflected. "He didn't know anyone except for me, so naturally we stuck together. But he and Bowser never got along, and you know how that turned out." She finished, her eyes resting on the papers in front of her, though not reading the pages.

Her cousin nodded and stayed silent for a minute. Before she could say anything, the house lights dimmed and the polite chatter around them faded away. Music began to swell from the orchestra pit as the musicians introduced the overture. Achingly sweet violins cast glittering high notes in the air while mellow bass notes fell like water droplets into a shallow bucket. But as the opening piece played Peach was distracted. Her cousin was right. The game between the three of them had gone on for far too long with far too many consequences. Peach knew that she possessed the power to end the fighting, but even though she could envision sending the roses back and buying an engagement ring for Mario, she couldn't imagine herself actually going through with it. Ashamed, she knew that she couldn't live without being sought after.

The curtains opened, interrupting Peach's thoughts, revealing the company of thirty dancers frozen in rows on the stage. Suddenly, they came alive in unison, moving as a whole organism together, each motion bleeding effortlessly into the next. While they twirled and leapt around the stage, a story began to emerge from their collective being. The principal ballerina danced apart from the crowd, portraying a young peasant girl in ragged clothes. Another dancer stepped forward as the peasant girl's mother, her face marked with exaggerated wrinkles that could be seen from the seats in the far back of the theater. After a short duet together, the mother began a solo in which she began to tell her daughter a story of magical sprites living within an enchanted forest. An ensemble of dancers dressed in light green tutus pranced lightly around the stage depicting the impish creatures. But she warned that the sprites were untrustworthy and crafty, and forbade her daughter from going into the forest alone at night. With the end of the tale and the opening number the performers froze as they received warm applause from the audience. Peach sat at the edge of her seat, anticipating what was to come.

Once again the music began, and the company exited the stage, leaving the principal ballerina to introduce a long and challenging solo. With her movements she showed the peasant girl's conflicted desires: though she wanted to obey her mother, she also wanted to explore the enchanted forest. Finally she decided that she would enter the woods, but would leave at sunset before nightfall. The music turned ominous and the curtains closed as the peasant girl danced off towards the forest.

The house lights came back on as the audience applauded the first act. Peach glanced over at Daisy to find that her cousin was asleep.

"Daisy! Wake up!" She laughed quietly as she gently shook her side.

"Is it over?" Daisy asked loudly.

"No, it's only intermission." Peach answered with an amused smile.

"Next time I have insomnia, just remind me to go to a ballet," Daisy joked. "But do you like the show so far?"

"Oh yes, " Peach answered enthusiastically. "The performance is so artistic and the story sheds a unique light upon the burden of curiosity and the intrinsic human need to obey under the guise of a simple folktale."

"Geez, I didn't ask for a college lecture!" Daisy playfully complained.

"I'm surprised that you would even know what a lecture sounds like, since you skipped class so often!" Peach teased.

"Hey!" Daisy protested as she softly punched her cousin's arm.

But before Peach could get even, the house lights dimmed once again, signaling the end of intermission. The princesses quieted down as people hurriedly returned to their seats before the curtains were raised. Music drifted up from the pit as the orchestra began to play, revisiting the previous themes from the overture. Then the heavy drapes lifted to reveal the peasant girl dancing amidst a forest of glittering paper trees. As she wove and spun through the woods the music seemed to change shape, diverging from classical to folk. A cluster of dancers wearing light green tutus and leotards entered the scene, holding props resembling musical instruments. Realizing that she had encountered the sprites, the peasant girl hid behind one of the trees and watched their celebratory song and dance. The sprite ensemble moved in perfect unison together, blending classical ballet technique with traditional dance steps. The ending of their jig was met with lively applause from the audience.

Realizing that they were being watched, the sprites invited the peasant girl to join in their merriment. Hesitantly, she emerged from her hiding place and began to dance to an enchanting fiddle reel while they clapped to the beat around her. As the music continued the lighting on the stage grew dimmer, signaling that sunset was approaching. But though the peasant girl tried to leave the forest, she couldn't control her dancing. True horror flashed across the principal ballerina's face as she acted as if she were unable to stop her movements. The lighting grew dimmer still, signaling that sunset was at hand. But the peasant girl could not get away. The pace of the music increased, growing faster and faster. She spun impossibly quickly, her body blurring and bending against the rhythm, desperately trying to escape the spell. Her feet flew rapidly underneath her, churning and tumbling to the beat. Faster, faster, faster, faster still, faster, faster-

She fell to the ground, still. The sprites bled into the backdrop of the enchanted forest, disappearing into the night. The stage was eerily quiet as the final lights went out above the motionless principal ballerina, leaving a foolish peasant girl lying unmoving in a silent wood. The curtain fell to thunderous applause.

"That was so dark!" Daisy said as they joined the crowd shuffling out of the theater.

"Art often is," Peach answered rather philosophically.

"But that part where she collapsed? I wonder how many bruises that poor dancer has just from doing the falling bit each night," her cousin pondered. "Her acting was so good too, it must have been really hard to make it seem like she couldn't stop dancing."

Before Peach could reply, she was distracted by someone far ahead of them in the crowd. She was a tall woman with long platinum-blonde hair, wearing a simple sky blue dress and sparkling star shaped earrings. Rosalina. Peach heart quickened at the realization that she had finally found her sister. Every instinct screamed to run up to her, but she controlled herself and took a moment to think. What would she say? Would her sister say anything? What would she do? Would reconnection make their lives better? Just like the peasant girl, Peach had to make a choice. As she pushed through the crowd she prayed that she would be able to dance out of the enchanted forest alive.

A/N: Up until this point, Peach's storyline has mostly been around to facilitate flashbacks, but I felt that it needed to go somewhere (I mean, it's the ninth chapter, it's time for something to happen!) I really hope it didn't come out boring, and though it is a little random and unstructured, I didn't want to get to the point too quickly. Plus it was good practice for me to work on description, which is an area that I can definitely grow in as a writer. So I'm sorry if this isn't your favorite chapter, but at least something is finally happening with our buddy Princess Peach. As always, thank you for reading, and thank you a million times more for each comment follow and favorite on this story! I read each one of them and take all feedback to heart, let me know what you think about the story and how I can make it better! I hope you all have a magical day, and watch out for those evil sprites! Much love, Guardian.

P.S My new year's resolution is to update more frequently!