I was lazy...again. :/
I got the idea for this one-shot when I thought about something that happened in my old story Interviewing the Cast of Bowser's Inside Story. I hope you enjoy it!
Here's theme number 9: Blue.
Princess Peach slowly opened her eyes then blinked a few times against the bright sunlight shining through her window. After giving a sleepy yawn, she smiled to herself. It was another beautiful day in the Mushroom Kingdom.
She sat up, stretched, then went to her closet to get dressed. Looking at her usual outfit–a pink dress that went down to her feet–she frowned thoughtfully. It wasn't that she disliked it; she had worn that same dress for many years. Maybe it was time for a change. At least for one day.
She had other outfits besides the dress, but they were all for sporting events. She couldn't just wear them like everyday-clothes. So the only other option was...
"Time to go shopping!" she exclaimed gleefully.
After a quick but filling breakfast, she went to Toad Town Mall and walked around before stopping at a fancy-looking woman's store.
"Hello, Princess," a salesclerk greeted her. "Looking for anything special today?"
"I'm looking for a new dress," Peach explained. "Preferably in a color other than pink."
The salesclerk looked surprised. "But why, Princess? Your current dress is lovely!"
"Thank you, but I feel like wearing something different for a change. And pink is just...overrated?"
The salesclerk, whose name was Nina, laughed. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll help you to find a new dress you enjoy."
Nina led Peach to the back of the store where there was an array of colorful dresses. Amazingly, they all looked similar to the dress she was already wearing. She chose not to comment on this fact seeing as having a dress that resembled the princess's was probably "in" at the time.
Catching the look on Peach's face, Nina said, "Did you want to look for a different style as well as a different color?"
"I suppose so. I might as well go all the way with having a new look."
"Very well. Then if you would please step over here, we have some lovely dresses I think you'll like."
They went over to a wall on the west side of the store.
"Oh my..." Peach said with a soft sigh. "They look beautiful!"
Nina took a dress off the wall and handed it to the princess. "Would you like to try one on? I have a feeling this color will look wonderful on you."
Peach took the dress, found a changing room, and wasted no time trying it on. Once she was wearing it, she studied herself in the mirror.
It was a lovely shade of sky blue. The sleeves were longer on this dress; they went all the way to her wrists and weren't puffy at the shoulders. It didn't puff out at the waist to form a tent-like cover around her legs, either. The length was nice, going down to cover her ankles but allowing her shoes to be viewed. Over all, it wasn't as fancy as her usual dress. But that was alright; which not shouting out her status as princess, it still gave the appearance of an important person.
"How do I look?" Peach asked as she walked out of the changing room for Nina to see.
Nina took one look at the princess and smiled.
"Princess Peach, it looks great on you! I knew that color would work well for you."
The princess smiled back. "Thank you. I think I'll buy it."
After put her old dress back on, Peach bought the blue dress then went to a shoe store to find new shoes to go with her dress.
"Perfect," Peach said to herself, looking in the mirror on her closet door.
After going back her castle, she went straight to her room to change into her new outfit. Because her new dress had long sleeves, there was no need for elbow-length gloves so she found white gloves that only covered her hands. She had also pinned her sapphire brooch onto her new dress.
With her new outfit complete, the princess went to take a walk around Toad Town to see what her subjects thought of her new clothes. Before she could leave, however, she ran into Toadsworth.
"Goodness, Princess," he exclaimed. "What happened to your dress?"
"I bought a new one for a change of pace," she answered. "What do you think of it?"
Toadsworth personally preferred her pink dress, as he was used to seeing her in it, but it wasn't his place to tell her how to dress anymore so he answered honestly, "Well, I think it looks quite nice."
"Thank you, Toadsworth," Peach said happily.
After informing her adviser of her plan to take a walk, Peach smiled and bid Toadsworth farewell.
As soon as she entered Toad Town, it seemed that all of the Toads going about their usual day-time activities noticed the princess's new dress.
"What a beautiful dress!" one Toad said.
"And such a nice color," another added. "To be honest, I could never imagine you wearing anything in a color besides pink. But blue is a nice color for you, Princess."
"Thank you, both of you." Peach smiled at them. "Which dress do you two like better: this one or my pink one?"
The two Toads looked at each other before looking back at the princess.
"Well...it's hard to like one more than the other," the second Toad said. "They're both very pretty dresses." The first Toad nodded in agreement.
"I see... Well, thank you for your opinions."
Peach walked around the town, stopping occasionally to ask a Toad if they liked her new blue dress and which of her two dresses they liked the most, but it seemed that everyone liked both dresses equally. By the time she got to Toad Town Park, Peach was beginning to wonder if the Toads were just trying not to offend her by saying one of her dresses was better than the other.
The princess loved her new blue dress, but if her subjects thought she looked better in her usual pink one she would gladly wear it again, saving the blue one for special events. But no one would favor one over the other out loud.
While walking past the playground were little child were playing, Peach felt someone tug at her dress and looked down. A female Toad who looked to be about six or seven was looking up at her.
"Hello, there," the princess said with a smile. "Is something wrong?"
"How come your clothes are blue?" the little girl asked.
"I bought some new clothes," Peach explained. "Do you like this dress?"
"Yeah," the child answered, "but what was wrong with your other one?"
"Nothing was wrong with it. I just wanted to try a new look for a little while. Do you like the pink dress more than this one?"
The little girl nodded. "It makes you look more like a princess."
Princess Peach smiled. Finally, what sounded like an honest opinion.
"If that's the case then starting tomorrow I'll save this dress for special occasions."
"Okay." The child giggled. "Bye-bye, Miss Princess."
Peach smiled again as she watched the little Toad run off to play with her friends. She had been right; the pink did make her more like a princess. And seeing as she was one, it was only right if she looked like one, too. But at least she would have another dress to wear if she wanted a change again.
Went a little The Emperor's New Clothes at the end there. Also, not counting my author's notes, this one is 1,234 words! XD
...okay, so I did some editing to make it that way since it was was close anyway. Xp
~Dawn
