Welcome To Mario Kart, Part 7
Star PowerThe Royal Toad Guards came in blowing their horns and another rolled out the red carpet for the princess, and two others opened the doors of Sergeant Toad's squad room so she could have a straight shot to his desk where he sat with his feet kicked up and the phone on his shoulder as he chatted on and on to the big chief about their latest case until Peach ripped the connection from its base—
"I need to talk with you!"
"Wha..?" he shot out of his chair in a fury. "Hey! Why'd ya do that for!"
"Let them go." she stood in his face and demanded.
Sergeant Toad stood. "Who? Let who go, Princess?"
Peach stepped back then unrolled the scroll she was holding and read it. "Luigi, Wario, Bowser, Yoshi, D.K. …TOAD.." she frowned and went on. "..King Bob-omb, Lakitu, Koopa Troopa, Bullet Bill, Dragonzamazu, Tatanga, The Hammer Brothers, MagiKoopa, Barney Bubble, The Shy Guys, Wart, Smithy, Lemmy, Iggy, Ludwig, Larry, Morton, Roy, and Wendy Koopa, The Snifits, Bub & Bubba, Birdo, Mouser, Triclyde, Baron Von Zeppelin, Belome, Croco, Culex, King Calamari! And finally, Sonic the Hedgehog! You know he doesn't belong here!"
The Sergeant took a toothpick from his desk drawer and stuck it in the side of his mouth. "Just doin' my job, Princess. And the citizens of Mushroom Kingdom happen to think I'm doing it well….Sorry I can't say as much for you. You know the people have voted to remove your powers to rule this kingdom. I'll be generous and give you ten days to clear out of the castle."
Peach glared at him with her arms folded. "I am not going anywhere, and I will not leave this office until you release the prisoners you're holding here without any valid charges against them!"
"Oh I've got valid charges alright, on all of them. Every one of them has been out to destroy Mario at one time or another, and now I have reason to believe they all worked together to commit this heinous crime, and unless you can prove…before your ten days is up that is…that you had nothing to do with Mario's murder, then I'm afraid I'll be locking you up too, Your Highness."
Peach looked back at her guards, and they all just shook their red and white spotted heads with sorrow, but again, the princess was not a quitter.
"You're not going to win, Sergeant Toad. I'm going to win!" she snapped.
"Yeah, we've heard that one down here a million times already..." he chuckled pompously. "Look Princess, perhaps you should just do us both a favor and start packing your things up and go quietly. I can be a nice guy and give you a break…all you'd have to do is testify and you can be outta here for good. You've got enough money that you could surely move to some exotic beachfront and live out the rest of your life worry free. Come on, wouldn't you rather be laying out on the sand getting a nice little tan instead of being kidnapped by Bowser Koopa every six months?"
Peach loathed him. She could've summoned her guards to take over the precinct but it probably would have resulted in nothing more than chaos and riots in the beautiful streets of her Mushroom Kingdom. If it was still indeed hers. She noticed how Sergeant Toad had a smug look on his face just before she silently bowed her head and turned to leave without seeing her friends,(well some of them were friends anyway) like Toad…Yoshi….and Luigi, who would rot in those cells if she didn't get them released.
As night fell upon the kingdom, Peach laid down on her large canopy bed and looked up, gazing deeply into the folds and twists of silk strung overhead, and the deeper she gazed, the more quiet and calm everything became, and then a Power Star appeared, rotating just above her face.
….Hey…How-a you do that?…
The star went away and Peach shot straight up in bed and looked around her.
"Who's there?" she asked in a panic. "Hello? Is someone there?"
….Just me….
She slapped her hands over her mouth and her eyes grew wide with fear.
….sorry to frighten you, Peachy…
"Mario?" She looked around the room and was puzzled, for she saw no one there at all.
….Yes, it's me…
"Mario?" Peach said again. "Where are you? I can't see you."
…over here…
She looked around and then saw the book—the map booklet she had showed to him before the kart races—it moved, then magically rose into the air and dangled above the vanity.
…you still can't see me, eh? I'm holding this book. You got this for me, but you shouldn't have, Peachy. I told you, I am not a cheater. I win fair and square….
She scooted forward on the bed until she was closer to…well… …whatever spot in the air might have been Mario.
"I didn't mean—"
….Shhh… You want me to come back, Peach?…
She nodded swiftly as a child wanting candy, holding the footboard of her bed like a balustrade of the Titanic.
…Well then, I'll come back…
"EEEEEE!" Peach screamed as she does when she's extremely happy, and she bounced off the bed then rushed toward the book that was dangling in the air in an attempt to hug Mario, but the book fell on the floor right in front of her feet.
….Calm down, Princess…
Peach looked down at the book laying there, and she realized the voice was suddenly coming from another direction, near her window, and with an urgency she headed over there,
…Ahhh…
"Stop playing tricks, Mario!" she said angrily at him. "I saw you racing right next to me!"
….Ah…yes…I was in limbo then, you know…not quite completely dead, but I am now, and you can't see me but I can see you….
"Oh yeah?" Peach taunted. "Then what am I doing now?"
…Sticking out your tongue at me…
Indeed he was right. Peach immediately stopped and put her hand over her mouth in shame for a moment, then finally she went around to the left side her bed and sat down facing the window where she believed Mario was still standing.
"Why did you come here, Mario? All you're doing is upsetting me and I don't see why you'd want to do that, since I only have ten days left in the Kingdom."
…what?…
"Ten days. The people have voted me out. They don't want me here anymore, and actually I think I don't need this anymore—"
…but Peach…No! They can't do that to you! You are a princess, for goodness sakes!…. Then Mario's voice lowered as though he was whispering to someone close by …..this can't happen….what I do now….what?….
"Mario? Are you talking to someone?"
…..yes..yes…. Oh, Peachy…I'm sorry about that, just had to get a little advice. Anyway, you bring me back and we'll get everything back to normal….
"But I can't—"
….You get my brother and tell him to get Yoshi….and they need to go south, then east, then north, and he will know what you mean….
"But Mario! I can't! Luigi's—"
Suddenly the window flew opened as a breeze whooshed through it like a wind-tunnel, and Peach could do nothing but hold on to a bedpost to keep from being pulled out with the strong force of air that stopped just as quickly as it had started.
Next, she smoothed her hair and clothes, then ran to the window.
"Mario! …Mario! Answer me!"
Nothing.
"Mario!" she stomped the floor. "Come back here right now!"
"Uh…Princess?"
She turned around and saw one of her dedicated toad retainers.
"Did I hear you say…Mario?" he asked her very cautiously as he must have wondered why she was standing by an open bedroom window on a very chilly night.
"Me?" Peach pressed her hand to her chest. "Say…Mario? No, Toad, you couldn't have heard anything like that."
Toad sighed as he had become used to what some people had referred to as Princess Toadstool's Mariopsychosis. "Okay, Princess. Never mind. I just came up to let you know we have a little dessert for you downstairs. It's a cherry malted float."
"Thank you," Peach smiled. "I'll be right down, alright?"
She waited, but he didn't move.
"I really will." she added. "I promise."
Finally the retainer nodded and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"….Mario.." Peach called out again, this time very softly, yet with greater desperation. "…Mario, come back here right now….please…"
There was only silence all around her. She could hear nothing but some singing crickets and felt nothing more than a crisp evening breeze.