The Princess Sees Green, Chapter 3

Who Knew?

            There was something about the Mushroom Kingdom on a bright and sunny morning. Fresh air was abundant, not yet damaged by millions of exhaust pipes or putrid smokestacks. Trees of all shades and sizes harbored in occasional one-up mushroom and the rolling landscape held spinning gold coins, plus a few extra surprises. Through the years, the gallant hero played the game of running Bowser back into his dark world and stomping all kinds of sordid pests along the way and took time out for charity events in between. Maybe he was indeed the world's greatest hero--surpassing Superman and Batman and even the latest pop icon, Spiderman. Seemed like no one wanted to admit the truth, that anything with his name stamped on it was a gold mine, and all those around him owed their very existence to him, because if he ever stopped performing so well, the entire digital series would die, and the economy, relying heavily on the profits from games, would finally stumble into its demise. Then again, maybe he wasn't such a hero after all if he couldn't manage keeping a very thankful princess happy.

            He'd tried hard at not working so hard and so long, to keep Peach satisfied, of course, and make sure he was giving her enough attention, but seemed like someone somewhere always needed his advice or a few repairs beyond what had been agreed upon in his what turned out to be meaningless contracts. And the women....how they loved him for his strength and determination because it was certainly not his looks, being such a chubby little guy, even though the next door neighbor, Ariella Star, recently told him he had the body of a god. He had blushed over that.

            "I have your pipes all fixed. That will be ninety-five dollars and seven cents."

            Because it was the end of the month and the first week after the Mushroom Kingdom Independence holiday, Miss Fluffy Cloud didn't have enough cash to pay Mario for another job well done. She just couldn't get up the nerve to tell him, he'd been so kind to rush right over to her house and fix a busted pipe behind her shower wall and did an excellent job of replacing her tile, including the grout and cleanup afterwards.

            "Miss Cloud? You want me to send you a bill?" he asked politely.

            "Oh, thank you, Mario!" she pulled him into her arms and sealed her gratitude with a marshmellowy kiss on the cheek.

            He just smiled and tipped his hat, accustomed to kisses, handshakes, and other gestures of kindness because it seemed hardly anyone was paying on time anymore. Indeed, the economy in the entire Mushroom Kingdom had gone on quite a downward spin, (its economic base tends to rise and fall with video game sales) so people didn't have anything extra to spend, especially not for emergencies. Even the spinning gold coins were few and far between.

            "Why don't you take this."

            Miss Cloud handed over a large platter of her own special Vanilla Could Cake with a smile and Mario responded with eyes that grew wider and his taste buds instantly moistened.

            "Oh, no...I couldn't.."

            "Here," she demanded, pushing it into his rotund belly. "It's yours. Please, I'll not let you walk out of here without it."

            "Well then, he thought to himself that at least he wouldn't have to fight Bowser for it. "Thank-a you very much."

            "You're such a gentleman, Mario," she replied as she showed him to the door. "Such a gentleman..  I don't think the princess should ever want to give up such a hero like you."

            Mario, focused on his delicious-looking cake, couldn't fathom what made Miss Cloud bring up the princess unless she had read his mind about the Bowser thing, but it really didn't concern him at the moment, since all he wanted was to hop into the nearest warp pipe and head home, kick off his shoes, then get comfortable. His journey progressed smoothly until he reached Toad Town, where he noticed how people seemed to be whispering to each other about something, and for the first time they were....avoiding him?

            "Don't worry, even the best ones get knocked around a bit. You'll get over it, believe me."

            He stopped upon hearing the voice behind him and saw Koopa Troopa who just happened to be meandering along the same path.

            "I'm telling ya, Mario. You'll surely get over it."

            "What? Get over what?"

            Troopa just shook his head, shrugged, and walked off.

            Continuing his walk down Old Dandelion Lane, Mario passed by the home of LakiLenga, who was outside in her front yard tending to the garden, and she mentioned something about an art exhibit last night, but Mario had no idea what that was about. As a matter of fact, everyone he spoke with seemed to have something they wanted to say but wouldn't....or couldn't--especially Winot T, a very small toad person who always gossiped, was now dead silent.

            Once making it passed the many stares and mumbling whispers, Mario made his way to a warp pipe and jumped in, unaware of all the things going on behind his back.

            "Winot! You didn't tell him, did you?" asked best friend, Edgar T, nudged him just after Mario disappeared into the big green tube.

            "Tell who? About what?"

            "Mario, silly! And about the princess!"

            Thinking of that made Winot shudder. He had been at the exhibit the previous night, admiring the work of famous Mushroom World artist, Piccoloso, so inspired that he took one of the back exits so he could go home and start on another piece of his own original work. Winot was so small that he barely made a noise going down the spiral staircase and knew he could slip out the back door without being noticed, but before he reached the door, he saw something move beneath the staircase in the darkness, so he quickly stepped back to the bottom rung and poked his head around to look, heard a voice speaking very softly....a woman's voice... one he knew, and couldn't help but take a closer look,

            "Thank you for bringing me," said the young lady.

            "You are very welcome, Your Highness." said the young man.

            uh....the princess? Thought Winot. He couldn't really see her because the man was taller and his back was turned.

            In the darkness was a sudden shift of movement, then Winot looked again, spotting two people embraced in what quickly became a very passionate kiss, and he smiled, knowing the princess and Mario were still very much in love, but then he realized something odd...Mario? Much taller than Princess Toadstool? He looked again and listened as the romancing couple slowly pulled apart.

            "You know you should not have to ask a stranger to paint you," said the man. "I could do it myself."

            They kissed again.

            "..Of course," he continued, speaking smoothly between wet smooches. "Then my brother would know...and he must not know about this..."

            Winot, stunned by this terrible thing he had discovered, slipped off the bottom step and went tumbling onto the right at the feet of...of...LUIGI?

            "Mama mia-a-a-a!" Luigi yelled out and jumped away from the princess when he saw Winot on the floor.

            And Princess Toadstool, she frightfully slapped her hands over her mouth, releasing a muffled scream, and Winot would have ran had he not been yanked from the floor and jiggled fiercely in the air by the princess-stealing hands of Luigi.

            "You little sneak!" Luigi growled and shook up Winot like jelly. "How long have you been there? How long!"

            Luigi then shook Winot so hard and fast that everything went fuzzy and just when Winot thought he was surely dead, the shaking ended.

            "Halt!"

            A toad security guard had come to the rescue.

            "What's going on here? Luigi! Put the little fella down right now!"

            Alas, Winot's feet were back on the floor.

            "I...uh....This little one was pestering the princess!" Luigi lied through his teeth to the guard. "I told him to go away, but he wouldn't!"

            Winot glanced over at the princess, and she immediately bowed her head in shame.

            "Okay, Winot." said the guard, pushing him to the nearest exit and opened the door. "That's it for tonight, little guy. Luigi, would you like me to call for the Royal Coach?"

            "Please," he answered like a champ and dabbed his forehead with a handkerchief.

            Last thing Winot did before getting the boot was cut his eyes back at Luigi, and Luigi glared back at him with pure anger, then had the nerve to slip an arm around the princess to comfort her tears.

            That impression would forever be etched in Winot's brain.

            "Well?"

            He came back to the present, realizing his best friend had spoken to him.

            "You couldn't have let it out about the princess and Luigi, did you? If Mario ever finds out, Luigi's finished. Then again, he might not believe you and finish you off instead."

            The thought of that made Winot shudder as well.

            "I don't know what's gonna happen now," added Edgar T. "And I never would've guessed in a million years that Luigi would do something like this... Of all people, he just seems...well, too good."

            No, Winot couldn't think anything else, other than Luigi had become so jealous of Mario that he was going to do anything to get back at him. After all, just about everyone must have known Princess Peach and Luigi had been very deeply in love a long time ago, until her heart was finally swayed by a number of Mario's heroic endeavors.

            And so Winot went home that evening, especially hurt by this because it was Luigi who had taught him to paint so many years ago. The little mushroom fellow went into his apartment and dumped all of his paint tubes into trash bags and the brushes into bags, too. He also picked up his unused canvases and sealed them up in plastic. Later that night, he hauled all of his art supplies to the garbage bin to be taken away the next morning.

           

....A message from Luigi

I could not begin to imagine the things this author thinks about me! How insulting! I would never steal the princess from Mario! Never! Never! Never!....uh....Nev....er....what was this all about again?