Into the Fray
"Oh, dear Peach…" she heard a gentle woman's voice say. "You shouldn't have had so many sweets. Now you're sick… It's okay. Mommy will make it all better…" Everything became nice and toasty. Peach could see a smiling face of gentle blue eyes and golden locks.
Suddenly, a blinding light overwhelmed her vision and she closed her eyes. The warmth was still there, but something was not right. The moment she tried to turn over, a pounding headache struck her like a brick. She realized that she was in a bed, but she was not ready to move quite yet.
"Zelda," she heard a familiar voice say. "Didn't I say you'd make yourself sick? Don't worry. Impa's going to take care of everything…" Then, her ears began to perk from hearing the soothing lullaby by her name. Zelda was at peace upon seeing the face of her nursemaid and surrogate mother Impa.
The image soon faded into the darkness and she awakened with a piercing headache and stomachache. When she moved from under the covers and was met by blinding sunlight, she immediately put her head under her pillow.
After quite a while of squirming, Peach turned over, and Zelda looked from under her pillow, and they saw each other. Zelda gave her an "I told you so" look with a small smirk. Still in too much drowsy pain to be alerted about anything, they returned to their positions and remained still.
Eventually, Zelda sat up, using the covers as a shield from the light coming through the curtains. She could see a mound of stuffed animals piled onto the couch. Amongst them, she could see two legs in black stockings sticking on top and hanging over the side of the couch. "Daisy?" she said groggily.
Slowly, Daisy sat up out of the pile of stuffed toys and rubbed her eyes. "Oh…good morning Zelda," she yawned. She stretched and said, "That was one of the best times I've ever had. You and Peach seemed to have a great time too."
Peach spoke slowly, "I don't remember much after that first drink. Just lots of noise and…oooh, my head."
"I feel about the same way, Peach," Zelda said. "I remember a little, but…ugh. I remember it being fun at least."
"I remember everything," Daisy said, slowly standing up. "You guys should've had fun, especially after all those body shots."
"Body shots?" they both said.
"Man, you two need to get out more," Daisy chuckled. "Don't worry, I had the whole thing taped just in case something like this happened." She sat on top all the stuffed animals and dug out a remote control. She pressed a switch and the television came on. A few more presses of the button and the party came on.
"A device that records pictures and sound," Zelda sighed. "It never ceases to amaze me." The camera work was relatively well done since the camera did not shake often and it focused quickly. It showed Zelda, Peach, and Daisy all at the bar, drinking and talking. It showed Zelda downing the most drinks, while Peach sipped at a slower pace. Daisy was the median of the three. The tape fast-forwarded to a point where Peach was clearly tipsy, since she was swaying back and forth. Zelda was still downing many drinks, but seemed to be taking it relatively well. Daisy was in another crowd cheering and dancing.
"That's not so bad," Peach said, as the video fast-forwarded again.
It was then that they started to notice odd behavior. Peach was laughing an awful lot for no reason. Zelda looked overly thoughtful and was speaking in slurs. "You know wha' Peach? Zhere's sometin' I need to tell you. I've been actin' like a total bitch to you ever since I first landed in this land of Sarasasa…sarsa…and MUSHROOMS…Don't forget the mushrooms. Let's be honest; your chests are bigger than mines's. BUT DON'T THINK…don't think that you're better than me, CAUSE YOU'RE NOT! Even if your peachy peach is peachier than my ass, it doesn't mean NOTHING! But I still love you. I love everyone in here! Even that crazy daisy girl…"
"Awww, I love you two, Zelda," Peach said, staring straight ahead instead of to Zelda who was to the side of her. Then, she gulped down the rest of her glass and pounded it on the bar. She began to sway more until she accidentally banged her head on the bar and sat up. "Ow."
"You okay?" Zelda asked. Then, for no reason, they began to laugh. "Uh-oh. I gotta go to the loo. 'Scuse me." Zelda stumbled off-screen. Throughout the entire viewing, Daisy was giggling, while Zelda and Peach groaned at their drunken behavior.
It fast-forwarded and showed Daisy standing on a table amidst a crowd yelling, "Take it off! Take it off!" She pulled at her top and shirt and the screen suddenly went black.
"It looks like someone was trying to protect your reputation," Peach said.
"It'll show up on the internet anyway," Daisy shrugged, fast-forwarding. The picture returned and various pictures whizzed by until the screen went black again.
"Well, that's the end," Daisy said. "Nothing too bad, see?"
"Can you go back?" Zelda asked. "I thought I saw something."
The tape rewound to the point after the picture returned. There was nothing of particular note occurring until the camera zoomed in on Peach lying on a table with a lime in her mouth. Some salt was sprinkled onto her belly and Daisy could be seen cheering in the background. Zelda walked into view and stood over Peach. She licked off the salt, drank a shot glass, and ate the lime out of Peach's mouth. Then, before their mouths separated, they began to make out seconds before the television exploded.
"Hey, what's the big idea!" Daisy exclaimed. She looked back and saw an embittered Zelda with her smoking hand outstretched. "Jeeze! You were drunk and weird stuff happens when you can't think straight. It's no big deal."
"Excuse me, while I make a remedy for this hangover," Zelda said, forcing herself out of bed.
Peach blushed and checked under the covers. She hesitantly looked up and said, "Um, Zelda..."
Then, the Hylian stopped and closed her eyes irritably. "Daisy, where the HELL are my pants?"
Suddenly, the door swung open as security agents entered. "Princess…" They paused as all eyes turned to Zelda.
She groaned and was in too sour of a mood to even attempt to cover herself.. "You've never seen a girl in her underwear before?"
"What is it, guys?" Daisy said.
"We're relocating you to a safe location," the lead security agent said.
"Why? What's going on?"
"Bowser's sent an attack force to Birabuto Base 004. Heavy combat has already begun."
"That's where we went yesterday!" Daisy exclaimed. "Cancel my relocation! I'm taking Zelda there personally."
"Your Majesty, I can't let you…"
"Are you questioning me?"
"But it's for your safety, ma'am."
"Let me worry about that," Daisy said, getting up. "This is a bad day for a hangover, though."
"I can fix it," Peach said, glowing. "There. Feel better?"
"You're a miracle worker," Zelda said, rushing to put on her dress.
"You three," Daisy said to her security agents. "Have the Red Petal ready in five minutes." Then, she took one aside and handed him a CD, whispering, "Be sure everything on this CD is placed on my website, whether I come back or not. I got once in a lifetime footage of Peach making out with a girl, let alone with anyone at all."
They were all set. Peach had all her jewelry on, along with Gard Gloves, and a small brown knapsack full of food, supplies, and clothing. She wore her sleeveless, pink dress and tennis shoes. Zelda also wore her jewelry, a knapsack, and a modified form of her original dress, which had been repaired during her short stay in Sarasaland. It was thinner and duller, made more appropriate for traveling, and did not contrast with her leather shoes too much. Daisy wore an armored version of her dress with gold and platinum plating. She even wore her ruby red crown.
"Peach," Zelda said, as they stood outside the Red Petal. "You stay here where it's safe. I don't want you to get hurt."
"No, I want to make sure you get home safely," she said. "We'll see this through to the end. Princess, or Queen, to Princess."
"Princess to Princess," Zelda smiled.
"Let's do it to it," Daisy said, tightening her gloves.
They all hopped into the Red Petal and it's engines hummed to life. The craft blasted off into the horizon. Black smoke could be seen fouling the blue sky. Soon, distant explosions and cannon fire could be heard. Daisy veered off the road and up a sandy hill. At the peak of the hill, they stopped to see the massive battle below.
There were seemingly endless numbers of troops on the ground fighting. The ones far in the back were managing supplies and deploying vehicles. Some were armed with bazookas, while others had various melee weapons such as clubs, swords, lances, and hammers. All of them seemed to ignore their fallen comrades, but such was the way of the Koopa Troop. There were mutants and regulars mixed in as well as few new variations of monsters. There were plenty of oversized monsters, both regular and mutant, that were probably from Giant Land. Piranha Plants moved slowly, but used there long thorny roots to hold their ground. Pokeys towered above the field and constantly regenerated anytime they were damaged. They were all still a few miles away from the pyramid.
Further into the distance, there were vehicles rolling along, including the tanks that Bowser rarely used. They were long and wooden on the outside, but a few blasts from the opposition revealed their metal armor underneath. They were armed with multiple cannons that fired Bullet Bills, Bob-ombs, and the rarely seen Fire Chomps. They were unrestrained, floating metal balls with a tail of fireballs, narrow, evil eyes, a mouth of sharp teeth, though they were not as ferocious as their counterparts. The now super-sized Mecha Koopas, which looked nothing like Koopas, stomped across the field like mindless, clown-faced toys. Towering far above them were the three Mecha Bowsers. They were filled with hidden cannons and missile tubes, not to mention their flamethrower-like mouths. Their heavy armor made them slow, but blunted most of the damage they took and let them crush anything in their way. At the forefront of the battle, in the dusty, smoke-filled distance, part of a black metal Doomship could barely be seen.
"Everybody ready?" Daisy asked, revving the engine.
"Let's hurry before it's too late," Peach said.
"Goddesses, protect us," Zelda said, cupping her hands.
The Red Petal blasted down the hill and into the enemy force's rear. Daisy thought nothing of plowing through smaller soldiers that got in the way, but she steered clear of the mutants and larger enemies. She swerved around vehicles too hard for any projectiles to get a bead on her. A mutant Piranha Plant whipped its vine at the car, narrowly missing. The cross-eyed Mecha Koopas did not notice them zoom under their legs as they mindlessly marched ahead. The massive Mecha Bowsers, however, quickly noticed the fast hovercraft once it bypassed them.
"They're even bigger than the one I saw at Pinna Park," Peach said in awe as the ground shook from each step. Then, missile pods launched Bullet Bills from nearly every part of the mechs.
"Bet they couldn't do that either," Daisy frowned as the missiles locked onto the Red Petal. She drove for the next Mecha Bowser ahead and, driving around its feet, made the missiles explode on the legs. The Mecha Bowser caught sight of the Red Petal as it came from under it and blew a cloud of flame. Daisy activated the boost in time to dodge most of the flames, which glassed the ground.
"Careful," Zelda said, noticing the scorch marks on the backside.
"Raaarrrrgh!" a Giga Koopa roared, jumping onto the craft. It began to bash its fist on the glass.
"Natch," Daisy rolled her eyes. She spun the wheel, thus spinning the craft, and stomped on the brakes. The Giga Koopa was thrown off and the Red Petal accelerated once again. As they neared the Doomship, it became apparent that the fighting was more furious here. They began to see troops from the base fighting off the Koopa army. There were jets and saucers bombing the field and the Doomship.
"It's unbelievable," Zelda said, taking in the size of the airship. They had been flying under its shadow for quite some time. Many explosions were going off dangerously close to the Red Petal because of the surrounding chaos. A few stray shots occasionally bounced off the hull.
Daisy pressed a few buttons on the control panel and spoke, "This is Princess Daisy. I have Peach and Zelda and we are currently approaching the pyramid's outer wall. Requesting access."
"We are sorry, Princess," the operator replied. "The enemy's number is too great. Any opening we give will let them in and capture the base."
"Open it when we get within 10 feet of the wall and not a second earlier," Daisy ordered. "Have sentry drones and gun turrets fire on my position as soon as I'm within range of the base."
"What?" everyone exclaimed.
"I need something to take the heat off," Daisy explained. "This baby can outrun just about anything, but I don't want to compromise the base for it. Got that?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the operator replied.
"How do you plan to outrun something that's in front of you?" Zelda asked.
"Let's find out," Daisy smirked, driving straight for the wall. There were various skirmishes about, but some of the better-armored creatures were getting near the wall. In particular, the Spikeys, which were Spinies in heavy armor, and the furious Giant Wigglers, oversized caterpillars, were charging through much of the gunfire. Daisy plowed right through or under them all and began to draw fire from the robot guards and guns at the hidden entrance. She held down the boost button and actually sped past the trajectory of the gunfire, while still smashing through scattered enemies. A beeping sound began to go off in the cockpit.
"That can't be good," Peach said.
"That's the energy giving out," Daisy said casually. "Keeping the boost on kinda drains the battery."
"Insanity," Zelda sighed. It looked as if they were about to smash into the wall when it suddenly slid open. It shut just as they entered the long tunnel to the hangar. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as it slowed to a stop in the near-empty hangar. A Chichibo scuttled into the room to greet them.
"Please, follow me!" he said. They followed him through several rooms. Eventually, they were running through a large hall full of soldiers scrambling to get supplies. Suddenly, the pyramid began to rumble continuously. Everyone stopped to look at the monitors, which showed the giant Doomship crashing into the ground and stirring up a cloud of dust and sand in the resulting explosion. The soldiers all began to cheer.
"Yeah, that'll show those jerks who they're messing with!" Daisy said. Then, everyone gasped as three equally sized Doomships came into view from different sides of the base. "You've gotta be kidding me!" As their first attack, they each shot a Banzai Bill. The combined force of the super missiles striking the upper part of the pyramid, shook the entire area.
"We must hurry!" the Chichibo squealed, running to the end of the hall. The ceiling of the hall collapsed the doorway right in front of the Chichibo. "Oh, dear! That was the fastest way to the lab!"
"DANGER! DANGER!" the intercom computer said. "Structural integrity has been compromised on levels 5, 3, 1, B1, and B4. Threat of enemy invasion has increased by 52."
"Where do we go now?" Zelda asked.
"The lab is on B4," the Chichibo said. "We may already be too late."
"Answer the question!" Daisy yelled.
"Well…there are two other ways to get there." A monitor lowered itself and displayed a map of the base. "There is a maintenance shaft on level B1 that will take you directly to the lab if you can navigate the pipes. But the furnace, cooling, and plumbing system makes the area quite hazardous."
"What's the other way?" Daisy asked.
"Take the outer wall on level 3 all the way to the north end and there will be an elevator to the lab. Of course, the outer wall is currently involved in heavy combat. It will be extremely dangerous..."
"The teleporter is the best way out of this mess," Daisy said adamantly. "Peach, Zelda, both of you need to use it. Zelda can go home and Peach can go to Chai. Pick your route and, like, be careful. And one of you soldiers…get us some weapons."
Note: No, Daisy is not out on a Peach smearing campaign. She's just trying to get hits on her site.