Chapter 37

The Revealing

The many various sights and sounds overwhelmed Peach, making her giddy with glee. Giant billboards with colourful pictures advertising products hung over the traffic while giant buildings stretched into the heavens. Hundreds of types of cars, trucks, and vehicles she'd never seen before drove past while people bustled on the sidewalks, window-shopping, eating and chatting. There was a large bridge in the distance – Pauline said it was the Brooklyn Bridge – leaving Peach astounded and tiny at the same time. This city was enormous! Strange signs flashed red, yellow, and green, directing the traffic. Peach studied the people that walked past her curiously, and they did the same thing to her. Whenever she made contact with a stranger, she blushed and gave a weak smile, then quickly looked away.

Everything was alien and unrealistic to Peach. There were no visible warp pipes, but there were stairs that led downward, and so far there were no other beings that were not human. No koopas, goombas, or Mushroom folk.

"So, what do you think?" asked Pauline. Peach turned to her, grinning from ear to ear, her eyes sparkling mirthfully, like a child in a candy store.

"Oh, Pauline!" Peach gushed. "This Brooklyn Kingdom is absolutely amazing! I have never seen such an abundance of activity, wealth, architecture and technology in one place! Your ruler must be wonderful!"

"Y-yea…" the brunette agreed, although Peach's response was rather strange. Kingdom? Where DID this girl come from? Pauline decided not to question Peach to see if she could figure out this puzzling blonde.

"Are humans dominant in Brooklyn?" Peach blurted out, not thinking, and it perplexed Pauline even more. "Do you use warp pipes? How can these castles be so tall? Oh! I must know more about this Brooklyn! I wish my retainer were here to see this… I –"

Peach clasped her mouth, ashamed she mentioned her friend. She was afraid Pauline might suspect that she was royalty.

"Did I say retainer?" she tittered nervously. "I –I mean friend."

"You're not from around here, are you?" inquired Pauline, tilting her head slightly. Peach flushed a bright red, and looked down timidly, twiddling her thumbs.

"Uh, no," admitted Peach, still blushing. "B-but I can't say… It's not because of you it's just… You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Ha," smiled Pauline, jabbing her chest with a manicured finger, "after what I went through I'm ready to believe everything."

Peach glanced up, interested by Peach's remark.

"Really? What happened?"

"I was kidnapped by an ape," explained Pauline. "Can you believe that? An ape! He captured me and dragged me to the top of an unfinished building – sorta like King Kong!"

ˆKing Kong? Donkey Kong? Are they related?

"And not only that, I was saved by a knight in shining armor," she finished, laughing. "Some story, huh."

A bittersweet sorrow washed over Pauline's face as she recollected her past, especially the man who saved her life. Peach saw the change, and bit her lip, wondering what to say.

"Pauline, are you OK?"

"Yea," she sighed. "It's just I miss him so much – my hero. We were engaged and everything, but he suddenly vanished one day without a trace and I haven't heard from him since. His brother, too."

An uneasy feeling grew in Peach's stomach, which transformed into a tight knot. It couldn't be…

"What was his name?"

"His name," answered Pauline, "was Mario Mario."

Kittykatstar - YAY another chapter up and done and stuff... oh, after this updating might slow down, because it caught up to my currently writing, lol. I'm working hard on it - I want this story done and over with so I can focus on SMALL little stories. Wouldn't that be nice? Maybe some Pauline/Mario one-shots, etc... And thank you for all the reviews. I'll be so happy once I'm done this story...