As soon as they stepped out, the chatter died out upon noticing the power couple. With smiles, and shushes and elbowing one other to point out the princess about to speak. . .
Peach wondered if they would ever smile at her like that again.
She shook that sudden fear off. "People of the Mushroom Kingdom!" the Princess started in a surprisingly loud voice. "I thank you all for heeding my invitation and making time to arrive to my speech." She let out a small, nearly inaudible sigh, getting rid of the last ones of her nerves. "As you know, I once again have been. . .rescued from the Koopa King, Bowser."
Upon hearing his name, several boos and groans were heard from the crowd.
"Enough, please. . ." Peach frowned. Mario looked a bit upset and nervous. Will it work after all? He wondered. There was still time to stop this all. . .
"I was saved by our very own Hero. . ." Cheers. "And. . ." The Princess paused, looking distant. The speech, now that they booed from the start, was starting to have some holes. They wouldn't agree. They wouldn't accept it. Her heart pounded. She felt like she wanted to throw up. This anxious feeling. She hasn't felt this way ever since she had to give her first speech.
I have to do this, she frowned and nodded her head in determination. She opened her mouth but she suddenly couldn't remember what she had planned to say. Her mouth went dry.
Improvise! Or. . .
Mario noticed her long pause and turned to her, grasping her hand in his and giving it a squeeze. The audience felt heartwarmed and excited. Was this the day the favorite couple will announce their union?
Peach let out a sigh and closed her eyes for a few seconds. After that she opened them with new fierce determination and gazed at the crowd.
"I, Princess Toadstool, Mario Segale, and King Bowser Koopa are in a threeway relationship."
There was a deep, deep silence as the the sentence rung out and registered itself within the residents of Toad Town.
However, this registered file was hard to process.
.
.
.
The reporters were the first to react, furiously writing in their notepads, and hissing to their camera-toads if they got a clear shot of that. Cameras flashed, the people looked to Mario's reaction. Was this the truth? Was this a horrible, very late- or early- April Fool's?
How to even react to this? The Princess? The Hero? The Villain?! What?! Confounded clamoring commenced. The Toads were in the confused stage, and Peach had to capitalize.
"I know this sounds preposterous, My people. I don't blame any single one of you for this initial reaction. But I humbly ask you to listen to my account of the tale." Peach nervously clasped at the Brooch on her chest. She, of course, was very nervous, but she also hoped playing the act up a bit more would ease the crowd a bit more onto her side.
Again, murmuring among the crowd. They had only quieted down a little during Peach's request. Peach stole a glance at Mario, who looked blankly out at the crowd. He didn't really seem to notice the look.
Peach turned back to the audience. "I am a Princess who will always give my all, my best to the Kingdom I run, because they need me. I have done so since I was given the title when my Parents passed, and I will do so until the day I pass. Since I was young, I knew about the pressures of this life, and I did not run away. I devote myself to the improvement of this prosperous land, and every single thing I've ever done was for the kingdom." Peach looked out to the crowd. They were now quiet, hanging on to every word of her explanation. They wanted all the answers.
She continued. "Now, while I'm more than happy with the role, you have to know that it's so stressful, so difficult. Nearly every 'vacation' I go on, it's supposed to be to strengthen bonds between our kingdoms. I wouldn't trade it away for anything. But, that being said. . ." Peach blinked slowly. "It was my idea to enter the relationship with the two."
Soft murmurs again.
"It wasn't always like this." Peach confirmed. "The very first time Bowser kidnapped was real. The first few times, even." She admitted. "But. . . this is where it gets complex. Let me explain. . .' The monarch looked up to the sky briefly, hands clasped together. "That first time King Bowser kidnapped me, it was a full scale invasion. His Magikoopas cast spells to force me to go along with his commands. He saw a weakened kingdom and he took the advantage. I will not lie. I was terrified beyond belief. What would he do with me? Will he keep his word or will he keep my people wickedly enchanted forever? My reign will have gone down in history as the shortest and the quietest. . .it may have been my lowest point in my life. I was scared, defenseless, and alone. And that's when Mario showed up."
Princess Peach threw him a smile. "He rescued me for the first time. You all know as such. He's been the light of hope this kingdom needed in that dark time. He single handedly took down Bowser's army. If not for him, we wouldn't be here as a Kingdom today."
Peach paused, taking a breath. "Now, imagine, if you will, a young Princess who has just gone through this ordeal. She's bursting with gratitude to her savior, and there's always that touch of romantic fantasy in her heart. I'll admit, that it was easy to fall for someone like Mario. Polite, heroic and brave, and selfless." Peach smiled genuinely, tilting her head to the one beside her. He gave a small smile back, flattered. "I likely loved him long before I realized."
Once again turning her royal gaze to the crowd, she kept on. "His love, however, for quite a while, was not with me. He fell for another. He's come across her even before he arrived here in the Mushroom Kingdom. He constantly saw her as she appeared every time I was captured." She paused to let them wonder. Even Mario looked a bit confused.
"Princess?"
She smiled though it resembles more of a smirk now. "His love was for adventuring. I was only a bonus. He's dreamt about it, dived headfirst in, and even traveled to other lands to help out there. That isn't to say it's the only reason he's gone out of his way for folks, it's a factor of his bravery."
"Now," Peach continued after a pregnant pause. "On Bowser's side, he's never faced a loss before. It was humiliating to him. A weakened kingdom with a delicate, young face in charge kidnapped. The people of the kingdom who aren't very known for being fighters trapped. He was the big bad force who would easily take down this kingdom and win its abundant resources. But then, his defenses were taken down by a team of siblings, and in the end, one man himself. This couldn't happen. How could he lose to such a pitiful force?!" Her gestures became more animated, more aggressive, as if she were in the role of Bowser himself. "Of course, he didn't realize it sounded that way only on paper. The Mario Brothers were stronger than even we realized. They were able to access the magic infused crops that Bowser targeted, and had natural potential toward it. With this, they were able to get the one up on his forces. He didn't know this, and grew obsessed with defeating The Duo, and above all, Mario. he was the target because of his more bold nature. He had a one track mind, that even I was relegated as only bait to lure him out. But our kingdom was only getting stronger and richer."
The Princess continued. "And now, You know the story of the Three of Us. One Princess with constant pressure to be perfect. One Hero who enjoyed the thrills more than he wanted to let on. And the King who was obsessed." Peach blinked. "From this point, I had a feeling the cycle would be never ending, if something wasn't done. Bowser never did anything to harm me in those times, and I reached out to find out why he was continuing to do this. It was when I realized he was more focused on Mario then anything else. The red hero had caught his attention, though I'm sure he mistook it as hatred." Peach smirked once more, a few fingers to her lips. "And upon speaking with him, his true colors shone. He's a father, a king for his people, and one who has a temper. But one who can be lightly guided to a more calm nature, to be shown the more peaceful way of doing things."
"For a long story short, I took it upon myself to cut out the middleman and make these occurrences peaceful rather than harmful. It was no scheme. In fact it was more of a. . . nice escape for me. No pressures, no expectations. Bowser and Mario. . . the more we talked the more I was convinced that this was the right decision. As long as we kept our However I do realize the mistake we made. I was foolish to believe we could act that way with no consequences, my people. Thus the truth is out with good faith that there will be no more fear, no more charades, and no more ruins for you. We shall join forces with the Koopa Kingdom. I'm sure with time, it shall be more natural for all of you."
The crowd's chatter started up again once they realized the speech was over. How. . . confusing! Or, surprising? (Somewhere, a Toad known for conspiracies kept informing the ones around him 'I knew it! I knew it! Did I or did I not tell you?') The princess assured them no more attacks, but is it true? And if it was, living with the force who have relentlessly tried to attack them for years? Bowser in charge? How will that affect everything?! They talked among themselves debating wildly.
Peach smiled warmly. She expected this. . . though it seemed better than she imagined. They weren't freaking out like they had the tendency of doing. It might have been the shock value. She looked over at Mario who looked worried.
"What's the matter, Mario? There's no angry mob. . ." she joked lightly, prodding.
His eyes stayed on the crowd, scanning it. Just Toad after Toad. A handful of other species. He briefly wondered if there were folks he met on his adventures before. What did they think? That he was fake? Not a real hero. . .? And of course, he noticed that Luigi wasn't there either. He wasn't surprised, but nevertheless disappointed. "You. . ." The red hero turned to her. "Princess, I'm sorry but you didn't have to tell them about my. . ." he trailed off. He's always disliked the adrenaline junkie that he was.
"It was necessary. And no one will think of you any differently. After knowing that the three people they know have been seeing each other instead of fighting like they thought, the last thing on their mind will be how you're addicted to thrills." Peach said, realizing it was a bit insensitive as soon she saw the look on Mario's face. She felt guilty, but brushed off the mistake as the rush she got from finally revealing to the crowd her biggest secret.
"I'm sorry," she shook her head to clarify. "I shouldn't have. How about. . . how do you feel about answering questions right now? We can head down when Bowser arrives, and I'm sure there will be countless questions about everything. You can clear up some things about yourself."
The small comfort seemed to help. "Yeah, maybe. . ." he mused. Maybe one day, Luigi too will. . . "When is Bowser getting here anyhow?" he asked to get his mind off the bad things. He didn't want to be a party pooper, this was a big weight off the Princess's shoulders. And even Bowser himself was all for letting the secret go.
As if on cue, the airship of King Koopa appeared over the castle, flanked by smaller but just as threatening ships. It was a familiar sight, but the citizens stared up, gawking instead of automatically freaking out, despite their instincts and screaming on the inside.
Peach smiled, and addressed the crowd. "Now, the Party of Three is here." she announced, arms raised. "We shall head down and hold a press conference. If you could make your way inside the castle, there's food, sweets, and drinks for everyone!"
No sooner was the last word of her mouth out when the largest airship with Bowser's gold face on the bow of the ship embezzled on it shot a cannonball out to the kingdom, with the other airships following suit. It was an invasion.
Princess Peach's eyes were wide as one fell heavily on the balcony she and Mario stood on. It cracked and groaned under the pressure. Mario took her hand and pulled her toward him, she fell to a sitting position and in the background, Toads now started to yell and scatter for cover. The Princess could only stare out in horror at the sight. "I-I told him. . ." she muttered blankly.
She and Mario looked out to the scene in quiet disbelief and horror.
Author's Note:
C. Mechayoshi- It's a threeway ship that is definitely interesting, with lots of potential behind it. I hope I can show off that potential!
Guest- Sorry, but sauce? Lol. The goods! The top quality drama! The juicy parts! That? Or, something. . . else? hahaha. It's coming for sure. ;)
Anyway! I was going to wait on uploading this chapter because it's such a big dialogue dump, but eh. it's okay. It had to be done anyway. Tune in next time! Mwahahaha. Oh yeah, and the Bowser in charge is a reference to Doug Bowser being the new president of NoA. Happy Retirement, Reggie! You've done so much for us. Enjoy your time getting back to Animal Crossing: New Leaf for the 3DS.