A/N: Glad that this story is receiving some good reception! :3 and here's Chapter One!
Koopa and the Peach
Chapter One: Newcomers
It had been twenty years, and the entire town was still thriving, with only the castle in the distance reminding them of the darkness in the land. However, there was another castle in their own land. A beacon of hope and of light that brought happiness to most everyone who looked upon it.
Just five years prior a then teenage blonde was crowned princess, by her own father, simply known as the Mushroom King, before he passed. It was tough upholding the entire kingdom, but she did her best with a gentle touch, and as an adult she was a natural at it. Simply by sight alone she was able to resolve conflict among her people.
But she had grown to find it, though peaceful, boring. There was something about it that wasn't exactly lively, but she wasn't sure what. Even the balls she'd occasionally thrown weren't enough. The princess herself pondered about this on the balcony, humming softly a melody her father used to sing to her, the spring breeze blowing through.
The beautiful blonde, wearing pink, flowy clothes and a tiara upon her head, searched the town with her vivid blue eyes. Lost in thought.
"Oh, dear Peach, there you are!" an elderly voice called, cutting through her thoughts.
She smiled, eyes twinkling, and turned around, and waved daintily, "Oh, hi, Uncle Gadd."
Well, at least she had one aspect of life that wasn't boring by any means. A balding, short man stood before her, in front of the doorway next to a glass stained window of her portrait, oil stains marking his clothing. He was an inventor. Eccentric, but a worthy asset of her crew. And she was proud to call him an uncle, even though he really wasn't. Gadd smiled, "How have you been?"
"Mm," she fingered her chin, "just thinking. In fact, I was just about to head out to the library."
"Don't cha know there's one here?" those thick eyebrows rose, and Peach chuckled.
"There's books even this library doesn't have," the princess smiled, but her face paled. "Oh! I just remembered! I have a book due back today!"
Gadd tutted, shaking his head, "Well, you'd best go return it. Mind picking up a few things for me too?"
"Not at all," she nodded, biting her lip. The little inventor cheered and gave her a list, and then she set out, heading to her room, grabbing the book and then prancing outside. Every toad greeted her as if it was a new day, even though she'd been on the balcony within their sights for the better half. They had set upon their daily tasks, and Peach knew every single thing they did.
That blue-spotted one, sitting by the warm fountain? did the laundry every day, at the same time. And he looked to be about to get up and do it.
That red-spotted toad, closer to town, tended to his blooming garden. He was tilling and pulling out weeds even now!
And the one with green spots herded the sheep, blowing his whistle. But no matter how busy they seemed, they always spared her a hello.
She waved back, but sighed before long. It was predictable. Which was good. But it was too much. She needed some variety and flavor. But her duties never took her far from town. Never really allowed it.
Little did she know, that it would change. Whether she liked it or not.
Peach pulled out that book and started to read it again, finding herself in an adventure once again. Toads all around her shouted their greetings, even one struggling with chickens and another bartering for eggs.
Nose stuck in her book, she didn't seem to notice now, but her feet took her where she wanted to go. That's just how much she knew this place.
The princess in pink hummed to herself, turning a page, and then looked up. What luck. She was standing right in front of the parts shop. No doubt what Uncle Gadd needed was here. So she dog-earred her book, put it away and pushed her way in, the door setting off a bell.
It was a casual, homey type of place,mahogany floors and sunset curtains. Which made sense because a fair amount of these stores doubled as houses. A Bubblainian seemed to be running the store, as usual, and was fast asleep, as usual. She frowned softly and rung the bell on the desk, and she jolted awake, "Oh! sorry sorry!"
Peach chuckled, "Not to worry."
The snail gasped once she recognized the voice and the focusing face, "Oh, it's the princess!"
The lady nodded, grimacing gently. This happened every time too, and her ears were graced with repeated apologies.
"Matilda.. it's okay," she calmed her down as kindly as possible, reaching into her pocket. "I just came to get these parts."
She handed Matilda the paper, and she read through it, slithering off to the back, "Alright. I'm sure we have all of what you need."
Minutes later, the snail had the parts bagged and handed it to the princess, warmly smiling, "It's on the house."
"Um, I'm pretty sure I should pay for this.." the lady interjected, looking fairly uncomfortable.
"Dear, you're a princess.. you're exempt," Matilda waved her off, and slithered to the back once more. Peach's brow furrowed, and she reached into her pocket, got out some star coins, and silently placed them on the counter before she left.
Peach then made her way to the library, looking for the tall tower-like building. Unbeknownst to her, two relatively new, mustached denizens were sitting on a park bench beneath a well-endowed tree, dressed in blue overalls and green and red shirts and hats. The one in green was rubbing his large nose, looking around with sapphire eyes, when he saw her, and pointed, "Mario, look!"
The one in red, Mario, followed his younger, taller brother's finger, blue eyes snapping to attention. There she was again, and he felt the same way he did when he first saw her in that bright pink dress. He blushed, muttering, "Peach.."
"You always wanted to talk to her, no?" the green one nudged Mario, his dialect almost thick with an Italian accent. "Now's your chance!"
"B..but she's a princess, Luigi, and I'm a plumber," the plump man frowned softly, fidgeting, and then threw up his gloved hands. "She's way out of my league."
He had an Italian accent too, but by no means did they sound the same. Luigi had a more careful tone, though here he seemed confident, and his voice was a little deeper than Mario's.
The younger brother sighed and shrugged, "Well, you'll have to talk to her some time. She roams around here every day and I don't think that'll last forever, bro."
Mario continued to watch, until the lady of his dreams disappeared into a building, and nodded, casting his gaze down to the ground, "Yeah.. you're right."
Peach, as of now, was talking the library owner's nonexistent ears off, and he just listened, chuckling every now and then. She danced across the foyer, gesturing widely at all the books offered. She'd read almost all of them at least once, and Toadsworth admired every bit of it. Grey mustache twitching and eyes twinkling, he half-joked, "You might as well borrow every book here since you love them so much."
Peach laughed, "I would, but that wouldn't be nice for the town."
The elder toad shrugged, "Not very many borrow books from here anyway. You're my only dedicated customer."
Peach turned to him, brow furrowed sadly, "Well, that's a shame! these books are wonderful!"
"Aren't they?" he agreed with a nod. The princess then handed over the book, and he took it and used a ladder to put it back.
"I'd like to borrow another one," she stated, heading for another ladder and climbing it to the highest shelf.
"Another?" Toadsworth chuckled, making his way back to the floor.
"Yes.." she replied with a flourish, scanning the books with a squint, "something I hadn't read yet.. I'm looking for variety this timeā¦"
"That's.. quite a few," he tilted his head, and began looking himself, blowing the dust off some and wiping away others.
It took a bit, but Toadsworth shouted, "AHA! found one!"
Peach's face lit up as she slid down the ladder and skipped over, kneeling down to read the title. "The Prince and the Pauper?" she blinked.
"Ah, heh," the elder toad adjusted his glasses, "it's a classic."
"Then I'll take it!" the lady smiled, and Toadsworth nodded, handing it to her.
"And never you mind taking it back. You can add it to your collection."
Peach gasped, hand on her lips, "Really? but I couldn't!"
"But I insist," the twinkling in his eyes returned. "No one touches this book anyway."
The princess tilted her head for a while, and nodded, "Well, okay. I'll be sure to report how it is," and headed for the door, book in hand.
"Alright, have fun!" Toadsworth called, and Peach waved, pushing the door open. The spring breeze graced her once again, and she inhaled the aroma of flowers and nature, before she looked down at the book, thumbing at the cover.
This was hers.
She smiled, and opened it to the first page, beginning to read, and then proceeded to walk back to the castle. Mario was pacing near the bench chanting a mantra to himself, with Luigi pepping him up, before the latter noticed and grinned, "Hey, there she is again!"
"Huh?!" the plump young man snapped out of his trance, head popping up and snapping around, before he found himself pushed towards the path and hearing "Go get her, bro!" from a seemingly far away place.
He didn't realize how far he was pushed until he heard another, concerned, voice, a lighter, more feminine one, and his veins froze. He felt like a deer caught in headlights, as he looked at her. And then he realized that he was only looking at her knees. He had somehow fallen in her path. Luigi seemed horrified, a gloved hand over his mouth.
"Oh, are you alright?" the princess knelt, hand offered to help him up.
He blushed softly, but his skin tone made it as plain as day, and he took her dainty hand gently. She pulled him up onto his feet, and he brushed himself off, "Um, I'm fine. Just a little fall, is all."
"Good. I don't think I'd seen you here before," she sized him up with her brilliant sapphires, in which he almost got lost, but realized she was still talking to him.
"Oh, that's because we're new here," Mario stated, smiling softly. "Just arrived two days ago, I believe."
"Welcome to the Mushroom Kingdom then," she gave a ghost of a bow, before she blinked. "Wait, 'we'?"
The plump plumber glanced his brother's way, "Yes, I have a brother. We're twins." And then he smiled, "Luigi, come on over!"
The slender plumber gulped just then, a little nervous now, and sorta waddled over, fiddling with his fingers. He then bowed, "Hello, Princess.. it's, ah.. nice to meet you.."
"No need for the formalities," the princess chuckled, and Luigi straightened up, shocked, while Mario chuckled, but furrowed his brow a bit. "Just call me Peach. What are your names, newcomers?"
Mario clammed up for a moment, while his brother introduced himself with no troubles. He then nudged his brother, and the shorter plumber yelped, "Mario! it's Mario."
"Mario and Luigi, huh?" Peach tilted her head softly, gazing upon them with kind eyes, and then her smile grew wider, "It's nice to make an acquaintance."
The two brothers nodded, and Mario pulled at his collar, about to ask what he wanted to ask, when suddenly a shrill noise echoed off from the castle, prompting them all to turn towards it with wide eyes, and then there was an explosion high in the air, plumes of smoke rising up. Peach seemed to know what it was, walking towards it.
"What was that?!" they asked at the same time, looking at her with concern, their faces white as a blanket.
"My uncle is working on an invention. He needs my help!" at that moment she realized he needed these parts. But she didn't think he'd try without them. Unless it was something else. Seemed more likely.
"Can we come help too?" Luigi volunteered, glancing at his brother, who glanced back. Both were ready to help, she saw, and she appreciated it, but she had no time at the moment.
Peach turned them down, "Sorry, but I need to hurry! but you're welcome to come later! bye!"
And with that, she ran towards the castle grounds, leaving two confused and deathly concerned plumber brothers. But, talking with her..
..it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.
A/N: And there's the introduction of Mario and Luigi! you can kinda guess what their roles are, but eh. xD
I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!
