Hey, I'm a little disappointed in my results for this next chapter, but hopefully since the next scene is a much larger and more important one it will spark readers' interests. This chapter is only like, I don't know, 2000 words anyways, so I'm not adding much. Well, enjoy! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this next scene, but, well, hey, I'll figure it out.

*Author's note, months later* Hello! I just read a story that was 200,000 words long and the author finished the story in two months... and it takes me like... one month per chapter...

You can only imagine what I'm feeling right now.

"Peach!" Daisy yelled out as she ran towards the explosion. Smoke surrounded her. She gagged and winced her eyes as they began to water from the foul tasting air. Then, suddenly, there she was: Princess Peach Toadstool, Daisy's idol and best friend. She ran over and placed an arm around her childhood friend, then helped to drag her out of the horrid smoke.

Peach coughed loudly and waved her hand to clear the smoke, but she managed a small smile in Daisy's direction.

"Cough, are you all right? Cough cough."

Peach nodded, her throat too full of smoke to answer. They walked out of the dark cloud and was able to see each other clearly for the first time. Daisy laughed.

"Look at you! You're so...so..."

"Messy? Look at you!" Peach exclaimed. They both enjoyed a merry moment as they examined their now dirty dresses and skin. By now the smoke had cleared, but it left a thin haze around the cafeteria. Suddenly Daisy detected small chuckles of laughter. She looked around her to see people turning their heads before she caught their gaze. Distinctive bits of chortling were heard. Daisy's mood dropped considerably. She looked at Peach.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up," she told her.

Sometime later Daisy found herself sitting in a small bedroom in the stadium building, similar to a hotel room, only this one was decorated with pink... everywhere.

"It's my rent room," Peach had explained to her, "If you are staying overnight you are allowed to rent a room in the stadium, for a small price. I bought one of the rooms, and decorated it to my taste."

Daisy wasn't surprised to hear that. Peach, of course, was a princess. She was crazy rich, even more so than Daisy herself. Daisy sighed and leaned back in Peach's bed so that she was lying down in it. It was completely plush. She thought back to Peach and all that she had. Peach was everything Daisy wanted to be: a responsible princess, a friend, a girlfriend, and a breath of fresh air. She had her own little boyfriend wrapped around her finger, and she didn't judge him because of his status. After all, who would have thought that a princess would date a low life plumber?

With a twitch, Daisy realized what she had just thought. Mario was more than 'just a plumber;' he was a hero. He constantly looked after and saved Peach, and it was clear that he was madly in love with her and not her money. Still, Peach had no way of knowing if he would ever love her like that when she first met him. In fact, no one had. It was so easy to assume he just wanted her money. Why else would a plumber date a princess? Daisy remembered with regret how many young men she had rejected in her youth. Men, even women, used to stand in line every time it was her birthday just to ask her out, and Daisy would reject every one of them. (a/n, I've nothing against the gay community, don't fret)

You can't be too harsh on yourself Daisy, you were barely 13. Daisy shook her head. So what? As she grew older and, according to the people around her, more attractive, she naturally attracted more people. With her never-ending line of rejections, she had assumed (with remorse) that the crowd of fans waiting in the wings would diminish. However, if anything the opposite seemed to have come true. The flock of admirers actually grew. And yet...and yet... she never gave any of them a chance.

Well, except for Luigi. He was something special, always trailing behind his bro, Mario. He was very similar to his brother, though perhaps a bit more cowardly.

Ok, much more cowardly.

Still, Daisy had a guilty feeling deep inside that she had only attempted to date Luigi because she was jealous of Peach and assumed that he, for lack of a better analogy, would be her Mario. But, as she soon found out, nothing spectacular like that ever occurred in her life.

When Daisy and Peach had arrived at the rent room, Peach had insisted that Daisy wash up first, acting just like the caring person she was. As Daisy was washing up Peach had taken the liberty of cleaning her short gown. Daisy was now lying in Peach's bed with freshly clean hair and ironed clothes, smelling the dampness of the air, listening to Peach sing her lovely song as she washed up, hearing the pitter patter of the shower, and waiting for Peach to finish.

Eventually the shower stopped, and soon Daisy could hear Peach emerging from the washroom. She turned her head to see the princess in a beautiful pink gown with her gorgeous blond hair tied up in a high ponytail, not a strand out of place. Peach smiled at her and walked over to a small stand near Daisy that held a line of pink dresses.

"Hmm, let me see," Peach thought out loud in her high pitched voice as she searched through the assortment. "Ah ha! Here we go." She pulled out a slim pink dress, much different than her other ones. Usually her outfits were tight until they hit the waist line and then poofed outwardly. This one was designed to remain thin for the entire attire. The ultimate layer had no particular intricacy and was laced with a few stylish strands of turquoise ribbons. There was one horizontal around the waist, one starting at the waist and traveling diagonally downward to mid-thigh, and one starting at the waist and moving diagonally past the second ribbon to slightly below the knee. There was a small turquoise brooch attached at mid-chest, and the back torso laced up with matching turquoise ribbons.

"W-o-w," Daisy plainly stated in amazement, "That's so... different!"

Peach smiled. "It's for you."

Daisy looked down at her already cleaned outfit. "But you already washed my outfit... and... not to be ungrateful, but pink isn't exactly my colour."

Peach giggled. "I know; your colour is dandelion. This is just a back-up, in case you ever need it. Oh, that reminds me," Peach walked over and opened up a closet, then pulled out a beautiful yellow dress. "I've been meaning to return this to you. You left it at the castle the day we played tennis, remember?"

Daisy nodded. "That's right! I never changed from my tennis outfit to my dress, did I?" She smiled and eagerly grabbed the dress. "Thank you! I've been wondering where this particular design went." After neatly folding it and placing it on the side of the bed, she leaped up and stretched her arms. "So, what happened in the cafeteria today?"

Peach giggled. "Oh, that? Mario and Luigi were battling. Mario shot out a red fireball just as Luigi shot out an identical green fireball. They hit and sort of exploded, and I was, uh, right in front of them." She leaned close to Daisy. "BOOM!" she shouted. They erupted in a fit of giggles. Peach was just like that, brave and a little childish. Daisy supposed she could be a little slow, which gave her the reputation of being the 'ditsy princess.' Apparently Daisy's appearance didn't help much with her own reputation. With a twinge of sadness Daisy thought back to the impression that everyone seemed to have of her. Why does the way a person look have to cause people to determine the way they must be on the inside?

"Hey Daisy, what happened between you and Ganon?"

Daisy snapped out of her stupor. "Huh?"

Peach stared at her with a questioning look. "You had a run-in with Ganon, I'm afraid. What happened?"

"Oh, you mean tall, dark, and egocentric?" Daisy asked, causing Peach to laugh slightly.

"Yes, he is quite a brute, isn't he? He's given Mario a few hard times." She blinked, then looked concerned. "He didn't harm you, did he?"

Daisy shook her head. "No, nothing serious, unless you count being grossed out, in which case we need to go to the hospital straight away!"

Peach smiled. "Naturally."

"Apparently," Daisy began, "he wanted me to go somewhere with him. He grabbed my arm and demanded that we take a ride on his 'stallion.' I bet it's just a donkey painted black, the freak." She smiled at Peach. "Next time I think I'll hit him with a tennis racket."

Peach smiled back, but this time she didn't laugh. "Just watch yourself from now on, ok? There are some dangerous people here."

Daisy felt slightly irritated at Peach's demand. After all, she wasn't a child. Still, Daisy knew that Peach only meant well, and that there really were some dangerous people out there. With a smile she said, "I promise."

"Good, now let's enjoy the rest of the day together, shall we?" Peach looked at the clock hanging on her wall. "After all, it's only 7:45, we have all day to have fun."

Daisy jumped once again off the bed. "All right! Let's go kick some butt!"

Peach smiled at her and clapped her hand together. "I have just the place! It should be starting soon, so we better get moving!"

Daisy looked at her curiously. "What should be starting soon?"

Peach gave her a coy smile. "Why, the tournament of course. I signed us up for it yesterday. I think I'm the first one up!"

Like it? Or are you eager for the beast to show up? Well, there's a few more scenes left, but he's coming really soon! Sooner than you think, in fact. Well, enjoy this chapter, please!