Peach remembered being awoken with a chilling jolt, but when she looked around the still darkness of her bedroom, there was no one. She'd blinked several times, heart pounding, as she scanned the pink gossamer curtains, crown molded walls, and overstuffed furniture that embellished her room, but only discovered she was alone.
The feeling of unease did not leave her, though. She worried that it might be a premonition of terrible things to come, as she could sometimes discern thanks to her emotionally-driven magical gifts, but she could never be sure.
So, she tried to pass it off as nerves, or perhaps a forgotten nightmare. After all, it was only natural to feel some anxiety as the new ruler of a kingdom at the tender age of sixteen. It was a responsibility she was not born into, but gifted, and that made it feel much more heavy. She was reigning over the most vulnerable and passive race in all the eight worlds, and their lack of enemies was just about all that was keeping them safe.
She hated to undersell her people, but truly, most of them wouldn't last a day outside the protection of the Mushroom Kingdom. As an adopted princess, Peach knew what life was like outside these metaphorical walls, and it was not always kind. But the Toads always were. Their heart was their greatest weapon, and their greatest weakness.
Not that the Toads were stupid. Their kingdom was well run and prosperous, long before she was crowned. She only worried that she wouldn't be able to keep it that way.
These thoughts kept her awake until the pale orange sunrise began to peak over the mushroom hills, and her handmaiden Toadette came in to get her ready. The pink Toad's demeanor was chipper as always as she jerked open the curtains, pulled out a pale rose silk gown for her princess, and then took to making the bed while Peach freshened herself up.
"Did you sleep well, my lady? I noticed you were already awake when I came in," Toadette asked as she helped Peach get into the dress, then fix her hair.
Peach almost sighed, but she realized Toadette might take it as a sign that she was annoyed with her, and she would be loath to hurt the girl's feelings.
"Ah, not too bad," she answered simply, and patted her golden locks, satisfied with their silky soft touch and just the perfect amount of curl.
Toadette hummed as she handed Peach a pair of sapphire earrings. Peach silently put them on, then reached for a necklace of a similar color, though the jewel was cut more into a diamond shape, and it hung from a thin gold chain.
"I think your mother would be happy knowing you still wear that," Toadette commented as she helped fasten it.
Peach let her fingers linger on the cool gem just a moment longer. "I suppose we'll never know, but it is a nice thought. The legend is that there is an exact matching necklace out there, belonging to the soulmate of the owner."
Toadette picked up Peach's tiara, a somewhat recent addition to her daily regalia. "Golly, wouldn't that be convenient? Just start hunting for the necklace and skip the whole dating scene!"
Peach giggled, though she couldn't relate. Her marriage, whenever it came, would undoubtedly be arranged. Currently, the top contender was Prince Haru of the Flower Kingdom, but Peach didn't want to spoil Toadette's fun.
"I know you'll find the perfect Toad someday," Peach assured her as she rose and smoothed her gown once more. "You're the sweetest and most attentive girl I know."
"You're too kind, my lady." Toadette blushed.
Peach gave her a warm smile. "Not at all. Thank you for your help, as always."
Toadette dipped a little curtsy. "Of course. Would you–"
"Princess! Princess Toadstool!" a shrill voice cried in alarm. Both Peach and Toadette whipped around as her door burst open, revealing a pair of frantic royal guards.
"Princess! I–" the first guard, a blue spotted Toad, froze mid-sentence as he realized he just burst into his monarch's bedroom unannounced. He flushed a heavy red and cleared his throat profusely. "M-My apologies for barging in, but there is a matter of the utmost importance that you must see at once!"
Peach placed a hand over her racing heart, still pounding from the unexpected interruption. "What is it? Where?"
"A scary creature was spotted on our borders, and intercepted by Captain Toad himself!" the second guard, a yellow spotted fellow, threw in. "We've never seen anything like it. He asked Toadley who asked Toadbert who asked Toadington who asked me to ask for you!" Here, he took a moment to suck in a much needed breath. "They're all at the front gates right now!"
Peach took a deep breath as she processed the information. This was not exactly how she'd planned spending her early morning before breakfast, but she had to be there for her people, even if the threat was a vague "scary creature." She nodded once. "Very well. Take me to them."
"Wait, my lady." Toadette tugged on the princess's skirt as she was about to depart. She looked up with large, black eyes. "Are you sure it's safe?"
Peach patted her cap assuringly. "Don't worry, Captain Toad is the bravest of our scouts. He'll protect me if anything were to go wrong."
"And we will too, Your Highness!" the Toad guards added.
Peach smiled. "See? Nothing to worry about. Everything will be just fine."
These words echoed in her head even as Peach was escorted through the stained glass window-lined halls of her castle. Despite them, the feeling of unease that she'd been trying to ignore earlier was slowly creeping its way up the back of her neck.
You're only being paranoid, she chided herself mentally. The "scary creature," with the Toads being the overly cautious creatures they were, was probably only a stray Goomba or some such thing. Probably.
She suppressed a rumble in her stomach as it pleaded for breakfast. Or maybe it was nerves, after all.
"What kind of creature did the Captain discover, again?" Peach asked the two guards who walked in front of her. It was demanded of protocol, but it also forced Peach to walk much slower because the Toads only toddled on small stubs for legs.
"A scary one, Your Highness!" the blue Toad replied.
The yellow one nodded in agreement. "Yes, Princess, we need you to see it and determine what we should do with it!"
Peach closed her eyes for a long, thoughtful moment instead of replying. When she opened them, she turned her attention to the wall, where she could observe the portraits of the past Toadstool monarchs, spanning for generations. She knew she would not see eyes that she'd inherited, nor a familiar nose shape or jawline, but they were her family nonetheless.
She lingered for just a short moment when she came to the portrait of the most recent royal couple, the previous King and Queen Toadstool. They wore matching royal purple robes that billowed far past their short stature, and golden crowns that left no question as to their position. It was the same portrait that had been there for years, but Peach sometimes thought their smiles were brighter whenever she was having a good day, or more sad whenever she was having a bad one. Today, their painted expressions offered her neither.
Peach looked away, somewhat disappointed, and they continued their as-fast-as-Toads-could-walk pace. They were only about halfway to the front gates when an elderly Toad sporting a bushy mustache and monocle excitedly sidled up next to her.
"Your Highness, just a moment, if you please!"
"Toadsworth." Peach paused and folded her hands in front of her, feeling only the slightest bit of impatience at her steward's interruption. Patience was, after all, a necessary virtue when living with the Toads. "Good morning, what do you need?"
"I realize you must be in the middle of something, but I do need to quickly go over your schedule for the day."
Peach opened her mouth to protest but Toadsworth continued, "There are several articles of mail that were delivered to you, some from very important dignitaries, all of which will need your review. Additionally, the meeting with the Beanbean Kingdom was rescheduled for next week, as the Queen Bean has caught a rather nasty cold. I tried to ask if her son might come in her stead but she said–"
"–Toadsworth," Peach tried cutting in.
"–that she felt the boy had not enough experience, but then I countered how you and he are about the same age and that perhaps this could be experience for him, then–"
"Toadsworth," Peach repeated, crouching so she could place a hand on his shoulder. "Can this wait?"
Toadsworth blinked a few times. "Ah, well, I suppose– what is it that you're up to, precisely?"
"Scary monster sighting, sir!" the blue Toad informed him with a brief salute.
"Wasn't it a 'scary creature'?" his yellow companion murmured to himself.
Toadsworth's shiny monocle nearly popped off his face from shock. "Great Stars above! Why in blazes was I not informed of this? This is not the kind of problem to bother the princess with!"
Peach spread her hands in a gesture of amity. "It's alright. This will only take a few minutes, so if we could get going, I can come back and we can finish looking over my schedule, okay?"
Toadsworth looked none too pleased with this suggestion. "No, Your Highness! I cannot allow you to risk your safety in this way!"
Peach's heart deflated a little. Oh, so that's why he's upset. Why must he blow even the smallest situations out of proportion? "I will be perfectly safe. In fact, I don't believe that whatever this is will pose any danger–"
"Get him! Stop, intruder!"
Peach and her small entourage all spun around just in time to see a blur come around the corner, followed by a horde of angry guards.
"Princess!"
The distressed, unfamiliar cry came from a voice that she instantly knew didn't belong to a Toad. However, she only got a glimpse of blue and red before the guards unceremoniously dog-piled themselves upon him (well, she assumed it was a him, based on the baritone of his voice).
"Stay back, Your Highness!" Toadsworth cried.
Peach took a startled step back, but between the tangle of limbs and angry shouts, she spotted a gloved hand. A five fingered hand.
"Wait! Let him up to speak," Peach ordered, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. Could it be?
The guards quickly untangled themselves and stood with their halberds poised and ready. And, as the intruder rose to his feet, Peach felt her eyes widen to the size of crystal blue saucers.
"You're human!" she exclaimed, a fresh wave of emotions painting her tone in colors of disbelief, awe, and a touch of tenderness.
The man dusted himself off, eyeing the guards warily a moment before he finally looked up at the princess. He froze, and his eyes seemed like a pure reflection of her own, equal parts curious and apprehensive.
For a moment, neither of them said anything. But the man recovered first and cleared his throat.
"P-Princess Toadstool?" he asked, as though he was unsure who he was talking to. "You're human?"
Peach blinked a couple times. "Ah, yes, I am Princess Peach Toadstool. Who might you be?"
The man swiftly took off his floppy red hat, holding it demurely in his hands in front of him, a picture perfect display of contriteness. "Ma'am, my name is Mario. I'm sorry I broke into your castle, but I really need your help."
"Mario," Peach pronounced the foreign name slowly. She found she couldn't stop looking at his short brown hair, his rather cute bulbous nose, and his sturdily built frame, all of which were things the Toads did not have. She did not entirely catch his plea at the end of his introduction, for so enraptured was she at the sight of another of her species.
"Where are you from? How did you get here?" she questioned him, barely restraining the urge to reach out and touch the wavy brown locks that adorned his head. Part of her was afraid that if she did, this man might vanish into thin air.
Mario must've noticed her rather unsubtle examination of him, because his cheeks flushed as red as his collared work shirt. "It's a long story."
"What would you like us to do with this hideous monster, Princess?" one of the Toad guards interjected, raising his halberd a bit closer as a threat.
"Did they just call me a 'hideous monster'?" Mario looked more offended at their description of him than worried by what they might do to him. Still, he tensed and looked ready to defend himself should the need arise.
"Wait, he is what you wanted to show me? He is the one Captain Toad found?" Peach shook her head in disbelief, feeling silly for her worries earlier. Well, it wasn't certain that this Mario wasn't a threat, but as far as she could figure, he seemed friendly enough. "Speaking of, where is the Captain?"
"Maybe this guy killed him!" one of the Toads accused.
"Yeah, I say we throw him in the dungeon, or execute him!"
"Or execute him and throw him in the dungeon!"
Mario threw his hat back on with a snap, throwing defensive glares at the guards. "Now just you hold on! I never–"
Peach could not hear anything after that. The roar of argument drowned out all else. She knew she had to act quickly before the situation went out of her control.
"WAIT!" a new voice shouted. Peach, to her great relief, saw Captain Toad burst into the scene, huffing and puffing for breath. "Stop… I can… explain!"
The fierce exchange died down, and Toad quickly continued, "Everyone, this is Mario. He's not from here, but I found him in the Mushroom Forest, he's harmless, completely harmless!"
"I wouldn't say completely…" Mario grumbled under his breath, miffed by the Toad's underwhelming assessment of him.
"He needs our help, that's why I brought him to the castle! Only somebody got impatient and rushed in ahead of me." Toad shot a disapproving look at the man.
"That's only because my brother needs help now! He's lost, probably in danger, and we can't waste a minute!" Mario defended, obviously worried as he clenched his fists at his sides.
Everything clicked into place, and Peach put her hands over her heart and gasped. "Oh, you poor thing!" She walked forward, and the guards instantly parted so that she might get through. She took Mario's hands in her own, giving them a gentle squeeze. "Tell me everything. I promise I'll do anything I can to help."
"Princess, how can you say that? How can we trust him?! We don't know anything about his origins, perhaps he is even a spy!" Toadsworth protested, aghast at her blind faith in this stranger.
"Can't you see this man has come to us in need? I thought you raised me to help others," Peach chided her steward. She knew he was only being protective, but all of the Toads' shenanigans in just the span of this single morning had driven her to her patience's edge. It might have seemed strange to them that she offered her help so readily, but she had a very good sense about this Mario, and she was almost never wrong about these things. Besides, she would be remiss to turn away the only other human she'd ever met.
This silenced any further protests Toadsworth might have had. Satisfied, Peach turned back to Mario. "Why don't we talk over a quick breakfast? I was about to take part in some myself, and you look exhausted," she said kindly.
"I would rather start looking for Luigi– my brother– as soon as possible, with all respect, Princess," Mario replied hastily.
Peach nodded patiently. "I understand. However, I will still need you to explain everything to me so I can better help you, and I myself would enjoy a cup of hot tea and a bite to eat. Neither of us will be any good to your brother in this state." Peach greatly admired Mario's spirit and dedication to his brother, but she had to make him stop for even a brief moment. She hadn't exaggerated, he did look exhausted with dark circles under his eyes and a general disheveled look about him.
Mario looked as though he wanted to argue, but his shoulders slumped forward in resignation and he sighed.
"Alright. Thank you, Princess."
As it turned out, Mario really wasn't from around the area. In fact, it seemed his realm was entirely outside the boundaries of the eight worlds.
Peach was simply captivated by Mario's tale as platters of various breakfast dishes and fruit were placed around the grand dining table, where Peach was seated on one end, and Mario at the other. The latter recounted his situation as best as he could while also taking a little time to regain his strength.
"We're plumbers by trade, my brother Luigi and I," Mario explained. "But work wasn't coming quick enough, so we ended up working for the Wrecking Crew. Construction and carpentry and stuff. We still took some odd plumbing jobs if they ever came our way."
Peach took a sip of her breakfast tea, and watched as Mario inhaled a large plate of pancakes. She was surprised at his appetite, but then again, he wasn't a little Toad.
"And what kingdom did you come from, again?" she asked.
"Er- well, I come from a city. Brooklyn side of New York. I…" he trailed off here, a bite of pancakes floating on his fork as his eyes looked distant. "I hope me and Lu' can go back soon."
Peach felt her heart go out to this man. She had barely just met him, but she felt the sincerity in his words, and saw the kindness in his eyes. "And I will strive to get you both home as soon as possible. How did you get separated?"
Mario took a swig of coffee and continued, "We were called in by the mayor to take a look at one of the water mains under City Hall. She's always good to me and Luigi, and sends work our way, since we saved her from a crazy gorilla a while back."
"Pardon? What is a 'gorilla'?" Peach interrupted.
Mario scratched the back of his neck. "It's, uh, a big hairy animal with long arms, and uh, they're pretty strong…" he trailed off, unsure how to describe it any further.
"Do you mean a Kong?" Peach supplied.
"Maybe? The one we fought had a red tie with the initials 'DK'."
Peach's eyes widened. "Surely you don't mean Donkey Kong, the crown prince of the Kongs?"
Mario shrugged, as though he cared very little about the royal succession of the Great Ape Clan. "I don't think it mattered very much to the mayor when it carried her to the top of the building we were still constructing.
"But anyways, Luigi and I were doing our plumbing when we actually saw the gor– Kong, wandering through the pipe system like it was looking for something. It– he, hadn't seen us, so I told Luigi we should follow him. Animal control hadn't been able to catch him after the incident with the mayor, so I wanted to be helpful."
Peach nodded, mostly following along. She didn't quite understand some of the words he used, and his accent was unlike anything she'd ever heard, making it a bit difficult to follow (she still found it quite fascinating, maybe even cute). "Did you get separated while chasing the Kong?"
"No. Well, yes. See, we followed him as far as this big green pipe. Then the strangest thing happened, and he just… disappeared. Toad told me it was something called a warp pipe."
Peach nodded. "Yes, warp pipes are the main mode of transportation in the eight worlds."
Mario shook his head. "I still can't wrap my brain around this. I'm still sure I'm gonna wake up soon."
"Is your home truly that different from here?"
The plumber nodded vigorously. "Oh yeah. If I tried to tell people that the mushrooms talked and the trees had eyes, they'd think I had eaten a mushroom," he ended his statement with a small, almost hysterical chuckle. "I mean, eight worlds? How does that even work?"
Peach set down her teacup with a soft clink. "Well, right now we are in World One. There are a few kingdoms around us, like the Flower Kingdom, but the Mushroom Kingdom is easily the largest."
"So all the worlds have kingdoms?"
"Yes, and each world is one biome. Ours is mostly rolling hills and meadows, and it's very good for cultivating power-ups." Peach wasn't sure why she added that last part, like she was trying to impress someone.
Mario looked down at his empty plate. The brim of his hat obscured his eyes for a long moment until he looked up. His dark blue gaze was hard and serious when he asked, "Is there a world that's stone and lava?"
A chill ran down Peach's spine. "Yes, World Eight. Many call it the Darklands. Why do you ask?" Although she was afraid she already knew the answer.
"That's where Luigi is. After we followed the Kong into the warp pipe, we were separated. The last thing I saw was him getting sucked into a pipe that was surrounded by rocks and lava."
Peach processed the disturbing revelation for a minute. Mario must have noticed the look of apprehension etched onto her features, because he set aside his dish and leant forward in his seat.
"Is it really that dangerous?" Mario regarded her with a look that would urge her to say nothing but the straight truth. "Luigi can handle himself pretty well, y'know."
Peach folded her hands on top of the table and blew out a slow breath. "It is not the land you need to worry about, though it can be dangerous if you do not keep your wits about you." She looked Mario squarely in the eye. "But there is only one kingdom that lays claim over the Darklands, and one mad king who rules it. If your brother is discovered… well, let's just say he will not be treated as you have been here."
Mario turned white as a Boo. "Luigi… what's gonna happen to him?"
"I'm sorry, but I really couldn't say. King Koopa is rather unpredictable." Peach shook her head sadly.
"So you've met him before? This King Koopa guy?"
"I'm told from Toadsworth– my steward– that we met once when we were both very young, and some kind of incident occurred. I do not remember the encounter, and I cannot say I've seen him since," Peach answered honestly. "In regards to Luigi, though, I am certain that if he knows to keep his head down and not cause trouble, he should be relatively alright."
Mario sighed. "Well, that shouldn't be a problem for him. But… he's still in trouble." It was more of a statement than a question.
"I'm afraid so. This is no longer a search, it's a rescue mission."
Mario frowned, immediately noting how Peach avoided his gaze."So you won't help us?"
Peach hesitated. It was true she had agreed to help Mario find his brother, but not to march into Darklands territory uninvited! She knew exactly what Toadsworth and the Toad Council would say she should do. She should turn Mario away, maybe send him to another kingdom with greater strength and numbers. Yet…
"I gave you my word I would help you, and I do not take that lightly," she said. Mario's eyes softened, shining with gratitude at her reassurance. It made Peach feel a small twinge of guilt for what she was about to say next.
She tapped her fingers on the table. "This just… complicates things. You see, the Mushroom Kingdom and the Darklands are neutral, at best."
Mario furrowed his dark eyebrows in concern. "Then what are we going to do?"
"I will be going to discuss the situation with my council. Thank you for trusting me to help you, Mario. I will let one of my servants know to prepare a room for your stay." Peach stood, and Mario rose to meet her, but his eyes were clouded with confusion.
"What do you mean a room? I can't stay here, Luigi needs me!"
Peach recognized the desperation in his plea, the kind of powerlessness to help the ones you love.
"I know you want to help," Peach started slowly. "Really, I do– and I admire that. But… what could you do? My world is nothing like yours, and you admitted that it is overwhelming for you. You don't understand our transportation, politics, or even power-ups!" She knew the words were a bit harsh, but she had to help him see reason. If he got hurt– or worse– while under her care, she didn't think she could live with herself. "It's going to take some time to form a plan to save your brother— likely days."
Mario winced, but recovered without missing a beat. "I can't do nothing," he insisted, a hard edge to his voice that made it clear he wasn't going to back down. "He's my brother, and I'll go to the Darklands by myself if I have to."
Peach was going to argue her point further but Mario continued, "Princess, I'm a pretty fast learner, and I'm willing to do anything for Lu'. And, to be honest, I don't appreciate being underestimated. I know I'm… vertically challenged… but we Brooklyners are about as tough as they come. I did defeat a gorilla who was probably the prince of the Kangs, after all."
"Kongs."
"Right, yeah! If I can beat him, I'm confident I can handle anything else your Eight Worlds has to throw at me."
Peach wasn't so sure about that, but he did have a point. Defeating Donkey Kong– if it truly had been him– was no small act of heroism. What's more, if he did it without any power-ups… he was a fearless soul indeed.
"How about this," Peach offered. "Why don't you follow me around for a day or two? You can be involved in all our planning, and in between I can show you around, and even take some time to teach you how to use power-ups. We'll talk about this again after I see how you adjust."
Mario nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, I'll do that!" There was a fresh spark in his eyes, an enthusiasm that would not be curbed by the challenges that lie ahead. Peach knew he was concerned for Luigi, but she might also say that Mario looked a little excited for this adventure. Peach smiled despite herself. Mario's sense of wonder was truly refreshing. She found herself musing what it would have been like if they'd met under better circumstances.
As they walked side by side to Peach's throne room, where her council was no doubt already assembled, Mario asked, "Just one quick question; everyone keeps saying 'power-ups' … um, what are those?"
Well, they certainly had their work cut out for them.
Author's Note: I encourage you, my dear readers, to share any comments and constructive criticism you may have! Your input really helps me improve as a writer and encourages me to write even more! All I ask is that you remain PG, as I am a sensitive person.