Princess Daisy sat upon her throne, deep in thought.

It was a beautiful morning in Sarasaland, Daisy's kingdom. She was dressed this morning in her normal garb, a beautiful bright, yellow, dress ornate with white trimmings in flower shapes along the cuffs of the sleeves, and on the bottom. Her long, hazelnut colored hair fell down to her shoulders, and her decorative, teal colored brooch was pinned to her chest. The brooch was an heirloom that had been passed down in her family for generations, and she wore matching earrings. They were flower shaped, and represented the sigil of her house. She adjusted the golden crown on her head, as it was starting to slip off her as she laid her chin on her fist.

She listened selectively to one of her subjects-a Toad with a yellow spotted head and orange vest addressing her about the events of the day. She did try her best to listen, but she had been deeply troubled since last night, and thoughts continued to race through her mind. She caught herself staring off at the far side of the wall of her royal chamber, and quickly shook her head, focusing her attention back on the Toad.

"….and the library is in a bit of trouble as well, your majesty." The Toad was saying. "An entire floor needs renovating, and a number of the book shelves will need to be replaced. Many people have been complaining of Koopas inhabiting some of the main roads, and are concerned…"

She drifted back to her thoughts.

Why did those stars fade out? What does it mean? She asked herself again. This can't be a good sign. I have seen stars fade out before, but a cluster of seven stars all fading out simultaneously?

Daisy again caught herself staring off, and tried to focus back on what the Toad was saying. She adjusted her crown again, and sighed.

The weight of this crown can be so overbearing at times. She thought.

Sometimes Daisy wished she were not a Princess. As a child, she was often found outside, playing with mostly boys her age. She was an only child, but several of the live-in butlers, councilmen, and others who resided in the castle with the royal family had children who would play with her. All of the girls would spend a lot of time talking about boys, how they wanted to get married, or would play games like dress up or have tea parties. Daisy hated that from the start. She loved being outside, chasing the boys around, playing sword fighting games with sticks, and playing sports games.

Daisy was always an outcast from the other young ladies. Daisy had loved her parents though, and they were always very supportive of her. She never felt as close to her mother as she did her father, as her mother was always pushing for her to be more lady like, and to "Act more like a Princess". Her father loved her tomboyish nature, and was very proud that Daisy had really grown tough, and had always told her she would make a good leader. Daisy never wanted to rule a kingdom, but when her father had passed away, she had promised him she would try to be the best ruler she could possibly be.

Daisy sighed thinking about her parents. She missed them every day, and wished they were still around for guidance. Her parents had passed away when she was sixteen, but not a day had gone by that she hadn't thought of them. She wished they were here now.

You have to stay focused. She thought to herself. You are princess of this kingdom, and your people need you.

She couldn't help this overwhelming sense of dread she was feeling, however. Those stars fading out had to be some kind of sign, an omen.

"And furthermore, the road to the west…" The Toad was saying. She cut him off.

"Yes, yes. I will see to that as soon as I can. I'm sorry, I must dismiss you for now. Come see me tomorrow after lunch time, we will discuss the matter further." Daisy said sternly.

"Erm.. Uhh…. Yes, your majesty." The Toad said respectfully. He bowed and walked out of the chamber.

Daisy stood up from her throne and addressed the guard at the door. He was another Toad. He was tall, had brown spots on his head, and instead of a vest wore chain mail, and carried a long spear in his hand. He had a full, dark beard with patches of gray, and wore an eye patch over his missing left eye. He had a pretty gruff look to him, but at heart was a very gentle soul. Mash had been captain of the royal guard for many years, before Daisy was born.

"Mash, please tell the guards outside that I won't be accepting any appointments until further notice." She said. "And please follow me into the study when you're through."

Mash nodded.

"Yes, my princess." He replied.
Daisy walked out of the back door of the throne room into the study. It was a much smaller room, and not nearly as wide open as the throne room. The room was still elaborate, however. The thick, stonewalls were painted in bright hues, and elegant, silk curtains in floral designs draped over the large windows. There were tapestries on the walls depicting scenes from battles from long ago, and there was a large painting hanging over an oak desk of her father dressed in the royal garb. He was very young in this picture, no more than twenty years old. Daisy sat down at the desk, grabbed a pen and paper and started to write a note. As she started to write, she heard a knock on the door.

"Please enter, Mash." She said.

The door opened, and Mash entered.

"How may I serve, my princess?" Mash said, bowing.

"How many times do I need to ask you to call me Daisy?" Daisy asked.

"Well, you've been the ruler of our kingdom for fourteen years, your highness." He said, grinning. "And in fourteen years, I've said the same thing to you every day. You're my princess, and that wouldn't be proper."

Daisy smiled. Mash was all formalities, but in truth he was the only person in the whole kingdom who would speak to her completely honestly, and with a sense of equality. Daisy liked that about him. She never meant to be a fierce ruler, on the contrary, she loved her people and her kingdom, and wanted to make everyone happy, but most people were just not comfortable speaking to a princess in an informal way. Daisy sometimes felt very alone, but Mash had always been there to pick her spirits up.

"Very well then, Captain." She said. "I need you to run a very important errand for me."

"It would be an honor, my lady." He said.

"I need you to take the warp pipe to The Mushroom Kingdom, and I need you to send for Mario, Princess Toadstool, and… Luigi." She said. She blushed as she said Luigi's name.

"Aye, I'll go as soon as I leave you." Mash said.

"Very good. Also, could you please deliver this note directly to Luigi?" She asked, passing him a sealed letter.

"A love letter, your majesty?" He asked, grinning again.

Daisy didn't have a mirror present, but she was sure her face was as red as Mario's hat at the moment.

"No, no… no.. nothing like that. Just… a very important message for him." She said.

Mash laughed and grabbed the letter. He tucked it inside his pocket.

"You know, if I may be so bold your majesty, I'll say it again, he'd make a great king. The man's brave, intelligent, and has the makings of a real leader." Mash said. "But, ha! Not my place I suppose. Still, you two would be great for each other."

Daisy sighed. She remembered the first time she had met Luigi. She was visiting her good friend, Princess Peach in the Mushroom Kingdom. Daisy had heard about her capture, and later learned that two brothers had risked their lives to save her. When Daisy met them, she was very taken aback at their simple, yet charming personalities. Mario and Luigi looked like two blue collar, simple brothers, but displayed a very strong amount of courage, honor, honesty, and humility.

She remembered finding Mario to be an extremely confident man, but almost just a bit too perfect for Daisy's standards. Peach was obviously smitten with him, but Daisy saw something else in Luigi. Luigi was quieter, and a little more reserved. He was confident, but there was more of a humble, laid-back vibe she got from him. He was brave, but not fearless as Mario always seemed to be. She found it remarkable that Luigi would very often be the one to express his fears and reservations about something, but would still do what needed to be done. He was a different kind of brave, more honest, Daisy thought.

A solid man. Not full of himself, but not pessimistic either. She thought.

Daisy had never looked at a man that way until she had met Luigi. They seemed to hit it off right away, and were fast friends. They had expressed strong feelings to one another, but unlike Mario and Peach, both she, and he too she imagined, had a bit more trouble trying to sort those feelings out, and were taking things a lot slower.

Mash is right though, he'd make a good king, and would sure look handsome in a knight's uniform…

Daisy felt her face turning a bright shade of crimson at that thought, and quickly stomped it out. Now was not the time to be mooning over a man. There were serious matters to attend to.

"Please, Mash. Deliver my message to Luigi at once, and send word to Mario and Peach." She said.

"Yes, my princess… By your…" Mash was cut off by the sound of an explosion.

"What was that?!" Daisy exclaimed.

Daisy jumped out of her chair and her and Mash headed towards the door. As she exited the study, she almost lost her balance as another explosion rattled the whole castle.

"Your majesty! Take refuge at the traveling grounds! I will investigate the source of these explosions!" Mash shouted.

"But…"

BOOM!

She was interrupted as a much more powerful explosion shook the entire castle.

"There's no time! Head over there! I will meet you. If you don't see me within ten minutes, make an escape!" Mash shouted to her.

Daisy quickly looked around the throne room, and saw that parts of the great ceiling were falling to the floor. Large pieces made of rock were falling, and the support beams way at the top were starting to give out. She jumped as she saw creatures breaking through the stained glass windows. There were turtle-like creatures, not Koopas, but larger figures clutching spears, with a more hideous look to them. There were also a few Shy Guys wearing cloaks of all different colors, and some spiked shelled creatures. Another explosion followed, this one causing her to completely lose balance and fall. Mash raced for her, and managed to catch her before her head hit the hard, stone floor.

"Are you okay, my princess?" He asked.

"Just fine, but what's going on?" Daisy asked.

Her royal guard suddenly burst through the main doors to the throne room, attempting to fend off more of those creatures that had burst through the windows. When they saw the other creatures, a few broke from the "V" formation the guard had set up, and started attacking them. The guards in the formation managed to fend off some of the creatures trying to bust in, and they were able to barricade the doors shut.

"Princess!" One of the guards, Kip shouted to her. "There are too many of them! You must escape before they take the castle completely!"

"No! I must defend my castle! And my people!" She shouted.

"Princess, we understand, but if you're taken, our kingdom is done for!" Mash shouted urgently. "If these creatures take over the castle and take you prisoner, all will truly be lost!"

Daisy hesitated for a moment, adjusting her crown again. It felt like the weight of it was threatening to crush her. She couldn't leave, but what Mash said made perfect sense. If she escaped, she could get help, and take her castle back.

"What of our army?" Daisy said. "Where are they?"

"Your highness… they've been…" Daisy could sense the fear in Kip's voice. "They've been wiped out. I just came from their barracks, it burns, and the only soldiers I saw were either fleeing or... Dead."

Daisy swallowed hard, and tried not to show the worry on her face. She could feel herself sweating, and started to tremble. She looked at the other royal guards, still trying to fend off the creatures with their spears and swords. A few had fallen, but the baddies seemed to be losing.

"There is no TIME!" Mash shouted.

He grabbed her hand and all but dragged her towards a secret passageway in the wall behind the throne, he pushed aside a stone brick, and the wall shifted slightly. He started to push her towards the entrance. As she was being pushed in, she heard another, even larger explosion, and she froze in place as she watched the steal doors explode into pieces, the momentum from the explosion sending her royal guard flying into all directions. Some simply disintegrated from the heat of the explosion. Part of the wall was blown out as well, and bits of rock flew in all directions, some crashing through the great, stained glass windows, and a cloud of dust filled the room. Mash kept pushing her further into the passageway, but she stopped him, and they both hid behind the wall. She stood there, frozen in place, watching the chaos unfold.

As the dust started to settle, she saw the baddies entering her throne room, and as they started to fill the room, she saw another figure. It was a tall creature, with purple skin. Its pointed ears sat at the top of its baldhead. It had sharp teeth, and wore a black leather uniform, with a matching black cape. She could see its red eyes glowing as it walked through the flames that the explosion had caused. Her royal guard laid all around its feet, and it kicked Kip's burnt corpse as it approached her throne. He paused, taking a look at the throne, smiling.

"MWA HAHA!" The creature laughed. "It's mine! It's finally mine after all of these years!"

Daisy felt a shockwave go through her body, as if she had been hit by lightning. She knew who this creature was, knew the sound of its voice.

"Tatanga…" She whispered, trembling.

"Princess…" Mash whispered, tugging her arm, as he led her down the passageway. "Let's get you out of here!"

Daisy ran down the dark passageway behind Mash. She looked back, and could hear the sound of Tatanga's dreadful laughter echoing through the tunnel.