-Chapter 55-
It's a Mario Party!
Peach's Castle
Mario and Luigi popped out of the Warp Pipe. It had been one week since the trial and they wanted to check in to see how the Princesses were doing.
"Well, here we are," Mario said as he looked up at the castle. "Okay… let's run through again to ensure we have everything.
"Okay!" Luigi nodded.
"Special chocolate cupcakes?"
"Got it!" Luigi held up a cupcake holder with several kinda sloppy but delicious-looking cupcakes.
"Consolatory bouquet?" Mario checked his hand, seeing a colorful collection of budding flowers. Each of them waved a leaf at him as if to give a thumbs up. "Not a petal out of place. Mama Mario's Special Steak Alfredo pasta?"
Luigi checked his phone, giving Mario an awkward wince. "Mips says she's pulling the pasta out of the water as we speak and still needs to mix it up. She'll be a bit late."
Mario sighed. "Well… it's not quite mealtime anyway, and two out of three things on time isn't bad. Alright then, let Operation: Bucking Up commence!"
"Yahoo!"
With that, the Bros. made their way to the castle doors.
"Princesses!" Mario called out. "We're heeee… what the!?"
"Eh!?"
Standing on a stepladder, feather duster in hand, was none other than Daisy. She was not in her normal dress, nor was she in her workout clothing. Instead, she wore a classic maid's dress with a headband to keep her hair back. They would have mistaken her for an ordinary cleaning lady if she did not face their direction.
"Dust the rails… dust the walls… dust the chandeliers…!"
That, and her frantic, anxious mumbling as she vigorously feather-dusted everything in sight.
"Luigi?"
"Yes, Mario?"
"What are we looking at?"
"This, my dear brother, is what we call a psychotic break," Luigi explained sagely. "Either that or a manic episode."
"Ahhh…" Mario nodded, smiling awkwardly.
They watched in a heavy silence as Daisy continued her unhinged cleaning. "Dust the pictures… dust the lamps… dust the armor…!"
"Should we…" Mario gestured vaguely toward the princess. "Do something?"
"Like what?" Luigi asked.
"I-I dunno… say something? Anything?"
"That depends… On one hand, the sudden breaking of her intense hyperfocus might cause her to flip out and accidentally hurt herself… I should know. On the other hand, if left alone, she's likely to keep cleaning and doing stuff until…"
"Dust the vase… dust the doorknobs… dust the guests!"
"Ack!" Luigi cried out as she began rubbing the already-caked-in-dust feather duster all over his face. "Daist! Pfffft! Daisy! It's us!"
"Oh!" Daisy let out, taking a step back. "Mario! Luigi! Hi, I-I didn't see you there. Sorry about that."
Luigi sputtered slightly, brushing clumps of dust out of his mustache.
"It's alright," he said before spitting out a piece of fluff. "You're... clearly busy."
"Nice dress, by the way," Mario commented, eying Daisy up and down. "Trying a new style?"
"No, no, just in uniform for the job."
At that, Luigi's brow furrowed. "You're a cleaner now? I thought Peach was gonna have you doing something a bit more… um… Not this?"
"Oh, Peach didn't ask me to, I volunteered!"
The Bros. blinked.
"Really?" Luigi let out. "That's… nice."
"Oh yeah! I've been stripped of any and all power and authority for the rest of my days, so I need to gain some life skills outside of fighting evil aliens and… world politics." Her eye twitched slightly as she said the last word. "So, I decided to start from the bottom and start earning my keep. I've watched all the cleaning tutorials I could find on Shroomtube, made sure to read the instructions on the chemicals at least three times, and I gave the normal cleaning staff a well-deserved day off."
"All of them?!" Mario exclaimed.
"Yeppers!" Daisy nodded. "I just finished vacuuming the carpets, adjusting the paintings, and scrubbing down the toilets in all the guests' bathrooms! All twelve of them! Then, when I finish the dusting, I need to get started on the laundry. Weather should be sunny, so I'm hoping I can air dry the linens." She perked, leaning in uncomfortably close to the Marios. "Which reminds me. Do you guys need anything done? I wouldn't mind swinging by your place when I'm done. Grambi knows it's the least I could do."
She smiled an extra wide smile. The kind reserved for killer clowns and overworked, germaphobic housewives.
"Uh… No thanks, we're good." Luigi awkwardly averted his eyes, more than a little put off.
"Uhhh… Daisy?" Mario asked. "Out of curiosity, have you taken a break today?"
Daisy's eyes went wide, her mouth going small. "Break?"
"Yeah," Mario replied. "Y'know... Take a few minutes to... stop working?"
"Why?" Daisy shrugged, trying and failing to sound nonchalant. "I'm not tired. I ain't hungry. Besides, I can't just sit around the house eating ice cream and watching reruns of The Legend of Zelda. The last thing Peach needs is some worthless freeloader wasting space."
"There's a Legend of Zelda TV show!?" Luigi exclaimed excitedly, earning him an elbow from Mario. "Right, focus!" He cleared his throat. "I don't think Peach sees you as a freeloader. You're her sister."
"I hope not." Daisy shook her head. "Anyway, I can't stop now. So much left to do. I still need to beat the rugs, rearrange the pantry, wash all the windows, alphabetize all the books in the library..." She glanced down at Luigi. "Oh! Is that a spaghetti stain on your shirt, Luigi?"
"Eh? Luigi let out, looking down at the stain. "Uh... yeah. Must have slipped on during dinner last nigh-"
"Here, lemme get that for you!" Without missing a beat or even breaking eye contact, Daisy yanked Luigi's shirt clean off. "Eeeeeeyoink!"
"Waah!"
"To the laundry room! AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!" She declared, running off with the shirt.
Mario and Luigi just stood there, staring in disbelief.
"Wow," Mario let out before turning to Luigi. "Guess it's a good thing you didn't spill it on your overalls."
Luigi blushed hard. "Bro!"
Mario chuckled. "Just teasing."
"Mario! Luigi!"
They turned to see Peach run in, looking more than a little exasperated.
"Hi there, Peach!" Mario greeted with a wave.
"Good to see you, Princess," Luigi added, covering his chest in embarrassment.
"Likewise... have either of you seen Daisy?"
"Yeah… she ran off with Luigi's shirt," Mario explained.
"She wha...ohhhh!" Peach rubbed her temples in annoyance. "Of all the unbelievable...oogh!"
"I take it this has been going on for a while?" Luigi asked.
Peach nodded. "Ever since we came back from the Court Kingdom. Throwing herself into work and chores, exercising... It's how Daisy deals with stress. Just the other day, she polished every metallic surface in the castle! Including all the silverware and my jewelry!"
As if in response, her brooch sparkled brightly, emitting a soft ting.
"Huh, so she did," Mario replied. "And here I thought that was just you." This time, Luigi elbowed him. "Right, focus."
"It's getting out of hand!" Peach continued. "She hardly eats or sleeps. She even refuses to sleep in her old bedroom! Says she 'hasn't earned it'."
"Dare I ask where she is sleeping?" Mario wondered. "If at all?"
"Toadsworth said that she seems to frequent one of the smaller servant quarters... one close to the latrines."
Both Mario and Luigi cringed, looking at each other and letting out simultaneous "Ewww…"s.
"Okay... she's losing it," said Mario. "We need to do something."
"Yeah, and fast," Luigi let out, still covering his chest. "I'm starting to get cold."
Back in Toad Town...
It was just another lazy day in the capital of the Mushroom Kingdom, the Toads going about their business without a care in the world, oblivious to the goings on in the castle. Sure, they had heard about the terrible fate that had befallen their former king, and a day of mourning was held to honor his sacrifice. But, the mushroom-people were nothing if not resilient. They knew that King Truffle wouldn't want them to sit and wallow in despair, but to look to the future and continue living, lest his decision be in vain. So, the Toads kept calm and carried on as best they could, and soon, everything was all sunshine and roses again.
On this day, however, their attention was grabbed by two figures emerging from the docks and heading down the street to Peach's Castle. One of them, a smaller figure, had a blue umbrella open, hiding under it.
"Was that…?" one Toad asked.
"I think it was…" said another.
"'Twon't be much longer, Your Highness," the taller figure said to the one with the umbrella. "Soon you'll finally be back home."
"Yes, Nimue..." the girl replied quietly. "Home..."
Nimue turned to her in concern. "Are you all right, Milady?"
The girl shook her head. "No. Not really."
Nimue grimaced in worry, trying to think of something to say. "Well, once we arrive, Their Highnesses Peach and Daisy will no doubt be overjoyed to see you. Mayhaps you could all sit down and enjoy some of your favorite cakes your..." She coughed, quickly correcting herself. "...Y-You all love so much!"
"Yeah…that sounds… nice…" the girl replied.
Peach's Castle
Now wearing a gardening dress and gloves, Daisy was hard at work pulling up weeds in the garden in the courtyard.
"Pluck the weeds! Yoink the roots! Rip the rotting plants! Send it all to the compost heap without a second glance!"
She loaded them into a wheelbarrow and zipped off with it to a large pile of crud. When she came back, she grabbed one particularly stubborn weed, pulling with all her might. After a moment, the weed popped out of the earth, sending her stumbling back and falling on her butt.
"Owwwww…"
"You okay?"
"The answer is C, Chuck..." Daisy let out dizzily before shaking her head to clear it. She looked up to see Mario, Peach, and Luigi (shirt returned) standing above her.
"Oh! Hey, guys." She picked herself up, dusting herself off. "Just workin' in the garden! Yep yep yep! Just finished grabbin' ALLLL the weeds! Now I gotta go trim the topes. That's short for topiaries btw. Laters!"
Peach grabbed her arm before she could get back to work.
"Daisy," she began softly. "Just... stop. Please. You've been working yourself to the bone all week."
"Peach, I'm fine!" Daisy replied in annoyance. "See?"
She pointed to her face, only highlighting that she was the opposite of fine. She was still pale from her time in Bowser's dungeon, her cheeks a bit sunken and dark circles under her eyes that looked like bruises.
"Yeah," Mario said flatly. "If 'fine' means 'walking dead.'"
"You don't have to do this," Peach assured her sister. "You don't have to keep running around until you drop dead just to feel you've earned your keep."
"Yes I do!" Daisy snapped, quickly catching herself. "I-I mean… koff! koff! N-Nobody likes taking care of deadweight, right? 'Specially not busy royals with important jobs they can't afford to screw up."
Peach sighed. "You're my sister. This is your home. If you want to help out, that's fine, but not like this. You need time to recover from everything, what happened in Sarasaland and the Dark Lands, and you can't do that if you're working yourself to death."
"I am NOT working myself to death!"
"When was the last time you took a break? Or got a full eight hours sleep? Or did... something besides work?"
That got Daisy to pause as she thought. "... I had some of Mario's leftover pasta for lunch that he sent over?"
"That was three days ago, Daisy!"
"Ehhhhhhhhhhh..."
"Daisy, this isn't healthy," Luigi insisted. "And this isn't sustainable."
"Daisy, please," Peach pleaded, taking her shoulders. "You need to slow down and relax. Take time to process everything. If not for yourself, then for the people who love you."
"I slowed down and processed everything just fine, Peach!"
"By cleaning every room in the castle ten times over? It doesn't seem like you're processing anything."
"Dad took the fall for my screwup, and now he's in Bowser's rot-your-life-away dungeons. Shiitake happens. There, see? I processed it."
"Daisy!" Peach cried out
"Our father is being held captive because I boinked up FOUR WHOLE KINGDOMS, Peach! I signed a bill enabling a damned holocaust on Koopakind because I was LAZY! I'm the one who should be a prisoner in the Dark Lands, not him!"
"He did that because he loved you, and he wanted you to have the chance to be better! He did it because he believed in you!"
"And I'm trying to be better! I'm doing stuff and pulling my own weight instead of dumping all the crud I don't wanna do on others!"
Peach shook her head. "No. This is you punishing yourself."
"That's why Sarasaland got so bad, Peach! Because I was a lazy idiot who followed Hua's crappy advice and dumped all the important work on everybody else!"
"And now you've gone to the other extreme! Taking on all the responsibilities yourself and running yourself ragged in the process! Nobody can carry the world on their shoulders alone, Daisy."
"Well, what am I supposed to do!?" Daisy threw up her arms. "I can't do Princess jobs, I'm not allowed to! And when I did, it started this mess!"
"We can find work for you to do. Work you can excel and learn from and, more importantly, won't have you tire yourself out every day."
"Dagnabbit Peach, nobody's going to trust me with anything like that! This is all I have, just let me have it! Otherwise, all I can do is sit around feeling like garbage and think about what happened to Dad! I need this!"
"You need to settle down!"
"I need to prove I'm not a screw-up!"
"You are not a screw-up!"
"Yes, I am!"
"No, you're not!"
"Am too!"
"Are not!"
"Too!"
"NOT!"
"TOO!"
"Um…" Mario cut in. "Ladies?"
"WHAT?!" Peach and Daisy both snapped, whirling on him.
"Ummmmm… Is... this a bad moment?"
The group turned toward the entrance to the garden, where they found a pair of figures waiting by the door. One was a blue-skinned mermaid with long silver hair, a matching dress, golden bracelets, and a kelp headdress.
"Oh! M-Miss Nimue!" Peach exclaimed.
"Hold up, Nim!?" Daisy shouted.
"Is... is that a mermaid?" Mario questioned, Luigi rubbing his eyes in disbelief.
"That's Nimue," Peach explained. "A Lochlady of the Lake Kingdom, the attendant of Princess..."
She trailed off as she saw who was with Nimue: a little human girl around eight years old, possessing brown hair down to her shoulder blades, blue eyes, freckled cheeks, and a light blue dress with a hem that resembled waves in the ocean.
"Aqua?" Peach whispered in surprise.
"Aqua!?" Daisy whispered in dread.
"Hi Peach," Aqua greeted shyly. "I'm home."
Peach dropped to her knees before the younger girl, hugging her.
"Aqua! Oh goodness, it's so good to see you!"
"Likewise." Aqua looked up to see Mario and Luigi over Peach's shoulder.
"Hello!" Mario greeted happily.
"Hi-hi!" Luigi chimed in.
"Eep!" Aqua stiffened, ducking behind Nimue's skirt.
"Eh?" Mario let out.
"Was it something we said?" Luigi asked.
"Oh, no, it's not you," Peach assured. "Aqua is very shy."
"Extremely so..." Nimue curtseyed to them. "You must be Mario and Luigi. I am Nimue, personal attendant of Princess Aquamarine Toadstool."
"Nimue, please don't call me that," Aqua piped up. "It's just Aqua."
"Nice to meet you!" Mario tipped his cap before turning to Aqua. "And you as well, Your Highness."
"What brings you to our corner of the Mushroom World?" Luigi asked. "Er… that is also yours."
Nimue sighed. "We... saw Metro News."
"Oh…" Mario let out, remembering why he and Luigi had come in the first place.
Daisy cringed. She slowly began creeping away as Nimue continued talking.
"After what happened with King Truffle, we thought it best to come check on everyone, especially Princess Daisy."
"Makes sense..." Luigi mused. "And Peach did mention having another sister."
Nimue nodded. "Speaking of, where is…?"
"Daisy…" Aqua piped up.
Daisy stiffened, slowly turning to her.
"Oh! H-hi, Aqua," she waved awkwardly. "How long has it been, a year?"
Aqua slowly walked over to her, not saying a word.
"Uhhhh…" Daisy looked back and forth nervously. "Everything alright there, Sis? Little Dripster? Uhhhh..."
Suddenly, Aqua wordlessly slapped Daisy with her umbrella, shocking everyone.
"Aqua!" Peach cried out.
"Your Majesty!" Nimue let out.
"That was for Daddy," Aqua said sternly.
Daisy rubbed her cheek. "Fine, okay. I deserved that."
"And this... is for you."
Everyone stiffened as Aqua dropped her umbrella... and hugged Daisy's waist. They blinked in surprise.
"Aqua..." Daisy managed.
Aqua looked up at her. "I heard what happened from Mr. Toadsworth. What you've been doing."
"Aqua…" Daisy tried to explain. "I…"
"I know it hurts… but Daddy made his choice. Despite everything that happened, everything you did, he forgave you. Peach forgave you. So... I forgive you. Please, forgive yourself."
Tears started building in Daisy's eyes before she knelt down and hugged her sister
"... Thank you."
Everyone looked at the scene with smiles. Eventually, Daisy lifted her head.
"Peach… I think I'm ready for that break."
Peach smiled. "I'll get the oven warmed up."
-X-
Sometime later, they had sat down in the parlor, happily having tea and cake.
"MMM!" Mario exclaimed. "I've said it before and I'll say it again. Peach, this cake is amazing!"
Peach smiled. "I'm glad you like it."
"Ohhhhhohohoho man!" Daisy laughed. "I'd forgotten just how freakin' good the old family cake recipe is... and I freakin' hate strawberries!"
"You also haven't eaten properly in days," Peach added. "So, I imagine anything would taste good."
Daisy shook her head, smiling. "Won't argue there. Heck, that Bland Meal slop they served in the dungeons would probably taste good right now." She paused. "No seriously, that's what it's called. They sell it at Mushmart for ten coins a tub."
"Yikes…" Luigi winced in sympathy.
"How does something like that even sell?" Mario asked.
"It's branded as an alternative health food," Nimue explained, holding up a dome-shaped, plastic tub with a blue lidded bottom and a simple-looking label that read "Bland Meal: It's Edible". "They think they're being clever by acting all self-aware." She let out a hearty laugh before going completely deadpan. "They're not."
"Ah, so it's basically like Spam," Mario deduced.
"Meat substitute in a can," Luigi explained, earning a nod of understanding from Daisy and Peach.
"Mips would lose it if she saw that," Mario mused.
"Speaking of, where is she?" Peach asked.
At that moment, the door burst open. In came running Mary Pat, out of breath and lugging a large black pot with an alluring aroma coming out of it.
"Scusami per il mio ritardo!" (1) she exclaimed as she entered.
"Impeccable timing, sis," Mario commended as she came walking in.
"Sorry, had to finish mixing up the steak alfredo… and keep Kiwi from eating the lid."
"KIWI!" the little Yoshi let out, popping out of MP's bag complete with a spray of confetti.
"Hm?" MP perked, seeing they had guests. "Oh, am I interrupting something?"
"Oh right." Mario cleared his throat. "Everyone, this is our sister Mary Pat. Mips, this is Princess Aqua and her attendant Nimue."
"A pleasure, dear." Nimue stood, curtseying. "My apologies for not addressing you properly sooner, I didn't realize the Super Mario Bros. had a sister."
MP bowed as best she could while still holding the pot. "Not a problem. It's nice to meet you."
As she placed the pot on the table, Aqua perked, seeing Kiwi.
"You have a Yoshisaur!" she squealed.
"Kiwi?"
Aqua oogled at Kiwi, looking very starry-eyed.
Peach smiled. "Yes, Aqua loves Yoshis."
MP smiled as she carefully set the pot down. She then picked up Kiwi, bringing her over to Aqua
"This is Kiwi. She's just a baby, but she's very smart."
"Kiwi!"
Aqua slowly held out a hand, resting it on Kiwi's snout. The little Yoshi let her do so
"Ki."
Aqua immediately smiled, giggling.
"You wanna hold her?" MP asked. "She gives good hugs."
Aqua's eyes lit up. "I-I'd love to!"
MP carefully passed Kiwi to Aqua, who hugged the little Yoshisaur gently, yet tightly.
"So cute!"
"Man..." Daisy mused. "I can't remember the last time Aqua was so... vibrant."
"Is she not normally?" Luigi asked.
Daisy shook her head. "Not since…" She tugged awkwardly at her collar. "Well…"
"Not since the Queen's game...ended." Nimue finished.
"She's been seeing a therapist since then," Peach said. "Especially since she…" She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Was the one who found Mom."
Everyone winced as Aqua's face fell. Kiwi nudged her with her snout, getting a hug.
"Oh jeez…" Mario let out sympathetically.
Aqua trembled silently, sniffling.
"Mommy..." She just hugged Kiwi tighter, burying her face in the little Yoshisaur's scales.
"Kiwi?" Kiwi let out softly.
"Oh dear..." Nimue realized. "She's having flashbacks..."
"Crap…" Daisy cursed. "What do we do?!"
"Hang on," Mario stood up. "I know what to do."
He knelt by Aqua, gently taking her hands in his. "Aqua, listen to me. Take slow, deep breaths. In for five seconds, out for five seconds."
He began breathing slowly in and out, establishing a rhythm for Aqua to follow. A few seconds passed before Aqua began breathing at the same pace he was.
"Now... look around the room and tell me five things you can see."
Aqua slowly looked around the room. "Y-you... the stew pot... the table... the windows... the sun rug…"
Mario nodded. "There we go. Good job. Now, four things you can feel."
"Your hands... Kiwi's scales... my clothes... the chair cushion."
"Alright. Now, three things you can hear."
"Kiwi…"
"Kiwi's voice... Your voice... and…"
A loud clang sounded, everyone jumped.
"Oops…" Luigi said. "Sorry."
MP promptly slapped his hand away from the pot. "Get out of the pot, Lu!"
"And that."
Her answers were getting clearer and faster. Mario smiled. "Perfect. Now, two things you can smell."
Aqua sniffed the air a few times. "Pasta... and cake."
"Way to go. Now, one thing you can taste?"
Aqua smacked her lips. "...The pancakes I had for breakfast. With blueberries and honey."
With that, she sighed in relief, looking up as she visibly relaxed.
"Feel better?"
"Yeah…" Aqua nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Mario."
Everyone looked in amazement, except for Luigi and MP, who simply nodded.
"My word…" Nimue let out.
"Mario..." Peach began. "That was..."
"How the heck did you do that!?' Daisy demanded.
"Daisy!"
"Peach, we've always struggled snapping Aqua out of it, and he just did it…" Daisy snapped her fingers, "Like that!"
"It's 'cause of Lu," MP explained. "He's always had an anxiety problem."
"It's true," Luigi confirmed. "Mario's always been there whenever things get too much for me to handle. Don't think I could've made it through school without him."
"Well, either way, you have our thanks, Sir Mario," Nimue said gratefully. "You truly are Super."
Mario chuckled. "Eh, I try."
"I'm sorry…" Aqua sighed. "I made everyone worry."
"No," Peach shook her head. "Don't apologize for feeling bad. You're allowed to be upset. You're not some robot, Aqua. You're a human being with thoughts and emotions. What happened to Mom was... awful, and you witnessed it at such a young age. It should have been me, or Daisy who found her. Not you. I'm sorry it wasn't."
"Still..."
Everyone winced awkwardly.
"Okay!" Daisy clapped her hands. "The mood's getting way too heavy here. We need to lighten it up, STAT! So, let's start with that amazing dinner. After that, we have some serious fun."
Mario nodded. "After everything that's happened, I'm game."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Nimue agreed.
"Anyone got any ideas?" Luigi asked. "Cuz I'm drawing a blank."
Peach and Daisy exchanged a look, both smiling.
"You thinking what I'm thinkin'?" Daisy asked.
Peach nodded. "That I am."
-X-
Some time later, the group had assembled in a sizable room with a polka-dotted carpet. Scattered around the room were a piano, some Koopa shells, blocks, Bob-omb toys, Stars, and a mushroom-styled table near the entrance, with a lone female Toad with black bangs peeking out from under her mushroom cap standing in the middle. What caught their attention, however, was a massive drawer of colored boxes on the opposite side
"Gentlemen and MP, allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Toadstool family Rec Room." Daisy announced.
"Whoa…" Mario and Luigi let out simultaneously.
"It's very... polkadotty?" MP remarked.
"Okay!" The Toad suddenly grabbed MP and began dancing with her to polka music coming out of nowhere, Luigi happily clapping along.
"Now, which drawer was it in?" Peach began looking through the various drawers. "I swear, if those blasted rabbits made off with it again… Ah! Here it is! Behold!"
She pulled out a white block the size of a soccer ball. "I give you the ultimate in fun and entertainment: the Party Cube!"
The Toad dancing with MP stopped long enough to pull out a kazoo, blowing a 'ta-da' melody before throwing up confetti.
"Thank you," Peach told her politely. "That'll be all, Dot T."
The newly named Dot T. bowed before leaving the room.
"Party Cube?" MP asked. "Is that like a video game console?"
"Ha!" Daisy chuckled. "Video game? Puh-lease!"
"It's easier to show than tell," Peach said. "C'mon, let's take this outside."
In the front yard of the castle, Peach tossed the Party Cube into the air, where it hovered overhead.
"Care to do the honors, Daisy?"
"With pleasure!" Daisy jumped up, bumping the cube with her fist. The cube began to give off iridescent light as it grew bigger and bigger. Everyone stepped back as the Party Cube grew to the size of the same ? Block that sprouted Peach's Training Course, before shaking. It slowly unfolded, revealing what looked to be a massive board game.
"Whoa…." Mario let out.
"Holy-!" Whatever MP was about to say was cut off by a flock of birds taking off. Luigi's jaw just dropped.
"KIWI!" Kiwi cheered.
Aqua's eyes widened.
"Everyone, I give you the Mini-Game Stadium!" Peach announced. "When active, the Party Cube harnesses the power of the Stars to create a pocket space, allowing us to go to any locale or scenario programmed into it."
"All from the comfort of your own home!" Daisy chimed in.
Mario clapped his hands together. "Well, let's get this party started!"
"Hold on a second there," Peach held up a hand. "The Party Cube is programmed to only allow four players at a time, and we have more than four people. So, we'll have to take turns."
"So, who wants to go first?" Daisy asked.
The Marionetti siblings all raised their hands, declaring "Me!"
"Eh, we'll let the newbies jump in." Daisy decided. "Now, for player four..." She looked around before turning to Aqua. "How about you, Aqua?"
"M-Me?" Aqua stammered. "I-I dunno…"
"Yeah, come play with us," MP insisted.
"Don't be shy," Luigi soothed.
"Yeah, we don't mind," Mario added.
"Well…" Aqua stepped forward. "Okay."
"Alright, first… we need to decide on the type of mini-game to play. Let's start it simple."
A slot machine appeared. Peach pulled the handle, and the slots began spinning. The spinner landed on…
HOT BOB-OMB!
"Oh, it's like Hot Potato," Mario deduced.
"Whoa, whoa, hold it!" Luigi cut in. "Hot Bob-omb? As in hot potato with a Bob-omb? The kind that explode!?"
"Oh come on, Lu," MP assured. "There's no way. It's probably got paint or glitter or something."
Daisy smirked playfully. "You'll just have to play to find out."
The area shifted, sending Mario and Luigi to the corners of a little caged playing field. A Bob-omb dropped into Mario's hands, beginning to beep and slowly tick down. Immediately, he and Luigi began passing it back and forth.
"One potato!"
"Two potato!"
"Three potato!"
"Four!"
"Five potato!"
"Six potato!"
"Seven potato, more!"
"My…"
"Mother…"
"Told…"
"Me…"
"You…"
"Are…"
"It!"
"Ha!" Luigi held the Bob-omb up triumphantly. "I win!"
The Bob-omb turned red, swelling as the fuse burned down. Luigi perked in realization.
"No, wait a sec-!"
The Bob-omb promptly exploded in Luigi's face, everyone covering their eyes. When the blast settled and everyone's ears stopped ringing, they looked up to see Luigi covered in the loudest, gaudiest colors of paint imaginable, and all kinds of metallic glitter. MP immediately cracked up laughing.
"Paint and glitter! Classic!"
"That's a good look, bro!" Mario chuckled.
Luigi was much less amused. "I look like one of Mips' old Lisa Frank folders."
"Hey!" MP objected. "Don't knock Lisa Frank."
Aqua smiled, giggling.
"And Weegee is out!" came Daisy's voice. "Sorry, Stringbean. You did good, but not good enough."
"Thanks…" Luigi sighed. "Anyone got a towel or something?"
Luigi was suddenly doused in water, burbling. When it stopped, the paint and glitter were all washed off
"Hey, you got your color back!" Mario said.
"I also got water up my nose."
"Alright, next..." Peach pulled the lever again, landing on Mushroom Mix-Up. The room warped, Mario and Luigi transported next to Peach and Daisy while MP and Aqua found themselves on multiple multicolored mushrooms in a body of water, a Toad on a separate one.
"The rules are simple," said Daisy. "Stand on the colored mushroom matching the judge Toad's flag, and don't fall in the water."
"Why do they have different spot patterns?" Luigi asked.
"Accessibility for colorblind players," Peach replied.
"Plus, it looks cooler," Daisy chimed in.
Luigi nodded. "... Yeah, it does."
"Now, last one standing wins!" Daisy blew a whistle. "START!"
"Blue!" The Toad held up the first flag, causing MP and Aqua to scramble for the blue mushroom. As they ran, every mushroom that wasn't blue began lowering into the water.
"Whoa!" MP exclaimed. "Mushroom World toys are something else."
Aqua nodded. "You should see the Shy Guy Toy Box. It's-"
"Yellow!" The Toad held up the yellow flag.
"Uh-oh!" MP and Aqua raced for the yellow mushroom.
"Gray!"
Once more, they ran.
"Cyan!"
"Wait, what's..." Aqua began, confused.
"Light blue!" MP quickly replied.
"Oh!"
Aqua was right behind MP as the mushrooms quickly lowered, narrowly hopping onto the cyan mushroom. As the game went along, the platforms lowered faster.
"Red! Green! Blue! Grey! Cyan! Pink!"
"Pink!?" MP let out incredulously. "That's not pink, that's magenta!"
"Semantics!" the Toad retorted. "Also…"
The Toad pointed down. MP perked, realizing she had taken too long.
"Oh f-" She fell into the water with a loud splash.
"Oooh! And a valiant attempt by the not-pink bloodchild!" Daisy declared. "But the win goes to Aqua!"
MP surfaced, spitting out water as Aqua looked all happy.
"Good job, piccolo amico! (2)" she congratulated, giving Aqua a thumbs up.
The next few hours were a whirlwind of fun as the Marionettis and Toadstools played in the Party Cube.
-X-
FACE LIFT
The group found themselves sitting in an art room, a bust of Bowser in front of them and clay before them, with the rules being to mold the clay to match the bust as closely as possible. Mario stuck his tongue out as he carefully molded the putty head.
"Voilà! My masterpiece!"
It looked utterly ridiculous, giving Bowser crazy eyes and a mustache.
"Bit of an improvement if you ask me," Mario quipped.
"Mr. Mario, you're supposed to make it look like the picture," Aqua pointed out.
"I'll be honest, as someone who's actually met Bowser, and after what happened in Sarasaland, this kinda feels... in bad taste," MP mused.
"And yet, you're gookying it up all the same."
MP looked at her own sculpture, which barely resembled a living creature.
"I'm not good at this kind of thing…" she remarked sheepishly.
"It's alright," Peach assured. "It doesn't have to be perfect."
"You say this while yours looks absolutely perfect," MP deadpanned, gesturing to Peach's museum quality sculpture.
"All done!" Luigi declared. "The points are tallied and Peach is the winner!"
"Booyah!" Daisy gave a V-sign.
-X-
LOOK AWAY
Mario, Luigi, Aqua, and Peach bopped to a festive beat. The music stopped, then everyone looked in certain directions. Mario looked in the same direction as Peach..
"Okay..." MP examined. "Mario, you're out. Luigi, you're good. You too, Aqua."
"D'ooohh...' Mario groaned.
"Better luck next time," Luigi remarked.
Mario rolled his eyes. "You didn't even look a way."
"Shhh!" Aqua hissed. "The music's starting!"
They bopped to the beat before looking in different directions again, with Aqua losing the next round. Ultimately, Luigi came out the victor.
"So…" Daisy remarked. "Your bro wins by doing nothing. That's one way to do it."
-X-
BURIED TREASURE
The Bros., Aqua, and Daisy were warped to a dirt area, pairs of glowing shades floating before them. They put them on, and instantly find themselves wearing mole suits with sharp claws, perfect for burrowing and digging.
"First one to find the treasure chest underground wins!" Peach declared. "Start digging!"
And thus, they did.
"Is it here?" Mario asked, popping out of the ground.
"Oof!" Daisy winced, getting up. "Nope, that was a rock."
"I don't see anything either!" Aqua called out from inside a tunnel.
"Yeah!" Luigi said, holding up several devices. "No treasure chest! All I got was some worthless platinum, the Hope Diamond, and this guy eating a PB and banana sandwich!"
Behind him was a figure resembling Elvis Presley, with a black pompadour, red jacket, black jeans, and blue suede shoes.
"Luigi, you won't tell nobody 'bout mah secret, underground, rock and roll, beach kingdom, will ya?" the man asked.
"No worries, Elvin." Luigi gave a thumbs up.
"TCB, man. TCB." With that, Elvin dove back underground.
"Oh for the love of..." Peach facepalmed. "Who put the Holo-Elvin Parsley in there!?"
"Don't look at us," MP replied. "We're not from here."
All eyes turned to Daisy, who was twiddling her thumbs.
"Daisy, we dummied him out for a reason!" Peach snapped.
"Yeah, so nobody would find out about your embarrassing middle school crush on him."
"It was image rights!" Peach claimed, though the atomic blush on her face suggested otherwise.
Luigi bumped something, knocking and hearing wood.
"Bingo!" he declared, pulling out the treasure chest.
"Not bad, bro."
-X-
LIMBO DANCE
Mario and Peach watched as their respective siblings played a game of limbo, Toads playing tribal drums in the background. Peach smiled before turning to him.
"Mario…" she began. "I just want to say thank you."
"For what?"
"For helping Aqua with her panic attack. For helping to bring my family back together. I'm grateful to you and your brother. More than I could ever put into words."
She then proceeded to hug Mario, an act he easily returned in kind.
The sun was setting as they finally wrapped up, everyone laughing happily as the Party Cube folded up and shrunk.
"What a blast!" MP declared. "I can't remember the last time I had this much fun!"
Daisy grinned. "I know, right?! That was just what I needed. I feel great!"
"This a bad time?"
All eyes looked up to see Parakarry flying in. He stole one glance at Daisy, who looked away, before flying over to the Marios.
"What's up, Parakarry?" Mario asked as he landed.
"Just got a letter for ya, from Yoshi's Island," Parakarry replied, handing over a letter with a Yoshi Egg insignia.
"From Suika and Yoshi?" Mario took the envelope, tearing it open before pulling out the letter.
"Dearest Mario and Luigi, I humbly invite you and your friends to the Dinosaur Land archipelago. It occurred to me that, considering everything that had happened with the Koopa Troop and your sister, I never got around to finishing the story of how we met. Allow me to rectify that posthaste. Yoshi and myself await your arrival. Signed, Yoshi Elder Suika."
"What did he want, Mario?" Peach asked.
Mario looked up at them. "He's inviting us to his island. He wants to finally finish his story of how he knows Lu and me."
"Oh right!" Luigi facepalmed. "I totally forgot about that!"
Peach smiled. "Honestly, a break on Yoshi's Island sounds heavenly."
"Oh yeah," Daisy agreed. "After the hell of the past few weeks, I could use a tropical beach vacation."
"And I could bring Kiwi!" MP chimed in. "That way she can meet other Yoshis!"
Aqua slowly smiled. "Count me in. I'd love to see more Yoshis."
"Then it's settled," Peach decided. "We'll begin packing immediately."
Author's Note:
(1): Sorry for my delay!
(2): Little buddy.
Well, that was just what we needed after the hellstorm that was Sarasaland and Daisy's trial. And that's right! Next arc: Super Mario World!
Aqua and Nimue are property of supermariobroultimate, used with his permission. Elvin Parsley is from the Super Mario Bros. Super Show, while the mole suits they use in Buried Treasure are taken from the manga Super Mario-kun.
Voice cast for this chapter:
* Aqua - Brittney Karbowski (Mikoto Misaka in A Certain Magical Index/A Certain Scientific Railgun, Migi in Parasyte, Rimuru Tempest in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Lute in Monster Hunter Stories: Ride On, Sanae Dekomori in Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions, Yuki Takeya in School-Live!, Mikan Yuuki in To Love Ru, Wendy Marvell in Fairy Tail, Yamada in B Gata H Kei, Camie Utushimi in My Hero Academia, Saori Arisugawa in Tribe Nine, Citrinne in Fire Emblem Engage)
* Nimue - Jodi Benson (Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Barbie in Toy Story, EVA in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Weebo in Flubber, Belle in House of Mouse, Lady in Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, Anita Radcliffe in 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, Patsy Smiles & Jane Doe in Camp Lazlo, Tula in The Pirates of Dark Water)
* Elvin Parsley - Jeff Bennett (Johnny Bravo, Dexter's Dad in Dexter's Laboratory, Ace, Grubber, & Big Billy in The Powerpuff Girls, Peter Puppy in Earthworm Jim, Brooklyn in Gargoyles, Dr. Hämsterviel in Lilo & Stitch: The Series, Clay Bailey in Xiaolin Showdown, Petrie in The Land Before Time, Kowalski in The Penguins of Madagascar)
Please R&R. Until next time!