Super Princess Peach

Ch. 10, Pt. 2

On her way back to camp, Peach heard a sound coming from deep within the trees. 

It wasn't that hooting sound that she'd heard earlier - it was a toad, or so she thought. He was talking, saying something with great frustration. She followed the sound and, indeed, found a toad slumped against the trunk of a tree, the lookout-toad she'd passed earlier. He had a radio in hand, and was talking into the mouthpiece. 

"This is Lieutenant Toader of the Mushroom Kingdom Air Force," he said. "I repeat, this is Lieutenant Toader of the Mushroom Kingdom Air Force. We are currently stranded on Vibe Island, and are in need of food, medical supplies, and an SR Mission ASAP." He paused, listening to the responding static, and repeated his message: "This is Lieutenant Toader - " 

He paused as Peach came into view and stood. "Princess." 

"Lieutenant Toader," she said, nodding. She pointed to the radio. "How long have you been trying?" 

"Since we touched down on this rock, Princess," Toader said gruffly. "Of all the guys that landed, I'm the only one whose radio was still workin'. I've been broadcasting every spare minute I've had since then, but..." He shook his head sadly. "Something keeps jamming my transmission." 

Peach vaguely wondered if it was Bowser. If he somehow knew that Peach and her toads were on the island, he would probably do anything he could to stop them from calling reinforcements. Though, eventually, that wouldn't matter - the longer she was away, the longer the General would wonder what was going on, and the more likely he'd send a search and rescue mission anyway. 

Hopefully, Peach and her toads wouldn't be here that long. 

"Tell me if you have any luck," she said to Toader. He nodded and went back to broadcasting. 

When Peach returned to the make-shift camp, there were many toads gathered around the campfire, chatting. Perry was hovering over his leaf-plate, licking up some of the roasted plants. He looked up when Peach approached. "Whoa, Princess! You scared me! I almost didn't recognize you for a second!" 

"Yeah, a toad named Toadkins found my suitcase from the plane ride, and I changed into my extra set of clothes," Peach explained, sitting down and picking up her "plate". She sampled the toasted plants. They were very sour and made Peach's mouth pucker painfully. She struggled to swallow the first load and then eyed the others doubtfully. 

"I'll have 'em if you don't want 'em," Perry offered. "You can have my bread. I think the plants are really good. They taste like that brown stuff you ate before we left a few days ago...what was it? Oh yeah, chich...chike...cheek - " 

"Chicken?" Peach suggested, taking Perry's bread and trading off her plants. 

"Yeah! That was good stuff." 

Perry's words unnerved Peach. Had it only been a few days ago that she was sitting in her castle, rich, content, relaxed, with hardly a care in the world? And now here she was - up against unknown threats with nothing but the clothes on her back, an umbrella, and a small squadron of toads. Nostalgia burned in her chest. How she wouldn't give to be back in the Mushroom Kingdom! 

The Calm Stone in the middle of her Vibe Necklace began to glow softly, sending a soothing warmth coursing through Peach's limbs. Her panic ebbed and was replaced with strength and determination. Yeah! She couldn't worry about all of her inconveniences now. If she dwelt on all the chaos that had unfolded since the plane crash, she'd never reach her goal: getting to Mario and hopefully reuniting with more of her toads on the way. She had to stay focused. She had to be strong. 

Peach took a deep breath and gazed at the toads around her. They were all dirty and grungy and hungry. All of them had semi-filled their bellies with the crude dinner, and some were eyeing the scraps on others' leaf-plates greedily. These were her people. She had to get them back on their feet. And the only way to do that was to accomplish their goal. 

"A moment of your time, please," Peach said, standing up. The group of toads looked up at her in surprise. "I know you're all tired, but we need concrete plans before we all go to sleep tonight." 

"Shoot, I won't be goin' ta sleep," a toad with a rough country twang grumbled. He was hunched over his empty plate. From where she was standing, Peach could hear his stomach rumbling. "With those dang cots, I'll probably throw out my back." 

There were a few murmurs of agreement. 

Peach frowned but continued. "We all know why we're here now. Someone on this island shot us down from the sky." 

"Bowser," a toad growled. 

Peach nodded. "Who else would have shot down a plane from the Mushroom Kingdom on a whim?" she asked.  

"No decent-minded person," Toadkins grumbled. 

"Now, we're stranded, hungry," Peach continued, "and our plan has been fatally crippled." 

"We have no access to the Mushroom Kingdom," Toader said as he came from the trees and joined the circle. He held up his radio. "Just ran out of batteries. And none of our cell phones work - the long distance is messing up the connection. And we have no way of sending an SOS through mail because we have no way of delivering it to the Mushroom Kingdom." 

The circle of toads groaned. 

Peach smiled. "Thank you Toader," she said to the toad. "Now that we've gotten all the negativity out of the way, let's look at the positives. Sure, we're in the worst possible situation. But we can't stay bogged down forever. Eventually, we'll get off of this island." 

"How?" another toad asked. "When the plane was destroyed, nothing was left. I myself landed in the middle of Ladida Plains and met up with the rest of you a little while later. We only had the clothes on our backs and the rations of food that we'd stored in our packs." 

"Toadsworth, our usual advisor, was nowhere to be found," a toad from the left said, making Peach's heart sink. "And the captain's disappeared too!" 

"Plus, this land is covered with monsters and powerful beings," someone else piped up. "Remember Petey? Princess, he practically speared a hole through you!" 

"And don't forget about Bowser!" another toad cried, his voice cracking. "How on Earth can we defeat him now? No plan, no weapons...how do we even attempt it?" 

The other toads in the circle began to whine and squirm, on the verge of breakdowns. Peach herself felt panic rising up in her throat like a hot wave. She clenched her teeth, trying hard not to shake or whimper. She couldn't possibly! These people were inhabitants of her kingdom! She was responsible for them. She couldn't let them panic and freak out. She had to be strong. Even if she wasn't as confident on the inside. 

Peach closed her eyes and cupped the Calm Stone in her hands. Calm, she thought, give them self-control. Relax them. Settle them down. They're frightened. But we have a mission. And fear isn't included in the agenda. She opened her hands and light flowed out of the Calm Stone, wrapping each toad in a warm, soothing bubble. Their rigid and uncomfortable positions began to relax, and they all let out a collective sigh of relief. 

"I know you're frightened," Peach told them all as the Calm Stone continued to strengthen them. "But we have a mission to accomplish. And when we accomplish this mission, we'll definitely be able to go home. Do you understand this? What did we come here for in the first place?" 

"To rescue Mario," Toadlee said in a firm voice. 

"That's right. We can't let our fear get in the way. And your friends, your brothers, are trapped here on this island. Do you honestly want them to get tormented the way Petey the Piranha Plant was tormenting you all?" 

They all shook their heads. 

"Then we are boldly going to reclaim the people of our land!" Peach shouted, thrusting a fist into the air. "They could be in danger as we speak! And we don't know how long Mario will hold. It's possible that Bowser could be doing horrible things to him. We have to prevent this at all costs. Are you with me?" 

"Yes!" Toadonelly and Toadlee cried at the same time. Toadland , Toadkins, and the rest of the toads joined in, fueled on by the power of the Calm Stone. 

"So it's settled," Peach said loudly. "Our mission: to find the survivors of the plane crash and then get to Mario!! I suggest that you all rest. You've been harassed by Petey for the last couple of days. Our operation will begin in 48 hours!" 

The rest of the toads cheered. Above them, the hoot of an owl echoed in the silent night air.