Daisy's Grand Ball

Acts 2 and 3 (Mario)

"Mario~!!" A cheerful voice cried from the crowd. His eyes darted to where the sound came from, soon focusing on Princess Peach who was approaching him slowly. The various figures in the crowd made it difficult for her to maneuver in how packed it was. Mario gave a forced smile, walking toward her as well. "Isn't it funny how one second we're zooming around in circles, and the next we're slowing ourselves down to only a few steps in the same spot? Daisy's really rocking it tonight! Especially with how the skates disappeared when the song was over."

Mario's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment before he looked down at his own feet. "Huh...must be a new power-up." He said to himself. Looking back up at Peach, who was now tucking a hair behind her ear, he realized what she was here for.

"Oh–uh, care to dance, Princess?" He asked, bowing to her. Her response was only a giggle, as she gently took his hand and pulled him close. Slowly, to the beat of the music, the two began waltzing around in a circle. Peach held her sweet smile on her lips as Mario tried to do the same.

"So, what do you think of the party so far?" Peach asked. Mario shrugged, looking elsewhere.

"It's going alright. Though this isn't like any other party I've been to. Daisy's got some creativity up her sleeve." He said, looking back at the princess. Peach only nodded, giggling once again. "Yeah, and to think she did this all by herself...well, aside from her guards and servants."

Mario chuckled, "Yeah, Luigi's one lucky guy..." He said, trying to find his face in the crowd. There was a silence that came over them shortly after, making Mario realize what he had just said. Peach only looked at him with a sense of disappointment. "T-that's not what I meant. You're uh–much better and more my type!" He managed to say, Peach changing her expression back to a relieved one.

"I thought so." She charmed as they kept dancing. Mario nodded, looking out to the crowd, he tried to find faces, just to see who else was here. No sight of Rosalina however. Perhaps she was using the restroom? Was she alright? Where exactly did she go? Many questions taunted Mario, until Peach opened her mouth to speak once again.

"Hey, that's a nice necklace you have." She said with a smile. Mario didn't remember putting on any sort of necklace that night, so he quickly looked down, his eyes focusing on a golden charm hanging from a chain. "What the..." He said, staring at it for a moment. He then noticed something flicker in the corner of his eye. Looking up, he saw the same necklace on Peach.

"Wait, you have the same one." He noticed, making Peach look down on her neck. "Hm?" She hummed, examining the charm. The music soon faded to silence, as the quiet chatter of voices died down as well. Peach and Mario parted as they suspected something else was about to happen.

"Well! Wasn't that charming?" A voice over the speaker called. "Speaking of charms, I want everyone to check if they've got a necklace around their necks. One that you don't remember tying while getting ready for tonight." One by one, each member of the party checked their chests, seeing if they got a little gift from the Sarasaland princess.

"Everyone who does have a golden necklace, come line up by the stairway. Anyone who doesn't, may stay where they are at for now. You will soon be escorted by a guard to a special event held within this special event; Act 3!" The voice cheered over the speakers. Mario and Peach looked at each other for a moment, before making their way toward the main stairway. Then, the guards began to escort the other attendees by group outside. Soon enough, there was a small group of 11 people standing by the stairway. Mario looked around to see who was left. He saw Luigi, Peach, Wario, Waluigi, Yoshi, Pauline, Toad, Toadette, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Rosalina. Daisy soon trotted down the stairs herself, making the group turn around to greet her appearance.