The Prince and the Tramp

Chapter 4: In Someone Else's Shoes

The night was long, but Mario was up and ready to implement his plan by morning. He knew that to ensure this worked, he had to leave before the sun was even up, so he set his clock to go off at 5 that morning. When that clock rang, Mario shot up as if he was never even asleep, wide-eyed and full of energy as if he just had two cups of coffee. This was the day to be free and enjoy the day by himself. He went to the restroom where Luigi's old clothes were and started to change into them. They were longer and a bit loose as the sleeves covered his hands, and the bottom of Luigi's shirt reached his knees. The overall hangs lower than his chest as he steps on the pants legs. He looked like a kid trying on his dad's clothes with how big they fit on him, but that would change when he ate the Super Mushroom.

He grabs the legs and pulls them up to walk out of the restroom and eat a Super Mushroom. Looking in the basket that Toad left with the Super Mushroom in, he grabs the top one and pops it in his mouth. It tasted like nothing, but soon, he started to feel his body grow. His legs and arms were the first to get longer as his body grew to fit their new length. His head was getting slightly bigger, but it mainly stayed the same. Now, the clothes weren't as long but a bit tighter on him, as his waist was the most secure area. He took another look in the mirror and realized that green wasn't his color, but he could fix that once he was in town.

"Now all I need is the hat," Mario whispered to himself as he looked around; he spotted it on top of Luigi's tool bag. He walked over and grabbed the hat, taking it in as it had an L on the front of it. His smile grew as Mario thought that once this was on, once he looked back in the mirror, he was no longer the Prince of the Mushroom Kingdom for the day but a Tramp walking around town. He ruffled his hair to make it a bit messy and let it be more waving as he pushed the front of it back and put the hat on. He giggled when he saw himself in the mirror again. Mario looked like a more round-faced Luigi but looked just like Luigi, and that's all he could ask for. He grabs a satchel with everything he needs and exits the second bedroom and into his bedroom. He had told Luigi to sleep in his bed last night to make it more believable as he saw Luigi fast asleep, hugging a pillow with drool coming out of his mouth. Mario giggles before walking to his desk and pulling out a piece of paper. He wasn't going to say much on it, just to remember that he just needed to do the to-do list, and everything should be fine, and he'll be back that night - late - but back that night. He hid the note under Luigi's blanket so only he could find it, and Mario headed out the door.

Mario ran over to the door that led to the servant hallways, listening in first before opening the door. Mario took a peek in the door and stepped in, heading to one of the exits that would lead him outside as soon as possible to miss the guards swapping out go for the morning. He started to hear people begin to come in for the day or waking up and get ready for the day. He could even hear Toadette and Daisy talking as he approached the kitchen.

"Toadette, how can you be happy about this life?" Daisy asks her.

"I just am. It lets me have a roof over my head, a full belly, and I make a living. Why would I want more than that?" Toadette asked as she started to hum cheerfully as she washed the dishes.

"Because this life sucks," Daisy said as she dyed the dishes that Toadette gave her, "I want a life where I'm not some dumb maid that dealt with a bunch of stick up royals. I want a life where I have my own castle to rule over. If only I could marry a prince."

"The only prince you're marrying is the prince of dishes." Toadette jokes, the two not seeing Mario pass by them as he leaves the castle. The air was cool on his face, cooling him down from all the sneaking around he was doing. Mario loved it as he could start to feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, making him want to run out of there. He stops himself to a mare jog as he moves to the wall, waiting for the Toad guarding the exit to move. It felt so good when those guards left, and he ran for it, running past the gate and into town as the sun rose.