Flipped (Super Paper Mario SWAP AU)

A New Villain (3)

Mario collected everyone's plates as the two heroes finished their meals and continued chatting, mostly about King Boo. Despite all the excitement from earlier, it turned out to be one of the most peaceful of nights. Everyone's plates had been completely cleared off, as they always were whenever Mario made his famous spaghetti.

Peach smiled at her two friends and let out a yawn. Even though her life felt fairly routine, she wouldn't trade it for the world because she had her friends beside her. Home wasn't the place she rested her head each night, it was the people she spent her time alongside; Prince Mario and Daisy.

"Well, it's late," Peach smiled. "I think Daisy and I best be going."

Prince Mario nodded, then let out a yawn himself. A few toadettes ran in to take the dirty dishes from his hands. The prince bowed his head to thank them before he walked the two heroes down the castle halls. He held the palace gates open for them to allow them out, then waited at his door as they left, watching them until they both disappeared into the distance. 

Daisy kept her gaze up at the night sky as they walked. The sun had already set, leaving nothing but a sheet of darkness littered with countless stars. She hoped that someday one of her adventures would lead her to the sky. Now that would really be something... 

She loved her planet and everything it had to offer. The flowers were beautiful and the kingdom was the best home she could possibly ask for. But... there was something about the sky that made it so... enticing. It was the great unknown, the limit that people reached for. And someday, she was going to step out of the shadows and grab the stars in her hands. She just knew it.

Meanwhile, Peach kept her eyes on the ground, noting each delicate flower she walked past. Mario's kingdom was one of the most beautiful, filled to the brim with breathtaking gardens. She couldn't ask for more. Grounded in the life she and Daisy made, who would want for more when she already had it all? Everything was perfect. A perfect life in a perfect world. Were there incidents? Yes. But it was those incidents that added meaning to life.

"It sure is quiet tonight," Daisy muttered, keeping her eyes on the stars as they twinkled and sparked.

Peach nodded in agreeance, though she never minded the quiet. After a long day of adventuring through haunted houses full of creaking floorboards and slamming doors, the quiet night air was welcomed with open arms. She couldn't wait to fall into her soft, squishy bed. Maybe when morning came with its golden sunlight, she'd make some tea and toast. She didn't get peaceful mornings often, even when there wasn't an adventure to be had, because there was always something to be done, but maybe she'd allow herself a morning of tranquility tomorrow. That would be nice.

"It kinda makes me wish something new would happen," Daisy continued. "Like... BOOM! You know?"

"I like things the way they are," Peach breathed. "But... I see what you mean—"

"PEACH! WE NEED HELP!" a small, shrill voice called out from behind the two heroes, making the girls turn around themselves. Surely enough, a small toadette had run up to them, so panicked that she was practically falling apart. She was breathing so quickly that it looked like she might explode. Peach recognized this toadette, she was the mail toadette. Her primary job was traveling to Sarasaland to keep Prince Luigi updated on his brother, but when she wasn't doing that she was usually the one spreading news and grabbing Peach whenever things went south.

"Whoa, what is it?" Peach asked, kneeling down by the small toadette and placing a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her. Peach's sweet and gentle voice had a natural calming effect when used correctly. Of course, she could also change her voice to make her sound tough and serious, but this wasn't one of the instances where she'd need to do that.