"The Princess' New Suit"
 
"Another package, duly delivered. A postman's work is never done."
 
Parakarry snapped what would have been a very smart salute had the growing bump on his head been located just
a few more inches to the right.
 
"Thank you, Parakarry," replied Princess Peach, tucking the brown paper-wrapped package under her arm. "We
really appreciate all your hard work."
 
Princess Daisy, clad in a Hammer Bros. Suit, shouldered her massive wooden mallet. "And I'm really sorry I
mistook you for one of Bowser's Paratroopas."
 
"Think nothing of it," said Parakarry, as he withdrew from his mailbag his battered spare pair of Paratroopa
wings. "You ladies can't be too careful this far out in the Mushroom World, especially since Mario's gone
missing. Take care!" Parakarry lifted off and fluttered off (somewhat awkwardly) into the distance.
 
"Really, Daisy, you ought to look before you start swinging that hammer! Poor Parakarry."
 
"You heard him, blondie- we can't be too careful out here, especially since we don't know where 'here' is. This
really doesn't look like Iced Land to me. But anyway, who's the package from?"
 
Peach tore open the brown paper wrapping and opened the box. Inside were nestled two smallish figurines and a
crisp white envelope. She removed the envelope and withdrew the letter. "It's from Toadsworth and Mushroom
Kingdom Research and Development:
 
"Your Royal Highnesses,
 
I hope this package finds you in good health, and that your search for Master Mario is going well.
 
Our boys at Mushroom Labs have been working hard to develop new tools to make your adventuring easier. Please
find enclosed their first two creations- a pair of stylish new Suits with an impressive array of features. We
sincerely hope they will be of use to you both in your quest.
 
As soon as we can produce more, we will ensure they are distributed throughout the Toad House network. In the
meantime, feel free to return home any time you like. Not that we're worried at all, you understand, and
certainly not that we think you're putting yourselves at unnecessary risk- we just miss Mistress Peach's
delicious cakes and Mistress Daisy's delightful company. In any case, please do be careful.
 
Your cheerful and confident servant, -T"
 
"Aww, what sweethearts! They work so hard, don't they? I'll have to bake a cake for them as soon as I get
back." Peach reached into the box and withdrew one of the figurines- a small doll shaped like a honeybee- and
read the tag around its neck:
 
"'This Bee Suit will enable you to take off and fly for a short time without a running start. You can also
shoot stingers at airborne enemies.' Oh, that sounds fun! I want to try this one!"
 
Peach gave the figurine a small squeeze, which should have caused the Suit to appear on her body in a puff of
smoke. Instead, the costume sprang out of the figurine and landed unceremoniously on the dense forest floor a
few feet in front of the Princess.
 
Daisy laughed. "Looks like your boys need to work a little harder."
 
Peach gathered up the yellow-and-black outfit. "I'm sure the suit will work just fine. Let me just find a place
to change..."
 
"Just duck behind those bushes over there," said Daisy, as she reached into the box for the second figurine.
"Promise I won't peek."
 
Peach stepped into the dense thicket and looked over her shoulder at Daisy. The brunette Princess was
apparently engrossed in studying the little black figurine in her hands, but just to be safe, Peach pushed a
bit further into the forest. She glanced over her shoulder again and saw no sign of Daisy.
 
Confident at last that her modesty would be satisfied, Peach removed her crown, stripped off her gloves, kicked
off her pumps and deftly unbuttoned the back of her dress. She lifted the pink satin over her head, along with
her white silken petticoat.
 
She picked up the Bee suit and noticed, to her dismay, that much like every other suit she'd encountered so
far, it hadn't been designed with her bloomers in mind.
 
Peach was just about to remove her cotton camisole when, all of a sudden, things went upside-down.
 
She felt something thick and sticky hit her ankle, and before she could investigate, she was jerked off her
feet, and the very next thing she knew, she was inverted and dangling, the ground some twenty feet above (well,
below) her head.
 
"Wh-wh-wh- what's going-"
 
She didn't have a chance to finish before she felt four, possibly six rigid appendages grip her body and begin
turning her around and around. She felt her legs being pressed tightly together by a sticky, warm substance;
some of the legs pressed her flailing arms behind her back, and soon those, too, were bound tightly to her
body. As she turned, she saw flashes of red and black amidst the green blur.
 
Peach suddenly thought of Daisy, and just as she was about to call for help, she found her mouth covered by a
couple of courses of the sticky fluid, which began to work its way back down her already tightly-wrapped body. It reached her waist, and suddenly stopped, along with the spinning.
 
Alarmingly dizzy, Peach tried to take in exactly what had happened to her. She could clearly see a few long,
skinny legs with bright red tips gripping her body, which had been partially cocooned in a strong silk-like
substance. She followed the legs up to the body of her assailant, only to find...
 
"This is WAY too cool."
 
Above her, grinning fiendishly, was Princess Daisy. Well, from the waist up, anyway; starting at her hips,
she had the body of a large black spider. Peach forced a startled shriek through the webbing covering her
mouth.
 
"Yep! Guess what my suit was? This thing is so.. so... COOL!"
 
"Yes, it's quite impressive, now let me DOWN," said Peach. Or, at least, she tried to. Enough of her protest
must've gotten through the web, however, because Daisy chuckled.
 
"No, actually, I think we're both better off with you like this. Besides, I'm starting to get a little hungry,
and you're starting to look pretty juicy..."
 
Peach stared at her friend in alarm for a few seconds before wriggling frantically against her silken prison.
 
"Kidding, kidding! Geez, we don't eat flies when we change into Frog Suits. But seriously, how many times did I
have to keep your Peachness from getting bruised in the last World? Six? Eight? Fact is you're kinda bad at
this whole adventuring thing, Peach- you must use four 1-up Mushrooms for every one I use. At this rate, we'll
NEVER get to Dark World.
 
"So here's what I'm thinking: You hang out here, I'll go kick Bowser's scaley butt and get some answers out of
him, then swing back by and pick you up. Or hey, maybe Mario will show up in the meantime and rescue you like
he always does. Either way, we're both better off, and we'll both get home faster!"
 
Peach could think of more than fifteen problems with Daisy's plan, not the least of which being the fact that
she'd be left dangling upside-down and tied-up for an unknown period of time. Unfortunately, Daisy wasn't
accepting any criticism; the spider-Princess turned smoothly on her eight legs, poising to launch herself off
the web.
 
"This Spider Suit is SO neat. I'll have to thank your R&D staff when we get back- maybe with something a little
better than a cake." With a wink, she sprang and disappeared into the forest.
 
-~{@ Fin @}~-