Galaxies Colide

Treasures and Trust

Eyes spinning as she regained her sense of direction, Princess Peach felt a sense of relief as she discovered the ground beneath her feet was indeed solid again. Eyes adjusting to reveal her darkened bedroom, the once skeptical mind of the princess was blown away again to discover that she'd been teleported back into her bedroom in only a matter of seconds. Mind still spinning from the journey, the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom once again felt her heart soar as she stared back out her window at the fading blue light in the sky, which soon would be concealed by the bright blue sky and sun. Relieved as she slowly watched the sun's bright light hide the Comet Observatory in plain sight, Princess Peach hoped to keep her meeting above the stars a secret for now, just until she was able to sort out her inner, wacky feelings while getting to better now the cosmic princess that was Rosalina.

Squinting as she spotted a tiny object approaching from above, Princess Peach no sooner felt a rush of relief but also a splash of worry as she witnessed the red Starshroom she'd borrowed during the night drifting back to the kingdom on its own. "Is someone flying that thing?" Peach asked herself in a whisper tone, "I sure hope they don't get stuck here when they drop that ship off." "Princess! You better come have a look at this!" Nearly interrupted by a rapid knocking on her door, Peach's bright eyes took one look at her bedside clock and nearly rolled out onto the floor. "Be right there!" she called out, attempting to make her voice sound slightly sleepier and more distant, *It's only seven AM and already the day's rush is beginning!*

________________________________________________________________________________

Eyes now adjusting to the land-loving air that hung around the surface of her world, the mushroom princess now missed the vast silence and ambient warmth of outer space. This longing for the skies above her however only lasted for a brief moment as her senses were overwhelmed by the brilliant verity of scents and noises around her as she stepped out into the garden behind the castle. The once simple chirping of birds and gentle flow of the moat around the castle now filled her with the same flavour of joy she'd tasted upon her return to the Mushroom Kingdom from Bowser's interstellar captivity. Nostrils still lingering with scents of sugar and star bits, the fresh grass and morning dew played her nose like a flute to the rhythm this mystical scene created within her mind. "What was your concern, Malcom?" Peach asked her loyal servant and trusty friend upon coming to a still position in the garden's centre. "Up there, Peach!" He spoke, major concern flushing across his entire body as he bounced up and down while pointing up into the sky, "I think that's one of ours, but I'm not so sure!" Gloved hand rising to defend her tender blue eyes from the rising sun, the gaps between her fingers highlighted the exact sight she expected. "Oh yes, that red Starshroom!" she replied to Malcom, "I just saw that from my room! I think we're missing one last time I checked, so it's probably the missing one!"

Stepping calmly back as the red, mushroom-like spaceship completed a gentle, silent landing in the center of the garden's walkways, Peach released a tiny, reassuring giggle as the many Toads around her suddenly dashed behind her flowing dress, shivering with fear as the door of the Starshroom lowered gently. Cool, white mist settling rapidly; the fearful Toads at last peered slowly around the gigantic skirt of their princess to feast their eyes on the rather uneventful sight to behold. "There's no one here," Malcom spoke out, being the first to emerge completely from behind Peach to approach the empty Starshroom, "wonder how it knew to land here; and that landing, wow! That was way better than what the autopilot is capable of!"

Stepping carefully away from the crowd of Toads, Princess Peach curiously glanced inside the cabin of the Starshroom, curious if she'd accidently activated a homing beacon while she flew it up to the Comet Observatory, yet her eyes were drawn instead by a rather large anomaly in the center of the cabin. *I know I didn't leave this in here!* her mind exclaimed as she rested her hand upon the surface of the lumpy, purple fabric the object was composed of. Revealing itself to be an overstuffed pillowcase for a rather large bed, possibly bigger than her own, the purple package exhibited a jingling sound as it was dragged into the garden by Peach's gloved grip. "I have no idea what this is," Peach spoke as she stared down at the pillowcase," But I'm not sure that I...Malcom, what's wrong?" Switching her subject as her eyes noticed her little friend gazing steadily yet suspiciously around the entire garden, the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom couldn't help but worry for his wellbeing.