Just Peachy (Closed for Jadeknight)

[Poprockz]

Just Peachy (Closed for Jadeknight )

The land shook, the skies darkened, the trees swayed in the gales of magical energy that were blasting through the land. All the people had barred themselves in their houses, cowering under the table as they waited to see who emerged victorious.

Princess Peach sent an orb of powerful magical energy streaking through the air, hitting Bowsette straight in the gut and sending her flying backwards. They were both battered, bruised, and panting from having fought for hours upon end. This would be the last battle- the one to decide once and for all who would crush the other into dust. Their dresses were ripped and torn, showing skin on their torsos, chests, and legs.

Bowsette stood up and wiped some blood off her face, a crazy grin on her lips. "Is that all ya got, Peachy? Losing your edge?" A bolt of black magic flew through the air at Peach's legs and knocked her onto her back, as she cried out in pain.

The woman in the black dress sauntered over and knelt over Peach, grabbing her neck in her clawed hand. "This it it, babe. Your crown is mine."

"Not just yet." Peach summoned a colossal spiral of magic. Bowsette saw it coming and summoned up her own, the two magics clashing with a boom that shook the Earth's very core. Everything faded to black for the two women...

 

[JadeKnight]

As the two ladies began to pass out from the exhaustion of the battle, their combining magic began to split the sky. A small swirling blue vortex appeared in the midst of swirling black clouds above them, growing larger by the second. As it reached a area of nearly half a mile above them, it began to suck everything beneath it into the air, including them. Trees, rocks, a few animals which were unlucky to get caught in the pull, as well as large chucks of the ground were pulled up into the vortex for nearly a minute before disappearing.

On the other side of the vortex, everything was belched out into a large clearing in the middle of a vast forest. The two women were dumped unceremoniously on the ground a few feet from each other. They got lucky as the large chunks of dirt, rocks, tree chunks, and animals thumped into the ground around them. After the vortex closed, a eerie hush fell over the area for a couple of minutes.

It wasn't long before the forest life began active once more as the feeling of magic left the area.

 

[Poprockz]

Peach groaned and opened her eyes, looking up and around. They didn't seem to be in the same place they had been fighting in previously, and there was debris everywhere. Bowsette was laying motionless on her back a few feet away, but Peach could see the rise and fall of her breasts as she breathed softly. Honestly, she didn't want to hurt Bosette at all, but there was simply no getting around it if the kingdom was to be safe. In this type of situation, though, she imagined she would need her help to figure out what was going on.

The princess stood and dusted herself off, frowning. Her dress was such a mess right now, dirtied and torn. They seemed to be in a forest, but there was an odd feeling about.

Bowsette suddenly sat up, reeling from dizzyness from her premature action. "God fucking dammit, my head hurts," she wined, rubbing her head near one of her pristine white horns. She noticed that Peach was awake and standing, immediately going to to throw some magic at her. To her horror, she found that she couldn't summon up even a wisp of smoke.

"What the hell did you do to me?!" she snarled, glaring at Peach angrily.

Peach tried to summon up her own magic and found it to be the same case for her. Sighing, she replied, "Well, it looks like we're both out of juice. Now, I think we should work toge-" SMACK!

Bowsette had punched her straight in the face, knocking her back down. "Yeah? Well I can still pummel you."

The other princess looked at her with frustration, "Look around you! Does any of this look familiar to you at all?!"

 

[JadeKnight]

Bowsette scowled down at Peach, lifting her right boot for a moment as if to kick her in the side. However, she stopped and crossed her arms as she stepped back for a moment to take in their surroundings.

"This is all your fault. What did you do to us?"

She glowered at Peach for a moment before turning away and walking over to inspect one of the large boulders that had landed a few feet from them. Judging from the size, she estimated it took a good deal of magic to move.

"I should kick..."

Bowsette fell silent as a large dark shadow fell over her for a few seconds, something about it sending chills down her spine. She was not one to scare easily, causing her to look up into the sky for a moment. She gasped for a moment, pointing towards a large shape in the air above them.

"What is that?"

The surge of magic had attracted attention, though Bowser was unsure if she liked what she was seeing. Ragnor was a ancient black dragon who had felt the pull of the strange disturbance and had decided to come and investigate for himself. He measured nearly sixty feet from his snout to the tip of his tail with a wingspan nearly the same. He wheeled slowly in the air above the clearing, ruby red eyes taking in the carnage. After all a few moments, he leveled out and flew off in a southward direction till he was out of sight.

It took Bowsette a moment to snap out of her little oogling of the large creature before looking to Peach.

"Where the hell did you bring us?"

 

[Poprockz]

Peach flinched at her boot, which seemed to make Bowsette just a little pleased. Getting back up, she scowled at her, "What did I do? I seem to remember us both throwing a ton of magic toward one another. I'm about as clueless as you are, you know."

As the dark shadow fell over, Peach also looked to the sky. Her face blanched as her knees started to tremble a little in fear of the giant creature that was studying them. She could almost see a very intelligent being behind those red eyes, which almost scared her even more.

"I-I-I don't know, but I don't think we should linger here." She started walking in the opposite direction that the dragon had traveled, her paranoia wondering if that's exactly what the creature wanted them to do, shepherding them by anticipating the choices they would make based on his presence. Peach shook her head- there was no time for those kinds of thoughts right now. They simply needed to continue in a direction until they found a village of some sort.

Looking behind, she called over her shoulder, "Are you coming, Bowsette?" She trudged forward, lifting the tattered remains of her dress daintily as she stepped over large rocks and other debris.

 

[JadeKnight]

Bowsette gave a scowl at Peach's answer, putting all the blame on her without staying a word. She looked back towards the direction of the strange creature, frowning. She was a little unnerved by the feeling of admiration for the strange beast, finding the pull of power it seemed to have. She shook her head for a moment as she turned back to follow after her arch enemy.

"Fine, fine. Just remember, I am still going to kick your ass once we figure this out."

She kicked aside a few stones that she came across, moving around and over the obstacles she couldn't. As she got closer to Peach, she did try one more time to fling a fireball at the blonde princess, but it just fizzled out. It only took them a short while to come to a well worn road through the forest.

"Great. Now which way?"

She kicked a rock into the road, watching it come to a rest between a pair of what appeared to be well worn wheel ruts running along the right side of the road, mirrored on the left side as well. There were no signs to indicate any signs of civilization in either direction.

 

[Poprockz]

One of the rocks she was kicking hit peach in the butt, making her wince. She turned to glare for a moment before continuing on. The forest was strangely quiet, as if the creatures knew to hide from something. Peach had no doubt that the dragon's nest was located somewhere nearby if it was close enough to find them so quickly.

"Hm..." She studied the path as she tried to find any clue that might lead them to a better place. Finding none, she sighed and realized that this would be a crapshoot and that they simply would have to pick one. "Let's go to the right," she said, nodding and starting to walk in that direction. A glance was made to see if Bowsette was following, and she saw her walking in the opposite direction.

"What are you doing? I said we were going right!" Peach jogged over to her and kept pace as her rival continued on the left path. "Did you just ask so you could go in the opposite direction," Peach asked, irritated.

 

[JadeKnight]

Bowsette gave a toothy grin to the princess for a moment before looking back in the direction she had chosen.

"Maybe. I just asked which way. I never said I was going to follow you. Besides, maybe I don't feel like following you in that direction."

She kicked a few more rocks as they walked along, not caring that her boots were getting dirty from the dust. She was going to need a change of clothes soon, but she really doubted her coins would work where ever they were.

"If we don't find a way out of this place soon, I'm kicking your scrawny ass till you can't stand anymore."

She stopped for a moment as she caught a whiff of something in the air, the smell of meat cooking. Her stomach growled for a moment before she grinned and broke into a run to find the source of the food.

 

[Poprockz]

"Hmph." Peach continued with Bowsette, clearly annoyed. Why did she have to be so difficult. They were clearly in a foreign place where their best chance of survival and finding their way back was to work together as a team. Based on the way the hot-headed woman had been acting, she feared they would never be able to work together. Peach didn't want to work with someone so stubborn anyway, though.

"MY ass isn't scrawny, and you shouldn't be so impatient," she replied curtly, knowing that if it came to throwing fists, she could still throw a mean punch if she had to.

The princess started to smell something also; it was like a roast was being prepared nearby. She couldn't deny that her mouth was also watering at the scent, but where there was food there would also be strangers. Since they weren't yet at a town, it could be travelers on the road, or worse: bandits.

"Bowsette! It's not safe!" Princess Peach ran after her as fast as she could, trying to keep up with her while still in her pink little high-heels.

 

[JadeKnight]

Bowsette scoffed for a moment at the princess's words, continuing to run. It wasn't long before they came to a large fenced in pasture where a small herd of horses were grazing. A couple lifted their heads to watch the running strangers, their ears flickering to bat at some buzzing flies as they chewed grass.

Further up the road was two large wooden buildings a few feet back from the road. The smaller of the two buildings appeared to be that of a well maintained wooden stables. A large empty carriage was off to the side of the stable, wherin could be seen three more horses.

The larger wooden building was a thatched two story building with a single chimney opposite the pasture. Smoke rose from the chimney while a second column of smoke rose from behind the building, the source of the smell of cooking meat. A large sign hung from a metal hook near the front door, written in a language that the princesses probably couldn't understand, reading Laddie's Tavern and Inn. A single symbol was carved next to the door, but it was small enough and blended in to the point one would have to be paying attention to notice it.

Bowsette panted a little as she came to a stop at the corner to the pasture, one hand on the fence for balance.

"Let's get something to eat. I'm starving."

 

[Poprockz]

"You don't even know if it's safe! The place could be dangerous for all we know. God, would you stop?!" Peach leaned against the fence, catching her breath. Bowsette's boots really gave her an advantage when it came to running; she was pretty sure that it was only by the grace of some higher power that she hadn't twisted her ankle during that chase.

She looked at the buildings and saw the carriages. Either this was a traveler's pit stop, or it was a privately owned barn and house. Either way, they needed to be careful if they wanted to avoid getting into some kind of sticky situation.

Peach was extremely aggravated, "Are you so stubborn that you won't even stop to think before you act?!" She grabbed her arm and looked at her with a scowl. "I don't care if you're hungry, since I'm hungry too. We need to be careful or we could end up dead."

She hoped that her words would get through that thick skull of hers, but she was afraid that it was just wishful thinking.

 

[JadeKnight]

Bowsette growled for a moment, looking down at the hand gripping her arm. She took a hold of Peach's wrist with her free hand, pulling it off of her arm.

"Grab me like that again and you may end up losing that whole arm."

She dropped Peach's hand for a moment before pointing towards the tavern sign.

"And what dangerous place would have a sign hanging outside for the whole world to see? I may not be able to read that damn thing, but chances are it's no different than any shop where we are from."

She gave a grin for a moment, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Or is the sweet princess so weak now that she needs the mighty Mario Brothers to rescue her once again? After all, it seems like you are the one who likes to be capturing, considering how many times I pulled that off."

 

[Poprockz]

Peach raised her hands upward in an "okay, okay" gesture as she backed off a little.

"How should I know? It could be a trap." she tried to argue. She narrowed her eyes as Bowsette smirked about how many times she had kept Peach against her will.

Peach got red in the face, both from anger and embarrassment. She pointed a finger in Bosette's face and huffed, "You always used underhanded methods to capture me. Trap doors, kidnappings, sleep potions. That's why I'm so suspicious of this seemingly peaceful little building. You don't get kidnapped dozens of times and not learn anything from it."

"Besides," she added, "I don't need Mario or Luigi's help, I can take care of myself. But in case you don't remember, we have absolutely zero magic, so at least think about something before you risk your neck for a piece of meat." Princess Peach put her hands on her hips.

 

[JadeKnight]

Bowsette smirked for a moment.

"At least you learned from me. Besides, I have only been continuing what your family started years ago. At least those plumbers aren't here to ruin our fun anymore."

She turned away from Peach to look around. She hmmed for a moment before shaking her head.

"As much as you would like to take things slow, sometimes you just have to jump in feet first."

She smirked before starting towards the inn. The windows were a little dirty, but the inside looked pretty empty of people. A rush of warm air greeted them as Bowsette pulled the door open, a little bell ringing that was attached to the inside of the door. The bottom floor was devoted to pretty much one large room. There was a doorway that lead into a small kitchen at the back of the building.

A fire crackled in the large fireplace, around which a couple of men dressed in black metal armor with their helms sitting on a nearby table as they drank their beer. They did look towards the door as the women entered, but made no move from their seats. Several table table were spread out around the room, while a long bar occupied the space along the back area of the room. A variety of bottles filled with various levels of liquids lined the shelves on the back wall.

As the bell rang, the grey hair of a stout old man peeked out for a moment, calling out to them.

"Queveil, Queveil!"

 

[Poprockz]

“God, you’re so stubborn, aren’t you?!” Peach grumbled as she reluctantly followed her to the large wooden building. She didn’t notice the symbol carved into the wood as her eyes were preoccupied searching for a more immediate threat. The inside of the tavern/inn looked very much like what they had in their own world: booze, patrons, a bartender. The fact that he was speaking another language entirely was a bit unnerving, though.

She imagined what he was saying was, “Come in, come in!” by his posture and the way he said it. If he couldn’t understand them, how were they going to ask where the nearest village was or what that creature was? Peach searched one of the pockets sewn into her dress and found that she only had a small pouch of gold and a couple pieces of hard candy-bubble gum flavored of course.

The princess found it odd that there were men wearing armor here, though. Why would they be wearing such a get up if there wasn’t a war going on? She stood in the doorway hesitantly as Bowsette continued.

 

[JadeKnight]

Bowsette seemed to take in all in stride as she pulled out a chair and sat down at the closet table. She reached over and slapped a hand on the empty seat next to her.

"Quit gawking princess and have a seat."

The old man came out of the kitchen, wiping his large hands on a greasy half apron he wore. He pointed to his head for a moment as he stopped next to their table.

"Trevely? Kong lo mite?"

Bowsette seemed confused for a moment, frowning before deciding to respond by miming what she wanted. She cupped one hand and used it like she was drinking something and was eating a piece of meat.

"Food and drink. Understand?"

The old man was silent for a moment before he smiled.

"Yo. Kathrine, Pol!"

He turned his head for a moment as he yelled into towards the kitchen. There was an answer of some sort from a young feminine voice before he bowed to them. Though the two women didn't know it, the old man had understood them perfectly. When the horned woman didn't answer his question about them being royalty, he figured she couldn't speak the common tongue. Leaving them, he went to the soldiers who just nodded and waved him on.

The old man soon began humming as he went to work on their drinks behind the counter.

 

[Poprockz]

Peach found her legs and moved to the seat as Bowsette had suggested. It was so warm and nice in the little inn, and she couldn't help but feel comforted. Her shoulders relaxed a little and she set her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hands. Her sky-blue eyes looked up at the man as he came over to them.

She wondered what he had meant, pointing to his head like that. Maybe he was trying to tell them that it was going to rain soon or that he was complimenting them by saying it was a smart move to come in as patrons. Either way, she gave up on trying to figure it out.

Peach almost chuckled as she saw Bowsette mime her way into a meal. When she was done and he hand smiled, she had lifted her own hand and pointed to herself. "Me too, please."

It had actually worked, she discovered with surprised delight as he yelled back to the kitchen. Bowsette could be a pain in the butt, but she hated to admit that she had so far been the most helpful out of the two of them. A warm meal and some drink... that was truly what she needed. Her mouth watered as she started to smell the seasoned meat smell wafting from the kitchen again.

"I hope they accept our coins, or we could be washing dishes for the next week," Peach remarked.

 

[JadeKnight]

"You worry too much."

Bowsette leaned back in her chair as she watched the tavern owner went about his work behind the bar. He soon had a small tray with two fluted glasses filled with some sort of blue drink and two smaller shot glasses filled with some red liquid. He deftly lifted the wooden tray, carrying it over to them as a teenage young woman was coming out with a pair of bowls with steaming hot stew.

The girl sat a bowl down in front of each of them with a smile and bow before going to check on the soldiers. The old man placed a wine glass in front of each other them, along with the shot glasses. He tapped Peach's shot glass for a moment before tapping his mouth and then an ear as he spoke.

"Troupe. Qwery."

He gave another smile before heading back into the kitchen. Bowsette grinned as she picked up the shot glass for a moment.

"Bottoms up."

She grinned before downing the drink, setting the glass down before digging into her stew.

 

[Poprockz]

"Yeah.." she sighed, agreeing for once on something, her own eyes following him as he prepared what she could only assume was some kind of alcoholic beverage.

She looked at the fluted blue drink and then back to him as he set it down, it was beautiful and she wondered if it was some kind of champagne. When he tapped her shot glass, she willed her self to understand what he meant, but couldn't wrap her head around it. Still confused, she smiled back at him and put her hands together and bowed her head a little as she said, "Thank you both very much, it looks lovely." Peach didn't think they understood it all, but at least her gratitude had come across.

Looking down, she wondered if she should try the shot, the flute, or the stew first. Her mouth watered as the stew won out, having her grab the spoon and fishing out some meat and carrots. Her soft pink lips were pushed out slightly as she daintily blew on it before putting it in her mouth. Chewing, she practically melted from the divine taste of the meat and the broth.

"What does the shot taste like?" she asked Bowsette curiously as the woman slammed the cup down on the table and grinned.

 

[JadeKnight]

"It's got a bit of a cherry taste and burns a bit going down."

Bowsette grinned for a moment, watching Peach eat before picking up her own spoon. She carefully picked up a spoonful of the largest chunk of meat she saw with some broth, watching the steam come off of it. After a moment, she wrapped her pale lips around the spoon before mming as she pulled the spoon out and chewing as she enjoyed the ricj meatiness.

As she continued to eat, she absently reached up to adjust her mushroom crown with her free hand. She blinked for a moment at not feeling anything, patting all all her blonde locks. She stopped quizzically when she felt what appeared to be a hairclip on the right side of her head.

"Uh Peach, what is that?"

She also reached down and moved aside a bit of hair from her pointed ear as she began to discern bits of the soldiers' conversation as they spoke about their activities over the next couple of days.

 

[Poprockz]

Peach thoughtfully regarded the glass. She certainly liked cherry, but she decided to wait until she was done with her stew. She didn't want to mix the flavors of sweet and savory at that moment. The princess continued to consume her stew with enthusiasm. It was so delicious she couldn't stop until the bowl was empty.

She looked at Bowsette with concern, "What is what? Are you feeling okay? Maybe the magic disaster we went through did something. Do you want me to check your head?" Peach leaned forward to put her hands on the stubborn woman's head, but her hands were swatted away. The princess looked at her sideways, thinking to herself that she was acting really weird. Maybe she really wasn't okay and the stress of the situation was getting to her.

Peach reached out and sipped the blue drink awkwardly. It tasted like winter if that was at all possible. It was sweet and minty, but still had some fruity tones; the fluid was bubbly as well, making her smile with fondness.

 

[JadeKnight]

Bowsette frowned after batting Peach's hand away, continuing to eat her stew. She really wasn't in the mood anymore for dealing with Peach. Instead, she stayed silent for the time being as she sipped at the wine.

Behind them, the two soldiers put down their empty mugs before grabbing their helmets. They laid some coin on the table before walking towards the door. One of them gave a little wave to the owner, who waved back to them.

"Enjoy your patrol boys."

"Thank you sir. Very good beer. We will be back later. Ladies."

They gave a little nodded to the women before pulling on their helmets and heading outside. Bowsette pursed her lips for a moment before looking over at Peach, connecting the dots.

"If you don't want to get left behind, I would suggest you drink the cherry drink Peach."

The teenager soon came out of the kitchen, gathering up the dirty dishes. She smiled for a moment as she gathered up their plates.

"If you need a ride into town, my mother can give you a ride in the carriage."

 

[Poprockz]

Peach noticed the guards leaving, but thought nothing of it, not being able to understand anyway. She raised her eyebrow at her before gripping the red drink. She had never been good at taking shots of alcohol, preferring to sip on something sweet. However, Bowsette seemed to know something she didn't, so she threw the shot back and shook her head as her eyes watered. Several coughs came from her as she recovered from the burning sensation.

The voices around her suddenly became weird and garbled before starting to almost be understandable. It was almost as though she had dived underwater and then surfaced, hearing everything more clearly than before. She blinked as she was suddenly able to understand the people around her.

Peach looked up at the young girl and nodded, "Yes, a ride into town would be lovely if you could spare the time. Also... I don't know if you all know anything about this, but earlier we saw a very large scaled creature in the sky. It was black and looked as though it were some kind of reptile with wings. Do you know anything about it?"

She took a sip of the bubbly blue drink. It was so nice to be able to finally talk to these people, and it finally occurred to her that he was pointing to his mouth and ear to say that if they drank it, they would be able to speak and hear the language better.

 

[JadeKnight]

The teenager's face darkened a little, going from a smile on her face to a frown as Peach asked about the dragon. She looked towards her father for a moment, who just smiled and nodded. The teenager smiled once more as she looked back at the two women.

"You haven't seen a dragon before? They are pretty common, but tend to stay away from the cities. I believe that one lives out in the swamps to the north."

Bowsette frowned for a moment, but she didn't say anything as the girl continued.

"I'll just let mother know you want the ride. It shouldn't take long to get the carriage ready."

The girl gave a little curtesy to them before heading back into the kitchen with the dishes. The old man smiled as he came over to their table now.

"I hope everything was to your liking ladies. The meal will be two gold and the carriage ride another three. I also might suggest some new clothing when you reach town. That is unless you want to be seen as beggers."

He gave a little chuckle at his own joke, as Bowsette reached into her little pouch. She pulled out her small collection of coins, surprised a little to find they had been turned to gold. She laid five coins on the table, waiting on Peach.

 

[Poprockz]

"I suppose I've been pretty sheltered," Peach joked, playing it off a little. A dragon? She hadn't heard of something like that, but maybe Bowsette had heard of this creature. Based on the teen's reaction, she imagined that they weren't creatures to be trifled with.

Peach also laid down five gold coins. She was tempted to leave six, just because of how delicious it had all been, but she knew that she would need every coin she had if she were to survive here in this strange new land. Perhaps one day she would return to this inn to give them the tip they truly deserved.

"Thank you, it was all extremely good. Hopefully I will be able to come back someday to taste that delicious stew again one day." She looked down at her dress. It was true, she probably looked like a pauper right now. Not that this was necessarily a bad thing, but she at least wanted some clothing that wouldn't show so much skin.