Peach and the Garlicshrooms (WIP Preview)

   In the grand hall of Peach’s castle, the Toads scurried about to take care of their daily tasks of up keeping the regal structure up to its high standards. A bright, sunny day complimented the work out in the gardens and filled the corridors with a pleasant refreshing breeze. At the center of all this hustle and bustle, the princess herself could be found taking part in one of her favorite hobbies to congratulate the Toads on a job well-done.

   Moving about the kitchen with serene grace, Princess Peach put on the finishing touches to her cake. Her long blonde hair waved about as she walked, the glittering gold crown on her head perfectly perched to show off her regality. The pink dress she so favored was free of any stains or marks, owing to her skills in the kitchen. Taking a moment to make sure no icing had been left on her gloves and the blue brooch on her chest was free of crumbs, she stepped back from the cake to appreciate her handiwork.

   “Princess! Princess!” a Toad shouted as he ran into the kitchen.

   “What is it?” she asked, crouching down to meet him eye level. “Is Bowser attacking again?”

   “No. This weird box fell out of the sky and landed in front of the castle. You’d better come take a look.”

   Lifting up the hem of her skirt, Peach clacked her heels against the ground as she followed him. Reaching the entrance of the castle, she could see a gaggle of Toads surrounding a large metal storage container. The box was painted an obnoxious shade of yellow, looking like it was made from the cheapest materials available. Daring to approach the container, Peach took notice of the purple W emblem painted on the side. The insignia seemed familiar, but it was hard to recall who it belonged to with the constant sound of worried Toads running about.

   “It’s alright, it’s alright,” Peach said in an attempt to calm them down. “Let’s take a look at what’s inside.”

   Reaching out towards the handle, Peach opened up the door and was flung backwards several inches. Thankful for the group of Toads that caught her fall, she stood back up to survey the pile of mushrooms that had spilled out. Each one of the mushrooms’ caps were twisted into the shape of a garlic bulb that permeated with a powerfully off-putting odor. Walking towards the pile, Peach picked one of the heads-sized mushrooms to be met with a set of conniving eyes located on its stem.

   Rolling the strange fungus around in her hands, she tried to ascertain if she had seen anything like it. Knowledgeable in how similar mushrooms had aided her beloved Mario in his adventures, she held it up to her face to try and deduct what its effects were. At a loss for what the possible powers the garlicshroom would bestow, she opened her mouth and took a cautions bite.

   As she should have expected, her tongue was enveloped by the strong taste of garlic. She grimaced as she chewed around the meager amount, constantly surprised at the sheer power of each slide against her taste buds. Managing to swallowed the unsavory meal, she forced herself to take another bite in hopes of discovering why someone would make such an unappealing mushroom.

   Upon sinking her teeth into the garlicshroom a second time, her mouth lit up with a strange craving. Whether it was that her taste buds were burnt out by her first bite or it was an acquired taste, as soon as the second helping was swallowed she went in for another bite. Fingers gripping into the bulb, she went at the mushroom with unknown hunger. Each bite was more savory than the last, her growing adoration for the taste of garlic making her ignore several drops of drool fall from her chin.

   Peach’s trance-like state came to a stop as he swallowed the last piece. Wiping stray bits of mushroom from her face, she went wide-eyed at the expression of shock on the Toad’s faces. Her attempts to regain her regal appearance were hindered by a bulge in her mid-section and a gurgling noise. Trying to press back her food baby with her fingers sent a gas bubble rolling up her throat to part her pink lips with a loud BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRP.

   “Oh, excuse me,” Peach said, dabbing her face with a handkerchief. “I guess I was a little UUURRRP hungrier than I though.”

   “Are you feeling okay, Princess?” a Toad asked.

   Peach clutched her gut as she felt another series of gas bubbles roll around her digestive tract. “Y-yes, I just need a moment to sit down. I’ll be in the throne room in-case you need me.”

   Giving a viable excuse, Peach kept herself at a slow walk as she made her way back into the castle. As soon as the doors closed behind her, she broke into a sprint towards her throne room. Holding onto her mid-section, she clenched her teeth as she tried to hold back the storm brewing inside of her. Reaching her throne room, she made sure that no one else was around and ran straight towards her chair.

   Sitting down to massage her bloated belly, she could feel the rising pressure reaching its limit. Unable to hold back any longer, the gas came out in the form of a high-pitched fart that billowed the hem of her dress. Reeling from the noxious cloud that surrounded her, any efforts to wave away the foul air only further disturbed her digestion.

   Writhing in her seat, Peach let loose a relentless cacophony of burps and farts. Each expulsion was worse than the last, imbedding in her a deep regret for ever having set her sights on the mushrooms. Through the aid of a particularly gnarly belch, she got to re-taste the accursed garlicshroom as it rolled across her tongue. As the last of the burp petered out, she was unable to hide from herself how much she still craved the flavor.

   A knock on the throne room door sent a shiver down Peach’s spine. Flapping around her arms like and overactive Paratroopa, she attempted to disperse her gas cloud. With the knocking becoming rapider with each passing second, she hurried to make herself presentable. Holding her hands gently across her distended gut to avoid further disturbing it, she tried to hide it as best as possible as she cleared her throat. “Come in!” she announced, stifling a belch.

   “Princess?” a Toad asked as he came in. “Are you feeling alright? A bunch of us were really worried that-“

   The Toad stopped mid-sentence, wincing at a lingering scent. “What’s that smell?”

   “Umm, nothing. Just some old food I forgot to throw out from the kitchen,” Peach said, attempting to hide her shame with a slight laugh.

   “Well where is it? I’d be more than happy to throw it out alongside those mushrooms we found.”

   Peach’s eyes went wide. “Why would you throw those out?”

   “We don’t know where they came from. Not to mention, they didn’t seem to agree with you too well.”

   “I still think we should hold onto them,” Peach said, her rising appetite for the garlicshrooms answering for her. “Whoever lost them might come looking for them. Besides, they might have some other effects we don’t know about. Just bring them to the kitchen. I’ll take care of them.”

   “Yes Princess,” the Toad said, starting to scurry off. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he added, turning on his heels. “We just received a gift from Mario he sent from his latest adventure. It’s a chest filled with gold and treasure.”

   A strange glint shined in Peach’s eyes. “You don’t say?” she asked, stopping her façade of hiding her gut as she leaned forward in her seat.

   “Yes. It should be great for helping out with expenses around here. Would you like to me to toss it in the treasury?”

   “Actually,” Peach said, getting up from her seat. “I would like to take a look at it in-person. You can go ahead and bring it to my room. I want to enjoy-I mean, appraise it so it can be used to the best of its abilities.”

   “Right away,” the Toad replied, scurrying off to meet her demands.

   Left alone again, a malicious smile spread across Peach’s face. Making her way back to her throne, she let herself spread out on her seat and let her gut sink between her lap. Pushing out one last sputtering fart, the smell did little to dampen her mood as she counted up her new wealth of treasure and food.