Professor Chops was nearly asleep by this point, but Bowser was at his most attentive. His life was on the line, here. Not that he cared, but he was genuinely interested in hearing all of the horrible crimes he had committed over the years.

It appeared as though he had done more to help the Mushroom Kingdom in the end than harm it, from the way that they presented all of this.

“...as you can see in chart four,” some Toad with glasses and a purple cap said. “The damage caused by Bowser’s attack forced us to provide significant upgrades to the Perplex Expressway as well as the Star Express, including track electrification and safety measure improvements. That was a significant detriment to our National Debt in that fiscal year and was not covered by insurance, so --”

Bowser raised his hand. Everyone stopped.

“Yes?” Judge Toad, wearing a cap-shaped wig on her head, asked.

“Can I use the bathroom?” he asked.

“No!” Judge Toad shouted. “Criminals don’t get to go to the bathroom during their trials!”

“Then can I get a verdict?”

“Uhh...” Judge Toad rapidly flipped through the giant code of laws to see if the right to a fair and speedy trial was still on the books. “Yeah, I guess so if you want it. It’s gonna be guilty though.”

“Whatever.”

“Okay.” The Judge Toad slammed her gavel down. “Bowser is found guilty on all four thousand one hundred and thirty counts. Sentenced to death by firing squad.”

The crowd gasped, but Bowser shrugged. What, it’s not like they were going to exile him to Fliprus Lake to go rot in some frozen wasteland the rest of his life. He was too much of a risk to them, even if unbeknownst to most of them, his magical energy had been completely sapped away by the Mushroom Souls and had yet to return in any form. So execution was about what he expected.

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Bowser stood up as two Toad Guardsmen walked up beside him, ready to escort him out of the building and back to the prison where he would await his final day on Earth. The crowd went into an upracious cheer, chanting and chiding this evil Koopa for all the terrible crimes he committed.

That was okay.

Such was life. Six months ago he was abdicating his throne out of a feeling of frustrated dissatisfaction. Three months ago he was ruling over the Mushroom Kingdom with a feeling of frustrated dissatisfaction. Today he was being sentenced to death with a feeling of frustrated dissatisfaction.

But then--

Something happened. Peach, sitting in an inconspicuous corner of the courtroom, stood up and walked up to the judge. Everyone was completely confused as to what was going on. She had never attended a public trial before, not in her life, not even when her uncle the traitorous Toadius Toadstool had been captured.

“I have something to say, something to decree,” Peach said, everyone waiting on her word with baited breath. "We can’t let the past rule our future. We can’t allow ourselves to see the world set in stone. Except for you Whomps, don’t worry about you. But Bowser here, in the time I have known him... has changed. Everyone remembers his first attacks against the Mushroom Kingdom. He transformed everyone into blocks and plants and coins... He took over our castles and ruled with an iron fist. It was evil, and it was wrong. But we defeated him.

“But he’s changed from that. Improved, gotten better. You may not believe it, but Bowser has slowly become a better person. With true rehabilitation, he could become a genuinely good person someday. Sentencing him to death will only enraged Dark Land and create another Bowser to one day terrorize our kingdom again. Do we really want that?”

The crowd was silent.

Then Peach pulled out... a Super Crown. Another one.

What the Brighton was going on? Had she really... Was she really going to...

“In my private time with Bowser, I have discovered that redemption may really be possible. And it is for that reason... that I pardon King Koopa, Ruler of the Lava Pits, Heir to the Ancient Koopamancer, and as a token of peace give this present--”

And then a giant tank burst into the courtroom.