The Koopa Bros Fortress prison had been secretly evacuated and nobody told her. There were massive protests-turned-riots in Petalburg and nobody told her. She was about to leave the Mushroom Kingdom and she had been left completely in the dark about her own people.

She slapped Toadsworth in the face. “Why would I have gone to Isle Delfino if I knew there was chaos on the streets? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“M-my Princess, dear...” But Toadsworth didn’t have a clear answer to give her.

“Perhaps I’m not the ruler I thought I was,” she said.

“Oh, don’t say that, Princess...”

Bowsette jumped from the balcony and then stopped six inches from the ground, floating with her dress. She had a large backpack on behind her shell and her wings had sprouted briefly before she landed.

It was a mistake to ever help her, Peach realized. For the safety and stability of the Mushroom Kingdom, it was a mistake. Bringing to the castle and going to foreign lands this former despot was always going to unsettle the populace. And they didn’t even know about her yet. She was going to be leaving her kingdom in its time of greatest need, and she had to because it would otherwise mean the end of the entire Earth.

And because she cared too much.

It was so complicated, so confusing-- that is why she felt so suddenly unfit to be a ruler.

Peach crossed her arms. “You certainly took long enough.”

“Huh?” Bowsette tilted her head to the side.

“We have to leave before the workday starts or the press is sure to spot us.”

“Do I have to wear that stupid bodyguard outfit again?”

At this moment, the third member of the group, Toadette, arrived in her archivist outfit. It wasn’t THAT kind of adventure, but Peach hardly cared at this point.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Let’s go,” Peach said. “Toadsworth.. I expect you to report in all the kingdom’s dealings with me while I am gone. Twice daily, send letters to my P.O. boxes. Or else it will be the end of your career. Do you understand me?”

“I...I... Yes, m’lady.” His cap drooped down.

Bowsette laid her hand gently on her arm. “You okay?”

“Never better,” Peach lied.

“Should we... get to the underground entrance, then?”

“You know what?” Peach shot her head forward and began walking to the front door. “I’m not going to lie to my people anymore. I want them to know who I am as a ruler. Come on out with me Bowsette.”

Sure enough, as soon as they stepped outside there were reporters and protestors and supporters gathered all over the castle grounds; apparently the entrance gate had been broken down and her good-for-nothing guards had failed to stop the onslaught of people. This was the perfect time for those jailbroken Koopa Troop militia members to come in and try to wreak havoc, too.

But Peach felt far too upset with herself to care too much about that.

She grabbed Bowsette’s hand and forced her to step up to the castle entrance with her, where the two greeted these hundreds if not thousands of people. The ruckus quickly stopped as they realized what was going on.

“My dear Mushroom Kingdom citizens,” Peach began. “I have an announcement to make. I have made my pardon of Bowsette official, and she had accepted my gift of a royal power-up, the Super Crown. With equanimity I have decided that it will be best for our nation if we are to make peace with each other, not to fight. And that is my token of that.

“Because of an important and time-sensitive issue, Bowsette and I must go forth on a diplomatic mission and will be travelling within and without the Mushroom Kingdom for a brief period. All I can add to this is, if you are disappointed in me, then I apologize. If I am not the ruler you wanted, then I apologize. If you want me to reverse course on these decisions of mine, then I also apologize. It will not happen.”

The crowd was completely silent as Peach, Bowsette, and Toadette stepped into the Royale, Peach’s personal vehicle, and drove away from the castle grounds.

“Wow,” Bowsette said. She and Toadette were crammed together in the back seat. “World’s really going to shit, ain’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Also, didn’t know you could drive.”

“I’m a princess, not a mongrel. Of course I can drive.”

“Geez, it was a joke...”

“Maybe it’s not the best time for jokes, Bowsette.”

From the rear-view mirror, Peach saw Bowsette’s face turn red and her body slump over. Toadette was also pretending like she wasn’t listening so she didn’t have to get involved in the conversation.

They stayed quiet the rest of their trip. It was a very long way to Whomp’s Fortress, however.