Peach's eyes burst open as sunshine fell from her window.

At first, she couldn't see much, but as her body slowly started up the bedroom was clearer. She stared with distaste at the pink paint-splattered wall.

Huh, she thought. When did we paint the walls such an ugly color?

Her eyes zeroed in on her bedspread. The silky material was a frothy shade of pink. So were her sheets. And when Peach got up and walked over to her mirror, she saw that her pajamas were pink and felt surprisingly appalled by it.

Sighing, she slipped off her pajamas, placed them in her light pink hamper, and put on her (pink) formal gown.

She trudged down the stairs, still in a morning daze. Everyone was already sitting for breakfast.

"Good morning, Princess Toadstool," chirped her assistant, Toad, from his corner chair. Peach nodded and smiled at him before seating herself at the other end of the table.

The maid set a stack of pancakes in front of her. The fluffy-looking cakes sat on a pink plate. Peach nearly gagged, but then she saw that the maid had a bright expression on her face, delighted she had remembered the princess' "favorite" (uck) color. Peach managed another tight-lipped grin and a thank you before she sliced into her pancakes.

"So," Peach said, forking a piece of syrupy pancake. "What is my schedule today?"

Toad cleared his throat. "Well, Princess, we've decided you've been working too hard on your big Anti-Bowser campaign and we've given you a day, um, off. From royal duties, I mean."

Peach smiled, for real this time. "Oh, yay! Thanks guys!" She shoveled in some pancake with her fork - which was silver, thank God.

"Although, we made sure Mario was available. He'll be here in an hour." Toad concluded.

Peach froze mid-chew. "Oh, God!" she exclaimed, shoving her plate away from her. "Well, I've got to look perfect!" She tore away from the table.

"Don't do anything you'll regret!" Toad called after her.

Peach stared in her closet.

Pink. Lots of it. Her set of formal gowns, party gowns, biker outfits, the too-short tennis dress which made Mario always stare at her (and in particular, her butt) when she wore it. Pink, pink, pink.

She sighed and closed the closet. She had nothing to make do with.

"Princess?" a voice peeped from the door. She knew that voice.

Peach jumped and threw the door open. "Mario!"

"Good morning, princess," Mario said.

"Did you bring Luigi?" she asked. The two brothers usually went everywhere together.

"Up here," a small voice called. She looked up.

Luigi dangled from a hole in the ceiling. "Hi, princess."

Peach looked at Mario.

"He got a propeller hat and thought he could fly through walls," Mario explained hastily. "Now let's go take a walk in the gardens."

"Hey!" Luigi yelled as the two retreated. "What about me?"

Peach blocked the sun from her eyes with her hand. Her parasol (which was pink of course, ugh) didn't help much.

"Here," Mario said, pulling something out of his pocket. "I got this for you." He held out a small pink flower.

She took it, wishing it didn't remind her so much of lemonade.

He frowned. "You don't seem too happy with it, Peach. What's wrong?"

The princess sighed. "Mario, I think I'm sick of pink."

Mario stared, horrified. "Wh… what?" He stumbled a bit as he walked.

"Crazy, huh?" Peach whispered, smiling weakly.

"Peach, you can't be sick of pink! That's your thing." Mario exclaimed.

"I know," she muttered. "What should I do? They throw a pink festival for me, for Toad's sake."

"Maybe you're not sick of pink. Maybe being a princess is too consistent for you, but you can't change that, so -"

"Don't go all physic on me now, Mario."

They were silent for a while.

"I need a change," Peach said finally.

Mario thought a moment. "Well, what do you want?"

"Huh?"

"You want something, I think. Not just a change from pink." He explained.

"I need a break," Peach said thoughtfully. "Away from Bowser and being a princess. I want to change."

"Maybe we should go someplace," Mario said. "Someplace without pink."

Peach laughed. "Yeah."

The clock struck midnight. The girl heard the pitter-pat of rocks against her window, and opened it. There stood her boyfriend, gesturing to her wildly. "Hurry!"

The girl slipped on her black coat, shivering in excitement.

This girl was Princess Peach. But a completely different Peach. Not Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, of course. Peach was a respectful, quiet girl. She'd never sneak away from the castle in the middle of the night.

Oh, no. This was an entirely different person. And as Peach dropped down from her window into Mario's waiting arms, she wondered what had happened to that princess.

The one who loved pink.