(A/N: So we really made it to Chapter 3. I can only wonder what's going to happen here. The best way to find out is to start this chapter!)
It was 5:00 a.m. in the Mushroom Kingdom. The sky was still dark, and there were still stars in the sky. Not many people are awake at this hour, except for maybe the guards who chose to work the graveyard shift at Mushroom Castle. Speaking of the castle, why don't we head on over there and check on Peach and the two Bonneters that are staying with her? Let's go!
In Mushroom Castle, Princess Peach was sound asleep in her bed, and Cappy and Tiara were also still asleep, but on the far side of the bed, with Tiara snuggling close to Cappy, which helped her to feel safe. The room was silent, save for the sounds of warm, soft slumber. The temptation is almost too much to bear...
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of Peach's alarm clock going off. The sound had Peach awake at once! She turned on the bedside lamp and looked at her alarm clock, realizing that it was now the time she had set it for.
"Oh, I guess it's already time to get up." Peach said as she shut off the alarm.
The sound also woke Cappy and Tiara. The siblings awoke with startled shouts and started looking around, wondering where they were. It didn't take them long to realize that they were in an unfamiliar place.
"Cappy, I have a feeling we're not in Bonneton anymore..." Tiara said nervously, looking around the room. (A/N: I had to make a "Wizard of Oz" reference! It was just too perfect!)
"Well, you should, because we're not. Don't you remember? After Bowser's defeat last night, we went to the Mushroom Kingdom." Cappy reminded her.
"And the two of you spent the night here with me, in my castle." Peach smiled.
"Oh yeah! Now I remember! We're safe!" Tiara cheered.
"That's right, Tiara." Peach replied as she got out of bed, slipped her feet into a pair of fluffy, light pink slippers, and started to make her bed, nice and neat. When that was done, she walked over to her closet. She rooted around in there for a bit before pulling out her pink suitcase.
"Here it is!" Peach smiled, carrying the suitcase to her bed.
"Peach, what are you doing?" Tiara asked when she saw the suitcase.
"Remember what I said last night, about going on a world tour to make up for that awful one we went on with Bowser?" Peach asked as she set the suitcase on her neatly-made bed and opened it. The suitcase was empty.
"Oh yeah! I remember that! You said we were going on it tomorrow, and now tomorrow is today!" Tiara said.
"That's exactly right, Tiara! Now that it's morning, we can get ready to go!" said Peach as she walked back to her closet and dresser and took out several outfits, some shoes to go with the outfits, a nightgown, and some clean unmentionables. Some of the clothes were already folded, and the ones that weren't folded she took care to fold as neatly as possible before packing them.
Cappy and Tiara hovered over the suitcase, watching as Peach carefully packed each item. That's when Tiara remembered something.
"Peach, don't you think we should also pack the Lochlady Dress, too?" Tiara asked, seeing the dress sitting on a chair nearby.
"Why do we need to pack it? I have no desire to wear it again." Peach replied.
"I know. But if we're visiting all those kingdoms again, I was thinking that maybe we could take it back to the kingdom it was stolen from." Tiara suggested, wondering what Peach would think.
Peach looked, saw the dress, and realized that Tiara was right. She had no intention of keeping the dress, but there wasn't really much she could do about the gloves and shoes she had been wearing with the dress when she got home.
"My goodness me, you're right, Tiara! I almost forgot that the Lochlady Dress was stolen and should be returned! Thank you so much for reminding me!" Peach said, giving the little Bonneter a quick hug before going over to the chair, picking up the dress, and packing it.
"You're welcome, Peach." Tiara said as Peach went to her bathroom to grab a few travel-sized bathroom items and put them in the suitcase. Then she went to her vanity table and picked up her make-up case, carefully placing it into the suitcase. She also unplugged the charger for her pink smartphone, placing that in the suitcase as well. Then she zipped the suitcase shut before putting her phone and digital camera in her purse.
"That packing didn't take long at all." said Cappy.
"I already had a rough idea of what outfits I'll need to bring on this world tour, and I had some travel-sized bathroom items that I never got to use on past vacations, thanks to rotten villains kidnapping me and ruining all my fun." Peach replied.
"What about an outfit to wear today?" Tiara asked.
Peach realized that she hadn't gotten dressed yet.
"Oh yeah. I really don't think I should set out in my bedtime attire." Peach replied, looking down at herself. She was clad in a pink satin nightgown and fluffy slippers. That really wasn't the best outfit to go touring in.
"It's too bad your dress, gloves, and shoes are still on Bowser's airship." Tiara said.
"Oh, you weren't clad in the Lochlady Dress the whole time, Peach?" Cappy asked.
"No, Cappy. When I met Peach, she was wearing a different outfit." Tiara answered her brother's question.
"That's right, Tiara. But don't worry; I have plenty of spare dresses, gloves, and shoes, like the ones I was wearing, just in case something like this happened." Peach said, going to her closet and pulling out a pink dress, a new pair of white gloves, and a new pair of red high heels.
"Wow! You thought ahead!" Tiara said, seeing what Peach had produced from the closet.
"You bet I did." Peach smiled as she slipped her feet out of her slippers, then, with the new items still in her hands, she walked behind a white linen screen in the corner of the room.
"You're not going to change in the bathroom, Peach?" Cappy asked. He knew that Mario hadn't minded changing his clothes in front of him, but then again, Mario was a man. He didn't care if people saw him change... unless he had to get completely naked first. Peach, on the other hand, was a princess, and from what Cappy knew, a proper princess.
"It's okay, Cappy. You can't really see me behind my white linen dressing screen, can you?" Peach asked as she threw her nightgown over the top before grabbing her corsets and putting them on.
"Well, I can see your silhouette, but that's about it." Cappy said.
"As long as you can't see my body, then it's okay." Peach said as she pulled her corset strings as tight as she could.
"I do wish Daisy was here. She's strong, and so she can pull my corset strings nice and tight. But as long as I can pull them tightly so that Mario can still span my waist with his hands, then that's okay." Peach thought, measuring her waist with her hands, finding it to be perfect before putting on her dress. Even though she had been mad last night, she still loved Mario.
"Are you okay, Peach?" Tiara asked, having seen that Peach appeared to be struggling behind that screen.
"Yes, Tiara. I'm fine." Peach replied as she slipped her feet into the new pair of red high heels. Then she pulled on her new gloves and stepped out from behind her screen.
"See, Cappy? That's how Peach is supposed to look." Tiara pointed out.
"Not exactly, Tiara. I haven't brushed my hair, applied my make-up, or put on my earrings and crown yet." Peach replied as she walked over to her vanity table and sat down in the chair placed before it. Once she was seated, she picked up her pink hairbrush and started brushing her long, silky golden tresses.
"So Peach, what do you think is going to happen to the clothes you were wearing when Bowser captured you?" Cappy asked.
"For all I know, Bowser is most likely going to keep them, since they have my smell on them." Peach said, running the brush through her hair.
"What if you want them back?" Tiara asked, seeing her reflection in the mirror of Peach's vanity.
"You know, I don't really know if I want them back. Not if Bowser's got them. Plus, if he does give them back, I might not be able to wear them ever again, on the off-chance he might have done something diabolical with them. You know, like soaked them in a love potion that would make me fall for him if I put them on!" Peach replied.
"Yuck!" Cappy and Tiara said, grossed out at the thought of Peach falling for Bowser.
By that time, her hair was done, so Peach gave the brush to Tiara, asking her to put it in the suitcase. While Tiara packed the brush, Peach looked over the make-up she didn't pack and figured out what to apply today. She chose some light pink lipstick and some soft pink eye-shadow. Cappy and Tiara watched as the princess skillfully applied her cosmetics.
"Peach...?" Tiara asked.
"Yes?" Peach asked as she peered critically at her reflection.
"How are we going to travel to those kingdoms? Are we taking the Odyssey to get to them, like Cappy did?" Tiara asked.
"No. I've got a transport airship that can take us to the different kingdoms." Peach promised.
"Okay." said Tiara. She had been wondering about how they were to travel. She didn't want Peach to walk and wear herself out. She was kind of hoping that if Peach wanted to use the Odyssey, she might want to ask Mario for permission, because that would mean they'd have to talk. But Tiara didn't dare mention his name because she felt that Peach was angry with the plumber who loved her.
"And now..." Peach said. She reached into her jewelry box and took out her blue earrings. She put them on, then went to her nightstand, and placed her crown on top of her head.
"There! Now how do I look?" Peach asked as she spun around before the Bonneter siblings.
"You look spectacular!" Tiara praised.
"She's right, you know." Cappy added, thinking, "I know I saw her in wedding attire yesterday, but Mario was right. Even in her normal attire, she is beautiful, or, as he said it, bellissima."
"Now we'll go?" Tiara asked.
"No, not yet. I'm going to need to eat some breakfast first. Not only is it the most important meal of the day, it's not exactly a good idea to start touring on an empty stomach." Peach replied as she opened the bedroom door, allowing Cappy and Tiara to leave the room before her. Then, with the door still open, Peach turned off the lamp, then left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.
Peach then made her way downstairs, to the kitchen. Since the cooks weren't awake yet, breakfast wasn't ready, but Peach knew that she wanted something quick and easy for breakfast, because if she had something quick, the tour could begin sooner. She quickly fixed herself some eggs and toast, and grabbed an apple from the fridge, and her beverage was a warm mug of tea with a spoonful of honey and a lemon wedge.
It didn't take long for Peach to finish her breakfast, and when she did, she quickly washed the dishes, then went back to her room to get her suitcase and purse.
Peach went over a mental checklist, making sure she had everything she needed.
"Okay, now we can go." Peach said, turning her gaze to the clock. By now it was 5:30.
"Where are we going first, Peach?" Tiara asked.
"Well, if Cappy wants to go back to Bonneton, we can take him with us and head over there first." Peach replied as they went outside.
"Cappy, do you want to go home?" Tiara asked.
"No. I think I'm going to stay here, just in case Mario shows up, looking for Peach. If he finds out that Peach is gone, I'm afraid he's going to think that he's the reason why she left." Cappy said.
"I don't know if you were supposed to mention the 'M' word in front of Peach." Tiara said to Cappy in a loud whisper that Peach heard.
"What? Why can't he mention Mario?" Peach asked.
"Aren't you mad at... You-Know-Who?" Tiara asked her. Even though she heard Peach mention Mario by name, Tiara was still nervous about bringing him up after what happened last night. She noticed how sad Mario looked, but she was afraid that Peach would actually be happy if she learned that he appeared to be feeling bad.
Peach sighed and said, "No. I'm not mad at him. I was, but now, I'm just... frustrated that he would go and do what he did, especially after all the crap Bowser put me through..."
"But he didn't really see how much you suffered... Perhaps if you had told him what you had been through..." Cappy said.
"I know... I should've, but I was afraid that if I did, he might do something that might cause me to say something... mean to him. Something I'm sure I'd regret. I may have been mad, but I didn't want to go that far." Peach said, feeling bad.
"Are you and him going to talk about this?" Cappy asked.
"Yes. But not right now. I need to... sort out my thoughts first. Please, Cappy." Peach said.
"Okay." said Cappy.
"So, you're going to be staying here?" Peach asked, making sure.
"Yes. But also because I was kind of hoping the fun Mario and I were having won't have to come to an end so soon. Maybe he wouldn't mind going back to all those places and having more fun." Cappy said.
"What?! You guys had fun while you were looking for us?! Aw, man! That's not fair! Boys have all the fun, and Bowser gives us girls nothing but pain and misery! What a jerk!" Tiara complained.
"Well, okay, we were having fun, but Mario spent most of his time being furious at Bowser and worried sick about Peach." Cappy added.
"He was worried sick about me?" Peach asked. She knew Mario's main concern was to rescue her from Bowser whenever she got grabbed, but she never knew just how much he worried about her.
"Well, yeah. He has more love for you in his little finger than Bowser has for you in his whole body. He told me this himself when Bowser stole that cake for the wedding." Cappy recalled.
"I would've been happy to bake a cake for the wedding, but Bowser wouldn't have any of that. I wanted to punch his miserable lights out for that." Peach said.
"Peach, are we going to go?" Tiara asked.
"Oh, right. I did say we were going to leave, didn't I?" Peach asked, feeling a little embarrassed that she forgot about leaving.
"You did." Tiara said.
"Last chance, Cappy. Do you want to go home, or stay put, waiting for Mario?" Peach asked.
"I'm staying right here in the Mushroom Kingdom to wait for Mario." Cappy said. He was the only one besides Peach and his sister who knew what was going on, and if he went home, Mario would never know what happened to Peach! He'd be out of his mind!
"Okay, then. Since you're not coming with us, perhaps Tiara won't mind if we make a quick stop in the kingdom of Sarasaland first?" Peach asked Tiara as they boarded the transport airship Peach spoke of.
"As long as I'm with you, Peach, I don't mind where we go." Tiara replied, and she was telling the truth.
"Great!" said Peach, and they were on their way to where it was they were going to go.
"Gotta remember to tell Mario about this. So keep in mind that the girls went to a place called 'Sarasaland'." Cappy said to himself as he flew to Peach's balcony. As he watched the transport ship take off, he called after it, "Bon voyage!"
"So... what's in Sarasaland that we need to see?" Tiara asked.
"A couple of people who can help me sort through my thoughts." Peach said.
"About last night?" Tiara asked.
"Yes. About last night, and everything that happened since we met." Peach replied.
The two talked about the things they had been through, and the things they were going to do on this tour, when suddenly, they found out that it was daylight, and they were in Sarasaland.
In the next chapter, Peach can finally begin to sort through her thoughts with a little help. Maybe then she'll want to work things out with Mario! Stay tuned!
