Peach had never baked so furiously in her life. Used bowls and whisks covered in batter were left haphazardly on the countertops, along with half-opened bags of flour, sugar, and the like. Every oven in the vicinity was on, some with red-hot cakes or pies in them, others just left on in her haste. At least she could attribute her reddened cheeks to the heat of the kitchen.

An oven timer angrily beeped at her, and Peach rushed over and pulled out a tray of cookies. She set them next to dozens of other desserts that were left out to cool, then hurried onto the next bowl of batter she had been interrupted from mixing. She certainly could have used an electric mixer, but she grabbed a thick wooden spoon and took up the task herself.

She put all her energy and focus into blending the wet and dry ingredients used in her spiced vanilla cake together. Tiny beads of sweat formed on her brow, but she didn't stop. If she did, her mind might begin to wander. Despite her best efforts, it did anyway.

Shortly after their mutual agreement to be friends, Bowser had left her under the guise of going to find Kamek and the Koopalings. Peach had then immediately thrown herself into baking, trying to erase the embarrassing memories she'd created for herself.

What had she been thinking, touching his hand like that? Bowser had just looked so miserable when he mentioned the story behind the curse, and she just… Gah! What was wrong with her? No wonder Mario thought she was seriously interested in him, she had no boundaries!

Peach groaned as another timer went off, and she saw the corresponding batch of cupcakes was severely burnt. She waved her hand in front of her face to dispel the smoke billowing out of the oven, and she couldn't help but think the smell reminded her of…

"Ah!" Peach yelped as her exposed wrist grazed the oven door. She yanked her hands back, hurried over to the large dual sink and ripped her oven mitts off, then ran her wrist under cold water.

"Ow, ow, ow…" she winced as the singed skin turned a furious red. She muttered incoherently under her breath, frustrated with herself for being so careless; she'd been around ovens more times than she could count!

She touched the tender skin lightly, and suddenly remembered Bowser's arm injury. More specifically, she remembered how she'd healed it with her white magic. She bit the inside of her cheek, contemplating if she could repeat that on herself. She figured it wouldn't be difficult, since this was so minor compared to before, but that had been the first time she'd outright used her magic to heal.

Peach supposed it wouldn't hurt to try, so she took her other hand and pressed it on the burn. She flinched at the pain, but focused instead on calming her mind and controlling her white magic. It took only a moment for the tingles to reach her wrist, and she immediately felt the skin begin to cool and mend. She slowly lifted her hand and saw her wrist was good as new. She grinned as she held up her arm, turning it around so she could check her work.

I was actually pretty impressed with your magic, Bowser's words echoed in her mind. Peach abruptly let her arm fall back to her side, and she returned to the still-smoking oven. After she tossed the batch of ruined cupcakes and safely turned off the oven, she finally paused in her mad baking marathon and sat at the barstools once more. She swiped the perspiration off her forehead and leaned back onto the counter with her elbows.

Her mind circled back to her conversation with Bowser. She knew he had felt uncomfortable answering her questions, so she was happily surprised by the answers she'd gotten. The more she learned about Bowser, the more she felt that there was something about him that wasn't there before.

True, Bowser wasn't exactly a prince charming or a humble hero like Mario, but she saw there was genuine good in him. She desperately wished that the curse was broken so that his people could be free, and everyone (including herself) could remember who they were. It was difficult to speculate who the King of the Koopas truly was before he vanished, but Peach felt she was piecing that story together a little bit at a time on her own.

She glanced down at her wrist once more, and felt a rush of elation. Ever since she started this new chapter in her life, she had accomplished so much more than she thought she was capable of. She'd pushed herself, and proven she was brave and powerful in her own way. And Bowser, shockingly, had been one of her biggest supporters (and the catalyst for such events, but Peach firmly decided that was all in the past).

I guarantee you'd be a great warrior, she recalled his statement with a small smile. Back then, it had felt like flattery, but now she realized he had been genuine, and that she desperately wanted to believe him. Another timer went off and Peach pulled herself to her feet, then heaved several layers of chocolate cake out of the oven to cool. As she began the task of organizing and decorating the dozens of desserts she'd prepared, she found she still couldn't get Bowser out of her mind.

Had his offer to train her in the art of self-defense been genuine, too? Back then, his proposition had been so quick to come (and then inconveniently interrupted by the Koopalings). She again felt that same stirring deep within her, an excitement to take him up on his offer. As silly as it sounded, Bowser believed in her, and that made her want to believe in herself.

That was how Peach found herself in front of the doors to Bowser's study, a sturdy three-tier chocolate lava cake in her hands. She quickly knocked before she could change her mind and adjusted her grip on the tray holding the cake. A moment later, Bowser's voice floated through the door.

"Yes?" he said gruffly.

Peach bit her lip, was she interrupting something? Did he not want her near his study again? "I-It's Peach, I've baked a cake for you," she said.

The frantic shuffling of papers and the sound of a chair scraping the floor could be heard. Bowser's thunderous footsteps swiftly made their way to the door. A half-second later the door cracked open and Bowser's head popped out.

"Peach?" he said, his tone full of disbelief.

"Hello," she chirped. She probably would have given him a small wave, too, had it not been for the load she was carrying. They both stood there for a long, silent moment, neither of them moving (or blinking… or breathing).

"W-would you like to come in?" Bowser snapped out of his daze first, and swung the door open inwards with a flourishing wave of his arm. Peach nodded and stepped inside, glancing around for a place to put the cake.

Bowser noticed and reached out. "Here, let me. I know it's still a mess in here, sorry." He took the tray out of her hands, and Peach swore that she felt sparks jump across her skin when their hands brushed. Bowser shoved aside a stack of papers off his desk and plopped the cake down unceremoniously.

Peach stooped to pick up the fallen papers, and didn't even realize Bowser was doing the same. They reached for the same document, and their hands touched again. Peach felt her cheeks burn and she abruptly pulled back. Bowser cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Well, uh, thank you for the cake. Is it chocolate? That's my favorite," he said as he placed the messy pile of papers back onto another corner of his desk.

"Really? I just picked chocolate because it's my favorite," Peach replied. She held her hands in front of her, hoping the strands of hair falling over her shoulders were hiding at least some of her blush. She avoided Bowser's gaze and looked around the room.

Bowser was correct when he said it was still a mess, but it was a different sort of mess than before. The furniture was all back in its proper place, and it appeared to have undergone some magical refurbishment, as the claw marks and burnt sections were replaced and looked good as new. The clutter on the floor had been neatly stowed away, but what had not changed was the massive amount of papers and documents covering all the tables and desks. These papers, however, looked newer and Peach could make out some blueprints and schematics among them. The only things that stood out among them were a fist-sized crystal orb and of course, Bowser's fire flower.

"Would you like a slice?" Bowser asked, forcing Peach to look back at him. He too, looked flustered, even– dare she say– shy.

Peach smiled politely and shook her head. "No, thank you. I've made more than enough sweets for the whole castle to enjoy. Actually… I came here to ask you something."

"Oh?" Bowser perked up at this.

"Yes… I…" she trailed off, tightening her grip on her hands. Oh for Stars' sake, just spit it out! "Were you serious when you offered to train me?"

Bowser's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah, of course! Did you want to..?"

"Yes, I would like to learn how to defend myself." She stood taller, a determined glint in her eye. Bowser smirked at her.

"Alright then, you've got yourself a deal."

The palace gardens were, unsurprisingly, a great place to set up a training course. Kamek was able to quickly conjure up a platform-style course, with automated piranha plants, swinging arms of fake fireballs, and a few inflatable bullet bills. Peach observed the course being put together with great interest. It was nearly identical to the ones she had back home, the ones Mario (and occasionally Luigi) used to practice.

She and Bowser stood side-by-side with crossed arms, watching as the pieces came together in a glowing purple blur. Kamek seemed to genuinely enjoy the task, adding several challenging obstacles that Peach was sure Toadsworth would have fretted over. Peach, however, was eager for the challenge and appreciated that neither Kamek nor Bowser was looking to hold back.

"I believe it's finally ready," Kamek said as he levitated down next to them, blowing off the tip of his wand.

"Alright Peach, you got this!" Wendy called from the makeshift bleachers behind them while the other Koopalings cheered and whooped. Peach giggled at their enthusiasm. The moment they had found out (via babysitter Kamek) what was going on, they had all rushed outside to root for her. Bowser chuckled too, and nudged Peach's shoulder with his elbow.

"I guess that means you're up," he leaned over and whispered in her ear. Peach felt her heart flutter, but she quickly accredited it to the nerves and pressure of running this course with everyone watching.

She exhaled a long, calming breath before stepping up to the beginning of the course. The moving obstacles seemed to crawl into slow motion as she took off in a quick sprint. She hadn't bothered changing out of her dress and heels (though she sported some breathable leggings under her power-blue skirt just for comfort), so every step across the brick was accentuated with a sharp click.

Her path began with some simple parkour, and she easily flew over hurdles and used the side walls to hop off of and accelerate onto the next level. Now, she was higher up, and a misstep could definitely lead to some bruising. She clutched her skirt in hand and ducked as a sweeping arm of fake fireballs came at her. Then, she sidestepped an inflatable bullet bill as it soared past her. Her heart rate was picking up, and she found she was reacting on instinct and reflexes now as she came up to the next round of obstacles.

She focused her line of sight on the set of mechanical piranha plants coming up. She knew her timing had to be perfect, so she didn't hesitate to vault herself up onto the first empty green pipe, then proceed down the line just as they would've come nipping at her heels. The end of this level was rapidly coming up, so she waited until the last piranha plant was about to pop up, then used its momentum to launch herself upwards once more.

"YES, GO PEACH, GO!" a loud voice cried. She couldn't tell if it was Morton or Roy or it might have even been Bowser, but she couldn't break her concentration to see which.

This next level was short, though Peach could see it wasn't the end just yet. Suddenly, a half a dozen inflatable bullet bills came hurtling towards her, and Peach immediately recognized her new path. She hopped up off the brick walkway and lightly went from bullet to bullet, not once breaking her stride. She could see the final stretch now, the end marked with a pink flag. Peach narrowed her gaze and braced herself for the fall. She sprung off of the last bullet bill, then used her skirt like a make-shift parachute, gracefully floating towards the top of the flagpole. She landed with an acrobat-worthy pose, clutching the pink fabric in her hand.

And just like that, it was over. Peach gasped for breath as her adrenaline faded, and she propped her hands on her hips, a wide smile on her face. She turned to face her audience, who immediately broke out into thunderous applause.

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Morton hollered. Iggy stuck his two pointer fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply.

Peach beamed from their praise. She had actually done it! She stepped off the level and floated down to the ground, where Bowser was there to meet her. He watched her land with a smug look.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you had been training long before this," he remarked.

Peach smiled up at him playfully. "I said I didn't know how to fight. I never said I wasn't athletic. How else do you think I can play all those sports I've mentioned?"

Bowser threw his head back and laughed, "Alright, I'll give you that, but you were amazing regardless! That wasn't some beginner's course, and you got it on your first try!"

Peach felt a swell of emotions in her chest. "You know, I don't think I've ever heard you laugh before."

Bowser threw her a crooked grin. "Well, now you have."

"King Dad, can I have a turn?" Larry asked, bouncing excitedly in his seat. The other Koopalings then immediately launched into a fierce debate on who should go first on the training course.

"Woah, woah, cool your shells, brat-pack," Bowser waved his arms in a downward motion. "You kids are way too young to be doing something like that."

A collective round of "awwws" was their reply. Peach understood their disappointment. Although this set-up was for training, she found she had rather liked the challenge (and the feelings of pride and accomplishment that came with completing it). In all honesty, she still couldn't believe that she had just done that, but by tapping into her athleticism and trusting her reflexes, the training had just come so naturally. Peach wished Toadsworth and Mario could have seen her.

"C'mon, don't make those big Yoshi eyes at me!" Bowser pleaded. Peach saw the Koopalings all trying their best to win over their father with pleading looks. "Alright, look, I can't let you onto that training course," he said. The Koopalings all "awwwed" once more.

Bowser held up a pointer claw to silence them. "But, there is something else we can all do. I was going to wait to tell you when it was finished…" Now, he had their full attention, Peach's included. Bowser held his hands behind his back and straightened up, looking the part of a proud professional. "I have been designing a go-kart racing track that will go through the castle."

The Koopalings, for once, were stunned silent (Peach and Bowser thought their slack-jawed expressions were priceless). After a moment, however, Peach plugged her fingers in her ears as their excited screams pierced the midday air.

"NO WAY, go-kart racing? In the castle?" Iggy exclaimed.

"King Dad, you're da best!" Roy nodded at his father.

"This is, like, the greatest idea you've ever had!" Wendy clapped her hands.

"I concur, this is indubitably the most exceptional concept you have ever put into motion," Ludwig added.

Peach smiled at their exuberance. "I guess my talk of go-karting really interested them."

"Well, who says it was for them? Maybe I wanted to do some go-karting again," Bowser smirked. The Koopalings all protested vehemently. "Relax brat-pack, I'm joking."

'Again?' Peach thought. She had never heard of go-kart racing in the Koopa Territories. No, they're technically the Darklands, she reminded herself, even if nobody but us remembers that. Perhaps go-kart racing had been a part of Koopa culture a decade ago?

"When will it be done, King Dad? Can I help?" Iggy offered, that mad inventor's look in his eye again.

"Uhhh, I think I've got it covered, especially if we want this to stay safe," Bowser said, the tiniest measure of fear in his voice. Iggy crossed his arms and pouted. "The design is pretty much finished, anyways, buddy. All that's left is to create it."

"Well, can we help with that?" Iggy pressed.

"Actually, I've got another task for you guys, and Princess Peach, too," he glanced over at Peach with a small smile. "We've all got to make our own go-karts."

"YES!" Lemmy suddenly shrieked. His siblings all looked at him in surprise at his unexpected enthusiasm, but they certainly couldn't disagree with him.

"C'mon guys, we gotta get started right now!" Roy pumped his fist in the air, beckoning his siblings to join him. The Koopalings all rushed back into the castle, presumably to start their designs.

Kamek sighed. "I suppose that's my queue to go and supervise their activity." He bowed to both royals. "I bid you adieu, and congratulations again on your victory, Princess Peach."

"Thank you," Peach nodded as Kamek disappeared, leaving her and Bowser alone once more.

"I suppose I should get started on my go-kart, too, eh?" Peach said to him.

"Wait, wait, can I talk to you for a minute before you go?" Bowser reached out as she turned to leave and gently tugged on her dress sleeve.

"Of course, what did you want to talk about?"

A slow grin spread across his muzzle. "I told ya so."

"Pardon?" Peach raised an eyebrow.

"You beat those levels without hardly breaking a sweat. You, my dear, are a natural-born fighter, and I told ya so." Bowser crossed his arms and shot her a look that was equal parts proud and smug.

Peach felt her face grow warm again. "Oh please, that wasn't fighting. That was just me running an obstacle course," she looked away bashfully.

"Pssh, don't be so modest! Sure, you didn't do any hand-to-hand combat, but what you just did is what makes up more than half of my soldiers' training regimen." Bowser tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Of course, I'm sure you can do even better, and I'd also like to teach you how to master a weapon of your choice, but this is more than a great start."

"Thank you," Peach bowed her head. "I never really knew what I was capable of."

"Well, I knew from the moment I saw you outrun those chain-chomps that you had potential; those metal buggers were only able to stop you once they had you cornered," Bowser noted.

Peach shuddered at the memory. "A weapon would have been really nice in that situation."

"Which is exactly why you need to learn how to use one. Have you ever thought about what you'd wield if you could?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. Mario has always been my secret weapon," Peach said with a shrug.

Bowser's muzzle crinkled up at the mention of Mario. "What's that guy's deal anyway? He sounds overbearing, always taking charge when you're the princess. He shouldn't let his status as a 'hero' go to his head."

Peach rolled her eyes. "Mario's not overbearing. Alright, he might be a little overconfident, but he's just the most capable one when trouble heads towards the Mushroom Kingdom, and he is always willing to help me when I need him."

"Sounds like you like him," Bowser grumbled and crossed his arms once again.

Peach tilted her head to one side. "Sure, I like Mario, he's a nice guy."

"The way you describe him in action, I think I'd hate him if we ever met," Bowser snarked.

Peach sighed. "I promise you he's not a bad guy."

"Oh, I believe you. I just think he needs to be taken down a peg or two so that you can shine."

Peach couldn't deny that she was flattered by Bowser's statement, maybe even a little intrigued. "Well, enough about Mario, what weapon do you think I should train with? What do you like to use?"

Bowser shrugged. "I don't really use weapons– I am a weapon." Peach couldn't deny that. "But, if you want my opinion, I think you should go for something small and discreet. A secret weapon, just like you." He winked at her.

Peach giggled. "So, what? Something I could hide in my skirts?"

Bowser suddenly coughed on a thick plume of smoke and turned away. Peach watched him with concern and waited until he turned back. His eyes were watering, and he cleared his throat heavily. "N-no, nothing quite like that. I was thinking more like… a piece of jewelry that doubles as a weapon, or maybe something that you carry around a lot and could be disguised as one?"

Peach hummed and fiddled with a piece of blonde hair. "I didn't have one with me when I came here, but I often bring a parasol with me when I go out."

"A parasol? That might just be perfect." Peach could see the gears turning in Bowser's head. "I'll get together with Kamek and brainstorm. We'll make you a parasol so formidable that not even your little Mario could get past it."

Peach smiled. "I look forward to it."

Bowser stopped and scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I guess I'd better let you get to making your go-kart for the big race now."

"Oh, that was such a sweet idea. I thought the Koopalings were just going to explode from excitement right then and there!"

Bowser chuckled. "Yeah, they were pretty happy, weren't they?"

"You know, you can be a real brute sometimes, but you're still a good dad to them," Peach remarked, looking at him softly.

Bowser shot her a saucy glance. "Well, you're not so bad with them yourself. They never shut up about you nowadays. I almost feel like I've been replaced."

"That could never happen, they really look up to you!" Peach insisted. Bowser faced her, and his eyes were so large and gentle that Peach felt her breath slip away.

"Well, they adore you," he whispered hoarsely.

Peach found her tongue would not work, so she said nothing. Her heart, however, was thumping against her rib cage so loudly she wondered if Bowser could hear it. He smiled softly at her.

"I've got to work on my go-kart, too, so I'll see you later," he said.

Peach blinked rapidly. "Y-Yes, I'll see you later."

As he sauntered away, Peach wondered why she couldn't get her heart to slow down. Or why she felt disappointed that he was gone.