Downfall of the Mushroom Kingdom

by geddiknight

As it feels like the worst is behind her, Now-Queen Peach resumes rule of the Mushroom Kingdom. Sadly, due to the costs of having upheld the Ultimate DoubleDash Tournament, everything seems to only be getting worse. With Rates of Violence reaching new highs and rates of approval dropping by the day, can Queen Peach handle her self-inflicted destruction? (Now rated M)

5. The Mental Health Issue

Downfall of the Mushroom Kingdom

The Mental Health Issue

A/N: All major sides of the morning after have been accounted for. Now resumes the side in the eyes of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Another special note about this chapter is that involves a lot of time involving the landscape of the real world and a certain someone's adaptation to how things are here. While there is still a blend of Canon and OC interaction, the landscape described is based off of real-life land and not portrayed / made-up. Also, as said in the chapter's name, this is quite a heavy chapter for some people. Proceed with care.

(In the Narrator's Perspective):

Queen Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom had left the Mushroom Yards entrance full of paranoia and self-doubt. Along with Mario and her other remaining Toad allies, they swiftly returned back to the castle which led to a quick dismissal of the Toads' service. Mario was the only one to travel with Peach all the way up to the top floor of the castle, where there, she spent the next few hours of the day. The panic, paranoia, and a feel of lack of safety around her bothered her mind, leaving her mentally bed-ridden. She didn't want to go anywhere and she didn't want Mario to go anywhere either. The proposed 'talk' with the land was imminent and there were Toad castle guards working on behalf of media teams waiting for her call. There was one room a few floors down which had cameras ready for her entrance and her speech. The thought of it was on her mind, yet after the effects of today leaving her shy for attention she was unsure whether she was mentally fit for an announcement tonight. Mario remained by her side, with the thought of it in his mind as well, but he wasn't sure if it was worth reminding her about it.

"Do you have any idea what you're going to talk to the people about?" Mario was sitting at the end of her gigantic bed, wondering what was going through her head. All he got back from her was a headshake. She was clueless. She needed Daisy, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen or heard of. The last thing she remembered her doing was anything to do with helping out with the wealth redistribution. Thinking about it now, it was a relief that someone else didn't end up winning the tournament, as they'd be so rich that they'd be a target for murder or ransoming. Mario and Peach thought alike on that sense, but having the money here was still an issue. Peach didn't understand the importance of money very well. She didn't think that it was that useful being as wealthy and as royal as she was. In the grand scheme of things, it matters most to those who don't have it, and those who could use it to better their own lives. Money can't however, buy a cure for the confusion and danger she feels like she's in all this time, and while she thought things were bad before, they're only getting worse now.

"I'm actually lost for words. Everyone hates me now." She finally spoke, grabbing Mario's eyes and ears. He had his shoes off, and decided to crawl across the bed to get closer to her. Peach was already wrapped under the duvet and in her night-time wear and she didn't feel like getting out of bed either. Mario noticed that with the clothes she was wearing, she didn't appear fit to send the announcement out.

"I still think you need to put one of your plump dresses on and send that message. Not everyone hates you, and if you do send this message out, perhaps less people will-a hate you." Mario tried to comfort her. "I am willing to help you if you need anything. That's what I'm here for." Peach said nothing afterwards, but Mario knew from the look on her face that she was in deep thought. Hopefully it was her getting some sort of motivation to get out of bed and speak to the public. Mario still wasn't changed into his castle-exclusive night-time wear and it didn't look like he was going to anytime soon. Peach saw the dedication in him. She saw a man who would always be willing to stand by her side and support her with her troubles. This is what she needed him for, and he is actually here. No letdowns like the other humans on her mind.

"Alright. I need to see Daisy beforehand. I'm probably late, but I will at least be there tonight."

"Better late than never." Mario agreed with her, getting off of the bed and waiting for her. A dress was already prepared for her at the end of the bed by him. Once she got that on, the Toads on the floor below will be willing to follow her to the studio room. Hopefully Daisy was somewhere on the way there.

"I feel like everything that I'm going to say tonight will put them all off. I'm basically going to tell them that they can't be at peace until further notice, but that's just how it is." She sighed, getting herself changed.

"You can't think or speak like that, my Queen." Mario massaged her as she got her dress on. "It's not quite lying, but you have to let them think that things will be fine. When the people are not in fear, they are not in doubt. When they are not in doubt, then in you, they trust. They always have, and they always will. We've gone through better times, and they will go through them again." She smiled back at him. "Think of it like this, we're already halfway there." Mario tried his best to reassure her. He hoped it would be enough.

Heading out of the bedroom quarters, Peach was met with a few castle-guards ready for her orders. She instructed them that they were heading to floor seventeen: the upper storehouses. This was where her miniature studio was set up for her to have the cameras ready for her announcement. Few were invited into the castle tonight, but those few represented millions. To her amazement, this floor was where she found Daisy, and thrilling her amazement with more excitement, she saw her talking in front of many cameras.

"...where eighty thousand will be going to each sector of the northeastern area. There are many coming back on those trains and our Brigade and Patrol reserves in these towns are skilfully and mentally trained for the challenge ahead. Fear not, the Mushroom Kingdom is a welcoming yet merciful kingdom." She noticed Peach's arrival in the room. "For now, we will take a short break. Stay tuned, for the Queen will be here to address her statement on current affairs!" Daisy gave a nod to the cameras.

"We've gone into a break." One of the cameramen called out. Daisy quickly leapt over to Peach.

"We've got millions watching. I can only guarantee to you that they're going to love our redistribution plan. The money's going straight back to the workers and the people, providing a much safer environment. Lots have gone to our security sector, as they're the ones who need it the most." She quickly briefed Peach on what had been said tonight. It was a surprise to Peach that Daisy covered for her for the time being, and for that, she was amazed and very grateful.

"What did you say? I need to make sure I haven't wasted their time." Peach wondered to Daisy, hoping to get the most out of her message in the least amount of time. The cameras were not recording at the moment, but just the sight of them frightened her a little bit.

"I just told you... nothing too drastic, just the good news. Maybe you should tell them about the Brigade or something. I wasn't really briefed by anyone; it was more of an improvisation." That didn't help her at all. She sat down and thought for a few minutes on what to do in front of the camera. Daisy on the other hand, stood beside her, thinking of things for her to say as well, but there was nothing time-consuming worth talking about in her mind.

"You're on in two minutes." One of the Toad cameramen came over to them, speaking to Peach directly before walking back.

"Rats." Peach sighed. "I can't do this..."

"You can, it will be fine." Daisy tried to convince Peach of her optimistic approach, but it visibly wasn't working. There wasn't that smile of confidence on Peach's face like what she had hoped to see on her. The seconds went by and she still remained in her seat. Some of the other Toads working in the room stood nearby, waiting for her to arrive.

"I can't..." She said again, slouching on the chair.

"That's it." Daisy grabbed Peach by the arm and lifted her up with her strength. Peach initially tried to resist, but eventually, she found herself in the vicinity of another camera.

"Daisy!?"

"On in ten."

Peach gulped and looked into the cameras, watching the Toads behind them count down with their fingers.

"Three... two... and." She coughed a little as she went live. A nod from the Toads in the back indicated to her that she was now live in front of an audience of millions.

"Hello everybody, Queen Peach here live from the castle... I hope you're all having a wonderful evening. Hopefully, nobody is feeling tonight how some the night before felt." She already knew she was waffling, but she wasn't able to think of anything to say on the spot. All that went through her head were worries about the future. How could she tell everyone that the future is going to be better when all she saw in it was for the worse?

"I believe you all have been briefed on our plans to better the lands and the security for the people here, special thanks to Daisy..." She froze again for a few seconds. "I'm going to be brutally honest with you all because I cannot keep this in for any longer. I..." She looked again at Daisy, who only gave her back a thumbs-up. She then looked at the Toads behind the cameras. Some of them were not impressed, but the majority of the workers were curious. They noticed a surprising change in Peach's attitude.

"I... I am not well at the moment. I haven't been for quite some time, but as the Queen of the Kingdom I have felt like I've always had to keep everything up to standard and work as hard as I can to ensure the safety and security of everyone in the lands. It's not just about the trial... but... there's too much going on at the moment, and it has took quite a toll on my health." She paused once again, giving herself a few seconds to recollect words to form another sentence explaining her case. The Toads in front of her weren't looking happy at all. Some were even fiddling with the cameras.

"You might be aware of the new situation growing in the northern borders, but the Brigade and Patrol are united together in maintaining this threat and minimising its consequences. It is our priority to keep you all secure. I just... need... I don't know really. It's quite hard to talk about it, especially through a screen. It's just... all a blur-..."

"Have you stopped recording?" Daisy shouted across the room, startling Peach and a few of the cameramen. "I saw that, you ordered them to stop the broadcast!" She watched Daisy get up and run over to the cameramen, going into a heated argument with them quickly.

"We didn't want the Queen to show weakness. That's not what she would have wanted!" One of the Toads snapped back to her.

"She's opening up, allow it! Put it back on."

Peach didn't really know what was going on. She mentally felt trapped and didn't want to do anything about it. She remained in her seat. Despite the cameras turning back on, Daisy still argued with the Toads. Neither her or Peach knew this, but the sound of the arguing voices were being displayed back on to all of the major channels and for all of the viewers.

"Daisy? Daisy! Daisy, please. Let me speak to the people." With her surrounded by Toads behind the cameras, Daisy let go of all those that she was touching and moved aside. Peach coughed to clear her throat and took another deep breath after Daisy walked back to her original position on the side.

"I apologise for that abrupt interruption. Forgive my friend at the side, she only knows what is best for me and wants what's best for me. Anyways, I will still try my best to ensure that our progression meets its goal, whatever it may be right now... We've dealt with a lot of rough spots and we've had to pay with a few lives. I will do my best to turn these accidental deaths to zero. Just know that... It's not going to be easy for me mentally. I hope you all understand." She looked into the camera and said nothing for a few more seconds. All she was doing was smiling. "With that note, I would like to name Mario as my hand. What I mean by that is he will be the one to answer the needs of the people if I become ineligible. Mario will be joining me in the newly formed council of the Mushroom Kingdom, where select honourable members will serve as ambassadors and representatives of each important aspect of the Kingdom's prosperity. I might not be available all the time, for I will want to recover from my supposed weakness, so that in the future I will come back better than ever, and we will turn the Mushroom Kingdom and its neighbouring lands into the prestigious and prosperous land that it used to be prior to this year. Have heart, my people. I will get through this... This is Queen Peach Toadstool. Thank you for tuning in tonight." She gave a nod at the camera, signalling them to stop the recording. She let out another breath of air before sinking down in the chair. Daisy rushed over to her and immediately apologised.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't know. Is it because you're not happy?" She spoke very quickly, but all she was doing was bothering her.

"Tell Mario what I said. I need his help now more than ever." Peach got up from her seat with Daisy help of her hand. "Wrap up! I'm going up for dinner. Once you've wrapped up, enjoy the evening." She addressed the rest of her cameramen workers. The Toads started disassembling everything, including removing the background behind Peach's chair. She took Daisy out of the room and towards the nearest elevator, where she could be away from most of the workers. It was time to return back to the upper floors where she felt at peace again for the time being.

...

"Daisy?" Peach sat in her quarters, watching the television across the bed. She was on her bed, waiting for dinner to be prepared and delivered to her, while Daisy stood by the window, looking down on the repairing city below. The sun had set, and the sky was dark once again. The city lights were bright, but didn't shine as much as they used to. Daisy turned around after hearing Peach address her name.

"What's up?" She replied, looking straight at her now. Before Peach could speak again, the two heard a knock on the bedroom door. Peach turned and faced it, seeing it open without her permission. It was Mario, giving her a massive feeling of relief. A few seconds later, Luigi introduced himself as well, giving a wave to both her and Daisy.

"Oh. Perfect timing." She watched Mario walk over to the bed, preparing to give her a big hug. Daisy stood and watched while Luigi walked across the room and around the bed to her. She tried to take her thought of Peach away from herself by diverting her own attention to Luigi now that he was here. "Sorry, Daisy."

"I watched the broadcast. Something isn't right, and I'm here for you if you need me." The two still hugged.

"I was about to tell Daisy something and I could use your reassurance..." She turned back to Daisy, grabbing her eyes and ears once again. "There was darkness at Mushroom Yards today. That was real, not me mentally tripping up, right?" She spoke to Mario, getting Daisy to listen in.

"That was true, whatever it was, really happened." Mario nodded back to her, getting onto the bed with her. "You are not well, and need to recover."

"But it's only going to come back to haunt me again."

"What's going on?" Daisy asked, seeming confused. Nobody had told her or Luigi yet.

"Something magical and dark showed up to Mushroom Yards, causing yet another scene." Mario replied to her on behalf of Peach. "We don't really know what it is, but Peach told me-."

"It morphed into a disguise of Toadsworth. It pretended to be someone else... like a living spectre." Peach finished off.

"A spectre? What's a spectre?" Luigi whispered to Daisy, getting closer to the bed. Both he and Daisy were confused, but with the thought of how everything else was happening recently, they couldn't help but believe them anyway.

"A shapeshifter. I believe that's the word Muji referred to them as. Basically someone using magic to transform themselves to look like someone else." She tried to clear herself. All she got from Luigi and Daisy were more looks of sadness and sorrow. This seemed like another bother for them because she was suffering yet again to something out of her control.

"Someone?" Daisy questioned in a weary tone. "You think this shape...shifter is somebody?"

"I don't know. I just want you to know that I'm not lying and this stuff is really happening to me." She screamed.

"Peach... We're here. You're fine. Let us help you. What can we do?" She felt so anxious. There was nothing they could do. All she thought about was her next sleep. She hadn't had proper sleep in over twenty-four hours, and tonight, she kept thinking about something coming out of nowhere to get her in her sleep.

"I don't know..." She worried them again, making them all feel useless.

"Please open up, Peach. For our sake and yours."

"You're not helping by demanding a way to help!" She stressed back to Mario, pushing him off of the bed. "I need time! I don't have any right now! I've got to put you in charge while I find out a way to get rid of this problem."

"What?" Mario looked back at Luigi; both of them were confused.

"Oh yeah, if Peach isn't fit to run the Kingdom, you'll be in charge. Did you really watch the broadcast or what?" Daisy poked him. She started to lose a slight fraction of trust she had for him, wondering whether he was lying the whole time about caring for her.

"I must have been distracted. I'm-."

"Sorry? Look at her! She needs help and this is what you say? Sure, I believe you..." The two went quickly into a heated argument, with Luigi sitting on the fence unsure who to support. His girlfriend or his brother. This was the worst scenario for him to ever be in, and to make matters worse, it was only making Peach more anxious and stressed out.

"Will you both shut up? Please!" She shouted. "Actually, get out. All of you!"

"But-."

"Yes, you too Daisy!" She pointed them all at her bedroom door and forced them out, just as the Toads arrived with her dinner. They placed the meal on the floor catered on a wooden board, well out of the way of the others as they all left.

(In Peach's Perspective):

What am I supposed to do now? I can't just let them waste more of my time. I just want to sleep, but I can't! Dinner looks nice. I should really have a bite out of that for now. It's late but not too late in the evening. I guess I should wait out another hour or two to digest and let my dinner go down. I honestly wish the three could help me but there's nothing that I can really think of for things they can do. They're helpless. What I need to do is come up with some way that I could help myself, but even that feels so tough to think of right now. I don't care what others think right now. Tonight is all about me. How am I to get rid of these problems? Think, Peach, think...

...With Mario able to manage everything while I am gone, perhaps I could delay the formation of the new council until I come back. I've only mentioned it but not fully started it up yet. That's one less thing to worry about. As for the north... well... the Red Ma- ah. Well, the three and New Donk City should have that under control. The new Brigade should prioritise that right then and there, if they can't do that, then Mario and Luigi will have to help intervene on that. If worse comes to worst, there's always Bowser. Maybe he could help out, dare I say it. I can put Daisy in charge with the approval and respect of the people. Hopefully the Toads would be able to assist her with that too. That leaves me left with this crippling darkness problem. I can't seem to trust anyone right now. Watch as tomorrow morning there'll be some Toad or some copy of Daisy in disguise and boom, they'll catch me. They'll know I'm here and they'll know a way to get up to me. It's like I'm always wanted for assassination. I can't have this. There's got to be a way out of this. I for sure as hell don't want to have those bad dreams again. What can I do?

I've turned off the television because hearing yet another news anchor talk about my day isn't very helping or reassuring. At least having no sound will help me think about this. I'm sitting here with all the lights on. I'm not letting anything sneak up on me and get me.

...

No. No way. Would I really be able to get away with this? It's... actually a good shout. There's no way they'll get to me there. That would make those living there be met with a supernatural threat and they wouldn't want to do that. They're the world that's not meant to have magic. That's supposed to stay here. How will I be able to pull this off? I can't have Mario or Luigi go with me. They've got to sort out everything else while I'm gone, and Daisy... she's basically got to take charge. Mario doesn't know enough yet. I hope the three of them could work together on this.

I can't take Yoshi because... well... they won't like that. Same goes with Toad, Toadette, anyone who isn't human. I can't take Pauline because she's busy with the nearby threats in her own city. I can't take Rosalina... fuck. Why did she have to turn against me? Have I really got to do this alone? Yes... this is all about me. Sometimes I have to do things without others. That way I have all the control over it and nobody else can influence it. It seems to me now, that the only way I can have some good sleep unaffected by anyone or anything else is to go where nobody can possibly disturb me in these lands. Perhaps, by not being in these lands at all...

The other three are probably standing outside waiting for me to let them in. I guess I can let them in for now. Let them watch me finish my dinner; easy. They'll have to be dismissed eventually because they'll have to get some sleep. I'll have to call it an early night with them and let them know I want nobody entering. Nobody deserves to know about this and nobody should either.

"You can come back in now." I told the three outside to return to me. For some reason, nobody opened the door and came back in. They better had been waiting for my call. Maybe... they all actually left, even Daisy? No chance. I'll just go and let them in myself.

"Oh, you're okay?" I opened up the door and saw only Mario. Daisy and Luigi were nowhere to be seen along the corridors.

"Yes, where are the others?" I asked. I'm slightly concerned about not having known what happened outside between the three of them after I dismissed them. I can only hope that they left the area on good terms with each other. Daisy, Luigi, Mario. Surely Luigi could be able to piece something together between the other two.

"They've gone downstairs. Daisy decided to take her anger away and return the love back to him if you know what I mean..." Mario scratched his scalp and put a cheery look on his face. I'm not impressed at his corny insinuations. He's not going to get anything from me while I'm feeling like this. It doesn't feel right at all. I don't care if Luigi and Daisy are having sex or just simply making love and affection to each other. No amount of love from Mario can heal me right now. What I need is sleep and privacy.

"Very funny." I said back to him. "The two can do what they want. What matters is that nobody's arguing. It's the last thing I want given everything that's going on right now." Mario nodded back to me. I guess that quietened his dick down. He does look and sound desperate, but I'm sorry. Now's not the time.

"What will you be doing tonight then? Do you still need me?" Sigh. Of course this would be his next question.

"Yeah... I kind of don't, in the short term at least. You're still needed in the long term."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to be going off-grid to heal myself up. I have this plan. I just want you to watch over the Kingdom with Daisy while I'm gone. I should only be a few days." Mario's going to get so upset about this. I can just tell.

"Alright then. O-Key-Do-Key." Mario scratched his scalp again. "I guess Daisy knows what to do in times like these."

"Yes. She will. I'm going to get an early night in now. What I will do requires zero disturbances. Don't come knocking because I won't answer. If you do knock anyway then I'll banish you, do you understand?" Mario started giggling, but I wouldn't hesitate to do this if he found out what I was doing.

"I see. I gotcha. You-a do your thing." I'm not moving a muscle on my face. This current look of seriousness I'm giving him needs to get into his head. I'm not messing around. "Alright, alright." He backed away as hoped.

"Goodnight Mario." I started closing the doors to my quarters, hoping he would leave the floor.

"Goodnight my Queen." He gave me one last smile before departing. I closed the doors properly now. Time for me to look for a different outfit. If I want to go to this place I need to make sure I'm blending in. I can't have any biker outfit, dress or loungewear. It has to be something completely casual. (*)

...

The next hour went by quickly. The remaining workers in Peach's Castle finished their active hours and started heading to their own dormitories. As Mario had left the castle after being disappointed, the lights in the hallways and floors went out. In his mind, Peach was going off to sleep. What concerned him was whether or not she was going to have another episode. It had been over twenty-four hours and Peach still didn't have proper sleep. She was beyond tired, almost to the point where she didn't feel tired anyway. She definitely needed it though, and her next step was to now head out of the castle and out of the city. Peach had a new outfit on: casual, dark, long-sleeved clothes and a coat to match. Not even Mario should be able to notice her in this.

Since there could still be the odd Toad castle worker patrolling the halls at night. Peach sought to take the stairs. Taking an elevator could lead to her bumping into someone on a different floor while trying to get down. The stairs took quite a bit of time and energy, but at this hour, nobody was seen in her eyes. It was now an easy access out of the city from here. The main doors were ajar, and all she needed to do was slip past them. Toad Town was looking quiet, but that was mainly due to the lack of Toads living here as of recently. Toad and Toadette were almost gone, and when they go, some others might do as well. It was a rather upsetting thought on Peach's mind; that the main street outside her castle could become deserted and left as vacant homes with nobody inside. It would almost look like a setting for a movie, and that they were only used for display.

The problem Peach faced now was city itself. Mushroom City was still thriving relatively for its time. The street lights were on, traffic was flowing, and the city night-life noise was heard from behind the bush-boundaries of Toad Town. Where Peach wanted to go was situated somewhere off of the capital to the northeast, equidistant between Mushroomheath, Mushroom Yards and Mushville. Despite this, the surroundings were quiet open grasslands not touched by many. This was all based on her memory of the place. She had never used it officially and for no unimportant use. The only times she's had it mentioned to her where when others used it. Those in particular that used it were not on good terms with her either, though, it was the only place she wanted. In order to get to said place, Peach stopped and thought about it for a few minutes. She was currently standing against the wall of Toad Town that separated it from the main city. The houses were behind her, and the noise of the city was just beyond the wall. The main entrance was currently closed and opening it would attract enough attention from the people on the street. What she wanted was a way to get there without being seen by anyone. The secret back entrance was one thing, but it would take her a lot more time. The length and effort it was to get to this place made her start considering falling to the floor and sleeping on the grass outside of Toad Town, but she then thought that it would mean the end of her for sure.

It was now almost midnight, and the moon was reflecting light from the sun brightly down on the fields below. Besides the walk across the fields, the only thing separating Peach and her destination was a highway road going from out of Mushroom City, eastbound towards Toogle. There weren't many cars on the road right now, so it was going to be easy for Peach to get across without being seen. More time had passed and Peach had now arrived near to the destination. What she saw in front of her at the sight of the destination was the passage she wanted to go in, heavily blocked with objects, tapes and rocks.

(In Peach's Perspective, Again):

Wow. The Toads really overdid it when I gave that order out to seal this place up. How am I supposed to get in now? I suppose I could take a few rocks from the top and squeeze through from there. The average citizen isn't supposed to know about this place so it should look more naturally closed off. I should be able to get through though. With a bit of elbow grease to these rock removals I should be able to get in after a matter of minutes.

I can even see the other side. Not long to go now! One more... there we go! I could just about manage to squeeze through and land at the bottom on the other side. All there was now was a small trek down the passage to the room where it all began for those wretched Earth-boys. I can't believe we allowed this program to happen in the first place. Imagine what everything would be like if they never showed up. We'd have a lot more princesses alive, that's for sure! We wouldn't have gotten into that mess in the first place without their influence. Should have known not to go up there ourselves! We'd have the entire place under control by sending the Brigade up there instead! All the stupid things I let them get away with after giving them the privilege to walk these lands without any interruption. We never should have let them come!

Peach was looking visibly upset, with tears dripping from her eyes.

I guess I shouldn't dwell on the past. Seeing this and being reminded of them made me think about it. It got right into my head and poisoned me just like they have done already. I can't let it get to me, not at least with everything else happening. It's only going to make matters worse than it already is. Now... Let's see here. I don't want to go to England... or do I? I certainly don't want to go to that other portal location; the one that they labelled as 'Spain'. They took me through this one... Or do I want to go to Brooklyn... No. Brooklyn doesn't have what I'm looking for. Brooklyn's too big as Mario said often. Muji used to work in England so that is my safest option. All I need to do is turn on this portal or whatever it is that gets me from here to there and that will be enough for now. All I need is the... oh, fuck. This mould looks like what I need, and I certainly don't have whatever it is on me. What in the stars' name could this mould possibly be?

What she saw against the portal's wall was a button with an object-mould shaped onto it, looking like a required key in order to activate it.

That's it; it was that darn thing we took off of him when we had him captured. I need the necklace. Don't tell me I've got to go all the way back to the castle to get it back. Well, at least I know where it is. It was a good thing we took it off of him that day. That special gem encased into the necklace is just what I need. I just... need to... get back...

Peach let out a lengthy yawn. Her eyes started playing against her.

I can't... Stay... Must close the... rocks...

.

...

.

No. I just can't. I am so overtired that I can't even sleep. I just felt like I've gone to sleep for ages but checking my phone... it's only been forty minutes. At least I feel slightly less tired, but a power nap isn't going to be enough for me. I could have died just then. I need that necklace. (*)

Peach would go on to spend the next hour heading back to the castle, still overtired but only feeling it partially. She had precisely kept the necklace in one of her bedroom drawers. The luxurious shine to it really appealed to her, but the yellowness of the gem didn't make it likeable enough to wear herself. Tom also wouldn't have been happy to see it on her.

"Okay now!" Peach said to herself upon arrival. "Time to have another attempt at this." She took the gemstone out from the necklace and basked in its glow for a few seconds before putting it into the mould. It was quite an expensive necklace, making her question how he got his hands on it. "Maybe if they had a pinkish gemstone on Earth then I might make use of some of this money we've got here and spend it on Earth. I could perhaps get one of these things myself and use it on either this or even my crown." She said to herself as she slotted the gem onto the mould. She thought about the gem and potentially using it for her own. Her crown that she left back at the castle could use some more gems on the sides, but a yellow one wouldn't do too well on a crown. What she wanted was a mixture of red, pink and blue gems to add on to it. She would have to ask one of the Toads that worked in forging the crown to mould a few extra sockets on to it. Maybe even a new crown entirely. A crown for a Queen.

The gemstone caused the portal to activate, and the emptiness, hollow outline of the portal finally lit up something in the middle. The other side of the portal looked voided and dark, but if everyone else used it and she also did once technically, then she can use it again.

Bexley, England

Sometime during the night...

Peach began to recognise this area. It was the very same resemblance of an office she only saw travelling on the way back to the Mushroom Kingdom. It was also the middle of the night here, just like at home, and it was also night when she came back here the first time round. There were no lights on and nobody was to be seen. The portal itself was in a tiny, metallic room with a slider door that only worked from the inside. As Peach opened it, that was where she saw the office. It still amazed her and confused her why a portal was created inside a school building.

"Finally, I'm here." Peach stretched her arms out, feeling finally safe after all this time. Her thought process the whole time was: the magic can't get me if the magic can't get here. "How am I going to find where they cured me the first time?" She thought to herself as she left the office without touching anything. The only thing she moved on her way out was the slider door to put it back into position. That way, nobody from Earth would be able to notice it.

The entire school was empty, so it was as convenient for her as possible to get out. The only problem she faced was trying to remember how she got in on the way back with Tom and Enrique the first time. It was night-time, so the school was locked. The short nap that she took back in the Mushroom Kingdom started to lose its value and Peach began to feel significantly tired again. The school felt like a maze to her, and she had forgotten her way to the gates to go out. Eventually, she found out that all doors to all exteriors in the school were also locked, so she was essentially trapped in the classrooms and the hallways. She wasn't able to distinguish an office from a classroom, and the only useful thing she could use were windows letting in light reflected from the moon. She dared not travel down some large corridors with no light in them at all. Most of the newer rooms she passed by were also locked; her way of getting out of the school felt harder and tougher to do. However, there were windows, and where there were windows, there were a way to open them. About fifteen minutes into her venture through the school and after many attempts to keep her eyes open, Peach came across a window in an open classroom that had an opening wide enough for her to get out. Now, she found herself in a part of the school completely unknown to her, but what she saw ahead of her was a giant field behind a smaller, hut-like building. At least this could be a possible way for her to escape. To her joy, there was also a road inside the school going around the edge of the open field. Perhaps for her this would be her way out. Peach felt thrilled, rushing across the path onto the road in the near-complete darkness of the middle of the night. However, the more she ran, the quicker she felt out of breath. She started panting as she turned around the bend, slowing down to an amble, eventually feeling crippled. As expected, the road led to a gate out of the school. Not quite the same one she recognised before, but sadly, also closed. There was no nearby area she could see that she could escape from. All she did see was a small woodland area to her right, possibly an exit for her, but knowing what schools were like to the best of her knowledge learned through Muji's teachings, schools were almost always sealed up behind boundaries, so it probably wouldn't be much use to her.

This small fraction of the schools outdoor space was quite a surprise to her. It looked like a small nature reserve in a corner of the school's boundaries, full of thick trees and damp, muddy grounds, all kept inside a small ring of fencing easily able to climb over. It was quite dirty, and there was no easy way to get across the high fence that was the edge of the school. It felt impossible for her to get out now given how tired she was. Peach couldn't see it happening any time soon. On the bright side for her, she believed in her thought that she would be able to get good sleep out here. Given that the floor in the nature reserve area was muddy and filthy, Peach sought to rest just on the outside of it, well hidden from sight along the field, but not too far from a possible way out in the morning. The road, the school buildings, and the entrances were far enough away from her. Nobody would possibly notice her sleeping in this well-hidden space. Peach let out one last yawn before resting up on the branch of a tree just outside of the nature reserve.

...

...

...

Peach naturally woke up after having light from the sun become bright enough to cause a bit of a bother to her. Half of her body was shaded by the tree's leaves, but a ray managed to get to her eyes. She opened her eyelids and looked around. It was certainly less quiet than how it was last night. She didn't know exactly what time it was here, but on her phone it said the time was almost eight in the morning. The background noise of cheering kids could be heard from her spot on the tree. Looking up, the sun was high in the sky. It was a bright, spring day here in England with scattered clouds, luckily not raining for her. Peach descended the tree branch and down a few metres to the floor. Staying hidden behind the tree from the rest of the field, she gulped as she noticed what looked like hundreds of schoolchildren playing on the field. Now that she was able to get a closer look at the sun in the sky, it was roughly in the middle, making her assume that the time here was around midday.

"Oh, shit." She said to herself, trying not to create any attention. The nature reserve looked empty still, and it was only a few metres away. She knew in herself that climbing up a higher tree in there would be her only way of escaping. She had to make a run for it without being seen. No child was nearby, but there was a chance that she would reveal herself to them. No point in her wasting time; she may as well try it anyway since the reserve is empty.

Peach made two giant leaps towards the small fencing of the nature reserve, quickly climbing over it to get through and out of sight again. Nobody saw her to her belief, so she felt relieved to be back inside. Now, all she wanted to do was find a climbable tree high enough to get her across the tall hedged fences of the school. It was much easier for her to navigate through the woodland area of the reserve now that it was daytime. She didn't even notice last night that there was a tiny pond in the centre of it. Over to the northern end of the reserve where the hedged fencing was, she saw three trees grouped together that looked like they had climbable branches to reach up to and escape from. The hedge was several metres high, but the trees went on for much more. Just as Peach thought to try and get to them, she began overhearing voices from across the pond, slightly out of sight.

"I'm only here because you I don't want you to stay here every lunch break. We're not even supposed to be allowed here anyway." Peach hid behind another thick tree and peeked around the trunk. She saw two students. One was a tall female with bright, platinum hair in a skirt and uniform, talking to the other: a shorter male with blonde long hair, sitting on a low-hanging branch of a nearby tree. She heard the girl's voice first.

"The three of us used to hang around here every lunch break. We've never been found out upon once." The boy replied to the girl. His voice was significantly deeper than what she thought a schoolboy would have for the age he looked. She wondered if he was from this part of the world originally. "You only found me here because you followed me all the way from class." Peach wasn't confident enough to get over to the trees to escape at this point in time. Despite now feeling hungry, she wanted to stay and wait until they would eventually leave. They were on a timer, and she wasn't, so she had the patience.

"Ryn, the two are probably not coming back any time soon. Sitting here isn't going to magically bring them back." The girl argued with the boy. It seemed to Peach like she was wanting to get him out of here too since from what she said earlier, technically they're not allowed to be here. "Anyways, I've got to head back to class early today. I've got to hand in my homework to the new teacher."

"The new FBCS teacher? The one that replaced Mr. Tûnis? Isn't it so funny how he always used to get along with the other two as well?" For once, Peach felt freaked out by an ordinary kid from Earth while on Earth. The conversation sounded more interesting. While she was here, she thought she may as well listen in as there was nothing else to do in the small nature reserve.

"You're talking out of your arse Ryn. Why don't you just be grateful I'm giving you the light of day to get to know me. I'm trying to help you move on. I know it's hard, but you just have to accept that they're not currently here. Even if they do come back one day, there's no point sobbing about their absence while they're gone." Peach watched the boy say nothing back. He seemed lost for words and refusing to accept this fact the girl put on him. Since the girl had an odd resemblance of a cross between herself and Rosalina, she was in awe of her looks and appearance.

"Go on kid, get with her." Peach thought to herself whilst listening in.

"Alright. You're not going to budge, but I'm not giving up on you. See you in class. If you feel like you need a friend, you're more than welcome to sit next to me." The girl picked up her bag, gave the boy a wave and started walking away from him towards a way out of the reserve. The boy only nodded back and gave a light wave. "You... are coming to class, right? If you don't show up, they'll get worried and do one of those big searches."

"I'll be fine, alright!" The boy called back to her, still sitting on the log.

"Okay, bye. See you later." The girl was now gone and the boy slouched back on the seat. He was looking around the area covering up the sadness inside with a plain look on his face, almost like he wasn't emotional enough to let out some tears. Peach still watched, observing his eyes and every move with his hands. He turned his head away once and then looked around once again. He looked across the pond and towards a few other trees and bushes, then, his head stopped moving. Peach noticed his eyes and quickly hid her head back behind the trunk.

"Wait." The boy realised. Peach gulped, sitting down quietly, trying to contain her breathing. "Is someone... spying on me? Ellis I thought you left already?" The boy got up from the log and started moving around near the pond. Peach didn't know what to do. All she heard were the footsteps getting closer and closer to the tree she was hiding behind. She thought to move around it, but the boy was more curious and inquisitive than she thought. He appeared on her right, staring right at her.

"Hi...?" Peach awkwardly smiled, quickly getting up from the ground.

"You're not a student here... you're not a teacher either." The boy didn't scream or shout for help, which was a relief for her, but what came next didn't help her either. "Wait... You're... no way. What are you doing here?"

"I err..." Peach tried to make up an excuse in her head to respond back to him. "...Got lost, and I'm trying to make my way back."

"You look exactly like how I thought you'd look. The portal... the disappearances... the other world... it's all true." The boy froze and was unsure what to do. Peach was discomforted by his interaction with her and just wanted to get out of the school. His assumptions were almost too frightening for her. Could many other people well-know about her existence being a truth?

"Err, no. I don't know what you're talk- Oh." The boy kneeled down before, surprising her once again.

"Please... It is you. Let me be at your aid. From what I gather here, you're lost, and want to get back somewhere." The boy was looking down on the floor. He was able to see her feet, but that was it.

"Well, I did say I was lost, but I have no idea what you are talking about." As flattering as it was to see a human from Earth bow before her, she still didn't want to make herself known to them. The whole purpose of not connecting with Earth was so that the two populations would never interact. Thinking about it, it was a huge risk to have none of the others like Tom and Enrique expose their secret world, not like they had any ability to do anything about it anyway. It was not quite there world, but her land, and she just simply lived in it.

"Please... I'll keep it a secret between you and me. You're Princess Peach Toadstool, you cannot deny that. I remember this because I was there when you were taken out of Queen Elizabeth Hospital with Tom, some other guy and some other girl. Please, let me help you. I will do anything for you..." Peach was annoyed at the boy bothering her now. She wanted to leave and climb up one of the trees, but every footstep she made in the reserve, he followed just behind her.

"I don't need your help. I just want to get out of here. Whatever it is you think I am you are clearly mistaken. Maybe what that girl said about you is true and that you're making up things and pretending they are real." Peach moved across the pond and finally found the tree she was looking for. It was just next to the log where the boy was sitting originally, and it was definitely climbable to a point so high that she could jump across the hedged fence. The boy watched her grip to the bottom of the tree, looking for spots to put her hands and feet on the way up.

"Wow, I've got to admit. You're very clever and beautiful for someone who ended up lost in the nature reserve of a school and trying to climb up a tree." Peach was caught off-guard; her head turned immediately to the boy.

"Did you just call me beautiful?" She blushed, hoping she heard it correctly.

"Yes... Not in a sexual way, obviously. I'm fifteen." The boy replied, surprisingly not looking awkward or embarrassed about it, and she admired him for it. Peach upon looking back at him got a closer look at his appearance. She saw him as a mini-Enrique, hopefully not with the same personality or attitude, but the looks were there. She quickly took the interest of it off her mind after realising his age. "I... just know a beautiful girl when I see one. The others said you were beautiful as well. The fairest in the land like in all the stories."

"Right, that's very kind of you." Peach started to climb the tree, to which the boy approached and stared from the bottom, trying to climb up himself. The boy was almost as tall as Peach, so he was just about able to reach up to the parts she grabbed to climb up with her.

"Stop with the act. I know who you are. Just admit it." The boy kept climbing up behind her. He got to the point where he waited for Peach to make the next move up as she was now in his way. She was too focused trying to find the accessible branches, so she didn't notice that he was right below her.

While Peach and the boy were climbing, she tried reaching up for a part to grab but narrowly missed it. She shrieked and lost her grip and footing, slipping on the branch and falling back down, pushing the boy down with her.

"Oh cosmos! I'm so sorry." Peach quickly got up and shrugged all of the dirt from her clothes before looking back at the boy looking injured on the floor. She offered out her hand to him.

"Thanks, I'm fine." He replied as he got up from the floor. "Now, listen here, missy. Quit playing around with this act. I know who you are, and that's fine, but if you want to believe otherwise, you just said 'oh cosmos' in shock. Nobody on Earth ever says that. It's clearly you." Peach sighed and clenched her fists.

"Okay, alright. It's me. Thank you for bowing to me, I guess." She took another deep breath, looking back at the tree and questioning its ease to escape climbing it again.

"A pleasure... Anyways, why on Earth are you here and why are you trying to escape trying to climb a tree? There's a gate over at the main entrance." The boy put his hands on his hips and questioned Peach, watching her assess the tree. She began looking at other trees, seeing if they were easy to climb and get across. "Stop looking at the trees. Unless you're seven feet tall you could probably get across using that one over there." She looked at the boy pointing over to a different tree to the one she tried to climb. "I was foolish to try and climb up behind you. Maybe you had an idea that I hadn't thought of to get out."

"I don't want to be seen by anyone, but you've already failed that objective for me."

"Well then what are you doing here?"

"I want to go back to that hospital I was originally sent to. I'm having a lot of troubles in the mind." The boy gave back a slow nod.

"I see... I take it there's not a lot out there that can deal with mental health."

"Mental health? I guess you could say that's the issue I'm dealing with right now. It's like... err... do you know what magic is?"

"Magic?" The boy was curious again. "I know what it is, but it doesn't really exist here."

"There's a lot of magic where I come from, and it's almost corrupting my mind."

"Yeah, mental health problem. I understand. You need help. I will do whatever I can to help you, if you allow it." Peach smiled. Maybe this boy might be useful for her after all. Already, she felt blackmailed, pressured to take his help in exchange for him not exposing her. It was never a light task for her to interact with naturally-ethnic humans that didn't come from the traveller descendants. Every single one that she knew was either a former Red Martyr, who permanently resided here, or one that was taken in on her own account, or one of the two kids that this boy seems to know about.

"...Well you can start by helping me get out of here and helping me find that hospital. You said you were there one time... and that you knew about Tom. How do you know about Tom?" The boy grinned.

"Tom worked here, as a part time teacher. Those two boys that I used to be friends with... Duncan and Tobias? They were students here. I knew there was something odd about their connection with him. It was almost like he got the job here so that he could keep in touch with them while they were here, and every opportunity they had, they would vanish 'supposedly' for work purposes, but I used to be their friend too, and I would always be left out." Peach felt her first bit of sympathy for him. It was like he believed in all that sounded like nonsense to anyone else here but it was true the entire time. Worse off, he wouldn't be able to find out about any of it since he was always left out. Now that Peach was here, all of his questions could be answered. She wanted to be careful though. She didn't want to tell him everything that could influence his opinion on the land. She didn't want to create another Duncan or Tobias that would become essentially free from her grasp and able to do whatever they want. She didn't want to create another Tom or Enrique either; someone who would work for her and then backstab her at the time when it matters most. What she also didn't want to create in this boy was another Mario, someone who works too hard for her and then becomes clingy. At this point in time, she was debating whether to let him in on some of the secrets, hesitating to give him access to the Mushroom Kingdom or not.

"I'm glad you've noticed me. I just want to ask you one question before you can help me more." Peach moved over to the log that he used to sit down on and sat on it herself, pointing him to a spot on front of her where she wanted him to stand.

"I will answer your question to my best ability." The boy stood firmly and up straight.

"Is there anyone else that you might know who has similar thoughts to you? You know... about those boys and Tom... and anything related to me?"

The boy paused for a few seconds. "...Not really." He eventually said.

"What about that girl who was with you?" Peach pointed to a way out of the nature reserve.

"Ellis Harper? No, no chance. She just cares about me. I feel bad, I know she's not trying to hit on me, but at least she wants to help."

"Hit on you?"

"I don't think she likes me in a love sort of way, you know? She's just really pretty too." Peach laughed.

"I figured."

"But, err... She doesn't know about any of this. You're fine." The boy smiled, but it didn't fully answer Peach's question. It only gave her a little bit more to worry about.

"That's not the best thing though."

"What do you mean?"

"The boys... Duncan and Tobias... did she ever know them?"

"I mean... not really again. Those two didn't really show signs of an open disappearance. I guess one could say that they could escape much easier than Tom did. Ever since Tom joined the school as a teacher, his weird behaviour was known about but it was considered just how he was. The same went with Duncan and Tobias. During several free spaces of time at the school, I wouldn't be able to find either of them, and when I wouldn't find them, I wouldn't be able to find Mr. Tûnis either." Peach nodded a few more times, showing her attention towards him.

"This will do. I have another question though. What will happen if you left today?"

"Bad. Bad stuff. If I left the school now, then they would get concerned." Peach gave his assistance another thought, but before she could say anything back to him, the boy spoke again. "I've got an idea. How are you doing on time?"

"I've got... time. I just don't want to be found out about."

"Follow me." The boy beckoned Peach over, and the two walked through the nature reserve and out the way she came in. She was interested to see this boy's plan, but another thing came across her mind.

"So... you're... Ryn?"

"Short for Rynmar." The boy replied back to her with a smile. "I was born in a different country to England, so it explains my oddly-sounding name." The two got the low-hanging, tattered chain fence that surrounded the reserve. Ahead of them were trees on the edge of the school field and a view of the rest of the field. "You see this higher fence along here? The other side of this is a path to a greater area of some woodland park. The school uses this field here as their playing field but originally it was a small fraction of this big green space. What we need to do is get you across here somehow if you don't want to get out of the school by the main entrances. I have class in a few minutes but I'll only be an hour. This should be where we meet up and then I can help you get to the hospital afterwards. Are you okay with waiting here for an hour? This part of the field, nobody really goes to. You should be able to get around the entire back edge of the school field without anybody going here or being seen. We're not really allowed to go further down the field." Peach nodded back to Rynmar, trusting him through his dedication to help her. She also respected him for being careful with his actions, showing that he wasn't going to give up everything just to help her. If things didn't turn out as well as she hoped, Peach knew that he wasn't going to be screwed over for it.

"Sure, promise me that nobody else will show up here." Rynmar nodded back to Peach.

"Do you have a phone, or a watch?" Peach got hers out and showed it to him. The time on her phone was ten past nine in the morning. For Rynmar's and the time here, it was ten past two in the afternoon. "This phone looks so different. It's not like anything we've got here... Ah, yours is five hours behind. Ha." He laughed again. "Brooklyn, exactly." Peach was surprised he even knew about that. She began to wonder: was it a case where this boy stalked the other two so much, or did the other two mention so much to him by accident, or even worse, did they intend to bring the boy to the other world in the future?

"I guess I'll see you in an hour then." Peach said back to Rynmar.

"You'll hear a bell ring from far away back at the school in a couple minutes. Fifty minutes after that, you'll hear it again. Hopefully I'll be back within minutes after that bell. If I don't, then you may have to wait a bit more time, say until ten thirty on your phone. If I'm not back by then, just take the gate. It might be empty." Rynmar reassured Peach his plan. He picked up his back from back at the reserve and started making his way back to his last class of the day. Peach stood and watched, checking for any dirt stains on her clothes once again. They'd have to get washed again eventually.

"Go to your class now. You don't want to miss it. Also, try to keep me off your mind while you're there." She nudged Rynmar and gave him a cheeky grin, sending him off.

"See you in an hour, princess!"

"It's Queen, actually!" She waved him off, ready to spend another long period of time resting in the woods. Just as she was told what would happen, she heard the sound of a bell coming from the centre of the school grounds. While standing on the edge of the reserve, hidden from sight, she saw the remainder of the schoolchildren that spent their lunch break on the field returning to the buildings. After waiting another few minutes, she saw now an empty field with nobody even on the road going along the edge of it. The open field was flat, green and dry, unusual for English weather. Peach looked over to the fence that went around the back side of it and peered into the distance. There was nothing of major interest, so to save the effort and the possible risk of randomly being seen by a surprise of a person, she decided to stay in the nature reserve...

...

The bell rang again. It was five minutes past ten on her phone, and she got a notification of a low battery. There was obviously no service for her phone as it was incompatible with Earth connections, but she managed to find some entertainment to pass the time with by looking at saved photos, camera shots and old messages. Upon realising the low battery, she kept her phone back in her pocket and awaited the arrival of her newly-found friend. The school day had ended, and she began to hear noise of other students outside. None were anywhere near the nature reserve, but they were all going home via the main gates, one of which wasn't too far away but it wasn't worth the attempt to leave that way. Eventually, she began to hear the noise of a conversation coming towards the reserve. Peach got closer to the edge of it and looked through the fence whilst hidden behind one of the trees. It wasn't Rynmar, sadly. It was several other students going over to a spot on the field with one of them carrying a football. Peach already knew from reading Muji's books of knowledge on Earth that football was big here too. None of the kids were Rynmar; they all looked significantly younger than him. They all looked around eleven, potentially first-year students at this school. Hopefully Rynmar would come anytime now...

...It was almost half-past the hour and he still wasn't here. Peach began to grow concerned whether he would come or not. She remembered what he said to her and that she trusted him on his word. His absence put her in a lot of uncertainty, questioning all the possible dangerous outcomes he could have made. She dreaded the possibility of him telling everyone about her being left there, and that either she'd be found out about or he'd be labelled as crazy. She began worrying for him just as much as she worried about herself now and the paranoia kept lingering in her mind for a few more minutes.

"I'm not going to let you go back there again on your own." Peach heard a familiar voice, it was the girl. Could this possibly be Rynmar on his way here? "You should be at least going home. There's nothing for you to do there now. School is over!" She could finally see them through the fence. They were still quite far away but it was just as she expected. Rynmar was being followed by the same girl from earlier and he wasn't happy about it.

"Please stop worrying about me. I'm fine! I appreciate it, but I'm not up to anything stupid. Not while they're not around at least." She heard Rynmar try to excuse himself. The girl seemed too clingy and didn't show signs of leaving him alone, annoying Peach a little.

"Look, you weren't yourself in that lesson we just had. You went and sat on your own at the back and kept looking out the window. I'm worried for you, man." The girl walked with Rynmar all the way to the edge of the fencing of the nature reserve. Peach stood back and tried to get well-hidden from sight inside. She couldn't see them anymore, but she could at least hear what they were saying.

"For fuck sake leave me alone! I'm sorry!" She overheard Rynmar raise his deep voice at the girl, but she didn't feel intimidated by him at all. "Just go home. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Are you not going inside then? What's stopping you from going inside? Is it something you don't want me to see?"

"No, it's-."

"Come on. Let's go in together shall we?" She heard the girl grab on to Rynmar and climb over the fence with him. The footsteps of both of them started to get closer.

"Ellis, get off of me!" Rynmar tried to push her away, and did so surprisingly well. She fell to the floor and got angry with him, but she got up quickly and kept up her superiority over him.

"Hey, I could lay you out if I wanted to, but I'm being nice. Don't make me angry. Show me what you're hiding!"

...

"Right, I'm going in myself."

"Ellis, wait!" Peach remained hidden between some bushes and a thick tree trunk. She watched Ellis dash towards the pond and scan for places inside the area. It only took her a few seconds to notice something strange.

"What the-. Who are you?" The girl noticed Peach as well. It seemed like a common occurrence to her now that people on Earth were much better at noticing things supposedly hidden from sight. "Ryn, is this what's been bothering you this whole time?" Ellis watched Rynmar enter the nature reserve, making sure nobody else was nearby. She then got closer to Peach and watched her stand up from the ground beside the tree. Peach let out a heavy sigh and made her way out of the bushes to get closer towards Ellis. As she arrived, she was speechless, seeing the girl up close, it made her thought of her being a combination of herself and Rosalina be even more accurate. The girl was already taller than her, looking to be almost six feet tall. If she was the same age as Rynmar and the other boys, this would make her one of the tallest girls she had ever met in her entire lifetime. The sheer height the girl had over Peach made her look intimidating. Above the fact that Peach's status in the Mushroom Kingdom meant absolutely nothing over here, she could only use her age as means to power over the girl.

"Yes." Rynmar sighed, trying to make Ellis be a little quieter after she consistently had her voice raised while inside the nature reserve. "Please be quiet." He walked over to the pair of them. Peach was so confused and awkward at the same time that she couldn't think of anything to say. "This is Princess- Queen Peach of The Mushroom Kingdom."

"Peach...?" Ellis turned her head slowly from looking at Rynmar to looking back at Peach. "Who?" Well, Peach was somewhat relieved. If Ellis didn't recognise her name, then she probably doesn't know anything at all about the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Don't worry." Peach tried to calm Ellis down. "You wouldn't know and you don't have to."

"This is a bit weird." The girl was very freaked out. "Why are you in here anyway? You're what... twenty-five? What are you doing in a school? Are you preying on children like a proper nonce?" Peach was half-flattered. Twenty-five was a compliment to her.

"Shut the fuck up, Ellis."

"What's a nonce?" Peach asked Rynmar.

"An adult that's sexually attracted to young children." Ellis glared back into Peach's eyes, getting close to her face and receiving a light slap from her to push her away.

"Again, shut up, Ellis." Rynmar sighed again. "Come on, story time." He beckoned the two over to follow him around the pond to get the same log he sat on earlier today.

"If I was any less curious, I'd tell the police about this person. They probably have records of her weird behaviour somewhere. What was her name again... Peach? Yuck, named after a disgusting fruit."

"They've got nothing on me." Peach said softly back to Ellis, hesitating to send a threatening shout in her ears. "If you even tried to tell anyone about it, then I'll kill you."

"Alright, what are you gonna do? Blush at me to death?" Ellis joked, provoking Peach a little too far. Just before the log, Peach grabbed Ellis by her back and kicked her leg from the back, pushing the top of her body and pulling her legs forward at the same time, tripping her up and sending her to the floor.

"She isn't messing around, Ellis." Rynmar watched her from the floor. "Now that you know about her, you're not going to be able to go home early now."

"What's so special about this person then?" Ellis questioned Rynmar yet again. She got up and backed away from Peach, sitting beside Rynmar on the log, letting her stand for the time being.

"My name is Peach Toadstool, Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom, a faraway land that is completely unknown to you. My world is nothing like yours, but I have come here seeking treatment for my mental health. I came across both of you here by accident as I was trying to get out of the school. I plan to get to a hospital, but I don't want my cover to be blown." Peach explained herself to Ellis while she sat on the log. Rynmar watched Ellis the whole time, trying to persuade her that what Peach was saying was true. Ellis only grinned and giggled.

"Sounds like something from a game or a movie. At least she's on the right track of needing to go to a hospital. I'd up it and say she needs to seek an asylum." Peach wasn't impressed with Ellis' response. She tried to think of ways to prove it to her, and luckily came across one idea. Her phone still had some battery life in it, and while she was looking at her old messages and photos from her phone, she came across some that seemed unrealistic to be from Earth.

"Here." Peach reached out of her clothes pockets and pulled out her phone. Ellis was surprised at the phone's design, again, looking nothing like what she had seen before. "Have a look through the photos." She watched Ellis keep her eyes on the phone screen, swiping through all the images.

"Ellis, listen to me." Rynmar tried to get her ears' attention at the same time she was looking through Peach's phone. "Everything I said about Duncan, Tobias, Mr. Tûnis, it's all true. Everything we can find about their disappearance can be answered through her." Peach watched Ellis' expression change as she sifted through the pictures on her phone. The buildings, the night-sky, the lack of photo-shop... the coins, the Lumas and the stars, the other creatures, everything amazed her. She became more and more surprised, getting more inclined to believe Peach that it almost frightened her.

"But... Mr. Tûnis left at the end of February, and Duncan and Tobias have only not come in since last week?" She looked back at Rynmar and then at Peach. "Who... are you?" She shrieked.

"I just told you, now, I'll settle a deal with you. If you two can help me find a way to cure myself from my mental illness, I will be able to answer all of your questions and show you the truth about my origin. I can only trust you so much, please promise me that you will not tell anyone and I mean anyone about me." Ellis was speechless.

"We can head out through the main gates. It won't be as busy and nobody should notice you. They'll probably just think you're my or Ellis' mum or something." Slightly disgusted by that thought, Peach would go on to agree with the idea anyway. The only bother that was in her mind now was whether or not she could trust letting yet another person know about her secrets. This girl didn't seem very willing to assist her like Rynmar would, but maybe she would be able to be some sort of useful asset to her path to a better state of health and fixing the current problems in the Mushroom Kingdom.

"I guess I should tell my mum that I'm going to be staying behind after school today." She looked plain, staring straight to the floor, overwhelmed by what she had seen on the odd-looking phone.

"Thank you." Peach praised her.

"Hey. You said you'd help me. If anything, this is exactly what helping me is going to be." Rynmar comforted Ellis.

"Yeah, okay, just as long as we get to see Duncan and Tobias again. If they're really gone as you say, then we've got to find them." Ellis got up from the log and cleaned herself from the dirt left on her clothes after being sent to the floor by Peach by surprise.

"We'll do that. We've got to help Peach first." Rynmar held her by the hand and helped her away from the log. He led both her and Peach out of the reserve and over towards the closer side of the field that connected to one of the school's car parks; the one of two that wasn't the one that had Tom's car from when Peach was here the first time.

"There are still people there. What am I supposed to do? Do we drive out? Do either of you two drive cars here?" Peach looked across the car park to see it mostly empty of other people. The only people she saw were other students leaving the grounds via the entrance.

"We just need to walk out of there. Act calm, it's going to be fine." Rynmar tried to calm Peach down as she kept looking visibly worried. He began walking past the cars, beckoning Peach and Ellis over. "Come on, walk with me." The two caught up to him and started approaching the gate. There were far less students walking about compared to how it was fifteen minutes ago not long after the school day ended. Most people didn't even pay any attention to the three of them; at most, they got some stares.

Now that they were out of the school, Rynmar pointed down the school's outside road for the three to walk down along to get to the large park that was just on the other side of the school field. It was there that the three stopped and waited. All Rynmar wanted was a quiet place in the park for the three to think about what to do next. Ellis was still very confused, but kept the thoughts to herself.

"Now, where was it she wanted to go? Any particular hospital?" She eventually asked the other two.

"I think she wanted to go to Queen Elizabeth Hospital. I remember she said there because she had been there before on one previous occurrence." Rynmar replied.

"That's quite a while away. More than an hour by foot. None of us drive, and she doesn't have a bus pass." Ellis groaned. "Besides, I don't think an actual hospital will help cure her from a mental illness. It's something else."

"What do you mean?" Peach asked.

"Mental health... It's quite a weird thing to have a problem with. It's all in the mind. Why do you think you have it, first of all... Something like that can be fixed with a lot of relaxation and assurance that things are going to be fine."

"Ha..." Peach joked. "...I've been told by a lot of my friends and servants that things are going to be fine. It only gets worse for me though."

"What do you mean?" Ellis sat down on a bench in the park as the three came across it. "What's really the bother? Since you've basically persuaded me that magic exists, maybe there's something I don't know about that bothers you. I probably won't understand it, but it's worth giving it a shot, no?" Peach went over to sit down with Ellis; Rynmar remained standing up. Ellis watched Peach spiral herself into deep thought, she knew that she was thinking about something and was expecting a load of nonsense, but maybe she could help out with anything that worried her. Peach eventually thought about something. She started taking off her coat and her shirt underneath, surprising the other kids.

"Take a look at my back. We can start off with that." Peach pulled up her shirt and exposed her back to the others. "Do you see anything?" Ellis examined her back and saw a faint dark patch where her scar used to be. It was thin on most parts of her upper and lower back, but visible in the middle.

"I do..." Ellis replied. "What's it got to do with your mental health, though?"

"How do I explain it with Earth terms... Hmm..." Peach gave another few seconds to think of what to say. "It's... It was much worse than this. This is just what was left, but it used to be bigger, darker, purple-y and painful, and it had bothered me for so long. I guess, that's not even the worst part. I've struggled with a lot recently."

"Alright..." Ellis looked back at her.

"You see, actually..." Peach hesitated again. The two others watched her on the seat stutter and retract things she was trying to say, testing Ellis' patience.

"She really is crazy, isn't she?" Ellis looked back at Rynmar.

"No, give her time." He said back to her.

"Alright. There's only one other way I can do this..." Peach sighed. "We've got to go back to school."

"Nope." Ellis immediately shook her head. "Not going back there. You're crazy." She got off of the bench and took a few steps back from Peach and Rynmar. "Whatever it is you've got on your phone, I'm perfectly happy with ignoring it and pretending that it doesn't exist, but I'm not going to help with you with your weird quest to find happiness going back to school. You're past that age my dear, and my sister in Christ, it is so weird seeing someone like you want to go back to school and run around. It just sounds so ridiculous to me." She kept shaking her head. Peach knew that she didn't want anything to do with her, but it was already too late. She had seen the pictures. Despite her saying that she was going to pretend that she saw nothing, it's still with her and it is not worth the risk in letting her go. She had to keep her in her sights. Luckily for Rynmar, she noticed that he wasn't giving up on her.

"There's something important at the school that I need to show both of you." Peach tried to convince her to stay, but it didn't look like she wanted to do anything.

"I don't care. Take Rynmar with you."

"You know that I exist, and I cannot trust you to not tell anyone. I'm sorry." Ellis kept head-shaking, backing away slowly.

"I've got to go back to my mum."

"You said you were telling her you were staying behind after school?" Rynmar held Ellis to her word. "Wait, how long are we going to be at school?" He turned back to Peach. She didn't give a quick response, for she would be going back potentially for the foreseeable future.

"I'm not going to spend the evening at school." Ellis said from the distance.

"Come back, damn it." Rynmar called her over.

"Alright. I'll let you in on a secret, but I can't have you guys tell anyone and I mean anyone about it, do you understand?" Peach shouted over to Ellis, calling her over. "You know your so-called teacher, Tom Tûnis? Did he ever tell you about how he used to live in Brooklyn in his later teenage life? It's how he found out about my existence. He was recruited over to my world partly by me. In order for him to keep a way of travelling between here and there, he made his own sort of portal to travel between the worlds, and he based it right in his secret room up in that school building. It's how I got here. I've been here since last night and I came through there in search for the hospital." Ellis came over to Peach, interested in what she has to say again. Rynmar's eyes gazed upon Peach as she was telling her story.

"Go on..." Ellis nodded.

"As Rynmar said before. He worked here because he knows about Duncan and Tobias, who are also currently in the other world now."

"That's why they always hanged out with each other. I was telling you this the whole time!" Rynmar looked back at Ellis, trying to make her believe Peach.

"Anyways, if you want to find the truth about your friends and you so-called teacher, I need to prove it to you that my world exists through that portal. We need to go back to school." Ellis sighed and crossed her arms. She wasn't impressed with Peach's words, but she found them somewhat believable now that the things Rynmar told her made a lot more sense.

"Let's do it Ellis." He asked her.

"I... what about family? I don't want to be gone too long. I just... I just want to be there to believe it. That's all."

It was past eleven on Peach's phone, meaning it was past four in the afternoon where she was. The school looked significantly less populated judging based on how the gates were. Rynmar and Ellis both knew that there were still teachers here, including some that might be working in the same office as Tom's old one. Peach couldn't think of a way to get back during the day and would have to wait until the night when nobody else was present on the premises.

"There's no way we're getting back in. They're going to close the gates soon." Ellis moaned, feeling like she wasted her afternoon with the other two. The three awkwardly stood outside the gates to the school, looking at how empty it was on the outside yet knowing that it would have teachers on the inside. Peach didn't know what to do with her. Since she couldn't hold her for the rest of the day, the only choice she had was to send her home. Peach was also very hungry, not eating since last night. With no Earth-money and no idea where to go here, she relied solely on Rynmar's guidance. She would have to wait at least another eight hours before being able to get back to the Mushroom Kingdom.

"Ellis, right?" Peach turned and faced her. "You can go home. Please don't tell anyone though."

"I'd rather not tell anyone anyway. People will start to think I'm crazy." She gave the two a wave and started walking down the road away from the school. After watching her for a few more seconds, Peach turned back to Rynmar who stood silently beside her.

"You hungry?" Rynmar managed to read her mind. She nodded back to him.

"What will your parents think? Do they want you home any time soon?" She asked him.

"I've told them I'll be home late. They're fine with it. Anyways, follow me. Let's get some food." He started walking down the same pavement that Ellis took to get home, but at the first turning, they went left instead of going straight ahead. He guided Peach all the way along another strip of road that led to their local town's high street. It was a convenient spot for them and full of places where they could get some fast food.

"So... What will you do for the next six or seven hours?" He asked her as the two walked along the road.

"I don't know. I have no idea where I am, and I have no idea what there is to do around here. It's best I do nothing if it means nobody will take notice of me." Peach said back to Rynmar, unsure of pretty much everything around here. She kept staring at everything that she thought was different to home. Most of the houses looked different, and certainly a lot bigger. She contemplated the lack of greenery outside every house's front garden along the street also. Rynmar admired her take on things, for it made him more curious about what's to come on the other side of the portal. He still believed every bit of what she said before and wanted to commit everything into finding his old friends. He made this known to her by the time they got to the high street of the town.

"Well, we can always head to the hospital if you want to give that a go. It would be about an hour there and an hour back to the school if you wanted to kill some time." He suggested to her.

"No. It's not worth it. If I explained everything to them, then they'll think I'm crazy. What was that thing Ellis joked about, an asylum? How rude." Rynmar laughed but quickly changed his facial expression in front of Peach. She only smiled back, knowing to take a joke well. Eventually, she hoped to get to know Rynmar more and see what use he could truly be to her. With Ellis, it would take more time. A lot more time, but there was something about her that made Peach interested in her. Whether it was the height, the odd resemblance of Rosalina, or even the odd half-resemblance of herself, she saw a lot of potential and possibility in her. Maybe the Mushroom Kingdom needed more humans, good people, for the next few years, especially a fresh batch of young blood. That was it, Peach never met a woman from Earth. That was what she wanted the most.

"Well, we can eat, but then I'll have to get home eventually." Rynmar thought. "I can't disappear on my family. They'll get worried and call the police."

"It's tough, but maybe we can find a solution." Peach and Rynmar walked towards a small shop where they could get some food. Rynmar wasn't very hungry, but he knew that Peach was, and he was willing to pay for her food.

"I could always sneak out of my house at night, but that might be too risky."

"Don't do that." Peach replied to Rynmar from the queue to the counter. "Wait until I get my food and then we'll think of a solution. Let's go back to the park afterwards. I liked sitting on that bench from earlier." Rynmar sat by a table and waited for Peach to order her food. He was surprised to see her interact with the worker at the counter so well. She simply asked for her food and gave him the money, accepting the change without any sort of additional interaction as well. She sat down opposite Rynmar at the table with her order number and receipt and handed him over the spare change in coins.

"If you want to let me in on the other side, we can always delay it for as long as you want to. My only worry is how long you're going to spend here without anybody you know, any assistance, or any money, food, even shelter." He rested his face on his hands and rested his elbows on the table in front of Peach, thinking of a way to make use of her for the time being.

"This plan of mine didn't go as well as I hoped at all. All I wanted was to get to the hospital quickly, get the people there to cure me, and then I could go back to the Kingdom as a much happier person, fit to manage and deal with my problems head on with a much better attitude on all things." Her order was ready, and the number flashed on a screen to their side. Rynmar followed Peach up to the side of the counter and watched her collect her food. The two quickly returned back to the table and he watched her open up her meal.

"Have they got that stuff back in the Mushroom Kingdom?" Rynmar asked Peach, looking at her meal.

"Kind of, we've got most things here actually. We've just got a little more." Peach replied, taking her first bite out of her meal.

"Have they got flying question mark blocks in the air and stuff like that?" He asked again.

"...Not so much in recent days. They're mostly found underground. I guess one could say that we're a lot more modernised. Not everyone lives in mushroom-cap housing."

"Right... so if you exist, does that mean there's a Mario, a Luigi, a Bowser?"

"You ask too many questions. Be patient, little child." Peach grinned. "You'll get your answers soon."

"Haha." Rynmar laughed. "Alright. Well, what do you want me to know about? What are the problems that the Mushroom Kingdom is facing right now?" Peach stopped eating. She knew that what she was going to say next would take a bit of time to say.

"The Kingdom's not as bright and as perfect as you think right now. We've had a lot of difficult things happen recently, including a few lost lives that I will not name. Basically, one bad thing leads to another and I'm kind of losing the respect and authority I have as the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom over the people. We've got more threats from these other Koopa lands in the far north, and we've lost more important people."

"What's your relationship with Tom like?" After nodding a few times listening to her, Rynmar asked another question despite being told not to ask more.

"Goodness me you're back with another heavy question." Peach kept eating, trying to ignore it.

"I'm serious. I need context if you want me to help you." Rynmar gave Peach a look of sincerity. She couldn't help but give in to his further attempts of interrogation.

"We used to be on really good terms. For the first few years he really did aid me as a formidable asset to my Kingdom, but since he was more free to do whatever he wanted in the lands, he became less connected with me and less dependent on me. It was only over the past few months did he really change. Now... I don't even know where he is. He's somewhere out in these lands, but my Brigade are doing their best to find him."

"You're helping him out right? Tom's not that bad of a person. Although he was very different to the average teacher here, but that was probably due to the influence the Mushroom Kingdom had on him. Still, he's a good man."

"Yeah..." Peach paused for a few seconds. "We're doing what we can." She went back to eating her food.

"He's not on good terms with you, is he?" Rynmar assumed bluntly.

"No, he really isn't." Peach didn't hesitate to go ahead and tell him the truth in her eyes. "That man you mentioned that he was with when he was at the hospital the first time... that's his best friend and he's even worse. They were both from Brooklyn I think." More time passed and Peach almost finished her meal. She was full up for the time being and it was good enough for her. "Is this all, are we allowed to leave now?"

"Yes." Rynmar picked up his school bag. "We can head back to that park now." The two got up and quickly left the fast food shop.

The sun was beginning to set, and the daylight was coming to an end. It was still very early in the evening for Peach though. The fact that it was not even six in the evening and the sky was starting to get dark was a massive surprise to her. Sunsets in the Mushroom Kingdom were very different to this, also the fact that it was a many degrees colder didn't help her at all either.

"I kind of want to go back to there now." Peach said to Rynmar as they were walking back down the road from the high street to the school. As the two kept walking closer to the park, they noticed a striking abundance of parents and schoolchildren returning to the school premises. There were many cars parked along the road, and the school's road was even busier. Both of them were surprised.

"This is interesting." Rynmar looked at all the people heading to the school and noticed something. "I think it's a school year's parents' evening."

"What does that mean?" Peach asked him.

"It's like one day in the year where the parents of the students go to the school where the teachers can assess them and tell them how their kids are doing I guess."

"Oh right, are you parents going to be here?"

"I don't think it's my year's parents evening. I'm in Year Ten, these kids might be Year Sevens or Eights, so they're a couple years younger."

"Well what can we do about this then?" Peach looked back at Rynmar as they approached the busy and populated main gates to the school. "I recognise those gates, should we go in that way?"

"Yeah, follow me." Rynmar walked with Peach as if she was his mother and went through the main gates to the school.

"Wait, I know over there. I recognise the car park. Let's go that way." Peach pointed around the other car park of the school, to which Rynmar followed. The two walked around the other side of the school and got to an area that Peach remembered. There was a side entrance to the school buildings and the two were able to take that entry to get all the way to Tom's old department. It was empty, perfect for the two. Peach arrived into the office and got Rynmar inside, closing the door behind them after making sure nobody else was nearby.

"Is this it then?" Rynmar asked, looking around the office and seeing all the other teachers' work. He even took notice of a picture that was found on one teacher's desk. It was a photograph of all of the teachers from the department, taken a few years ago. He knew it was about a year old since it was dated '2014' and it had Tom in it. "Peach, take a look at this. Do you recognise anyone here?"

"Only Tom." She replied after spending a few seconds looking at the photo. "Anyways. The entrance is right here." She shuffled over towards a small gap between one of the desks and the back corner of the room. "Come on, I made it so that nobody would be able to see that narrow opening here." Peach used her nails to try and grip onto the slider wall. Eventually, she managed to nudge it a little, and the door slid by slowly, revealing the tiny metallic room unseen from everywhere else in the school.

"No way..." Rynmar gasped in amazement, seeing only a tiny portion of the room from where he was standing in the office. "Wait, it doesn't make sense." Rynmar slowly stepped out of the room and walked a little to the left, approaching one of the main staircases of the school building. Peach waited for him to come back after a few seconds. "The room physically doesn't exist. It's impossible. Beyond this office is the staircase on the other side. I don't know how to explain it, but the space is phased and shouldn't be possible."

"Well I guess it's magic. Tom made it himself." Peach smiled, feeling more confident assured that the portal wouldn't attract any outsiders. "Anyways, are you ready?" She stood by the slider door and waited for Rynmar to come across. He stood and checked for anybody, but couldn't hear anything except for the noise that was much further down the floors and away from them. He gulped and eventually stepped forward, squeezing past Peach and into the metallic room. The portal was open and he stood right before it, amazed at the sight of it.

"It's... do I... do I go through?" He stuttered, still taking it all in. He couldn't think of what to make of it.

"Go in first." Peach replied. "I'll make sure everything's safe from this side first." She watched Rynmar take a few seconds before stepping through the glowing portal. After seeing his body fully go through, she closed the hatch tightly making sure nobody could open it from the outside. Now it was time for her to head back as well.

...

She knocked into him as soon as she crossed. He hadn't moved at all from the small hole of an underground cave since he arrived. There wasn't much for him to see at first, but once Peach was able to get him to the surface, she knew that he would be amazed by the sights.

"Oh sorry." Peach apologised after bumping into him. She moved aside and checked on the gem still kept in the socket to power the portal. "Come up here, you'll get a look at what it's like outside." Peach beckoned him over up the small steps to the exit of the cave. Most of it was still blocked off, and there was only a small fitting spot where she could get out of. Rynmar still stayed at the bottom near the portal. He was frozen on the spot, still taking in everything in its amazement.

"I never thought something like this really existed. I say it's best that nobody else finds out about this. The governments on Earth would go crazy if they found out about a new world on their doorstep." He turned his head slowly to Peach. "Is this... the way out of the cave?" She nodded back.

"My duty is just as well as anyone else's, and then there's the same with the commoners here. The citizens of my Kingdom are partially aware of this and its existence, but they are a different type of people. More loyal... usually... and less curious, they'd never dare enter here." Peach said back to him, trying to get him up the steps. He still looked a little distracted, staring at something else. Peach descended the passage again to see what he was looking at, it was a pipe. The 'Brooklyn' pipe in particular.

"I know what's on the other side of that one." He smiled. Peach watched him turn his eyes to the third portal, only known to her as the 'Spain' portal. "Where does that one lead to?"

"I know just as much as you do." They looked at the powerless portal, locked up and gated. "Its best we don't ask more on that one. Tom knows a bit more... Anyways, come up here and have a look." The two walked up the passage together and found the light at the exit. For the Mushroom Kingdom, it was still daytime, particularly early afternoon since it shared the same time as Brooklyn.

"Why's it all blocked up?" Rynmar approached the exit with Peach and asked about all the barricades and the small hole that Peach squeezed through to get in here in the first place.

"Recent agenda." Peach replied bluntly. "Come and look through here." She moved out of the way and gave Rynmar a lift, allowing him to look out through the holes in the barricades. Here, he could finally see the view of some of the Mushroom Kingdom fields. They were mostly empty, but they were greener and clearer than anything he had seen before.

"My... God..." He gasped. "It's all true." Peach let him down to the ground again.

"Now, I don't want to keep your parents waiting any longer, but at least you know that this is all true, right?" She smiled back at him.

"Yes. What about Ellis?"

"We'll deal with her later."

"So..." Rynmar paused. "Duncan and Tobias... and Tom are all somewhere out there?" Peach nodded. "Right. Well, what can I do?" She stopped for a bit and sat down on the passage slopes with him. The last thing she wanted to do was completely abandon his family and his life back on Earth. The boy was only fifteen and without the knowledge, insight and technology that the other boys here his age had. She wanted to have more use for him, but she couldn't occupy him any longer.

"I'm going to have to let you go for the time being. I ask only that you do not think about this all the time and that you behave yourself back on Earth. The time for your call will come eventually. I just need to find the right equipment and the right time." Peach made it straightforward for him. He didn't take it very lightly.

"But... You showed me the truth. They're out there and we need to find them!" Rynmar sulked on the steps. "I guess... My parents... You're right. How do I know that you'll come back for me?" Peach wasn't initially too sure. There was a lot she had to do in order to bring him back, and she wanted to be able to bring him back in the best way possible. Hopefully, she wouldn't have to use the school portal so many times as well.

"Well... When do you have your next day off of school?" She asked him back.

"Saturday."

"What day is Saturday?" Peach asked again, a little confused about the days of the week. "Oh wait... That's... the... fourteenth? Two days from now." Rynmar nodded. "Perfect."

"Is that when we will meet on Earth again?" He asked.

"Yes." Peach smiled. "Hopefully for the last time at the school as well. I have an idea that just might work, but I cannot tell you much about it."

"Okay, I can do that... What time?" Rynmar got excited, moving over towards the portals. "Remember about the timezones."

"I want you to go to the fence that separates the school field to the park next to it. I want you to meet me there at... Eight at night, your time there." Peach suggested. "I will be there too, just on the other side, and we will work from there. Is that okay with you?" She looked at Rynmar and he gave her back another nod of confidence. She was in awe of his eagerness to help. It was too wholesome for her and she felt like that was enough for today.

"I can't wait to help you." He tried to contain his excitement but couldn't help it.

"Be on your best behaviour though!" She warned him. "This is our little secret. I won't be telling anyone here and I don't want you telling anyone there, okay? Not even Ellis. Not until I have a plan for her." Peach moved towards the portal and made way for Rynmar to step through. "Come along, I'll see you as you leave the office." The two travelled back together.

...

The metallic room slider door was opened up from the inside slowly. Luckily, the room was empty again. Peach shoved Rynmar out of the gap and gave him a goodbye nod.

"Remember, this room beyond here doesn't exist. You get me?" She reminded him again.

"I'm staring at a wall." He joked with her.

"See you in two days." She smiled before sealing up the door tightly. He could no longer hear any sound from the other side. While still in the office, he slowly approached the slider door in the wall, trying to open it up from the outside. It looked like it was completely connected to the corresponding corner. He even tried grabbing a ruler from the nearby desk and sticking it towards the gap, but even the wall's paint somehow mixed together. He was truly amazed, all throughout this experience, but he shouldn't be here right now. It wasn't even his year's parents' evening. Two days, that's all he needed to wait now. Just two days.

As for Peach, she took the gem out of the socket on the portal on the Mushroom Kingdom side and put it safely and securely into one of her clothes' pockets. The rest of the necklace remained in there with it for nobody else to see. Whatever this thing was that once belonged to Tom, belonged to her now. She didn't even know where he was right now, and at the moment, it was at the bottom of her list of concerns. Originally, it was nothing for her to care about, but now that Rynmar was exposed to this world, she felt slightly more obliged to find him. The worst thing about this was her original intend to kill him upon finding him. The same went for Duncan and Tobias, what could she do with them now that Rynmar wants to find them too?

EOC: Not as heavy for the mind as I originally thought it would be, but don't trip, this fic might be seen as M/MA for a reason later. I can't just make everything pretty and happy.

Anyways, see you next chapter!