Detective Peach Fanfiction

Title: Detective Peach Part 2

Word Count: 2,000 words

Commissioned by: redreaper1951

Written by: Danni Lynn

01.20.2021

An empty plate of cookies is one of those things that isn’t what it is supposed to be. Princess Peach looks around the plate, under the table, and back to see if she accidentally placed them somewhere else but the crumbs on the plate mock her, a trail of evidence telling her they were taken away by some unknown culprit.

How could someone do this to her? She had just worked so hard baking them for Zhard who had taken the time out of his day to help her test her Sneaky Parasol—they even discovered three of its attributes—and she wanted to thank him. But now the cookies are missing. It’s not like they were easy to make, and she is also a princess—a princess who doesn’t have time to be making cookies that are going to end up missing!

Princess Peach sighs and in a moment of frustration, dumps the crumbs on the floor so she doesn’t have to see them on the empty plate. She picks up her Sneaky Parasol and begins to pace the floor. Her fingers twist around the handle and grasp the folded fabric as she thinks to herself. This section of the castle is her private quarters. No one should be in here without her permission. Peach goes to look in the nearby cupboards and peeks into the hallway. No one else is here.

It doesn’t make much sense if someone came in and ate only her cookies. But, without knowing who did this, Princess Peach now has a mystery to solve. She swings her parasol up to her shoulder and pulls her crown lower over her brow as if she has a cool detective hat on. With the help of her Sneaky Parasol’s powers of invisibility, transformation, and camouflage, she knows she can discover the thief who took her cookies. Princess Peach smiles to herself and decides, she is now Detective Peach, and she will get down to the bottom of this mystery. It’s exciting and almost thrilling because she has a problem to solve, a wrongdoing to make right, and something new to discover. Maybe it will be a big adventure. Maybe it will be a skill-proving challenge!

Detective Peach swings and taps the tip of her Sneaky Parasol on the floor. The tap echoes throughout the chamber around her as her adventure-enthralled thoughts begin to cool and calm down. But, the fact that someone stole the cookies means someone who isn’t supposed to be in here sneaked into her castle. There is the concern if they did anything else, or if it is easy for them to come back and do something more. If the cookies were only a sign, something to tease her with the idea of a coming intrusion, this might be more serious of a situation than she originally thought.

In any case, Detective Peach decides she would figure out what happened to her missing cookies. With her Sneaky Parasol in hand, she leaves the room and goes downstairs, deeper into the castle to find anyone to investigate. As she walks down the steps, she crouches and stretches her legs into a slinking-style as if she were sneaking down the stairs. The brown torch-lit castle walls before her eyes turns black and white as if she were in some film noir detective movie.

In the halls of the Mushroom Kingdom’s Castle, the distinct squeak of the Toad on guard can be heard at a distance. Detective Peach makes her way down the hall with her Sneaky Parasol half-drawn until the recognizable red-and-white mushroom cap comes into sight.

“Guard Toad, come to,” Detective Peach says. Toad, who has not seen Detective Peach yet, jumps with a startled yell.

“Your highness!” Toad says. He smiles and ducks into a brief bow. “How may I be of service to you?”

Detective Peach looks down the hallway in both directions. The torches flicker quietly on the empty wall. With a flick of her arm, Detective Peach opens her Sneaky Parasol with a snap and holds it out to camouflage her and the Toad Guard. To any passerby, the hallway would look empty as if both Princess Peach and Toad had turned into the stone walls. Toad, unaware of the parasol’s properties, looks around as if expecting something to drip from the ceiling.

“Where were you at 6:35 pm on the evening of September 8th, 20xx?” Detective Peach asks.

“Y-you mean today?” Toad asks.

“Yes.”

Toad shuffles his feet and tosses his hand over his shoulder. “I was patrolling this corridor as I do every evening on my castle rounds.”

“Did you leave your post at any point of the night?”

“No, your highness.”

“Did you notice anything unusual?”

“No—it’s been a quiet evening so far. Except, I do feel like we might have to look for some mice in the castle soon. I heard a few light movements, but it was too quiet to be anything bigger than a mouse. Not even a Goomba can move so quiet,” Toad says.

“Hmm,” Detective Peach hums in thought. A single mouse wouldn’t have been able to take an entire plate of cookies—right? Whoever snuck into the castle must have been stealthy enough to not only get past her guard, but to not raise any alarm or attention as well.

“Thank you Guard Toad, are there any other guards on duty this evening?” Detective Peach asks.

“Yes, every main floor, entrance, and at the front gate, your highness,” Toad answers.

“Thank you.”

Detective Peach closes her Sneaky Parasol with a snap and continues down the hallway. During her journey, she interrogates and questions the guards on the floor below, at the door, and at the front gates. Every story is the same—no one saw anything, and yet everyone seems to have heard something very small and quiet moving around.

“Do you think some birds got into the castle?” Another Toad asks.

“A bird?”

“What I heard was just so quiet,” the blue Toad at the gate explains.

“Thank you for your help,” Detective Peach says. In conclusion, something mysterious is underfoot, but whatever it is, it is no longer in the castle. Detective Peach steps away and goes behind the entrance gate until she is out of view. Being nighttime, holding her Sneaky Parasol open can make her blend into any environment. In turn, in the daytime, as long as she stands under the Sneaky Parasol’s shadow, she becomes invisible to any onlooker.

Hoisting the Sneaky Parasol above her head, Detective Peach decides to visit Toad Town just outside her castle. A large white bridge extends to the town’s northern entrance. Walking under the safety of her Sneaky Parasol, Detective Peach heads into the town which is a cluster of houses, halls, and various buildings. Smoke rises from the chimneys of small homes and chatter can be heard through the streets. Toads of all colors—red, green, yellow, and blue, can be seen at different intervals, matching the colored pennants strung between houses and rooftops.

Detective Peach slinks around out of sight, taking in the different villagers and conversations floating in the air. She is careful to keep her Sneaky Parasol between herself and any onlookers to make sure the camouflage stays true. If a path has multiple toads in different directions, she stops by a wall, perfectly out of sight, and waits for them to pass. When the coast was clear, she moves on.

Once Detective Peach nears the edge of Toad Town, the town’s homes and buildings begin to dwindle away and the cobblestone paths turned to grass and dirt. On the Southern edge of Toad Town, the dark trees of Whispering Woods stand tall. Approaching the border, Detective Peach notices a strange sight. Two humans—New Donkers—a man and a woman are standing near the entrance to Whispering Woods. They have their heads bowed in a secret conversation.

That’s really weird, Detective Peach thinks. Holding her Sneaky Parasol close, she inches closer to the pair, careful not to make a noise. She slinks over the grass outside of Toad Town and takes another step when her foot comes down on a small twig—

*snap!*

The two New Donkers flinch and look around. Detective Peach holds her breath and stays as still as possible.

“I don’t see anything,” the woman New Donker says. “Let’s get out of here before anything happens.” The man New Donker nods and they both duck into the trees of Whispering Woods.

These citizens of Donk City are a long way from home and Detective Peach has never seen one appear in the Mushroom Kingdom before. What could they be doing here? Do they have something to do with her missing cookies caper? If so, she needs to head back to her Mushroom Kingdom Castle and prepare for the long journey to Donk City. It’s not a distance she’s like to try reaching in one night. But, when she gets there, she hopes the trail to her cookie-nappers does not turn cold.
Dawn has barely broken over the horizon of the Mushroom Kingdom when Detective Peach slips out the back gate of her castle. Dressed in gray and black—she wears a pair of pin-stripe trousers, a fitted jacket, and a dark fedora that she has pulled low over her brow. In one hand, she taps the point of her Sneaky Parasol on the ground, ready to face her adventure.

Looking like a hero out of an old black-and-white mystery movie, Detective Peach opens her Sneaky Parasol and walks out of her castle grounds. Last night, she questioned her Toad Guards and scoped out Toad Town after the plate of cookies she baked for Zhard went missing. Two New Donker citizens were spotted at the edge of whispering woods on the edge of Toad Town and disappeared before she could get too close. Did they have anything to do with her missing cookies? Detective Peach was determined to find out.

The Sneaky Parasol keeps Peach out of view from any onlookers. Able to move invisibly, if she was under the parasol’s shadow, she reached the Whispering Woods quickly. Stepping into the shadowed canopy, Detective Peach begins the long walk to New Donk City. Passing trees with curling branches, bubbling streams, and circling past clusters of bushes, Peach is glad she dressed for the occasion. Her normal skirt and dress would have snagged on almost everything she has passed at this point. Safe in the wood’s concealing landscape, Detective Peach lowers her parasol and uses it as a fancy walking stick as she makes her way through the forest.

Detective Peach hasn’t been to New Donk City in years. She was with Mario the last time and doesn’t remember anything too spectacular about the place. Why would she ever leave the green rolling hills of the Mushroom Kingdom? She has everything she needs and to be honest, she enjoy every moment of peace she has when Browser is not in town attempting to stir up problems. As the first towers on the outskirts of New Donk City begin to come into site and the trees of the Whispering Woods begin to thin, the sight is startling as the city’s skyscrapers rise higher than any mountains Peach has ever seen.

“Stay focused,” she tells herself. “You have some cookies to find!” Opening her Sneaky Parasol and disappearing from view, Detective Peach enters the city. In the Mushroom Kingdom, the loudest sound you might come across is the jumping of a barking chain-chomp or when a Toad comes across a Goomba and they inevitably run into each other, and someone ends up crying. New Donk City is full of loud and fast sounds. Little trees line the sidewalks between the skyscrapers in a façade of peace, but cars and taxis rush by in the steady traffic, beeping, and screeching at the stoplights.

Detective Peach enters the stream of New Donkers—humans—walking down the sidewalks. Everyone wears suits or business clothing as if they are on their morning commute. The surrounding towers are alive like a nest of bees with their many floors and people inside—it is to think about too much. Dodging between the foot traffic and careful not to run into anyone, Detective Peach jumps around and leaps into alleyways when necessary to remain undetected. When she slips into the shadows of an alley, the Sneaky Parasol shifts to blend her into her surroundings instead of the invisibility acquired in the sunlight.

“I should have asked Zhard if this Sneaky Parasol has a limit or can be overused,” Peach says to herself. “Let’s hope not!”

As the streets begin to get busier, Detective Peach decides to make her way down some alleyways instead. The sounds of the city get a little quieter but at some bends in her path, a surge of sound from the surrounding streets blare into the quiet space.

Detective Peach walks down one alleyway. Her boots step quietly over the asphalt as she peeks around into corners and looks up to see if anything looks like it might have a clue. She passes a few doorways and finds one open to the back of a café. Soft music plays on the speakers and a few customer’s voices float out to the back alley. Blending into the wall behind her, Detective Peach stands in the doorway to listen.

“And then my sister decided she was going to cancel the date—can you believe it? She chickened out last second,” a female New Donker says.

“I think they are going to win this series—no doubt about it, our team is the best. Who else can beat us?”

Nothing special nor a mention of cookies is heard in the customer’s conversations. Detective Peach walks a little further and stops at the back of an open restaurant. Cooks are hurrying to and fro as they stack pans, pull food off the stove, and ready a line of plates and toppings. A peppy voice greets the morning from a TV hanging over a kitchen counter.

“The weather is looking good so far Phil; I believe our fellow citizens will be happy to hear the sun will be out for today’s parade. It’s not everyday our mayor celebrates her tenth year in office! I think she’s really come a long way—” Detective Peach moves on. The alley opens back up to the street and the morning—now nearly noon—sun shines brightly on the passing cars’ chrome bumpers and headlights.

“Where can I even begin to search in a city this big? Could it be a bakery that happened to know what I was making? No, that would be a little far-fetched. Do I know anyone in New Donk City? Maybe I can look for the two New Donkers I saw last night—but the chances of finding them are slim to none. Am I even sure I can find the individuals who managed to sneak into my private chambers of all places? I know I can sneak past my guards with the Sneaky Parasol, but what does that mean if someone else can too?” Detective Peach talks to herself as she wanders down the sidewalk. She comes to a halt as two workers pass in front of her with a ladder. They stop at a lamp post and open the A-frame ladder.

“Pass me the banner,” one man says as he climbs the ladder. He puts a hand on the basket of flowers already hanging from the light. “This is the last block we have to decorate before the big parade! I knew we should have gotten everything done yesterday.” His partner hands up a rolled banner that the worker takes and hooks onto a metal pole extending from the back of the light. He gives it a shake and a picture of gold stars and the red silhouette of a tower with the number “10” in bold is on it. There is the outline of an ape at the bottom of the red tower with his arms raised as if getting ready to climb the tower. New Donk City sure pays a lot of attention to its origins. Detective Peach wonders if it is actually the building that is defeating the ape perhaps, instead of the other way around.

Detective Peach continues down the street and turns to see a boulevard full of flowing banners, flowers, and streamers stretching across the street. Police are setting up boundaries and colorful floats are arriving for the afternoon’s parade. The feeling of festivity is in the air and Detective Peach is a little nervous about how much busier it will get in the streets with the parade. She better solve this caper fast.

A banner catches Detective Peach’s eye. Billowing in the wind, a different image alternates between the 10-year banner with the red building and ape. This one sports the image of a woman who doesn’t look like the usual New Donker. She is wearing a slim red dress and has long brown hair. She poses as if she is on the top of the world and wears a funky hat with the number 10 proudly emblazoned on it. The banner says she is the mayor of New Donk City but it’s Pauline—as in Pauline who had been kidnapped by Donkey Kong back in the old days. She’s mayor? How could Peach miss that detail—she must have known that at one point.

It’s been a few years since Detective Peach last saw Pauline. She would have liked to know if they were neighboring rulers, but it’s not like New Donk City is conveniently close to the Mushroom Kingdom anyways. Pauline was always nice, or so she thought. Could she visit her to see if she knew of anyone who had traveled to the Mushroom Kingdom lately? Maybe Detective Peach can find some help with Pauline. If she didn’t know who had visited her kingdom lately, it would be nice to stop in and say hello anyways.

Before Detective Peach could figure out where the Mayor’s tower was, loud speakers began to announce the start of the parade. Out of nowhere, many New Donkers appeared to crowd the city streets. Detective Peach was pushed back against a wall, half covered by her Sneaky Parasol. With nowhere to escape, she was stuck to wait for the parade to pass. Floats resembling locations around New Donk City or even on the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom appeared and paraded down the route. There were teams of performers, majorettes, and more. A marching band proceeded a colorful yellow and purple float advertising a local gaming shop. New Donkers on and walking with the float wear giant hats the shape of hands on their heads. From the float, they are throwing candy and paper advertisements with lots of bright colors and exclamation points in the text to the surrounding crowds.

Detective Peach shifts around, her feet are a little sore from standing still for so long. She grips the handle of her Sneaky Parasol gratefully—without it, she would stick out like a sore thumb compared to the other New Donkers. At the end of a parade, a float bigger than all the others approaches. The float has a black base and is covered with stacks of pink ladders running up and down. Performers dressed in all black hoist cardboard painted to look like barrels above their heads while spinning to jumpy music. On top all the ladders, there is a small stage covered with a bed of red roses. Standing in the middle with her hands stretched out in the air is Mayor Pauline herself. Pauline is dressed in the same red dress she is shown wearing in the flyers with a white banner hanging from her shoulder that reads “Mayor of New Donk City.” Her brown hair floats in the wind as she turns to wave at the people gathered and cheering around her.

“My citizens of New Donk City!” Pauline says into a microphone. “Upon entering my tenth-year as mayor of this beautiful city, I pledge to you—I will make this our best year yet!” Cheers erupt and some New Donkers begin to chant her name. Pauline poses and gives them a big smile before continuing her speech.

“We will shine brighter than our neighboring kingdoms who have nothing to do all day and a monarch who spends her time baking rather than improving the infrastructure of her world. I will be the best mayor I can be—and I will be the best mayor there every is!” Pauline announces. She strikes another cute pose and waves as her float continues down the road. Detective Peach jumps and puts strain on the Sneaky Parasol’s abilities to keep her hidden, she runs down the sidewalk, pushing between the people until she is out on the road behind the float.

For some reason, it must be true that Mayor Pauline is behind the missing cookies from the Mushroom Kingdom. But why would she do it? If she is mayor of a whole city, doesn’t she have anything better to do? Detective Peach pulls her hat lower over her forehead and breaks into a trot to keep up with the parading float and hopefully find a moment alone with the trickster Pauline.

Detective Peach is hot on the trail of Mayor Pauline’s float as it makes its way down the large main boulevard of New Donk City. Holding her Sneaky Parasol out in front of her, Peach is careful to keeps in the shadow to make sure she is hidden from sight and from the onlookers crowding the sidewalks.

The mayor’s big float slows to a halt when the street finally comes to an end. It stops in front of a large decorated tower—New Donk City’s Town Hall and home to Mayor Pauline. Detective Peach stumbles and goes over to the sidewalk curb to take a seat and catches her breath. Mayor Pauline, from her vantage on the tall float, waves to the crowd and recites the speech she said earlier on the street about how she will be an even better mayor and will create a city better and bigger than the Mushroom Kingdom itself. When she is done with the speech, she dismounts the float with the help of some New Donkers, and thanks everyone before walking into her building.

This is my chance, Detective Peach thinks. She gets up and with the help of the Sneaky Parasol, she slips inside behind City Hall right behind Mayor Pauline and follows her through the halls.

“Great job mayor—this year’s parade was even better than your fifth year in office!”

“You looked so beautiful!”

“Fantastic!”

Pauline’s retinue of helpers and workers congratulate her in tumbling turn. She smiles and nods along, thanking each outburst of enthusiasm. It isn’t until she comes to a set of double doors with frosted glass that she stops and turns to the New Donkers following her. A placard above the door reads “Mayor’s Office.”

“Thank you, thank you for all your help to make today’s occasion a very special one. I will be taking some time to rest before tonight’s banquet. Can I get a reminder call around 4pm?”

“Yes Mayor, we will be back to make sure everything is in order for tonight,” a New Donker in a black suit and tie responds.

“Thank you, I’ll see you all in the evening,” Mayor Pauline says. The New Donkers leave and from where Detective Peach stands, hardly an arm’s length away, she sees the Mayor take a big breath and let out a sigh. Pauline enters her office and before the door closes, Detective Peach steps in as well. The room is a low-lit office with swirling marble floors and deep-red curtains drawn over tall windows. Pauline goes to her desk and drops into her office chair. She stretches.

“Oh, what a morning,” she says.

“What a morning indeed.” Detective Peach snaps her Sneaky Parasol shut and suddenly appears before the desk. Pauline lunges upright and almost falls out of her chair.

“Princess Peach?!” Pauline yells.

“That’s Detective Peach to you,” Peach says. She taps the Sneaky Parasol shut and taps it on her toe. “It looks like you’ve had a busy day today—congratulations on your 10th year as mayor.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I should ask you the same—how did I not know you were mayor of New Donk City? I thought you hated being so close to anything involved with the Kongs.”

Pauline straightens herself and stands up from her chair. “I decided to make the most of my situation. But you are far from the Mushroom Kingdom—how did you appear in my office? Magic?”

“A bit of magic helped me follow you,” Peach says. “But it took a lot of work to come all the way here. I have to say though, I wasn’t expecting you to insult my kingdom when you were celebrating your time as mayor. That’s low, Pauline.”

Pauline shrugs. “Look at you, I don’t see much advancement in your kingdom—we build skyscrapers and freeways here. You and your toads just wander pretty flower-filled fields. While you gallivant around, I am creating important work here.”

“I’ve worked hard to keep my kingdom at peace—there is no reason to insult that,” Peach argues. She feels her cheeks heat up a little at the frustration of the moment.

“Oh I’m sure, you woo and entertain Bowser now and then and cry for help when you decide you are tired of him. How’s Mario doing these days? You should tell him to come visit me—I’m sure he’s tired of your happy-go-lucky life too,” Pauline snaps.

“Take that back!” Peach yells. Pauline comes around the side of her desk and spreads arms.

“No, because between you and me, we know it’s true. You play the role of a little princess—as the mayor, I am Queen around here.”

Suddenly overcome with her anger, Peach tosses her Sneaky Parasol aside and lunges at Pauline. She body checks Pauline with her hip—peach bombing her—and knocks her to the ground.

“What is wrong with you?!” Pauline gasps. She bounces up and straightens the ribbon saying “Mayor” across her body. She gets up and pushes Peach who grabs her hands and the girls suddenly break into a little cat fight, pushing and slapping each other. Their voices raise to a shrill pitch until they both shove each other away. Peach’s cap falls to the ground and Pauline’s hair falls across her brow.

“No matter what you say—I don’t spend all day baking cookies! I do a lot for my kingdom!”

“Yeah, by selling cookies like a girl scout!”

Peach gasps. She grabs her Sneaky Parasol and swings the magical object at Pauline. Pauline stops the parasol with her arm and wraps her hands around the end, the fabric crinkling in her hands. She looks down at the pointy tip pointing towards her stomach and gives a big tug to pull it out of Peach’s hands. Peach holds tight to the handle and pulls back—soon, the girls are pulling back and forth and dig their feet in for an all-out tug-of-war battle.

Pauline keeps her ground as Peach struggles and vents out her frustrations. Her fingers grasp and clench the handle as she keeps nearly losing her grip. She bends her back and stretches backwards to keep a balance against Pauline’s pulling.

“I try my hardest, how would you run a kingdom where no one thinks about anything about going on a nice walk, or nothing at all because they already have everything they need? Toad Town is the happiest place in the world—why would I change it? I work hard—I don’t waste any time! I work before I play, I bake silly cookies as gifts to show my thanks or to improve delegations!”

Pauline takes a step back, gaining ground, but Peach continues to writhe and pull as hard as she can. Her shoes squeak on the stone floor as they slide away from beneath her, and her hair is becoming undone from the ponytail she was wearing as she struggles. Pauline tightens her grip, feeling the wires of the parasol under her fingers.

Peach tugs one last time, but from her hands, the Sneaky Parasol slips away, and she drops to the ground. Peach puts her face in her hands and starts to cry under the passion of her frustrations. Her emotions melt away and her shoulders quake.

“I’m not a bad princess—I try my best!” she cries.

Pauline stands still at her distance. She looks at the wrinkled parasol in her hands and sets it on the desk. She takes a seat in front of Peach and reaches out for her hands.

“I never said you were a bad princess,” Pauline says. “I just, I guess I’m a little jealous of all you have. You have a beautiful kingdom and happy residents. I’ve always had to force my way up to the position you have—I guess I wanted to look like I was doing my job as effortlessly as you make it look.”

Peach sniffles and wipes her cheeks and nose on her sleeve.

“R-really?” she asks. She hiccups.

“Really,” Pauline confirms.

“H-how did you know I was baking cookies?”

“I just thought of a simple task to make fun of you with—do you really bake?”

“Yes. Actually, that’s why I am here in the first place. Before I got all mad at you, I wanted to ask for your help to see if you knew anything,” Peach asks. She sits up and reaches to snag her fedora from the floor. She brushes her hair back into place and pulls the hat low over her brow. “Can I ask for your help?” Peach asks.

“Of course. I’d love to help the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom,” Pauline says. They both smile and get a little teary eyed.

“Okay! No more tears!” Peach says with a laugh. She wipes at her face again and takes a big breath. “I came to New Donk City looking for clues. I was baking cookies for a friend to thank him for some help earlier that day but when I came in to package the cookies after leaving them out while I cleaned the kitchen, the plate was empty.”

“The cookies were gone?”

“Only the crumbs were left.”

“Huh—did you check to see if one of your subordinates took them? I’m sure a Toad couldn’t control itself if it saw one of your sweets.”

“I asked everyone I could find,” Peach says. “I went into Toad Town to see if any visitors had passed through and that’s when I saw it.”

“What did you see?”

“There were two New Donkers talking to each other at the edge of Whispering Woods. I tried to approach them out of sight, but I stepped on a twig, so they heard me and hurried away into the woods.”

“Did you follow them?” Pauline asks.

“Not right away. I went back to my castle and followed their trail first thing in the morning. I came here and of course, I don’t know where to begin my search so I didn’t find anything until I saw your parade and heard your speech.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Pauline says.

“It’s okay now.”

Pauline looks around and scratches her chin. “Hmm. Well, I have no idea who you are talking about, but I can try to help! I think you can use a second pair of eyes. How about we take a trip and go back to your castle to start over from square one?”

“You mean you’ll come back with me to the Mushroom Kingdom? What about your dinner tonight?” Peach asks.

“Jeez, you really know everything, don’t you?” Pauline says with a laugh. “Don’t worry about it. Just like you, I have the power to reschedule anything I need to. I’ll let my assistants know that I am out on some ambassadorial obligations or something.”

“You should tell them that the Mushroom Kingdom is good too,” Princess Peach says.

“Of course—I’ll be sure to make a statement after this saying how you have taught me a lot. I’ll fix my mistake.”

“Thank you, Pauline.”

Pauline helps Peach stand up. She pulls her in for a brief hug.

“It’ll be okay, I’m sorry, and we will figure this out. None of my New Donkers should ever do anything to harm your kingdom—if it’s them in the first place.”

“Thank you,” Peach says.

Pauline gives Peach her Sneaky Parasol back. “Here, maybe next time let’s use a rope instead of umbrellas. There’s no need to ruin yours over a childish fight. When this is all over, I’ll challenge you to a proper match. You better have a good strong rope for us to play with,” Pauline says.

“Absolutely,” Peach answers. She grips the parasol in her hand and gives Pauline a smile.

“Welp, with all that out of the way, are you ready to go?” Peach asks.

“Yes! I’m looking forward to seeing your kingdom Peach—and to find this cookie-napper!”