It was hard to tell that the greenhouse had once been the Castle's chapel. The pews had been removed, the pulpit leveled, and the sloping roof replaced by glass skylights that flooded the space with bright sunlight. The floor was swamped with pots and buckets of wildflowers, roses, morning glories, and in the corner, the young heads of poison piranhas, snapping at wasps that the groundskeeper dumped into their terrariums.

It was here that Queen Colette paused in her morning walk. These weren't actually rounds for the sake of exercise or clearing her head, but she found that she could tolerate her secretary's rundown of the day a little more when she was surrounded by the cleansing scents and sounds of nature.

"How are preparations for the ball?" Colette asked.

Her secretary, a blue Birdo with red cat's-eye spectacles named Penelope, consulted her clipboard. "Smooth sailing," she reported. "Mr. Toadsworth is meeting with the florist today, and the invitations have been written and sent."

"Good. What about the reforestation project?"

"We've purchased the acreage you were looking at, but we've only got five Purple Pollies, and you bought six lots. Is that right?"

"Yes. The last Polly hasn't reached full maturity yet. When it does, we'll plant it."

"All right. And that's not counting the other two that are being set aside as gifts, right?"

"That's right. Tell me about the tax cuts."

"The legislation is being prepared. It'll soon be ready for debate and approval."

"Any detractors?"

"Your most vocal critic is Mayor Toadian from Diamond Heights."

Colette inspected the poison piranhas, tapping the glass with a long nail to catch their attention. They ignored her, and continued biting at the circling wasps, which all looked desperate for a safe place to land. "Diamond Heights... Isn't that near the northeast border with Sarasaland?"

"Yes Your Majesty."

Hm. The air must've been more...dilute in that area. "And he's on the Assembly."

"Member Forty-Two, yes ma'am."

"Arrange for a town-hall-style question-and-answer session during the summit. I want his comments to be brought to the general public."

"As you say."

Colette turned away from the poison piranhas, and they continued through the greenhouse, passing through a patch of potted tulips. On the other side, they reached a wire mesh table with two chairs and sat down. As Collete crossed her legs, one of the mantis-monarchs buzzed down from the ceiling and seated itself on her shoulder. She rubbed its pointed shoulders, and it sent its antennae over her cheeks. This one was larger than its brethren, and by the vibrant color patterns on its wings, appeared to be male. Colette had named it Samson.

"What news of the Witch?" she asked.

Penelope checked her clipboard again. "Nothing, Your Majesty. She was last seen half a mile over the border."

Hmm. Distractedly, Colette tickled Samson, and the mantis-monarch crawled to her other shoulder. He positioned his long legs around her neck, and she felt him begin to draw hungrily from her. She let him, and said, "What else did these border agents have to say?"

Penelope shrugged. "They were chasing her when they fell into some kind of trap — a pitfall, one of them said, probably set by the Witch herself. When they came to and managed to climb out, she was gone. One of them actually struck her with a tranquilizer, so they assumed that she wasn't able to get far... But they checked the swampland in the immediate area and found nothing."

Meaning that she made it past the barrier, and fully into the Koopa Kingdom. That much she could verify herself: when she focused, she could not see Peach through any of the citizens living or working near the border, though there was plenty of chatter about how the former crown princess had managed to evade the authorities. Grudgingly, Colette was impressed — for someone who had never had to run farther than a hallway and had had dozens of toads waiting on her hand and foot, Peach had done well in getting herself out of Colette's reach.

For now. Colette watched as Samson finished his meal and alighted, flittering back up to the skylights; his smaller kin were there sunbathing. But once the trees are planted and the gifts are sent... There'll be no corner of the civilized world where she can hide. I'll see to that.

***

Colette retired to her office after her meeting with her secretary. There was a stack of paperwork on her desk for her to attend to — including purchase orders for the upcoming Debut Ball — and she got through a quarter of it before leaning back, frowning.

She felt...bored. She attributed it to being stuck in an in-between — with Peach having disappeared and the Debut Ball not for another couple of months, there was nothing of great importance to challenge her or keep her attention in the meantime. Nothing except for mundane busywork — busywork that she had anticipated, but rather detested all the same. She wondered if she could shunt some of this off to her aide... And refocus on plotting.

Plotting for what? ...Rosalina?

Rosalina, yes -- this was currently the only problem on her plate that bore any weight. She wasn't sure where Peach was in the Koopa Kingdom at the moment, but as soon as she found her footing, she would send for help. One SOS, Colette was certain, would go to Rosalina, and that was a problem indeed. She could go with a previous idea and send the spacefaring woman the same gift she was going to send Daisy Floral, but she'd seen schematics of the Observatory. Rosalina was in possession of cutting-edge technology, including scanners that could rapidly detect and isolate questionable foreign agents distributed by aerosol.

No, as she'd concluded before, the easiest way to tame Rosalina would be for her to land in the Mushroom Kingdom and spend some time here. There was a chance that her technology would still detect impurities in the air... But its concentration was much more dilute here than it would be on the actual Observatory. There was a chance that it would go undetected long enough for Rosalina to be infected.

It's not soundproof... But it might work. She took the bell on her desk and rang it. Immediately, a toad in livery entered the study and bowed.

"Something I can do for you, Your Majesty?"

"Contact Toadsworth. Instruct him that Lady Rosalina is to be sent an invitation to the Debut Ball."

"As you say." He backed out. A moment later, Penelope strode in, a letter in hand.

"Your Majesty, a letter's come for you. It's from Empress Floral of Sarasaland."

Colette's mouth pooched as she took it and tore it open with a thumbnail. Inside was a single sheaf of paper. No letterhead this time, and the script, though elegant, was hard at the corners, and the phrasing was one of impatience:

Peach,

To date, this is my nineteenth attempt at written correspondence. I've also sent numerous emails and tried forty-two phone calls. Why are you not responding? Your number is apparently no longer in service, as the toads at the Sarasaland Embassy cannot get ahold of you either.

This has become a matter of national security, and the Emperor and I are considering military measures to re-establish open communication between our two nations. Kindly provide an explanation for your silence and for the erection of the barrier at our borders, or we will make every attempt to investigate the matter for ourselves.

Best,

Daisy Floral

122nd Empress of Sarasaland

Colette smiled tightly. It appeared that the rumors of the Empress of Sarasaland being a short-tempered firebrand were true. She went to the window, gazing out on the Castle's green, where the gardeners and groundskeeper were planting green roses in great clusters, as instructed. Military action... She had anticipated that at least some of the Mushroom Kingdom's allies would grow suspicious at Peach's continued silence, especially once the barrier went up. But the threat of military action had arrived sooner than she'd expected.

A letter signed by Peach... Would she fall for that? Written letters were quite outdated these days, and there was a chance that the Empress would be familiar with Peach's handwriting, and style of diction, to boot, so an email wouldn't be airtight either.

Hmm... "Penelope," she called.

The Birdo stuck her head into the office. "Your Majesty?"

"When is Empress Daisy Floral's birthday?"

"June 22nd, ma'am."

That was next week. Perfect. She had planned for the gift to change hands during the Debut Ball, but... "Arrange for one of the two remaining Purple Pollies to be sent to Empress Floral immediately," she said. "As a birthday present."

"As you wish."

"Also, I will be sending you a handwritten letter shortly. Type it up and have it sent from the Witch's old government email account."

"That account was deactivated, ma'am."

"Have it reactivated." Colette frowned — down below, Mario had suddenly appeared, and was standing before one of the green clusters of roses. She watched him for five long minutes, and he didn't move an inch. It was almost as though he'd become one with the ground, a veritable statue. She returned to the desk and grabbed her parasol.

"I'm going down to the front lawn," she said to Penelope. "Have someone send for me if I'm needed."

***

It was quite hot outside, sweltering, actually, but if the intense heat bothered Mario, he didn't show it. Instead, he continued to stare down at the green roses as the gardeners walked busily around him,  shaping mulch and trimming branches. He didn't move, not even when Colette came to stand beside him.

"I don't think it's the weather for pants," she commented. She had her rose-print parasol open, but even then the heat was quite unbearable. "Or long sleeves. What were you thinking when you dressed this morning?"

Mario didn't answer — he seemed captured by the flowers in a way Colette could not understand. She extended a water bottle out for him. "Mario," she said. "Have a drink. You've got more water running down your face  than the river."

Still no response. Some people might have grown frustrated at this point, but instead, Colette was intrigued — Mario was quite an interesting character to her, a literal embodiment for how much she still didn't know about her own abilities. Most of her subjects had reacted the same when she'd overtaken the Mushroom Kingdom: with fawning adoration, reverence, and blind respect. But Mario... Mario had grown quieter, stiller, less active. Where there had once been vibrance and exuberance, there was now a dull moroseness. When it came right down to it, he still obeyed orders and stood on her side, but it was as though he'd become depressed since she'd taken the crown.

Should I detain him, and make a study out of this? She rubbed her chin in consideration, just as Mario said, "I had a dream."

She turned to him fully, raising a thin red brow. She hadn't heard him speak in...well, eight months, perhaps. "A dream?"

"Yes. In my dream, I was going to get flowers because Peach was dead." He turned his head towards her, and his eyes were black, with the barest hint of burgundy swimming in their depths. "I wanted to decorate her grave. So I went to go get flowers... But then I woke up. But I..."

"But?" Colette prompted.

"But I still wanted to get flowers, so I came out here..." His brow furrowed. "Then I... I don't know. I couldn't remember whether Peach was dead or not. Or if she was real. Is she real? I don't know. Can you tell me?"

Interesting. It appeared that Mario was made of sterner stuff than your average toad. She squinted her eyes and took a closer look, and yes, it was still there in his system... But like with Peach and her wish power, the poison was greatly diluted, and did not appear to have as strong a grip on the Champion. Odd. What is it about him that makes it more easily degrade? Was it his fire powers?

Well, whatever the case, at least she had identified the root cause of Mario's strange behavior. She closed her parasol and bent down, placing a consoling hand on Mario's back.

"Peach is real," she said kindly. "But she is not our friend, Mario — she's caused much harm to our friends and family, so we sent her away. Remember?"

As she spoke, she pressed her thumb against the back of Mario's neck, and her thumbnail sharpened and lengthened like a needle, puncturing his skin. Mario stiffened for a moment, then relaxed as the poison entered his system and addled his senses.

"Oh, that's right," he mumbled. "I remember now... Yes..."

"Good," Colette said. "I'm glad. Come along now, let's go beneath the trees. It's unbearably hot out here."

They strode to the shade, and as Colette put her parasol back up, she made a mental note to renew Mario's dose again, and keep a close eye on him. Despite hurling fireballs at Peach and watching her get thrown to poison piranhas without batting an eye, it appeared that her poison was not strong enough to keep the real Mario at bay... Not for long.

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