It was a beautiful day outside. Birds were singing, flowers were blooming… On days like these, it only felt natural that a princess like me should be going on a stroll… so that's just what I was doing.

But then, every day was beautiful as long as a certain Koopa King didn't show up. Even when it was just at our competitions, there was always the worry of if his Koopa Troop and he would be on their best behavior. I'd ban him from our events, but it would likely just result in more attacks from the Dark Lands. At least my dear Mario Brothers had trounced him recently, so he shouldn't be plotting anything for a while… but Bowser was nothing if unpredictabl—

No. I was not going to ruin a perfectly good stroll by thinking of that dastard. I was going to mosey on, bask in nature's majesty, and enjoy what the day had to offer.

I knew that I was right… but I also knew that I wouldn't be able to just pretend the thoughts never occurred. For that, I would need something a bit more drastic.

I closed my parasol and swung it idly, before grabbing both it, and the front of my dress in my hands. Enough of going for a stroll.

I was going for a sprint.

I whooped as I bounced off the mushroom's cap and high into the air, before using my dress to glide through it—almost as if I were defying gravity. I then closed my dress and plummeted towards the ground, before using the handle of my parasol to hook the branch of a nearby tree, spun around it thrice before unhooking, and twisted through the air until I once again reached the ground.

I didn't know where I was in the Mushroom Forest, but I did know two things: I'd be able to get back home easily enough; and that. was. fun.

I heard rustling, and whipped around. Doubtless it was just the local wildlife, but an idle thought crossed my mind: there was a Warp Pipe around here; what if something had come through it… like another human? Oooh, that would be so exciting! …but also very unlikely. I really shouldn't get my hopes up like that.

Right?