(A/N: Here's yet another "Super Mario Odyssey" story. This one is going to show a lot more than we got to see. Let's start this thing!)


Mario, Peach, Bowser, Cappy, and Tiara were finally out of the Underground Moon Caverns. Mario no longer had Bowser under his control, and he was finally back to normal. Bowser, on the other hand, was unconscious, as he was when Mario had been given no other alternative but to capture him, so that they could escape very certain doom.

Mario watched as Peach fell slowly and landed gracefully on her feet, the way she usually did whenever falling from a height. After she landed, the two looked at each other and approached each other, but they were still standing several feet away from each other.

"Well, that was quite a rush." Mario said with a small laugh.

"Indeed it was, Mario. My heart is still racing..." Peach said, also with a small laugh.

Then Cappy and Tiara assumed their Bonneter forms and left Mario and Peach's heads, laughing joyfully and finally having a happy reunion at last.

"It's so sweet to see them reunited. Tiara really missed her brother." Peach said to Mario.

"The feeling was mutual, Peach. Cappy was worried sick about Tiara, even though I assured him that as long as you were with her, she was alright." Mario said.

Peach smiled at that, and said to Mario, "You really said that to him, that Tiara was alright with me?"

Mario nodded.

"Awwww! You're so sweet, Mario." the Princess said, still smiling at the plumber she loved.

"No, sei tu quella dolce. No, you're the sweet one, Peach." Mario replied, looking at Peach. He'd caught glimpses of her in the Lochlady Dress earlier on, but he hadn't been able to really admire her beauty until now. She looked exquisite in that dress, and she was blushing from his words, making her look the part of a real blushing bride. And he himself was dressed in an amazing white wedding tuxedo, thanks to Cappy.

"It couldn't hurt to try, now that everything is back to normal..." Mario thought to himself, and then he began to approach the Princess, with the intention of asking her to marry him.

Peach looked at her beau curiously, wondering just what he was going to do.


Cappy and Tiara also noticed what Mario was doing, and they stopped their celebration.

"Do you think he's going to...?" Tiara asked her big brother in a whisper, hardly daring to hope.

"He told me that he was thinking about it, but only because Bowser pushed him to make that decision. So I think he's actually going to ask her to marry him!" Cappy whispered back excitedly.

"Do you think she'll answer positively...?" Tiara whispered.

"Did she tell you that she loves him?" Cappy asked.

"Many times!" Tiara exclaimed in excitement.

"Come on, Peach... Please say yes...! Please say yes...! Please say yes...!" the Bonneter siblings excitedly but quietly chanted in unison as they watched the plumber approach the woman he loved.


Suddenly, Mario was rudely pushed down by Bowser. Peach looked at her beau as he fell down. She looked as though she was about to scold Bowser for what he had done to Mario, but then Bowser did something no one had expected. He held out the Soirée Bouquet to Peach and said, "Princess Peach, I offer these flowers, and my hand, to you in marriage! Now accept them both!"

Mario got back to his feet and looked to see what had knocked him down. Bad luck, because he was just in time to see Peach looking flattered by Bowser's proposal. Not only that, but he was also pretty sure he heard Peach saying, "Oh, thank you..."

That really freaked Mario out! Was Peach considering accepting Bowser's last-ditch marriage proposal?! Why would she do such a thing when she told Bowser multiple times that she'd never marry him?! She couldn't do that, and he couldn't have that!

Without thinking, Mario quickly snatched up a nearby Rocket Flower and offered it to Peach. He started to ask, "Princess Peach, will you... OW!" He was cut off by Bowser smacking him in the side of the head... hard!

"Back off, Mario! Everyone knows that it's me she wants, not you!" Bowser said, trying to offer the bouquet to the Princess.

"Are you kidding me, Bowser? She hates your lousy guts! You know that! Everybody knows that!" Mario said, shoving against Bowser.

"She's supposed to be my wife, and I'm not giving up until she is! She deserves a KING for a husband, not some lousy, stupid plumber who goes around messing up all my awesome plans!" Bowser said, shoving Mario back.

"That's what you think, Bowser, but unlike you, I love her, which is more than I can say about you!" Mario replied, not realizing what he and Bowser were doing.


Neither suitor noticed, but Peach was getting upset. She hated Bowser, that was true, and while it was Mario she really wanted, she didn't want him to fight with Bowser for her hand in marriage. Also, both men seemed to be forcing her to pick one of them.

For her part, Peach had been forced enough for one adventure, and she decided the the best way to stop the men from doing the very thing she was sick of was to display that toughness she hardly ever showed Bowser whenever she was in his clutches.

"Enough!" the Princess demanded, an angry look on her face. Then she stalked away from both men in a huff. Mario and Bowser watched her leave them with shocked expressions on their faces. It didn't take long for them to realize what had just happened: Peach wasn't going to accept either one's proposal!

Mario couldn't believe what had just happened. Not only had Peach just turned down Bowser, she shot down his marriage proposal as well! He thought she loved him! Why would she...? He got turned down by the woman he loved and cared about more than any girl he'd ever known! This was the worst thing to ever happen to him! A sharp pain shot through his chest as he realized it.


Cappy and Tiara were puzzled, wondering what had just happened. It didn't look like Peach had accepted Mario's proposal, because neither one looked overjoyed.

"Did she just... reject not only Bowser... but Mario, too?" Tiara asked Cappy in a whisper as the Princess approached them.

"I... I think she did..." Cappy whispered back.

"But... Why? I-I thought she..." Tiara whispered, feeling bad.

"And if she knew how much Mario loves her..." Cappy whispered.

Tiara quietly gasped in shock at that.

"Oh no..." she whispered. She knew that Mario could not be feeling too good after being turned down by the woman he loved...

Peach finally approached the siblings and said, "Come on, let's go."

The Bonneters slowly but obediently followed the Princess.

Bowser had his back to everyone, but you could see him shaking with sobs. Mario had a hand on Bowser's shell, and he was bowing his head, crying quietly.

(A/N: I kid you not about Mario! I literally heard him crying! Listen very carefully when Mario and Bowser are upset about being rejected, and you'll hear him. Poor baby!)

Peach walked onto the deck of the Odyssey, still pretty upset at what both suitors had been doing to her. However, she seemed a little more relaxed, knowing that now she could go home and put all this behind her. She started up the Odyssey, but she didn't have the heart to leave the two upset suitors behind. She called out to Mario and Bowser, getting their attention.

"Let's go home!" Peach called to them, smiling now as the Odyssey began to take off.


Mario and Bowser ran to catch up to the Odyssey, but Mario wanted to get to the ship more than anything, because he kind of considered the Odyssey his. Plus, Bowser had his own stupid airship! It would more than likely get him back to his home if he remembered where he parked it.

Both suitors jumped for the Odyssey, but Mario kind of kicked Bowser in the face, sending him back to the surface of the Moon Kingdom so he could reach the deck of the Odyssey, before happily giving Cappy a brisk toss, showing that all was well.

As Mario caught Cappy again, he landed on the deck of the airship and looked over at Peach. Seeing her face reminded him that not all was well. He remembered that she had turned him down, and it caused the pain in his heart to come back. He also felt tears come to his eyes, and he had to look away because he didn't want anyone to see them. Especially not Peach. Judging by how mad she had been at him and Bowser, she'd probably be glad to see tears in Mario's eyes.

Mario turned his gaze to the floor of the deck before opening the door, gesturing for Peach to enter the ship. She did, and Tiara followed her in, wanting to spend more time with her human companion. Cappy considered joining his sister and the Princess inside, but first...

"Aren't you going to join us in there, Mario?" Cappy asked.

"Forse. M-maybe... I... I-I just... want to be a-alone... r-right now..." Mario said, trying his hardest not to break. He didn't want to go in there because he had a feeling that Peach did not want to see him right now. And that thought hurt him... badly.

"Are you sure, Mario?" Cappy asked, feeling concerned about his friend.

"I-I'm sure... J-just go." Mario told him. He was trying his hardest not to cry again. He also knew that Peach wouldn't want to see him cry, either. She would most likely show him no sympathy if he showed a sign of weakness that he never wanted anyone to see.

Cappy hovered in the doorway and took a long, backwards glance at Mario before entering the Odyssey and closing the door so he could spend time with his sister and her newfound friend, Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom.


Mario stood out there on the deck, all alone with his thoughts as he wiped at his eyes. How could this have happened?! Oh, that's right! He remembered that someone started this whole mess he and Peach were in right now, and Bowser was his name-o!

"This whole thing is all Bowser's fault! There I was, all set to propose to the woman I love more than life itself, and thanks to him, it all fell apart!" Mario thought, feeling angry. Yes, Mario was very sad that he got turned down, but he was also very angry that Bowser had ruined his plans to ask Peach if she would marry him! Leave it to Bowser to go and ruin everything!

"Actually, if he had just left her alone and not captured her in the first place, perhaps neither of us would be in this mess right now! He's got no one to blame but himself for this!" Mario thought. It was true. Bowser was always lying to himself about Peach and how she felt about him. She hated him, and she told him that every time she saw him!

But then Mario remembered what almost happened on the Moon Kingdom! Bowser wasn't the only thing that caused this!

"Also, what in the world was Peach thinking, looking flattered with a last-ditch proposal attempt from Bowser?! She hates his guts! More importantly, why did she turn me down?! I thought she loved me! Tutti lo sanno! Everyone knows that! And she once told me she wanted to marry for love! Well, I love her! I love her more than I've ever loved any woman!" Mario thought. He could not handle the fact that the woman he loved, the woman he was sure loved him, had turned him down!

In fact, before Bowser had interrupted, Mario's marriage proposal was meant to go something like this, "Princess Peach, when I first set eyes on you, I have to admit that it was your beauty that had me drawn to you. I fell hard for your blue eyes, which shine like a couple of perfect blue topaz stones, your long, silky blonde hair, which shines like spun gold in the sunlight, and your smile, which is contagious enough to make me smile right back at you.

(A/N: It's Daisy who has the sapphire eyes. I would've picked aquamarine for Peach's eyes, but that shade of blue is too light for her eyes, so I went for something in between. Blue topaz was close enough.)

Now before you start thinking the wrong thing, I don't love you just because you're una bella principessa, a beautiful princess. No. I'm not shallow. As I got to know you better, I learned how very beautiful you are on the inside, as well as the outside. You're everything I looked for in a woman. Not only do you have a heart of gold, a wonderful trait for any ruler, you're patient, kind, honest, caring, loving, sweet, and a very good friend to many people, including a couple of boring old plumbers like me and Luigi. To tell the truth, next to Luigi, you're il mio migliore amico, my very best friend.

When you first confessed your love for me at your New Year's Eve party during the first year Luigi and I spent living in the Mushroom Kingdom, I couldn't have been happier, knowing that una donna straordinaria, an amazing woman like you, could love someone ordinary, like me. I've continued to love you more with each passing day, and I know that I'm at my happiest whenever you're around, and I feel blessed knowing that you're in my life. I know I'm not un principe, a prince, or any kind of nobleman, and that all I have to offer you is my heart full of love, but I can assure you that I'll never do anything to hurt you, and that I'll continue to love you until the day I breathe my last. What I'm trying to say is this: Princess Peach, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Mario felt a lump in his throat as he thought about the words he wanted to say to Peach. He wanted more than anything to try and propose to her again, but he couldn't. Not after the way he botched the attempt on the Moon Kingdom. To think of even saying such words to Peach now really wasn't an option, especially because he knew he wouldn't be able to say them without breaking down and crying, like he was doing a few minutes ago. And even if he did, he knew for a fact that Peach would just shoot him down like a duck!

Then he had a sudden realization: when he and Bowser were offering flowers to Peach as marriage proposals, they were literally shoving against each other. And they were shoving their proposal items in Peach's face, practically forcing her to choose at least one of them.

That wasn't the right thing to do, because Bowser had been forcing Peach to marry him against her will the entire time. Then he and Mario, that's right, Mario, were both forcing her to choose between them.

Mario gasped in shock as he realized that he had stooped to Bowser's level, something he vowed he would never, ever do! In doing so, he became part of the problem, and it made him feel worse than he already did.

"Mama-mia! What... what in the world was I thinking...? I did that to her... and I... I-I love her! No wonder she turned me down... I drove her away... by doing something I said I would never do... The best thing that ever happened to me... and I blew it... by stooping to our enemy's level... She... she doesn't love me anymore... because I was so stupid..." Mario thought as he curled up into a tight ball, not even trying to fight the tears that were coursing down his cheeks. The pain in his heart intensified, something he felt only twice before in his life, and that was back when he and Luigi lost their mother, and not long after her, their father. Yup, he was heartbroken, only this time, it was his own fault, which made the pain even worse than before.

He knew that he owed Peach an apology, if anything. But he needed to figure out how to word it. A simple "I'm sorry, Peach" wasn't going to be enough to get the Princess to forgive him. He had to come up with more than just that if he wanted Peach's complete forgiveness.

The apology he came up with was, "Princess Peach, I would like to apologize to you for behaving the way I did. È stato sbagliato da parte mia. It was wrong of me, and I should have known better than to act like that. I should have acted more mature, rather than stooping to Bowser's level, which is something I had vowed I would never do. I'm sorry for going back on my vow. I'm sorry for trying to force you to accept my proposal. But most of all, I'm sorry I behaved no better than our much-hated enemy. I honestly never meant to force you to pick me as your husband, and I'm truly, sincerely sorry for everything. I just hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me for doing what I did, because I still love you."

Mario stopped crying as he thought about saying those words to Peach. He stood up and got ready to open the door, but he suddenly stopped as worse thoughts occurred to him. What if she didn't want to hear anything he had to say? What if she ignored him? What if she told him that she couldn't forgive him, because she decided that she could not marry a man who would stoop as low as their hated enemy?

"But... I never want the sun to set on an unsettled argument... Not when I'm in relationships... And now I'm forced to let that happen... with the best thing that ever happened to me... because of one stupid move on my part..." Mario said to himself with a sad sigh, allowing himself to curl up into a ball and cry again. He felt as though he'd never feel happiness again, figuring that thanks to his stupidity, Peach would want him out of her life for good.


Meanwhile, inside the Odyssey, everyone else seemed to be happy. Cappy and Tiara were talking to each other, glad that they were finally together again.

"I really missed you, Cappy." Tiara said, giving her big brother a hug.

"And I was worried sick about you, Tiara. You have no idea how badly I wanted to rescue you." Cappy said as he returned the hug. Then he whispered to Tiara, "So I'll tell you: I wanted to save you just as bad as Mario wanted to save Peach."

"Aww! Cappy, you're the best big brother in the whole world!" Tiara replied, feeling happy that she was reunited with her brother again.

Peach watched the two as they continued to celebrate the fact that they were reunited. She smiled, as their reunion reminded her of how she and her cousin, Daisy, reacted whenever they got to visit each other as young girls. They always felt good when they were able to see each other and spend lots of time together.

"It wouldn't hurt to visit Daisy again. After all, it has been a while since the last time I visited Sarasaland, and I haven't seen her parents, my aunt and uncle, in forever. Plus, Daisy is like a sister to me. The sister I never had, but always wanted." Peach thought.

The thought of going somewhere gave Peach an idea. She thought about the places Bowser had dragged her and Tiara through on the way to the Moon Kingdom, as well as some that she thought she heard him speak of.

"We didn't really get to see much of those places we went through. It might be nice to see them again, without Bowser breathing down our necks. Maybe Tiara and I could try and go back to those kingdoms and see what they have to offer. And in the process, we'll be able to forget the bad memories, replacing them with better memories. That could be fun, and healthy for both of us." Peach thought. And the more she thought about it, the more she smiled. This sounded like fun.

After a few minutes of silence, Peach decided to ask Tiara what she thought of her brilliant idea.

"Tiara, I'd like to ask you something." Peach began.

"Okay, Peach. Ask away." Tiara replied, ready to hear what her friend had to say.

"I was wondering... What would you say about going on another world tour?" Peach began.

"Another world tour?" Tiara asked, confused.

"You know, to make up for the one Bowser took us on? Just the two of us?" Peach continued.

Tiara thought about that idea for a moment before twirling around and excitedly replying, "Ooh, really?! I'd love that, Peach! When are we going?"

Peach thought about that for another moment before asking, "How does tomorrow morning sound?"

"Tomorrow morning?! That soon?!" Tiara asked.

"Yes." said Peach.

"Why so soon, Peach? People often need more time than that to plan a trip, even if it is kind of spur-of-the-moment." Cappy said to Peach.

"Cappy, when your sister and I were with Bowser, we both ended up getting a lot of bad memories, but when you're stuck with someone as bad as him, that's to be expected." Peach began.

"How bad are the memories you're referring to?" Cappy asked.

"You don't want to know." Peach replied, before adding, "Anyway, the main reason is that I'd like to start replacing our bad memories with better ones as soon as possible. We'll go back to all the places Bowser took us to, including some we haven't been to, and we'll explore them ourselves, making better memories before we even know it."

"Peach, that's going to be so much fun! I can't wait!" Tiara cheered.

"I guess I can't blame you. After what you girls went through, the two of you deserve some real happiness and fun." Cappy said. He was thinking about Mario. Mario was outside this whole time, and he didn't really know what the girls had planned. And if he didn't know, who knows what he might think?

"I'm going to have to tell Mario about this. In the state he's in, he might get the wrong idea, and that won't be a good thing." Cappy thought.


A little later, Mario came in, walked over to the bed, and sat down on it. Peach and Tiara were in the chairs that he and Cappy had been sitting in, and Cappy was over by his sister. Mario also kept his eyes glued to the floor. He didn't want anyone to see how red and puffy his eyes were, how red his face was. They would know that he had been crying, and he didn't want anyone to know that.

"Hey, buddy! Good to see you again!" Cappy said as he flew over to Mario.

Upon closer inspection, Mario didn't look very happy to the Bonneter.

"Are you okay?" Cappy asked in a quiet voice.

Mario slightly shook his head no, and motioned for Cappy to come close to him.

"What's up?" Cappy asked.

Mario whispered something to him, and Cappy said, "Oh! You know, I didn't really think to ask. I'll do it now." He then flew over to Peach and said, "Peach, Mario said that he wants to know exactly what kingdom we're flying the Odyssey to. That's what we call our airship: the Odyssey."

"I didn't know that you named this ship. And if you want my opinion, I think the Odyssey is a very nice name. And we're taking it to the Mushroom Kingdom, of course. I want to go home." Peach replied.

Mario felt better, knowing that they were going home. He felt like he needed to be there right now.

"Did you hear that, Mario?" Cappy asked, looking at the plumber.

Mario replied by nodding his head.

"Did he hear?" Peach asked, not having heard him give a verbal reply.

"I saw him nodding his head, so I'm guessing he did." Cappy told her.


And so ends Chapter 1. I never felt so bad for Mario in my life! I know that he too was at fault for forcing Peach, which is what Bowser had been doing all along, but... (sigh) Stay tuned if you wish to read more...