(A/N: I still find it a little hard to believe that I've taken this story to 10 chapters. But now I think it's time to get this show on the road!)


Princess Peach's transport ship arrived at Lake Lamode bright and early the following day. Upon seeing what the Lake Kingdom was like again, Peach said, "Perhaps I should slip into something more comfortable and suitable for this place before we begin exploring it."

"What are you going to wear? A plain ol' pink swimsuit?" Tiara asked, looking out the window in anticipation.

"You'll see. But you'll have to wait until I'm decent first, okay?" Peach said. She was busy changing out of her nightgown and into her swimwear.

"Can I look yet?" Tiara asked, still looking out at the lake.

"Just about..." Peach said. About a minute later, she said, "Okay, I'm decent now."

Tiara looked to see that the princess was now wearing a lei of pink and white flowers around her neck, a white flower in her hair, a pink bikini top with a blue brooch similar to the one on her trademark dress, pink flip-flops with flowers like the ones in her lei, a pair of sunglasses, and a white sarong with pink crescent moon patterns. The sarong covered her pink bikini bottom pretty well.

"Ooh, who are you trying to impress? Is it Mario?" Tiara giggled.

"I'm not trying to impress anybody, Tiara, although I think Mario will be impressed if he sees me wearing this. He's seen me in swimwear before, but this is a new outfit that he hasn't seen me wear yet." Peach replied as she shouldered her beach bag (which she had packed), putting a few items from her purse in it.

"Great! I think he's going to love seeing you in that, because you look spectacular! Now let's go and see if he's here!" Tiara said.

"Okay, and thanks for the compliment!" said Peach.

"Oh, wait a second! Aren't you going to wear make-up today?" Tiara asked. She knew that Peach took off her make-up before going to sleep, and usually didn't leave the transport ship unless she had applied some first. And Peach hadn't applied any make-up yet.

"No, I didn't bring any waterproof make-up with me, so if I put any on and decide to go for a swim, the water's just going to wash it away." Peach said.

"Oh." said Tiara.


When they left the transport ship, Peach saw an upset Lochlady standing nearby.

"Pardon my asking, miss, but is something the matter?" Peach asked the Lochlady.

"Our Lochlady Dress had been stolen by a monster! I wonder where our Lochlady Dress is. I hope whoever wears it looks good enough in it to justify our heartache..." the Lochlady said to Peach.

"(gasp) Oh my! I almost forgot! Don't go away! I'll be right back!" Peach said, and she ran back to the transport ship.

"What's going on? What did she forget?" the Lochlady asked Tiara, confused as she watched the Princess run off.

"A surprise. A good one that's sure to bring a big smile to your face." Tiara replied.

The Lochlady was even more confused, but she decided that she would see what happened when Peach came back.


A minute later, Peach came running back to where she left Tiara and the Lochlady. In her hands she was carrying an exquisite wedding gown and veil.

When the Lochlady saw what Peach was carrying, she was in happy shock as she recognized the dress.

"I was the one being forced to wear this dress, but I didn't even want to. You deserve to have your dress back." Peach said to the Lochlady.

"Oh my heavens! It's the Lochlady Dress! You brought it back! Come with me right away!" said the Lochlady, taking the dress and veil from Peach, before motioning for Peach and Tiara to follow her down the newly-repaired steps to the Water Plaza.

As they walked down the steps, Peach produced from her beach bag one of those wedding posters, showing the Lochlady how she looked in the dress.

"Oh my, you looked exquisite in the dress!" exclaimed the Lochlady, before adding, "But you don't look that happy in a dress that is said to bring eternal happiness to whoever wears it..."

"How could I be happy in a dress that lovely when I knew it was stolen and I was being forced into marrying someone I hated?" Peach asked.

"Good point. Also, every bride yearns for this dress..." the Lochlady added.

"I didn't even know about it until Bowser showed it to me, so I never yearned for it before... But since I was wearing it, you might want to get it dry-cleaned." Peach said.

"We know how to do that, but for now, we want to put it back..." said the Lochlady.


By that time, they were in the area where the show window was, and there were a lot of Lochladies looking forlornly at the empty dressmaker's dummy inside the room, wondering if they'd ever see the Lochlady Dress again.

"Look, everyone! This young woman here had been forced to wear our famed Lochlady Dress, and while she looked magnificent in it, she brought it back to us!" the first Lochlady said, getting everyone's attention.

The other Lochladies all looked to see the one who had spoken holding up the dress and veil, with Peach and Tiara by her side. Needless to say, they were all excited and happy to see the dress again.

"You're amazing!"

"This is wonderful!"

"The Lochlady Dress has been returned!"

"How can we ever repay you for doing this?!"

These were a few of the things the Lochladies had to say to Peach as they returned the dress to its proper place.

"Well, would it be okay if I took some pictures of the dress from every angle? I might want to get married for real someday, to someone I love, and I think I'd like if my wedding dress looked similar to the real deal. But my royal dress-makers are going to need to use the pictures for reference." Peach explained.

"Be our guest. You brought our dress back, so you're more than welcome to take photos of it. Take as many as you need." said a Lochlady.

So Peach went into the room and snapped some photos of the dress from every angle. It made her feel good to know that she was able to make the Lochladies so very happy.

Even Tiara wanted to take a photo of Peach next to the dress.

"Okay." said Peach, and after handing her camera to Tiara, she stood next to the dummy that held the dress.

"Smile!" said Tiara.

Peach gave a sweet smile to the camera.

"Say 'Mario'!" said Tiara.

"Mario!" Peach said, and her smile became dreamy as she thought of the man who had stopped Bowser from getting what he wanted from her.

And Tiara snapped the photo with Peach's digital camera.

"Perfect!" Tiara said as she looked at the image.

Peach enjoyed the sights of the Water Plaza but eventually she went to the Water Plaza Terrace to relax for a bit.


Peach and Tiara had been in the Water Plaza when Mario and Cappy showed up, and Mario had changed into his Swim Goggles (which Cappy turned into) and Swimwear. He had been swimming around in the lake when Peach and Tiara went to the Terrace, and swimming in the lake was how he got into the Water Plaza, not knowing that the steps had been repaired.

One can imagine Mario's great surprise when he looked in the show window and saw the Lochlady Dress put back on the dressmaker's dummy.

"Hey! Look at that! It's-a back!" Mario exclaimed.

"Yes! A very pretty woman brought back our Lochlady Dress! We'll have to have it dry-cleaned, but we're so very glad to have it back." said a Lochlady.

"A very pretty woman brought it back, you say?" Cappy asked.

"Was she a tall, comely woman with a shapely figure, long blonde hair like spun gold, and eyes as blue as Lake Lamode itself?" Mario asked.

"Why, yes! Do you know her?" asked the same Lochlady.

"Know her?! È la mia ragazza! She's my girl! Or, at least, I hope she still is. I didn't ask her if she's still my girlfriend, let alone my friend..." Mario said, mumbling most of everything he said after referring to Peach as his girl. But the Lochlady managed to hear most of what he mumbled.

"I'm sure she still is. Why don't you go ask her?" suggested the Lochlady as she patted Mario on the shoulder.

"I would... if I knew where she was..." Mario replied.

"Last I saw, she went up to the Water Plaza Terrace, where you found and fought the monster's minions after they stole our Lochlady Dress and broke the steps to the Water Plaza. Why don't you check and see if she's still there?" said the Lochlady.

"Grazie. Thank you. I'll do that." Mario said, and so he made his way to the Water Plaza Terrace.

Sure enough, Peach was there, as lovely as ever.

"Oh my goodness! In that swimwear, she's bellissima!" Mario whispered.

"I remember you telling me that 'bellissima' means beautiful. I'm not going to lie; she was bellissima when I saw her in her normal attire the day that she and Tiara were getting ready to leave on their world tour." Cappy asked as he assumed his Bonneter form.

"She always has been bellissima. She was bellissima in the Lochlady Dress, and she's still bellissima." Mario replied.


"Mario!" Peach called out to him.

Mario ran over to the Princess, inconspicuously looking her up and down.

"She's so hot I could bake cookies on her! And Bowser won't get to eat even a crumb of those cookies, because I'd eat them all first and lick up the crumbs!" Mario thought, smiling in approval at the sight of Peach.

(A/N: I got the line about 'so hot I could bake cookies' from "iCarly". I thought that line was funny, but the character who said that line was saying it about a cute boy.)

"I can't decide what's lovelier here—the people or the architecture!" Peach said to Mario.

"Is this where that lovely Lochlady Dress that Peach wore was made?" Tiara asked.

"Yes, Tiara. This was where the dress was made. Lake Lamode is home to the Lochladies, who made the dress that Peach was wearing." Cappy said.

"Didn't she look beautiful?" Tiara asked.

"Mario called her 'bellissima', which means 'beautiful' in Italian." Cappy replied.

"So Mario agrees with me?" Tiara asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." said Cappy.

"If you want my opinion of the loveliest thing here, it's-a you, Peach. You're very bellissima." Mario said to the Princess.

"Oh, you..." Peach replied, blushing. Then she remembered something and said, "Oh, hey—a Power Moon came floating along. It'll be safer with you." And with that said, she gave Mario a Power Moon that she had put in her beach bag.

"Grazie principessa! Thank you, Princess." Mario replied.

"I'll go put this away so you and Peach can talk. Come along, sis." Cappy said, taking the Power Moon and making his way to the Odyssey with Tiara floating after him.


"So... I was just in the Water Plaza, and while I was there, I saw and heard that you brought back the Lochlady Dress." Mario said to Peach when they were alone.

"Tiara reminded me to bring it when I was packing my suitcase for our world tour. If it hadn't been for her, I think I would've forgotten all about it." Peach said.

"You know, you did look like una bella principessa, a beautiful princess, in the Lochlady Dress." Mario told her.

"I'm glad you think so, Mario. It almost makes me feel a little better about having to wear it." Peach replied.

"But I'm wondering: why were you wearing it before arriving at the wedding venue? Isn't it bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?" Mario asked Peach.

"Yeah... I was just about to explain that to you. Why Bowser made me put it on so early..." Peach said as she removed her sandals, setting them behind her and putting her beach bag on top of them as she sat on the edge of the terrace.

"I'm listening, Peach." Mario assured her, sitting down next to her.

Peach took a deep breath and said, "Here's what happened..."


(Flashback...)

Peach was sitting in the bride's chamber. When Bowser finally let her go back in there after visiting the Sand Kingdom, Peach immediately removed the tape from her eyes, closed her eyes tightly, and began crying hysterically into her arms. She cried for a very long time. Her eyes hurt so badly, as did her arms. She hoped her arms weren't broken.

"Peach, I'm so very sorry! I wanted to help you, but there was nothing I could do!" Tiara, in her Bonneter form, explained to the sobbing princess.

"I... I-I don't b-blame you... T-Tiara... Th-this isn't your... f-f-fault! N-none of this... i-is your fault! I-I never thought B-Bowser would... would st-stoop this... l-low! I-I... I wanna go home!" Peach wailed, not looking up at Tiara.

"Me too..." Tiara said forlornly.

A few minutes later, they heard a knock at the door.

"Knock knock knock..." Bowser said, knocking at the door.

"Oh no!" cried Tiara, turning into her tiara form again and resting on Peach's head.

"Go away, Bowser! Haven't you done enough already?!" Peach yelled at the door. She really didn't want to deal with him right then.

"Really, Peach? That's no way to greet your future husband." Bowser said as he opened the door and walked in. He looked really happy, and he had one hand behind his back.

"I'll greet you any way I want, because if I have to marry you, the wedding present I want more than anything right now is an annulment of the marriage!" Peach said.

"Too bad, sweet-thing!" Bowser said.

"And weren't you listening earlier?! I told you I don't like being called 'sweet-thing'! So don't go around calling me something I don't want to be called!" Peach screamed.

"Hey, if you're not going to call me by the sweet names a wife calls her husband, even before the marriage, then I'll call you 'sweet-thing', whether you like it or not." Bowser said.

Peach felt sick. The idea of calling Bowser 'honey' or 'dear' made her want to throw up.

"Besides, I have something here that might change your tune." Bowser said.

"Nothing can change my tune. You're treating me worse than the sand you trod upon in the Sand Kingdom." Peach replied, turning away from Bowser and crossing her arms.

"Oh, come on! I've got something here that is sure to please you!" Bowser said, and he went around and showed Peach what he had been hiding behind his back.

Peach and Tiara could not believe what they were seeing. It was the most beautiful piece of clothing they had ever seen in their lives!

"Oh my goodness! What a gorgeous dress!" Tiara thought as she looked at the garment Bowser was showing Peach.

"Wh-what is this?" Peach asked, trying not to look interested. She knew that if she showed even the slightest bit of interest in the dress, Bowser would think she'd be more than willing to go along with the wedding, even though she absolutely hated the idea.

"This is the dress, and veil, that you're going to wear when we get married!" Bowser happily exclaimed, before adding, "And if you'll look at the vanity table, there's a pair of gloves to go with the dress, and a pair of shoes to match under the chair at the table!"

Sure enough, he was right. A pair of beautiful gloves, the same length as the ones Peach wore, sat on the vanity table. And a pair of white high heels sat under the chair at the vanity table.

"Excuse me, but I think you're forgetting the most important detail, and that's the fact that I'm never going to marry you!" Peach said.

"Right now, you don't really have a choice, Princess. You turned down all those other suitors that came to court you, and the only one you showed any interest in is pushing daisies! So make this easier for both of us and accept it, why don't you?" Bowser suggested.

"Why don't you accept that I hate you and I wish you were never born?" Peach grumbled under her breath.

Unfortunately for her, Bowser heard her say that. He frowned, grabbed her roughly by the chin, and pulled her close to his face!

Peach was terrified! Bowser had never done anything like this before! She could practically feel his claws digging into her delicate skin, and it hurt!

"Let me go! You're hurting me again! Please, stop it!" Peach cried, tears of fear and pain welling in her eyes.

"Listen up, Peach! I'm going to give you 10 minutes to put on this wedding dress! You'd better be wearing it by the time I get back... or else!" Bowser said, looking her straight in the eyes.

"Or else... what?" Peach asked, trying hard not to cry.

"I haven't figured that part out yet. But I will! Now change into that dress! Your time starts NOW!" Bowser shouted, and after he let go of her chin as roughly as he had grabbed it, he slammed the door shut!


"Ow..." Peach said, tenderly touching a begloved hand to her chin, hoping Bowser hadn't hurt it too bad, yet at the same time she was hoping there'd be a bruise there. That would be a sign that Bowser would be an abusive husband, and then he would be taken away so she wouldn't have to marry him.

She walked over to the vanity table and looked in the mirror there, but it showed no bruise, much to her relief and disappointment.

"If there is one, it probably won't show until after the wedding. I don't know if that's good or bad..." Peach moaned.

When Peach heard a click from the door, she quickly ran to it and tried turning the knob. No good; she was locked in, as she always was whenever Bowser left the room.

"Wh-what are we going to do, Peach?!" Tiara asked, turning back into a Bonneter.

"What do you m-mean 'we'? I'm the one who has to... p-put on the dress, and... and I don't want to! I-I don't... want to get m-married to him... and even if I w-wanted to... I wouldn't want to wear a s-stolen dress!" Peach cried, clearly upset.

"What can you do?! You can't put the dress on, because you don't want to get married to him! And if you do put it on, he'll think you're more than willing to marry him! But if you're not wearing it when he gets back, goodness knows what he'll do to you!" Tiara cried.

Peach didn't answer. She fell back against the door, slumped to the floor, and began crying her eyes out again.

"I wish I could help you, Peach. I wish I could clone you so that Bowser would think the clone was you and marry it. Then the real you could marry whoever you want." Tiara said.

"I-I can't... The only m-man I... I wanted to... to marry... is g-gone! Th-thanks to Bowser... I-I'll never see him again!" Peach wept.

"I really wish I could bring Mario back to you, Peach... The way you speak of him tells me that he was very special to you..." Tiara replied.

"He w-was... in s-so many ways... He was k-kind... handsome... b-brave... heroic... l-loving... Mario was everything I... I ever w-wanted in a man, Tiara... He was s-so special... Whenever I was w-with him, I felt... c-complete... But now he's g-gone forever... I'll never l-love any man... the way I loved M-M-Mario!" Peach sobbed.


Peach didn't know how much time she spent sobbing over the loss of Mario and not putting on the dress, but then she suddenly heard heavy footsteps approaching the door. Oh no! Bowser was coming back! She knew she was going to be in big trouble when she heard him unlock the door and say, "Time's up, Peach! When I open this door, you'd better have that dress on... or else!"

"Oh no! He's coming back!" Tiara screamed, turning into a tiara again and landing on Peach's head.

"No, don't come in!" Peach screamed, grabbing the knob, trying to prevent him from turning it and coming in.

"Why not?" Bowser asked.

"Because... I don't feel good..." Peach said. She couldn't let him come in and have him see that she didn't put on the dress.

"If you don't feel good, I can make you feel better. I'll come in there and kiss you until you are better." Bowser said.

Peach gagged at the thought, and she had to fight down the impulse to throw up.

"No! I don't want you to kiss me, because... I feel like I'm going to throw up! You don't want me to throw up on you! And it might be something contagious... like the stomach flu! You don't want to catch that, and I sure don't want to give it to anyone else! I need to go home and see my Royal Physician! Please let me go home before you catch the bug from me; you really don't want it!" Peach begged.

"You can get checked out by a doctor after we get married. You're going to be just fine! Besides, even if I do get the bug from you, it'll be worth it!" Bowser said.

"No, it won't! This is something I wouldn't even wish on Dimentio!" Peach said.

Bowser frowned when Peach mentioned the name of that guy, but he didn't care. He wanted to see how lovely Peach looked in the Lochlady Dress, so he said, "I really don't care. Now let me in!"

"I can't do that!" Peach yelled back.

"Fine, then! If you won't let me come in and see you, then I guess I'll just have to break down the door! Ready or not, here I come!" Bowser said, and Peach could hear him backing up outside the room.

"Wait a second!" she thought, and a smile spread across her face. Why hadn't she thought of trying this before during past captures?!

She listened for the sound of Bowser running, and when he came close enough, she opened the door, and Bowser came charging through! He ran so fast that he didn't realize what had happened, and he ended up running right into the wall! His head hit the wall so hard that he ended up knocking himself out cold!


"I-is he... dead?" Tiara asked, still disguised as Peach's wedding tiara.

"I... I don't know. I'm kind of hoping he is, but at the same time, I hope he isn't..." Peach said.

"Why do you want him to be alive, Peach?! He's mean to us!" Tiara asked.

"If he's dead, then guess what? That makes me a murderer!" Peach said.

"He's the one who ran into the wall! If he's dead, that's his own fault, not yours!" Tiara said.

"I'm the one who opened the door and allowed him to do that! He didn't kill himself! I killed him!" Peach said.

At that moment, the girls heard a low groan. It was Bowser. Apparently, he was regaining consciousness!

"Oh good, he's still alive. I'm not a murderer..." Peach sighed in relief.

"No, Peach, this is bad..." said Tiara, getting scared.

"Why? I may hate him, but I didn't want him to die like that..." Peach said.

"He's going to come to! If he sees that you didn't put the dress on..." Tiara said.

The blood drained from Peach's face when Tiara said that.

"Oh no..." Peach said, remembering what Bowser had said to her.

"Run for your life, Peach!" Tiara shouted.

At first, Peach was too scared to move, but when she saw Bowser move, she managed to bolt out of the room and start searching frantically for a way out!

However, Peach was not able to get very far, because the Broodals were on the ship, too, and when they saw Peach running around, they moved quickly to block her exits! She was trapped like a rat!


A minute later, Bowser came walking up, and he saw her still wearing her trademark pink dress!

"Oh no! Please, Star Spirits! Kill me now!" Peach thought when she saw him approaching. The displeased look on his face when he saw that she hadn't changed into the Lochlady Dress scared her to death!

"Thank you. I'll take it from here!" Bowser said to the Broodals.

The Broodals saluted Bowser, and then they went back to their airship, ready to go to the next place and steal the next item on Bowser's wedding list. which was the Soirée Bouquet.

(A/N: Remember, Peach said that Bowser took her to the Lake Kingdom before the Wooded Kingdom, but in spite of that, she wanted to visit the latter first.)

Then Bowser dragged a kicking and screaming Princess Peach back into the bride's chamber! When they got there, he blocked the door with his body and ripped into the Princess with white-hot fury!

"I gave you 10 minutes, little missy! That should have been more than enough time for you to put on that dress! What were you doing?!" Bowser screamed at Peach, frightening her more than ever before!

"I... I-I couldn't! I... I'm s-sick! My head... and my st-stomach... hurt, because... I'm on m-my..." Peach started to explain, but Bowser didn't let her finish her explanation.

"I don't care what you're on and what hurts! We're going to get married, no matter what you say!" Bowser shouted, upsetting her.

"Can't I put the dress on when we get to the wedding venue?! Please?!" Peach begged. She just couldn't go through with the wedding! Not when she had to marry someone she hated.

"Why do you want to wait until then?!" Bowser asked, folding his arms and glaring at her.

"B-because it's... b-bad luck to s-see the bride before the... the w-wedding! E-everybody knows th-that!" Peach stammered, hoping against hope that Bowser was superstitious.

"Nice try, Peach, but Koopas don't believe in superstitions! Everyone knows that they're stupid and fake, anyway!" Bowser said.

This was too much for Tiara. She was sick of submission and decided it was time to do something, no matter what the consequence was! She went into her Bonneter form and started yelling at Bowser.

"For once in your life, do the right thing and listen to Peach! Can't you see and hear how upset she is?! Don't you care about her, even a little?!" Tiara yelled, and she was right up in Bowser's face.

"You stay out of this, you impudent brat!" Bowser shouted, showing that he really didn't care as he back-handed Tiara into the wall!

The little Bonneter screamed before she hit the wall, hard. To make matters worse, Tiara lost consciousness before she even hit the ground. Peach was horrified at the sight as Tiara slowly slid to the floor!

"Oh my gosh! TIARA!" Peach screamed, forgetting all about Bowser and rushing over to Tiara's still form, trying to check her for signs of life. She was so small, and so still. She looked like she was only asleep, and Peach hoped that she wasn't sleeping the big sleep.

"Please, Tiara. Don't be dead! You can't be dead! I can't lose anyone else! Not now!" Peach pleaded as she checked Tiara for signs of life. It was bad enough that Peach lost her parents when she was just a baby, and it made her sick to think that Mario was gone, too, courtesy of Bowser. If Bowser had killed Tiara, Peach would rather be dead with the rest of them.

With Peach distracted, a malicious grin spread across Bowser's ugly face. It was time to let the princess find out what 'or else' meant!

Bowser grabbed up the Princess in his big clawed hand, holding her tightly!

"Let me go! Let me go!" Peach screamed, trying hard to struggle, but it was useless! She was well and truly trapped.

"No way! Since you refused to put on the dress, let me show you what 'or else' means!" Bowser said.

"No! Don't touch me, Bowser! Please don't hurt me!" Peach pleaded, tears of fear were currently making their way down her face.

"Too late for that, Peach! You should've thought about this during that time limit!" Bowser said, and without warning, Bowser ripped Peach's pink silk dress right off of her body!

Peach was shocked! She had never thought Bowser would stoop that low! Embarrassed and overcome with complete shock, Princess Peach fainted dead away in Bowser's grasp!

(End flashback...)


Mario was livid when he heard what Bowser had done to Peach that time! But he wasn't nearly as angry as someone else was.

Cappy and Tiara were not too far away from the pair when Peach told Mario that Bowser back-handed Tiara into the wall, and so Cappy heard that. When he heard that, he froze!

"Cappy...?" Tiara nervously asked. When her brother froze like that, trouble would break loose.

"Tell me I misheard that!" Cappy said to his sister. His voice was low and angry.

"M-misheard... wh-wh-what?" Tiara asked, frightened.

"Did I just hear Peach say that Bowser back-handed you into a wall?!" Cappy asked.

Tiara didn't know how to answer that question. She had been taught to tell the truth, but with her brother this mad, she wasn't sure if that was such a good idea.

"Tell me the truth!" Cappy demanded.

"Y-y-y-yes... Cappy... H-he... he did..." Tiara said, not looking at her brother.

Cappy was shocked and more angry than Tiara had ever seen him!

"I'M GONNA KILL THAT GUY!" Cappy yelled, frightening Tiara and startling Mario and Peach really badly. In fact, the couple had been so startled that they fell off the edge of the terrace and into the water!


"Oh no!" Tiara cried when she heard the screams, followed by the splash.

Mario and Peach resurfaced a few seconds later, coughing and spluttering, trying to figure out what the heck happened.

"Oops. Sorry, you two. I overheard what Peach said about Tiara, and... he really did that to her?" Cappy asked, feeling a little calmer as he and Tiara flew over to the soaked pair.

"Yes, Cappy. He really did." Peach replied.

"And did Bowser really tear off your dress?" Mario asked, really mad.

"Yes. He did..." Peach replied, sounding like she was crying. Mario couldn't tell if she was crying or not because her whole face was wet.

"Come on, Peach. Hold on to me, and I'll get us to shore. Tell me the rest when we get there." Mario said.

So Peach held onto Mario as he swam to shore. He was a very strong swimmer, and Peach felt lucky that Mario was strong, and that he could swim so well. Cappy and Tiara slowly hovered over the pair.

When they got to the shore of the lake, near where the Odyssey was parked, Peach removed her sticking-wet sarong before she and Mario sat down at the water's edge. She told Mario, "Wh-when I woke up... I... I saw T-Tiara hovering over me... She... sh-she seemed okay, but... she was w-worried about me... And I was... w-wearing the dress..."

Peach started crying again.

Cappy flew into the the Odyssey and came back out with the tissue box. Mario took some tissues out and handed them to Peach, who took them gratefully.

"Is that all he did? Just tear off your dress and change you?" Mario asked.

"No, Mario. He also removed my gloves and shoes. I found them missing from my body when I awoke. I had no choice but to put on the ones that would go with the dress." Peach said.

"He didn't... try to violate you... while you were unconscious... did he?" Mario asked. His question was too quiet for Peach's liking. If Peach said yes, Mario wouldn't hesitate to kill Bowser once and for all.

"I don't think he did. If he had, I think I would have felt intense pain in that area. And I didn't have any. Well, okay, I do get pain in that area whenever Mother Nature comes to town, but she visited the week before I was kidnapped, so I'm over it now, but I was trying to use that excuse as to why I couldn't put the dress on." Peach said.

"If he didn't rape you, then you had un angelo custode, a guardian angel, watching over you..." Mario said as he hugged Peach, tightly, trying to help her feel better. But then he added, "However, the next time I see Bowser, don't stop me, for no one can protect him from what I want to do to him..."

"Peach looked fantastic in the dress, Mario." Tiara said to Mario, trying to calm him down.

"I know. I saw her in it when we caught up. So bellissima..." Mario replied, getting a smile from Peach.

"Oh, my sandals! They're still on the terrace, along with my beach bag!" Peach said, looking at her bare feet and seeing that she was missing her sandals, and remembering that she didn't have her beach bag with her.

"Let's go get them, Cappy!" Tiara said, and she and Cappy flew back to the terrace to get Peach's sandals and beach bag. They were back in a few seconds, and Peach was glad to have her sandals back. She and Mario stood up and backed away from the water's edge as she slipped her sandals back onto her feet and shouldered her beach bag again.

"Thank you both." Peach smiled at the Bonneters. Then she glanced at some nearby Lochladies and said, "Maybe I'll have something made for myself here..."

"Like what?" Mario asked.

"I'll think of something." Peach said.


Peach went to the Lochladies in the Water Plaza and spoke to them about making her a sexy nightgown. After Peach brought back their Lochlady Dress, the Lochladies readily agreed to reward her with something pretty. After some deliberation, the Lochladies decided on a bridal lingerie gown. Peach did not object, since she had looked really good in the Lochlady Dress, and she allowed the Lochladies to take her measurements. The gown would be made of white satin and some almost see-through material. It would take them a week to make it, though.

(A/N: I got the same sort of nightgown myself from the Avon catalog many years back, and it's gorgeous.)

"Tell you what: I'll come back to get the finished product after I finish up this world tour that I'm on." Peach smiled.

"Do you have a cell phone that can receive text messages? If you do, we can text you when it's ready!" said the first Lochlady Peach spoke to.

"Yes. I have my smartphone right here." Peach said, pulling it out of her beach bag and showing it to the Lochladies.

"Great! So now we can let you know when it's ready!" said another Lochlady.

"See you when you came to get the gown, and have fun!" the Lochladies called as Peach left to go spend some more time with Mario, Cappy, and Tiara.

Mario and Peach spent much of the rest of the day swimming in the lake and enjoying each other's company. It was enough to wipe the sadness off of Peach's face, and give her fun memories that she would always treasure.


That evening, Mario asked Peach, "So, where do you want to go next, Peach?"

"I wonder what there is to see above the clouds... Probably something worth seeing, hm?" Peach said.

"Oh, that's the Cloud Kingdom. I'll be sure to stop by there to speak to you tomorrow." Mario said.

"Okay. I'll see you then, sweetie." Peach said, and she gave Mario a kiss on the cheek.

"Fino ad allora, amore mio. Until then, my love." Mario said, and he kissed her on the cheek as well, which made her blush.

So Mario and Peach went back to their ships, dried off, and got ready for bed. After setting a course for where they wanted to go next, Mario and Peach went to sleep as they flew to the Cloud Kingdom.


I really felt bad for Peach during that flashback she was having, and Mario is not going to let Bowser off the hook. The Koopa King isn't going to be getting off so easily. Stay tuned for more!