(A/N: I still can't believe I've come so far in this story! Are Mario and Peach really going to the Cloud Kingdom now? Well, I'll get this chapter started so you can find out before this author's note bores you all to tears!)
The following morning, Mario awoke and found himself in the Cloud Kingdom. Or, at least, that's where he hoped he was.
"Cappy, are we in the Cloud Kingdom... or the Overthere...?" Mario asked as he looked out the window.
"Let's find out." Cappy said. He went over to Mario and clunked him on the head as hard as he could. Even though Cappy wasn't very big, boy did that hurt!
"Ow!" Mario said, rubbing his head.
"That answers your question. We're in the Cloud Kingdom. If we were in the Overthere, you wouldn't have felt anything, because you'd be a spirit, and they can't feel any pain." Cappy replied.
"Buon punto. Good point." said Mario as he got up and walked over to the Odyssey's wardrobe. He looked through the clothes, wondering what he should wear in the Cloud Kingdom. Then he found it!
"Aha! Here it is! The perfect outfit to wear!" Mario said, producing the Aviator Cap and Outfit.
"You want to dress like a pilot here?" Cappy asked.
"It's-a fitting! Besides, this is the perfect thing to wear when we're up here among the clouds. If I was an aviator, I'd be up here most of the time, anyway!" Mario replied.
"Okay, as long as it makes you happy..." replied the Bonneter, averting his eyes so Mario could change in privacy.
A few minutes later, Mario was wearing the outfit.
"Okie-dokie. How do I look?" Mario asked.
Cappy turned around and looked at Mario.
"Like a pilot." Cappy replied.
"Then I look good. Let's-a go and look for Peach." Mario said.
Mario and Cappy enjoyed how fluffy the clouds were and how pretty it was up there among them. He wondered if Peach was up here, and if she was enjoying herself.
Before too long, the plumber heard Peach's sweet voice calling out, "Hi!"
Mario turned and saw Peach standing nearby, wearing the same outfit she had been wearing in the Sand Kingdom.
"Ciao, Principessa! Hello, Princess! My, you look lovely." Mario said to Peach as he approached her.
"Thank you, Mario. And you look very nice as a pilot." Peach replied, blushing as she realized that Mario said she was lovely. He always knew how to flatter her.
"How do you like the Cloud Kingdom?" Mario asked.
"It feels amazing to be so high up! I feel like I can see forever..." Peach replied.
"This place looks like a pillow! The perfect spot for a nap." said Tiara.
"Oh, a Power Moon flew by earlier. You're collecting them, right?" asked Peach, handing Mario the Power Moon.
"Why, yes I am! Grazie principessa! Thank you, Princess!" Mario said as he accepted the Power Moon.
"I remember that this is where you finally caught up to me and Bowser. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw you... alive! I never felt so much relief in my life when I saw you!" Peach said.
"I was glad to see you, too, Peach, but to see you in the Lochlady Dress had me stunned and confused. Stunned because you looked more bellissima than I ever could have imagined..." Mario started.
"Oh Mario..." Peach was blushing so hard that she was shaming the Odyssey.
"But I was confused because I didn't know why you would have the dress on at that time. Because we both know too well that..." Mario continued.
"It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding..." Mario and Peach finished together.
"Jinx! You owe each other a root beer!" Cappy and Tiara said at the same time. Then they realized that they spoke at the same time, and said, "Jinx! You owe me a root beer!"
"That's all well and good, but I'm not exactly in the mood for a root beer right now." Peach said.
"If you don't want a root beer, maybe you could have a root beer float? That's got ice cream in it." Cappy suggested.
"Ooh, that sounds good! I'll take one!" said Tiara.
"I don't want to have any root beer. I'd rather have a cream soda. Or maybe even a malt. Now that I mentioned it, I really could go for a malt." Peach said.
"Anche io. Me too. A malt sounds really good to me right about now." Mario said.
"Great! We agree, then!" Peach smiled.
"But now that I know why you were wearing the Lochlady Dress so soon, I'm not confused anymore. Just furious at Bowser. I want to rip off his head and give it to Madame Broode to suck on while I beat up the Broodals again!" Mario said.
Hearing Mario talk like that scared Tiara pretty badly. She hadn't expected him to say something as violent as that!
"YIKES! I'm getting out of here!" Tiara cried, flying away in fear.
"Oops, I forgot how scared she gets when people talk violent." Cappy said before taking off after his sister, calling, "Tiara! Wait up!"
"Mario, I never thought I'd live to hear you say that you would do something so violent..." Peach said, a little concerned.
"Sorry, Peach, but that just goes to show how mad I am at Bowser. I'll be glad if he didn't try to violate you, because he very well could have, but tearing off your dress... that's a new low, even for him! I can't let him off the hook for doing that to you!" Mario said, still angry.
"Let's just calm down, Mario, okay?" Peach asked, kneeling down to his level and putting a gentle hand on his cheek.
The touch of her delicate hand calmed Mario down a lot.
"Okie-dokie. I'll calm down for you, mia dolce principessa; my sweet princess." Mario said, calmer now.
"That's my Mario." Peach said.
Mario smiled at her.
"However, I realized that there was something I could've done to spare myself more problems while we were here. And I'm still mentally kicking myself for not having followed through with it." Peach said.
"What could you have done, dolcezza?" Mario asked, before adding, "'Dolcezza' means 'sweetie' in Italian."
Peach took a deep breath before saying, "Here's the thing: when Bowser was dealing with you in battle, I could have very easily rushed back into the airship, into the bride's chamber, and changed back into my normal attire-"
"Didn't Bowser rip your dress off of you? I think that would've ruined it." Mario interrupted.
"I checked it out when I came to and saw it lying a few feet away from me on the floor, with my gloves and shoes. It was miraculously still in one piece." Peach replied.
"Oh, okay. Please continue." Mario said.
"And after I changed back into my normal attire, I could have jumped ship. I would have landed on the clouds, Had I done all that, I would be reunited with you again real fast! Bowser would never hurt you if he saw that I was with you!" Peach finished.
"Hey, you're right! If you had been with me, he never would have shot down the ship, because if he did, you could have died, too! Then his plans would be ruined for good!" Mario said, realizing that she was right.
"Then again, if he did shoot us down, and we didn't survive, then the only one left to rule the Mushroom Kingdom would be Luigi. And you know that I trust him and you with the responsibility of ruling my kingdom in the event that I cannot rule." Peach replied.
"Plus, if he needs help learning how to rule a kingdom, he can always ask Daisy for help. She's not only his girlfriend, she's a principessa, just like you." Mario said.
"But getting back to the idea I had: I only realized it after Bowser snatched me up and brought me back into his smelly old airship. I hated myself for not coming up with the idea sooner!" Peach moaned as she sank to her knees.
"I'm not blaming you, Peach. And don't hate yourself. We all realize things after the fact every now and again." Mario told her, kneeling down and rubbing her back in a comforting way.
"You're so sweet, Mario. I'm glad you're in my life." Peach said as she leaned close to him.
"Are you happy to have me as a friend?" Mario asked.
"Yes. In fact, I'm blessed to have you as one of my best friends, Mario." Peach replied, giving him a hug.
Mario could feel his heart skip a few beats when he heard that. Not only did Peach say that he was still her friend, she considered herself blessed to have him as a best friend! She might not have called him her boyfriend, but hopefully, she did still think of him as her boyfriend. Peach saying that he was still one of her best friends was a step in the right direction.
"Well, then, I'm equally blessed to have you as a best friend, too, principessa." Mario said, hugging Peach tightly. He didn't want to push his luck by asking her if she was still his girlfriend.
They stayed like that for a long while, content to just be together. But then Peach suddenly yawned.
"Tired, Peach?" Mario asked.
"A little. There is a reason why I came back here, you know..." Peach replied.
"What was the reason, if it wasn't just to see the kingdom where Bowser and I battled for the first time since he captured you?" Mario asked.
"Well, do you remember what Tiara said about this place? How it's the perfect spot for a nap?" Peach asked.
"Yes. I heard her say that." Mario replied.
"Well, she's right, you know. I came back here because I wanted to take a nap among the clouds." Peach replied. As she spoke, she removed her high heels from her feet, placed her sunhat over them, and lay down among the soft, fluffy clouds.
"Oh. And I see you took off your shoes. I do the same thing whenever I take catnaps on the bed in the Odyssey." Mario replied as he sat down beside her.
"I always take my shoes off when I'm going to sleep, unless I'm under a spell. I never take a nap with my shoes on. Plus, in these heels, my feet are killing me..." Peach said.
Mario looked at Peach, thought for a moment, and asked, "If it's not too much trouble, Peach, perhaps I could rub your feet for you? It might help your feet feel better, and I'd be really gentle. You know I'd never physically hurt you. Maybe it would even help you relax and fall asleep easier..."
Peach thought about his words. This was Mario she was talking to. He was her best friend, and he did massage her body after tough battles during trips to Smash Mansion. There was also the time he rubbed her feet when they were killing her after the time she had to rescue him, Luigi, and Toad. He was very gentle with her body whenever he gave her a massage. She could trust him. He would never touch her body in a way she didn't like, unlike Bowser, who really didn't care.
"You promise?" Peach asked, making sure.
"I promise." Mario said, giving her a sincere smile that melted her heart.
"Okay." said Peach as she slowly and, quite deliberately, placed her bare feet on Mario's lap.
"Don't worry, Peach. I'll be careful. But if I do something you're not comfortable with, tell me and I'll stop, okay?" Mario promised as he removed his gloves, putting them in his pocket.
"Okay..." Peach replied, a little nervous. She had no idea why she was nervous, but she was guessing that it was probably because he hadn't given her a massage in a while, so she didn't really know what to expect; if he still had the Midas touch when it came to massaging her.
"That's my girl." Mario smiled, and then he began to very gently rub her small, soft feet.
Just like that, Peach began to feel very relaxed. Mario was as gentle as he always had been with her body. He would never do anything she wasn't comfortable with. Bowser most likely would, but Mario cared about Peach, and he wanted her to be happy and feel better.
Within a matter of minutes, Peach had fallen fast asleep, her feet feeling so much better after Mario massaged them for her.
Seeing that Peach had fallen asleep, Mario stopped massaging her feet.
"Sogni d'oro, mia bella principessa. Sweet dreams, my beautiful princess." Mario whispered, placing a gentle kiss on Peach's cheek. He watched as Peach smiled. Despite being asleep, she did hear his kind words, and she felt his kiss. Perhaps the love spark was still there, for seeing that lovely smile on her pretty face made Mario's heart feel better.
Then he carefully removed Peach's feet from his lap, setting them on the clouds. Then he carefully sanitized his hands, put his gloves back on, removed his own shoes, and lay down a few feet away from Peach, deciding that he, too, could use a nap among the clouds while he was here. He wished with all his heart that he could lay beside Peach and hold her close as they slept, but he was afraid that she might not appreciate him doing that, since she had only called him a friend.
A few minutes later, Cappy and Tiara returned to where they left the couple.
"I know that you were scared, Tiara, but don't worry. I heard Mario talk like that when Bowser shot us down, but I knew that he was only saying it out of anger. I don't think he'll actually follow through with it." Cappy explained to his sister.
"So, he's not going to rip off anyone's head?" Tiara asked.
"I don't think he'd ever be able to rip off Bowser's head." Cappy said, although he couldn't help laughing a little at the thought.
That's when they saw Mario and Peach.
"Oh my goodness! They're not... dead... are they?" Tiara asked.
They flew closer, and they heard Mario snoring and muttering things in his sleep. Cappy sighed in relief.
"I know that Mario's fine. He tends to talk in his sleep like this." Cappy said.
(A/N: Have you guys tried this trick with Mario in "Super Mario Odyssey" yet? Put him on the bed in the Odyssey, where it's nice and quiet, and listen to him! He'll go right to sleep, and when he's sleeping he says a lot more things than he does when he goes to sleep in "Super Mario 64"!)
"What about Peach?" Tiara asked.
Cappy noticed that Peach, who was lying on her side, was breathing.
"She's okay, Tiara." Cappy replied.
"Thank goodness." said Tiara, flying over to Peach and making herself comfortable in the crook of her arm.
"You want to take a nap with her?" Cappy asked.
"Yes. I'll be okay with Peach." Tiara assured Cappy as she realized that she could hear Peach's heart beating. The sound easily lulled the young Bonneter to sleep.
"Okay, then. Sweet dreams, little sis." said Cappy. He flew over to Mario, lay down close to him, and fell asleep, too.
Two hours later...
Princess Peach awoke to find herself lying among the clouds in the Cloud Kingdom.
"Oh, Tiara was right. This was the perfect spot for a nap." Peach said to herself as she looked around at all the fluffy clouds. She was about to sit up when she noticed Tiara lying in the crook of her arm, still asleep.
"When did Tiara get back?" Peach thought as she noticed the sleeping Bonneter.
At that moment, Tiara began to wake up. She looked around, and she felt happy when she found herself with Peach, and that Peach was awake from her nap.
"Hello, Sleeping Beauty." Tiara greeted Peach as she left her spot.
"Did you have a nice nap?" Peach asked her friend as she sat up and stretched.
"I did. How about you?" Tiara asked.
"I slept very well, thanks to Mario." Peach said. Then she remembered and said, "Mario! Is he still here?"
"Turn around." Tiara said with a giggle.
Peach turned her head and saw Mario a few feet away, still asleep.
"Aww, look at him! He's so cute when he's sleeping like a baby..." Peach whispered as she watched the plumber sleeping. She put on her sunhat, picked up her high heels, and walked over to Mario. She sat down next to the plumber, watching over him and Cappy as they napped.
About 5 minutes later, Mario's eyelids fluttered. He was beginning to wake up. Imagine how it made him feel to see Peach smiling at him as he opened his eyes.
"Hello, Mario." Peach said.
"E ciao anche a te, principessa. And hello to you, too, Princess." Mario replied, smiling as he sat up, stretched, and put his shoes back on.
"Did you have a nice nap?" Peach asked, putting her high heels back on.
"Oh yeah." said Mario.
"When did you decide to take a nap?" Peach asked.
"Shortly after I finished massaging your feet. I stopped when I noticed that you had fallen asleep." Mario replied.
"Oh. Thank you for massaging my feet, Mario. That felt so good." Peach said, giving Mario a sweet smile that melted his heart.
"Prego. You're welcome, Peach. I'm glad I was able to help you feel better." Mario replied, smiling back at her.
Tiara felt surprised when she heard what Mario had done for Peach. Had Peach actually allowed him to massage her feet? Probably. After all, she was barefoot during that nap she took. If she had allowed Mario to massage her feet, then perhaps she was still in love with him. She never would have allowed him to touch her body if she didn't love him.
That's when Cappy began to wake up.
"Hi, Cappy! Did you sleep well?" Tiara greeted her brother as he opened his eyes.
"I guess so. Tiara, how long have we been asleep?" Cappy asked as the world slid into focus.
"Let me see..." Mario said, glancing at his watch. He had checked his watch around the time he and Peach had fallen asleep, and now he could see that two hours had passed since he last checked it.
"Two hours. We've been out that long." Mario replied.
"Wow, I guess we really got comfortable up here in the clouds." said Peach.
"We most certainly did." Mario said.
"So, what kingdom are we going to next? The Metro Kingdom?" Tiara asked.
"That's where we were going after we'd finished up in the Wooded Kingdom, but then we came here and engaged Bowser in pitched combat." Cappy recalled.
"And there was that uncharted island that no one knew about, right? Someone should chart it!" Peach remembered.
"Oh, right. Cappy and I ended up there when Bowser shot us down!" Mario said.
"That's where you went?" Tiara said.
"Yeah. The Forgotten Isle." Mario said.
"Tiara and I will be on our way there, then. When you find us, we'll have charted the island." Peach said.
"Okie-dokie. So we'll be on our way to the Lost Kingdom." Mario said.
"See you soon." Peach said, giving Mario a kiss on the cheek.
And then they split up and went back to their respective transports.
When we meet them again, they'll all be in the Lost Kingdom. If you want to see them there, then stay tuned!
