(A/N: In that last chapter, Mario got to apologize to Peach, and as it turns out, they're still boyfriend and girlfriend! Now let's see what happens next!)
That evening, Mario asked Peach, "Is this it, Peach? Is Honeylune Ridge the last place you wanted to see on this make-up tour of yours?"
Peach thought for a moment and said, "Yes, it is, Mario. I've been away for a while... I should head back before anyone starts to worry."
"Well, it might be a little late for that, Peach. The day you left, the Toads were pretty worried about you. When I went to the castle to talk to you, mainly to apologize for everything, they told me that you were missing! Not only that, but Toadsworth wasn't with you, either! Worse still, you didn't even tell him that you were leaving or where you were going! He was worried sick about you!" Mario said.
Peach thought about Mario's words for a moment.
"I... I guess I should have told them what I was up to. I should have told them why I needed to do this. I didn't mean to make them worry... I was so upset about what happened to me, and I really wasn't thinking about them at all..." Peach said, starting to feel bad.
"As for me, ero fuori di testa! I was out of my mind, Peach! Because of my stupidity, I thought I was the reason you left! And that hurt me more than what happened at the Moon Kingdom!" Mario said.
"But you weren't the reason I left the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario. I just wanted to get rid of my bad memories real fast. I wasn't leaving to get away from you. And I'm really, very sorry for breaking your heart. I should've known that if losing you broke mine, then it was more than likely that the same thing would happen to you if you ever lost me... or my love." Peach said, feeling worse.
"I caught sight of Mario leaving the castle after finding out that you left, and was he upset! I knew he was going to be crushed if he found out that you weren't around, Peach." Cappy said.
Peach looked sad as she thought about how miserable Mario must have felt when he learned that she wasn't at the castle. To find that she was gone. Add to that the fact that the Toads, Toadsworth included, had no idea where she had disappeared to. She couldn't bear to think that she put her people through all that worry.
"Va bene. It's okay, Peach. I wasn't mad at you for leaving. I just felt awful, like maybe you were leaving to meet with an old suitor who might have been better than me." Mario said, giving Peach a hug, noticing her sadness and wanting to comfort her.
The hug did help Peach feel better.
"None of my old suitors are better than you. You're better than them in every way, Mario." Peach said, returning Mario's hug and giving him a gentle kiss on the lips, making him blush.
"When I told Mario that you weren't mad at him, we flew the Odyssey to Sarasaland, where I heard you say you and Tiara were going first since I was staying put, but when we got there, your cousin, Princess Daisy, told us that you had already flown to Bonneton. That's when we caught up with you." Cappy explained.
"You're a very good friend to Mario, Cappy." Tiara said, giving her brother a hug.
"And you're a good friend to Peach. You both needed a friend to help you out, and you got one in each other." Cappy said, returning his sister's hug.
"So you boys saw Daisy?" Peach asked.
"We did. She told us that she learned what had happened, but that you had left her castle not too long ago. Fortunately, she knew where you were going. And she wished us luck." Mario said.
"I'll have to let her know how things went when we get home, but first things first! I'll have to tell Toadsworth and the Toads the whole story. Ohh, I just hope the former isn't already in a coma." Peach said.
"About that, Peach. When Cappy and I were on our way to the Cascade Kingdom, I told Toadette what was up and where you were, and she promised to tell Toadsworth so he wouldn't worry himself into a coma. I know she told him what was going on, so he'll be okay. But the whole story is yours for the telling." Mario assured her.
"Thank you, Mario. You really are the best. But I think I'm going to need you there when I tell the story to Toadsworth. We might need Dr. Mario to be standing by with a defibrillator, just in case some parts of the story send Toadsworth into cardiac arrest." Peach said, concerned for her father-figure.
"You don't want your Royal Physician to be there to do so instead, principessa?" Mario asked.
"No. But I am going to have her examine me right away when I get home, just to make sure that Bowser didn't do... anything to me when I was unconscious... So she'll know part of what happened. She'll be working on getting the results of that examination when I tell Toadsworth about everything that Bowser put me through. I'll need you to help him... and me... in case I break down... And I know I will... Can you do that for me, Mario?" Peach asked.
"Anything for you, amore mio, my love." Mario said, glad that he could help out.
"Thank you." Peach smiled. Then she said, "But before I go home, I need to stop off at the Lake Kingdom."
"The Lake Kingdom? Why do you need to go there?" Mario asked.
"I asked the Lochladies to make something for me, and they texted me a few days ago, saying that the outfit they made is ready for me to try on." Peach said.
"Oh, yeah. I do remember you saying that maybe you would have something made for you there, but you never mentioned it again after that, so I didn't know if they agreed to make you something or not, or if you decided to follow through with it." Mario said.
"Well, I'm mentioning it now. That day we were at the Lake Kingdom, I did ask the Lochladies in the Water Plaza to make me something, and they agreed to it. I brought the Lochlady Dress back to them, and for that, they couldn't refuse." Peach started.
"Capisco. I understand. That dress was special to them, and for you to bring it back must've given them more happiness than allowed by law." Mario said.
(A/N: Anyone catch Mario using the name of a "KaBlam!" episode in his dialogue? I couldn't help it!)
"They were happy. So, after deciding what the outfit would be, taking my measurements, and choosing the material, they said they'd get to work on it, and it would be ready in a week. Since it's been over a week, my new outfit is ready. I'll head on over there tomorrow to try it on, and if it's perfect, then I'll take it, and I'll be on my way home after that." Peach said.
Mario thought about following Peach to make sure she got to the Lake Kingdom and home safely, but he found out there were two other parts of the moon to explore, and he and Cappy needed to check them out. There was the Dark Side, and the Darker Side.
What should Mario do? He seemed to think his special job was to protect Peach, but he also thought that maybe there was work to be done in these areas they hadn't been to, and he really didn't want Peach to go there with him, on the off-chance that she might get hurt, or worse; what if Bowser was lying in wait for her?! So Mario did the only logical thing he could think of: he asked Peach for advice.
"I'll be okay, Mario. If Bowser wasn't at the Lake Kingdom when we revisited it, he won't be there when I go back." Peach said, giving him a hug.
"Okay. Ti credo. I believe you. But I want you to make sure you call me and let me know that you're okay. I worry about you, Peach." Mario told her, reaching up and stroking her long, silky golden tresses.
"I know. And don't worry, sweetie. I'll call you." Peach assured Mario, giving him a kiss on the lips.
"And in case she forgets, I'll remind her, okay?" Tiara said.
"Okay, sis." Cappy said as he gave his little sister a hug, which she happily returned.
"I'll see you when I get back to the Mushroom Kingdom, principessa..." Mario said, dizzy with love when the kiss ended.
"I love you, Mario." Peach said as she started making her way back to her transport ship.
"Anch'io ti amo! I love you, too, Peach!" Mario called back after her.
Mario and Cappy decided to press on and check out the Dark Side. But they decided that they would go there the following day. Something told Mario that he was going to need to be completely alert over there.
When the next day arrived, Mario and Cappy had awoken after a good night's sleep, and they were feeling refreshed as they set a course for the Dark Side. On their way, Mario heard the "Peach's Castle" theme, and he knew Peach was calling him on his smartphone.
"Hello?" Mario asked.
"Mario, it's me, Peach." Peach said.
"Peach! How are you, dolcezza?" Mario asked.
"I'm fine. I'm at the Lake Kingdom now. How about you?" Peach asked.
"Cappy and I decided to wait until morning to start making our way to the Dark Side. We're on our way there right now." Mario told her.
"Oh, that's good. As for me, I'm just about to leave the transport ship and make my way to the Water Plaza." Peach said.
"Okie-dokie. I'll call you later, but if something is wrong, let me know right away, and I'll be making my way to you before you can say 'Mama-mia'!" said Mario.
"Don't worry, Mario. If something happens, I'll be sure to let you know." Peach said.
"Okay. I'll call you when I get done at the Dark Side." Mario promised.
"Good luck, Mario." Peach said.
"Grazie. Thanks, Peach." Mario said.
"You're welcome." Peach said, and then she ended the call.
"How's Peach?" Cappy asked.
"She's fine. She made it to the Lake Kingdom, and she's wishing us luck at the Dark Side." Mario told him as he put his smartphone away.
"That was nice of her." Cappy said.
"She's my girl, Cappy. She loves me, and I love her so much." Mario said. His heart was overflowing with love for Peach as he thought about her.
At mid-morning, the Odyssey reached the Dark Side.
"So, what are you going to wear here?" Cappy asked when they touched down.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Mario said.
He found his Batting Helmet and Baseball Uniform. That would've been fun to wear if it came with a baseball bat, which he would've liked to use on Bowser and the Broodals, so he could swat each of them like a fly ball.
"Maybe this..." Mario said as he produced the Football Helmet and Football Uniform.
"So you're going to be a football player in space?" Cappy asked.
"If I were a king, I could be un re che gioca a calcio nello spazio!" Mario said.
"A what?" Cappy asked, confused.
"That means 'a football-playing king in space'. Oh, wait! I would be just that... but with a mustache!" Mario said, which made Cappy laugh.
"Okay, Mario! Wear that, and when you're ready, let's see what surprises await us here!" said Cappy as he turned away to give Mario the privacy he needed.
When Mario was ready, Cappy took control of the Football Helmet, and they disembarked the Odyssey.
It didn't take long for the boys to find a giant, carrot-shaped building a ways off from where they were standing.
"We need to make our way to that building." Mario told Cappy as he pointed to the giant, carrot-shaped structure.
"So let's go there, and when we reach it, we'll see what we'll see!" said Cappy.
By capturing Spark Pylons, Mario and Cappy found their way to the tower, which was known as Rabbit Ridge Tower.
"The name 'Rabbit Ridge' gives me a bad feeling." Cappy said.
"I know. The thought of who lives here makes my skin crawl..." Mario whispered.
On the first floor, they found an airship flying overheard, and who should be on the deck but... oh, crap! The Broodals lived here, and they were not exactly pleased to see Mario wandering around the place they called home!
"What?! But how-?!" Cappy asked. He was shocked! When he and Mario saw fireworks of the Broodals' faces after destroying the RoboBrood in Bowser's Kingdom, they figured that that was the end of them!
"No! How can you be alive?! I killed you! All of you! Back at Bowser's Kingdom!" Mario said, finding it hard to believe that they somehow managed to survive the beating he gave them.
"Heh heh! So what if you stopped da weddin'? Ya can't stop ME. Ya can't stop ANY of us Broodals. Come on—let's see ya try!" said Topper.
"You think you can win, after all the times I kicked your fluffy little behinds?! Don't make me laugh!" Mario said, and he easily bested Topper, much to the latter's chagrin.
"How embarrassing..." Topper moaned.
When Mario got to the second floor, he saw that 3 Broodals remained, and the next one to speak to him was... the annoying Hariet.
"Oh, it's you... Not nice, barging into our kingdom like you own the place! What, you didn't know this is where we live?" Hariet asked in a snotty voice.
"Well, excuuuuuuuse me, Princess! Have I ever been here before now? No! So I didn't know! Cut me a break, you annoying, long-eared rat!" Mario said.
"Oooooooooohhhhh..." said Rango and Spewart, realizing that Mario had insulted their sister in a way they wouldn't. Hariet was not about to let Mario get away with calling her a rat!
(A/N: Since Topper mentioned something about the Broodals being family, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Topper, Hariet, Spewart, and Rango are siblings.)
"Guess I still got things to teach ya!" Hariet said as she jumped down from the airship, ready to do battle with Mario.
"Bring it on, Scary Godmother!" Mario yelled at her as he got into a fighting pose.
At first, Rango and Spewart wanted to laugh when Mario called Hariet 'Scary Godmother', since they, Topper as well, felt like calling her that when she got on their nerves. But they didn't laugh. They hated Mario, too, and they wanted Hariet to teach him a lesson!
But she didn't. Like Topper before her, Hariet ended up getting her sorry tail kicked by Mario.
"Not fair! I was supposed to win, not you!" Hariet cried, throwing a complete tantrum and behaving no better than Bowser Jr. whenever Mario stopped him from running around Delfino Plaza with Princess Peach, a Yoshi egg, the Turbo Nozzle, and the Rocket Nozzle.
"You're lucky that I only kicked your butt. I could easily produce my clippers and shave you bald if that's what you want for losing to me!" Mario told her.
"NO NO NO! Don't cut off my beautiful hair! I don't wanna lose it the way Rapunzel had to!" Hariet cried, her hands flying to her hair.
"I should do that, to make you suffer, since you're nothing more than an annoying little liar!" Mario told her.
"What are you saying?! Is this about me saying that you WEREN'T invited to the wedding?! I was telling the truth, you dodo!" Hariet replied.
"Correction: the bride herself told me that I was invited to the wedding! She might not have given me an actual invitation; she mentally invited me!" Mario told her.
"WHAT?! A mental invite doesn't count, stupid! If you didn't receive an actual invitation, you don't get to come!" Hariet yelled.
"It should count more than anything, because the bride once told me that she has more love for me in her little toe than she has for the groom in her whole body, and that's partially because the groom never really loved her to begin with! She's my girl, not Bowser's!" Mario said.
"Who are you trying to kid?!" Hariet said, refusing to believe Mario.
"Oh, forget you!" Mario said, giving up.
"Forget you!" Hariet retorted.
"Go soak your head!" Mario shot back as he pressed onward.
"It felt good to hear you mouth off at her!" Cappy said.
"Trust me, Cappy, I wanted to do more to get back at her for constantly saying that I wasn't invited to the wedding! She made me wanna throw up all over her ugly little face!" Mario said.
"It's too bad you didn't have a can of silly-string to use on her while you made the sound of throwing up! If you did, and we made a video of you doing it, I bet Peach and Tiara would've gotten a kick out of it!" Cappy said.
"You could use il mio smartphone to record it, but like you said, I didn't have any silly-string with me, so humiliating her is out of the question." Mario said.
"Aww..." Cappy sighed.
By then, they were on the 3rd floor, and Spewart was shooting his mouth off at Mario.
"Ha! Our home here's fine and all, but I'm ready for my own ship. YOURS! Oh, yeah, the Odyssey is gonna fit me REAL good—once I've kicked you to the curb!" Spewart declared.
"Wha-?! How stupid can you get?! You think you're going to beat me and take my ship?! Oh, that is it! I have had it up to here with you idiots! Now you're going to get it!" Mario yelled, enraged.
Spewart came down, ready to do battle with Mario. Because he was so sure of the fact that he was going to beat Mario and claim his airship, he was not at all prepared for what Mario was going to do to him.
Mario kicked and punched Spewart in the gut more times than he could handle, and it didn't take long for the sick Broodal to finally run out of vomit. He couldn't fight anymore.
"I didn't think that vomit factory would ever run out of barf." Cappy said.
"Nemmeno io! Neither did I! I didn't know I could make him run out!" Mario said.
Then, on the 4th floor, Mario had to deal with the only Broodal left on the ship, and it was Rango.
"Heh, gotta say... The whole time, we were perfect as perfect gets. Did everything Bowser wanted." Rango started.
"Oh yeah, you were perfect." Mario said in a sarcastic voice, before saying, "Perfect JERKS! In the process of helping Bowser, you let my woman, a princess, mind you, get hurt in many horrible ways, and did any of you even lift a finger to help her? NO! You helped him inflict harm on her, and you didn't care! YOU REALLY DIDN'T CARE!"
"She wasn't the one who hired us, so we couldn't help her. What did you expect us to do?" Rango asked with a helpless shrug.
"She may not have hired you, but she was an important part of the wedding, you idiot! You and your stupid siblings could have helped her by talking Bowser out of hurting her! In doing so, you jerks were no better than the groom!" Mario snarled.
"Then you mucked it up. No one will hire us now." Rango said, not really paying attention to Mario.
"I had to muck it up because the groom is a selfish jerk with no heart! And if no one will hire you now, then to that I say: good riddance!" Mario said, feeling a little satisfaction. He made a mental note to tell Peach this bit of interesting news. She'd like that the Broodals were now out of a job!
"So, guess what? You're gonna pay—for ALL of it!" Rango declared.
"Oh, really?! I'd like to see you TRY to make me pay! I made all your whiny siblings pay before you, and after I take you out, you can whine about this loss with the rest of them!" Mario said.
Sure enough, Mario ended up beating Rango's sorry butt.
"Doggone it!" Rango moaned, admitting defeat.
"Questa è la fine! That's the end of that!" Mario smiled, dusting off his gloved hands.
"Mario, I don't think we're done yet. Let's continue onward!" Cappy said.
"Okie-dokie." Mario said.
It turned out that Cappy was right. They weren't done, because they found a pipe that took them to the top of the Tower.
"Mama-mia! We've reached the top!" Mario said, looking around.
Then something came down from the sky, and it was... oh man... the RoboBrood!
"I thought I destroyed that thing at Bowser's Kingdom." Mario whispered to Cappy.
"They must've repaired it." Cappy whispered back.
"Oh well, a plumber's gotta do what a plumber's gotta do." Mario sighed, and he got ready to fight the RoboBrood.
Mario had no trouble against the RoboBrood. He clobbered the RoboBrood the same way he did in Bowser's Kingdom, only worse. Once again, the RoboBrood blew up, and the ensuing explosion showed the Broodals' faces.
"I hope that did them in this time!" Mario said, looking happy as he claimed the prize for defeating them: a Multi Moon.
"I don't know, Mario. If it didn't kill them in Bowser's Kingdom, it's not going to kill them now." Cappy replied.
"(sigh) I suppose you're right. Well, I just hope I hurt them enough to put them out of commission for a year or two." Mario said as he and Cappy went back to the Odyssey.
It was when they returned to the Odyssey that Mario found himself wearing a new outfit. He looked just like a king!
"Wow! Mario, you look like you should be ruling the Mushroom Kingdom by Peach's side!" Cappy said.
"If I can prove to her that I'm the guy she still wants, and if she says yes when I work up the courage to ask her to marry me, I will be ruling alongside her." Mario said.
"Are you going to tell her about this outfit? If you do, she might say that it means you and her are destined to be." Cappy asked.
"No, Cappy, I don't want to tell her. That's almost like pushing her to say she'll marry me, and I can't do that to her. That's not what you do to a principessa. I'm going to change into something else and put this outfit away. I'll only show it to her if and when we get married." Mario said as they got back in the Odyssey, ready to visit the Darker Side of the Moon.
Once they were back in the Odyssey, Mario looked over the clothes in his wardrobe. What was he going to wear when they reached the Darker Side?
"Let's-a see..." Mario said, looking over the outfits.
In the end, he decided to wear his Sailor Hat and Sailor Suit.
"Why that?" Cappy asked.
"It's-a white, and I was taught that you should wear white in the dark." Mario replied as he put on the clothes. Then he set the King's Crown and King's Outfit away with his wedding garb. It was the first time since the incident that Mario had worked up the courage to gaze upon his wedding outfit again. He felt a small pang in his chest, but it didn't hurt too bad because Peach was still in love with him. There was hope.
"Maybe someday, hopefully in the near future, I will be able to wear you again..." Mario whispered to the wedding outfit, setting the royal ensemble next to it very neatly.
After setting a course for his next destination, Mario pulled out his smartphone and called Peach. He hoped she would answer him.
Peach, clad in her swim outfit, had been talking to the Lochladies who had been looking at their dry-cleaned Lochlady Dress in the show window at the Water Plaza when she heard the "Super Mario Bros." theme song playing. That was the ringtone she assigned Mario whenever he called her up on her smartphone.
"It's Mario!" Peach exclaimed.
"Mario! What does he say?!" Tiara asked.
"Let's find out!" Peach said as she answered the phone, "Hello?"
"Ciao Principessa. Hello, Princess." Mario replied.
"Mario! How are you?" Peach asked.
"I'm fine. Listen, I just finished exploring the Dark Side, and I got some more Power Moons over here." Mario said.
"That's good." Peach said.
"However, I'm glad you didn't come here with me. The Dark Side is also known as Rabbit Ridge." Mario said.
"Rabbit Ridge? Oh, I don't like that sound of that." Peach mumbled.
"Non dovresti. You shouldn't. It's the home of the Broodals. If you came here, they'd take you back to Bowser in a heartbeat!" Mario said.
"I'm glad I decided to start making my way home, then." Peach said.
"Yeah. And don't worry; not only did the tall, stupid Broodal tell me that no one will hire them now after what I did, I made it worse for those four worthless idiots by teaching them a lesson they'll never forget!" Mario said.
"Okay. Thank you, Mario." said Peach, smiling now.
"But enough about me. How are you doing, dolcezza?" Mario asked.
"I'm doing fine. I'm in the Water Plaza right now, having tried on the new outfit the Lochladies made for me. It fits like a glove, so we're good to go." Peach said.
"Just out of curiosity, what did the Lochladies make you to wear?" Mario asked.
"A new nightgown." Peach replied.
"Oh..." Mario said. If Peach got a new nightgown, then he wouldn't be able to see it unless they got married. He never saw Peach in a nightgown before, because whenever he and Luigi stayed the night at her castle, she would always wear a robe, covering whatever she had on underneath it.
But then Mario said, "I almost forgot to ask. You haven't seen that fire-breathing idiot since you left the Moon Kingdom, have you?"
"You mean Bowser? No, I haven't seen any sign of him here, and I didn't see him on my way here. I don't really know what happened to him after I turned you both down." Peach said.
Mario's face fell at the mention of that, but he quickly got determined again.
"Well, as long as you're safe, then I'm happy." Mario promised.
"Thanks, Mario. You're the sweetest." Peach smiled.
"No, you are, Peach. I'll talk to you again when I get done exploring the Darker Side." Mario said.
"Okay. I'm thinking of just taking this one last day, and tonight, I'll start making my way home to the Mushroom Kingdom. Also, good luck! I love you." Peach replied.
"Anch'io ti amo! I love you, too." Mario said as he ended the call.
"Was that your beau you were talking to?" a Lochlady asked Peach.
"Yes, that was Mario. He pretty much told me that he dealt with the thieves that stole the Lochlady Dress and broke the steps to the Water Plaza." Peach replied as she put the phone back into her bag.
"He's a wonderful man. You really should marry him." another Lochlady said.
Peach's face flushed, but she said, "I plan to do that someday. But after all I've been through with Bowser and the dress thieves, I need more time to recover before I want to think about marriage again."
Getting back to Mario and Cappy, Mario relaxed, knowing that his princess was safe and sound.
"How is she?" Cappy asked.
"She's fine. I'm going to take a catnap now. If I'm still asleep when we arrive at the Darker Side, please wake me up." Mario said as he took off his shoes and laid down on the bed, falling asleep.
"He won't be having anymore nightmares now. The knowledge that Peach is still in love with him can give him the sweetest of dreams." Cappy said to himself as he watched Mario nap.
About a half-hour later, Mario awoke, saying, "Okie-dokie, I'm ready for whatever comes next."
"You sure?" Cappy asked.
"Sure I'm sure." Mario replied as he put his shoes back on.
"Good, because we're almost there." said Cappy.
A few more minutes had passed when the Odyssey began to touch down on the Darker Side of the Moon.
With Cappy taking control of his Sailor Hat, Mario disembarked the Odyssey.
Imagine Mario's surprise when he saw a bunch of people from the different kingdoms there, telling him that he wasn't done yet, and that he could do whatever it was he was going to do. Even Pauline and her band were there, performing "Jump Up, Super Star!".
"Pauline, what's going on?" Mario asked her.
"Go, Mario! Jump, man!" Pauline told him.
Mario shrugged, but he figured that he had work to do, so off he went.
After going a short distance, he captured a frog and jumped his way up to a pipe. He went down it, and then the real challenge began!
Mario went through a series of difficult obstacles that seemed to never end. But eventually, he came upon what looked to be a painting of Bowser, after being captured by Mario, that is.
"Oh, what have we here?" Mario asked when he saw the painting. The plumber had longed to give Bowser a well-deserved smack-down to teach him a lesson for abusing Princess Peach and ruining everything, and now he could finally have his revenge!
"Are you thinking...?" Cappy asked, also wanting to hurt Bowser for what he did to Tiara.
"Let's-a go and have our revenge!" Mario declared.
"Yeah! Now we're talking! Let's do this!" Cappy cheered.
Smirking, Mario jumped into the painting, the way he jumped into the paintings that time Bowser attacked Mushroom Castle and stole the Power Stars, trapping everyone, Peach included, inside the castle walls.
But as soon as Mario entered the painting, he realized something very strange. He had already captured Bowser! He didn't want to do that yet! He wanted to punch Bowser's lights out first!
"You may not get to do that until we reach the end of this thing. Maybe then we can end the capture, and you can have all the fun you want!" Cappy said.
"Okie-dokie." Mario said. So he began making his way through an area that reminded him of the Underground Moon Caverns, only this time, Princess Peach wasn't on his shoulder, and he wasn't thinking about proposing. He needed to give that idea some time, to wait until he knew Peach was ready.
After traversing through that dangerous area, Mario found himself out of Bowser's body, and the Koopa King was nowhere to be seen.
"What?! Where's Bowser?! How did I get out of his body?! Did you end the capture without telling me?" Mario asked Cappy.
"Mario, I didn't recall seeing him and allowing you to capture him, and if I had ended the capture, you would've felt it." Cappy said.
"Oh, come on! I wanted to let him have it worse than the Broodals when I got done with all that!" Mario complained. He really wanted Bowser to suffer.
"Don't worry, Mario. As much as I wanted to help you make him suffer, I think I'm going to be okay, because you did leave a lot of nasty anti-Bowser messages for him to read when he returns to his kingdom. He'll never be able to unsee them!" Cappy said.
"You're right, Cappy. He's going to be very upset." Mario said. After going through spark pylons, Mario made his way to the top of what looked like New Donk City Hall, and found a Multi Moon waiting there for him.
"We earned that." Cappy said to Mario.
"Devo essere d'accordo. I have to agree." Mario replied.
They went back to where the Odyssey was parked, and what do you think happened? Mario and Cappy lost sight of themselves!
"Huh? Where the heck did we go?!" Mario asked.
"I don't know! Reach up and take me off of your head! Let's see what happens if you do that." Cappy suggested.
So Mario did. Then they reappeared. They learned that they acquired the Invisibility Hat, which made both of them invisible. Mario and Cappy were angry that they hadn't gotten this sooner. If they had, Bowser never would've stopped Mario's attempt to propose to Peach!
"Or, if you had thrown it to Peach, she could've run away from Bowser, and he never would've known what happened to her, or where she was going!" Cappy said.
Mario looked like he was ready to pop a blood vessel. This hat would've spared them all so much trouble and heartache that it wasn't even funny!
"But let's look at the bright side! You got the hat now, and if that chowderhead tries anything again, you can wear the hat and make him pay in a much fairer fight!" Cappy said, noticing that Mario was getting angrier than he had when he heard what Bowser did to Tiara.
"You know what? That sounds like a pretty good plan! Next time we find him, he'll never know what hit him, 'cause he'll never see us coming! If he tries to hit us, he'll miss us by a mile every single time!" Mario smiled.
"But for now, let's find out what's going on!" said Cappy.
So Mario went back in the Odyssey, put the Invisibility Hat away with his royal ensemble and wedding tux (so it wouldn't get lost that easily), and then he exited the ship to see what was going on now.
Turns out that everyone found out that Mario had succeeded, and they were all telling him how proud they were of him.
After another dance to the song "Jump Up, Super Star!", Mario said good-bye to Pauline, and then he got on the Odyssey, ready to head home. By then, it was evening.
"I'd better call Peach." Mario said to himself.
Princess Peach was on her transport ship, having set a course for the Mushroom Kingdom, when she heard the "Super Mario Bros." theme playing. She pulled out her smartphone and answered, "Good evening, Mario."
"Buonasera, principessa. Good evening, Princess." Mario replied.
"Did you finish up at the Darker Side?" Peach asked.
"Sì. It took a long time to get through, and I'm just about spent. I'm going to set a course for the Mushroom Kingdom and sleep until I get there." Mario said as he sat down on the bed and took off his shoes.
"Great! Tiara and I are already en route to the Mushroom Kingdom ourselves. Let me know when you get there." Peach said.
"I will. But if something's going on, let me know right away. Chances are, I may be alert even if I've taken only a catnap." Mario assured her.
"I'll let you know, sweetie. I'll talk to you later." Peach said.
"Okie-dokie. Ti amo, mia dolce principessa. I love you, my sweet princess." Mario said.
Peach was blushing as red as a cherry when Mario said that, but she replied, "I love you, too, my sweet, wonderful plumber. I can't wait to see you again."
"Sogni d'oro, principessa. Sweet dreams, Princess." Mario said.
"I hope you have sweet dreams, too, Mario." Peach said.
The couple ended the calls after saying "I love you" to each other one more time. Then they put away their smartphones and called it a night. In fact, as soon as Mario's head hit the pillow, he was fast asleep.
Tomorrow, they'll be home! What happens when they get there? Stay tuned in order to find out, 'cause I'm not going to spoil it!
And before I go right ahead and end this chapter, let me explain why it took so long for me to get this one posted. I started writing it and had a good deal of it written on May 22nd, but it wasn't done. But on that day, we were supposed to start our trip to Minnesota, and I don't write when I'm on vacation. During our trip, I got really sick, so we had to come home, cutting the trip a week short. When we got home, I finished the chapter, looked it over multiple times, and then I had to wait for my brother (who got what I had) to feel well enough to read it himself. So sorry, guys! I had NO intention of keeping you all in suspense like this!
