(A/N: So here we are! I think this will be the final chapter! The last story I wrote with 21 chapters was "How It Started", and that was for "T.U.F.F. Puppy"! Okay, I know how anxious you are to read, so I'll get this chapter going!)
It was morning in the Mushroom Kingdom, and Princess Peach's transport ship was coming in for a landing not too far from Mushroom Castle. Some of the Toads who were on guard duty outside the castle had noticed it coming.
"Hey, isn't that Princess Peach's transport ship?" one of the Toads asked, recognizing the aircraft flying overhead.
"You're right! It is!" said the other Toad.
"If that's her ship, and it's here, then you know what that means." said the first Toad.
"Hooray! The Princess is home at last!" both Toads cheered joyfully.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, the Toads were thrilled to see Princess Peach (dressed in her regular attire) walking up the path with Tiara floating alongside her. Peach was also carrying her suitcase.
"Princess Peach! It's so good to see you again! We missed you! How was your vacation?" asked one of the Toads.
"It was very nice. Thank you for asking." Peach smiled.
"Good to hear. Now, please, come inside." said another Toad. Then he and his buddy moved aside, allowing the Princess to enter the castle.
"Thank you." Peach said as she entered the castle with Tiara right by her side.
After dropping off her suitcase in her bedroom upstairs, Peach said to Tiara, "Wait here. I need to see my Royal Physician, and you can't be with me for that."
Tiara wasn't sure why, but she decided that it involved things she shouldn't see and hear, so she said, "Okay, Peach. I'll stay here and be good. I'll just look out the glass doors and... watch for Mario and Cappy's airship."
"They're called 'French doors', Tiara, but okay. I'll come back up here when I've done what needs to be done, so in the meantime, just keep a sharp eye out for the boys." Peach said.
"I will. You can count on me." Tiara said.
Peach smiled at the Bonneter before making her way back downstairs, to where the infirmary was. One can imagine the surprise on the Royal Physician's face when she saw Peach enter the infirmary.
"Your Highness! I was wondering if and when you were going to return! Did you just get back? How are you feeling?" the Royal Physician asked, glad to see Peach.
"For the most part, I'm fine. I did just get back, and I came here because... I kind of need you to... examine me... you-know-where..." Peach said, feeling a little uncomfortable as she leaned in close and whispered the last 3 words to the Royal Physician.
The Royal Physician's eyes slightly widened behind her glasses when she heard what Peach was asking her to do, and she said, "Are you absolutely sure about this, Princess? You and I both know how much you hate that kind of exam, despite the fact that it's routine and an annual exam, but..."
"It's absolutely necessary this time. I can assure you of that." Peach replied firmly.
"All right... What happened to bring this about? Can you tell me?" the Royal Physician asked as she quickly got out an examination gown for Peach to change into.
"I'll tell you during the exam, to get my mind off of the ensuing pain." Peach said.
"Okay, then. Well, you know the drill, Your Highness. Change into this gown, and let me know when you're ready. Take as much time as you need." said the Royal Physician, handing Peach the garment.
Peach felt glad that the Royal Physician wasn't giving her a time limit, unlike Bowser. She set the gown on a chair and gave the Royal Physician a big hug.
"Thank you." Peach whispered.
"Did something happen that I don't know about?" the Royal Physician asked, returning the hug in surprise.
"It's part of the reason why I'm here right now." Peach replied.
"Okay, Princess. I'll leave the room and give you some privacy. Call me back in when you're ready." the Royal Physician replied as she left the room and gathered the supplies she'd need in the other room.
Peach slowly removed her clothes and got changed into the gown. She usually didn't look forward to these exams, because they hurt her real bad, but she had to make sure that Bowser hadn't tried to violate her when she had blacked out.
Now that she was clad in the gown, Peach hopped up onto the bed and called out, "Oooo-kaaaay! You can come in now..."
A few seconds later, the Royal Physician came back in with the tools she needed, and she said, "Are you ready, Princess?"
"I'm usually not, but this time, yes, because it's very important that I have this done." Peach said.
As the Royal Physician examined Peach, the Princess kept her mind off of the pain by explaining why she needed this exam done. When she heard the main reason why Peach so badly needed this examination, boy did the Royal Physician's eyes get big behind her glasses! Her eyes were as big as dinner plates!
"What?! Princess, are you really sure Bowser did that to you?!" the Royal Physician asked, looking up at Peach in shock. She had heard all sorts of horrible things about Bowser in the past, but this one was new and completely shocking to her.
"I... I-I don't know! He... m-might have! Th-that's why I'm... h-here! T-to find out!" Peach cried, starting to feel the pain of the exam and hating it.
"Well, don't you worry, Princess! I'll try and make the rest of this quick and less painful for you, and I should have the results possibly by tomorrow if we're lucky." the Royal Physician promised as she went back to work.
The Royal Physician also found out the reason why Peach had hugged her.
"No wonder. Bowser was timing you, and I never do. I know you're familiar with the saying 'ready or not, here I come', but you're royalty, and delicate, too, so that's why I never give you a time limit, Peach." said the Royal Physician.
"You always let me take my time, something I've always been grateful for. Bowser was timing me to put on something I didn't want to wear, because I'd have to wear it to do something worse than get this exam!" Peach replied.
"Well, did Mario save you?" the Royal Physician asked.
"You know he did. And apart from Daisy and her mother, he was among one of the few people I talked to about this whole thing. He was very understanding. Talking to him made me think about coming down here to see you as soon as I got home. And don't worry; he didn't try to do anything like... that... to me when I needed comforting. That makes him a gentleman." Peach said.
"Mario's a good man, Peach, and there's probably not a woman in this kingdom who wouldn't love to be in your shoes; to be the woman of Mario's dreams." said the Royal Physician.
"Did he ever once tell you that I'm the woman of his dreams?" Peach asked, curious.
"No, but I've seen the way he looks at you. That alone says how special you are to him." said the Royal Physician, finishing up the exam.
"Are we done?" Peach asked.
"We're all done here. I'll leave the room so you can change back into your regular attire, Princess." said the Royal Physician.
"Thank you." Peach said, feeling tired from the pain.
"You're welcome." said the Royal Physician, leaving the room.
Peach slowly and carefully took off the gown and put her clothes back on, feeling glad that she was allowed to take her time, and that she didn't have to put on stolen clothes to do something she didn't want to do.
When Peach was dressed again, she left the infirmary and went back up to her room to see Tiara.
Tiara was surprised when she heard the door open, but when she saw Peach standing there, she relaxed.
"The boys aren't back yet. Are you okay?" Tiara asked Peach, noticing how pale she looked.
"I did it, I hated it, but it's done. By tomorrow, I should know if I'm safe." Peach replied.
Then they went downstairs to the dining hall for breakfast.
All the Toads were overjoyed to see the princess walk into the room. In fact, they were so happy that they stood up and applauded.
All but one Toad, that is, and Toadsworth was his name-o. He looked around, wondering why all the Toads were reacting like this. When he saw the reason why, his eyes were as big as dinner plates.
"Princess! Oh, thank the Star Spirits you're well! I'm so glad to see that you've returned to us! Why did you leave the castle?! Why didn't you tell us that you were leaving, or where you were going?! You owe us that much!" Toadsworth said.
"I'll tell you, Toadsworth, but I'd rather tell it to you when Mario gets here." Peach said as she took her place at the head of the table.
"Why?" Toadsworth asked.
"Because he's a big part of the story, too, and I'm going to need his help telling you everything I went through." Peach replied as she filled her plate with food.
After breakfast, Peach had gone back out to her transport ship to get the things she bought while shopping in the Metro Kingdom, and several Toads were more than happy to help her bring the stuff into the castle.
At mid-morning, the Odyssey touched down not too far from Peach's Castle. Mario was still asleep, but Cappy was wide awake. He needed to wake Mario now.
"Mario! Come on, buddy! We made it! It's time for you to wake up!" Cappy said, nudging Mario hard.
That woke Mario.
"Mama-mia! We're back in the Mushroom Kingdom already?" Mario asked, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Yes. And just so you know, it's mid-morning." Cappy pointed out.
"Oh. Well, I guess I'd better get to Peach's Castle and see if mia dolce principessa, my sweet princess, is ready to tell Toadsworth what happened to her." Mario said. He quickly ran to the wardrobe, donned his doctor garb, grabbed his doctor's bag, and a defibrillator, just in case.
"You're really going to do it?" Cappy asked.
"You never know, Cappy. Toadsworth's life expectancy gets shorter every time Peach gets kidnapped. If he hears about what Bowser might have done to her... andrà fuori di testa; he'll go right out of his mind. We can't be too careful." Mario said.
"Good idea." Cappy said as he took control of Mario's Doctor Headwear. Then they made their way to the front doors of Peach's Castle, where the Toads recognized Mario and were more than happy to see him.
"Princess Peach is back!"
"Look! Princess Peach is back! And guess what? Turns out she went on a world tour just for fun!"
The Toads were telling Mario about how Peach was back, and how it was such a relief to know that she was home again, safe and sound.
"I know she's back. I may not have been with her when she got back, but I know that she was safe. Where is she now?" Mario asked.
"Probably in her room. Come in, and you can check." said the first Toad.
"Okie-dokie." said Mario. So he entered the castle and made his way to Peach's room. He knew the way there.
"You know where Peach's room is?" Cappy asked.
"Of course I do. After we first rescued her, Peach let Luigi and me stay here at her castle until we found a way to get back to Brooklyn, where we used to live, or built ourselves a little place to live until then. Whichever came first." Mario said as he walked to the door that led to Peach's room.
"Oh, okay." said Cappy.
Mario knocked on Peach's bedroom door, and he heard Peach's voice ask, "Who is it?"
"It's-a me, Mario!" Mario replied, smiling at the sound of her sweet voice.
"Give me a minute, sweetie. I'm almost done unpacking my suitcase and putting everything away. Then I'll come out." Peach promised.
"Okie-dokie." Mario said. He waited patiently as Peach unpacked her things. He was very good about waiting for her because to him, she was worth the wait.
A few minutes later, Peach's bedroom door opened, and she came out with Tiara right behind her.
"Ciao, girls." Mario smiled.
"Hello, Mario." Peach replied with a giggle.
"Are you ready to tell Toadsworth what happened?" Mario asked.
"Yes. Let's go to his room, and we'll tell him what happened." Peach said, and she seized Mario's hand, leading him to Toadsworth's room. Since he didn't need to see Toadsworth as often as Peach did, Mario did not know where his room was.
While Mario and Peach walked, Cappy assumed his Bonneter form, and he and Tiara kind of lagged behind, talking quietly about Lake Lamode, Rabbit Ridge, and Culmina Crater.
When they got to Toadsworth's room, Peach knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Toadsworth's voice asked.
Peach said, "It's me, Toadsworth. And Mario's with me. We've come to tell you about what happened... if you're ready."
"Okay. The two of you can come in." Toadsworth said.
"Wait a second. Are you alone in there?" Peach asked, making sure.
"Yes, Princess. I'm alone." Toadsworth replied.
Peach breathed an inaudible sigh of relief before saying, "Okay. We're coming in now."
Cappy and Tiara quickly assumed their head gear forms, so Peach removed her crown, replacing it with Tiara before they entered the room.
When Toadsworth saw Mario and Peach come in, he said, "All right. What happened?"
"Well, first of all, I'd say that you'll want to sit down for this, but you're already doing that." said Peach, seeing that Toadsworth was sitting on his bed.
"Then the two of you should also sit." Toadsworth said.
Mario and Peach pulled up a couple of chairs and sat down in them, facing the old Toad.
"Now tell me everything." Toadsworth said.
"You want to begin, or should I?" Mario asked Peach in a whisper.
"I should. The whole thing started before you showed up." Peach whispered back.
"Okie-dokie, principessa." said Mario.
Peach began the story, and Toadsworth listened intently. When Peach got to the part where Bowser flicked her crown off of her head, Toadsworth said, "Please let me interrupt you for a moment there, Princess. I was the one who found your crown."
"You found it! Where was it?" Peach asked, curious, for she hadn't paid attention to where her crown landed. And she hadn't seen where it fell. She was too high up to see that.
"It was lying on your balcony, and I gave it to the Toads who polish the silver. They were glad to shine it up for you, and when they finished, they placed it on your nightstand for you to find when you returned home." explained Toadsworth.
"I did see it there when I got back. Thank you, Toadsworth." Peach said, making a mental note to also thank the Toads who polished her crown for her.
"Now please, do carry on with your story, Princess." Toadsworth said.
Peach continued the story, and Toadsworth was more than shocked when she told him what Bowser had been planning to do to her.
"So that's why you were wearing a wedding dress when you came home that night! You were being forced to marry Bowser!" Toadsworth said, realizing it.
"Yes, Toadsworth, that is why I looked like a bride." Peach said. She got back to the story, but she was at the part where her heart first broke, and she was beginning to cry as she remembered how much emotional pain she had been in, thinking that her beloved Mario was gone from her forever. Toadsworth immediately handed Peach a box of tissues, and Mario took over the telling of the story while hugging his girlfriend and rubbing her back to comfort her.
Sometimes, even Cappy and Tiara cut in, which surprised Toadsworth, since he hadn't really noticed Cappy and Tiara before now. But when they explained that they were friends of Mario and Peach, he didn't complain.
Toadsworth listened, stunned, as Mario and Peach told him what they had been through. He couldn't believe it when they told him about the hell Bowser had put Peach through. Never had he thought Bowser would do such things to Peach! But then again, he never thought Bowser would try to kill Mario.
Then Peach and Tiara told him about the Lochlady Dress at the Lake Kingdom... and what Bowser had done to Peach when she refused to change into it herself.
"He did WHAT?! MASTER MARIO, I HOPE YOU POUNDED HIM INTO MUSH FOR THAT!" Toadsworth yelled, enraged at what Bowser had done to Peach.
Mario and Peach's eyes got big. Toadsworth hadn't gone into cardiac arrest; it seemed his blood pressure had skyrocketed!
"Mario, do you have a blood pressure cuff in your doctor's bag?" Peach asked.
"Penso di sì. I think I do..." Mario said, opening the bag and looking through it. He was finding things like a thermometer, an otoscope, and other things, but he didn't know if the cuff was in there.
"I hope you do, because Toadsworth is going to need his taken. I was wrong about him going into cardiac arrest. I completely forgot about his blood pressure." Peach said.
"Oh, it's-a right here." Mario said, pulling out the blood pressure cuff.
"Good. Take his blood pressure right now." said Peach.
Mario quickly took Toadsworth's blood pressure. It was very high.
"Yup, his blood pressure went through the roof." Mario said, not surprised with the results.
"Master Mario, I think it will go down if you tell me that you made him pay for what he did to the Princess!" Toadsworth said, feeling a little dizzy.
"I did make him pay, Toadsworth. As for what I did, it's-a going to take a while before we get to that part. So lie down now." Mario assured him.
"Okay..." said Toadsworth, lying on his bed.
Peach, meanwhile, had gone to Toadsworth's bathroom, got a cool, damp washcloth, and placed it on Toadsworth's head.
"Just try to relax now, Toadsworth." Peach said.
"I'll do my best, Princess. I just can't believe Bowser ripped off your dress! For all we know, he might have tried to... I advise you to march yourself right to the infirmary and have the Royal Physician examine you." said Toadsworth.
"I already did it. Right after Tiara and I got back, I went to see her." Peach said.
"And what's the verdict? Are you safe?" Toadsworth asked.
"We may not find that out until tomorrow." Peach said.
Toadsworth frowned, but he said, "All right. Please continue."
As the old Toad listened, he continued to get madder and madder at Bowser and the Broodals for what they had been doing to Peach, and he hated that Bowser had been trying to kill Mario. Was Bowser really that cruel? If he hadn't been before, one could only wonder just what had gotten into him.
"Princess, I'm almost wishing you had poisoned the Koopa King." Toadsworth said to Peach when she got to telling him about her time at Bowser's Castle.
"Well, even though I wished I could've done that if he had thought to let me bake a cake for the wedding, I was actually glad that I didn't poison him when the Koopalings and Bowser Jr. told me what a great dad he was to them. Plus, I don't think I have it in me to really do away with him." Peach said.
Then they got to the part at Honeylune Ridge, when Mario was ready to propose to Peach after the escape from the Underground Moon Caverns. Toadsworth was more than looking forward to hearing about this. But when he heard what had happened there, he was, not surprisingly, less than happy with both Mario and Peach.
"Master Mario, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for stooping to Bowser's low level! And as for you, Princess, I thought for sure you would've turned Bowser down only! After the way Bowser broke your heart 3 times, I would've expected you to tell Mario that you would be honored to marry him!" Toadsworth said.
"I know, Toadsworth. Mario and I both know that we could've handled the whole situation very differently, but I was just so sick of being forced..." Peach said, hanging her head.
"And I was ashamed of myself, Toadsworth. So ashamed that my heart broke. I still loved Peach so much, and I felt terrible for doing what I had done to her." Mario said sadly, remembering how badly his chest hurt when he realized that the girl he loved had turned down his marriage proposal.
Toadsworth looked worried when he heard that. Mario had been heartbroken? But it also went to show that the love Mario felt for Peach was genuine, not just infatuation.
"But when we finally talked about what happened at Honeylune Ridge, he gave me a complete apology, and he meant it when he said he was sorry. And I forgave him for it." Peach said, noticing Mario's sadness and giving him a hug.
"Completely?" Toadsworth asked, making sure.
His question was answered when he saw Peach kiss Mario on the lips, and Mario was returning the kiss. Peach didn't protest, and Toadsworth noticed.
"Very well. Master Mario, if the Princess has found it in her heart to completely forgive you, then I can forgive you, too." Toadsworth said.
"Grazie, Toadsworth. Thank you." Mario said, feeling grateful.
"But I never want to hear about you doing something as stupid as that again. Do you understand?" Toadsworth warned him.
"I understand, Toadsworth, and don't worry. I will never do what I did again, because I don't ever want to risk losing Peach or her sweet love again." Mario promised.
"All right." said Toadsworth, feeling reassured.
Mario also explained that being turned down was the reason why he didn't stay at the castle the night they got back.
"I did wonder where you had gone. I thought that you and the Princess had gotten engaged, and you had gone home instead to tell your brother the good news." said Toadsworth.
"After what I did, I didn't think staying at the castle was an option that night. I wanted to tell Peach I was sorry, but I was afraid that she didn't want to hear it. Non da me. Not from me." Mario said.
"I wish I had asked you to stay. If I had, we could've worked it all out that night after I took a much-needed bath." Peach said.
"That would've been great. I didn't want the sun to set on an unsettled argument." Mario replied.
"But what's done is done. We still got the problem worked out, so let's get back to the story. We need to tell Toadsworth about my tour." Peach said.
"Now I understand why you left. Why you needed to leave. I really am sorry that you had to go through so much, Princess." Toadsworth said.
"It wasn't your fault, Toadsworth. And it wasn't Mario's fault, either." Peach said, placing a gentle hand on Mario's shoulder. It made the plumber feel better.
So they told him about the tour Peach had gone on, and how Mario followed her. Mario also told him what he did to get back at Bowser.
"Well, it's not the kind of punishment I would've given him, but it seems fitting enough, after you turned him down, Princess." Toadsworth said.
"It works. Even if he looks the other way, he'll just end up seeing another anti-Bowser message. There's no escape for Bowser." Peach said.
After a few more minutes, Mario decided he should go back home to Luigi and tell him about everything.
"Can I go with you, Mario?" Cappy asked.
"I am going to need to explain you to him, so yes. Luigi needs to meet you." Mario said.
"I want to stay here with Peach, if that's okay." Tiara said to Cappy.
"You can." Cappy told her.
"Come see us tomorrow." Peach said to Mario and Cappy.
"We will, mia dolce principessa, my sweet princess." Mario promised, and he and Peach shared a tender kiss.
"I'll see you tomorrow, big brother." Tiara said to Cappy as she gave him a hug.
"You be good for Peach, okay, Tiara?" Cappy asked as he returned the hug.
"I will." Tiara promised.
Then, with Cappy taking control of Mario's headgear, Mario left the castle.
"I'm glad you and Master Mario have worked things out, Princess." Toadsworth said to Peach after Mario left the room.
"So am I, Toadsworth. Mario is a wonderful man, and I don't know what I would have done if I lost him. I can't bear to imagine my life without him." Peach said.
A little while later, Mario walked up to the mansion he and Luigi lived in, and he tried opening the door. It was unlocked, and so he entered the place. He went to his room to charge his phone, and to grab some clean clothes. He wanted to take a shower before seeing his brother.
After his shower, he went downstairs, put his laundry in the laundry room, and made his way to the kitchen, where he found Luigi, who was waiting for the lasagna he prepared for lunch to cool a bit before he ate it.
"Luigi..." Mario called softly.
Startled, Luigi looked in the direction the voice came from. When he saw Mario standing there, he said, "Did... did you say something to me, Mario?"
"Sì. I did." Mario replied.
Luigi was surprised to hear his brother's voice. It seemed like forever since he'd last heard it.
"Well, it's about time you started talking to me again. You do realize you haven't said a word to me since the day you went to see Peach, the day she got kidnapped. Cos'è successo, fratello? What happened, bro? Why did you only text me, and leave me a note?" Luigi asked, sounding as unhappy as he looked.
"Mi dispiace. I'm sorry, Luigi. I'm really sorry. Peach and I had been through more than a person should be allowed during the adventure we went on, and after all that had happened to us, I really didn't feel like talking much. I know that's not a very good excuse as to why I didn't talk to you, my own little brother, but now I'm home, and I'll explain everything right now." Mario promised, feeling bad.
Luigi's face softened at this. He couldn't stay mad at his favorite big brother for long.
"Okie-dokie." said Luigi. After dishing up some lasagna for the both of them, the brothers sat down at the table, and Mario told Luigi everything, from Bowser's plan...
"Bowser tried to marry Peach again?! Seriously?! When is he going to learn that Peach hates his guts and will never follow through with marrying him?!" Luigi asked.
"Never. He'll never let go of that crazy idea." Mario sighed.
To meeting Cappy...
"Cappy? Who is Cappy?" Luigi asked.
"Cappy, reveal yourself." Mario said.
Cappy's eyes showed up in Mario's hat, and then he turned into his Bonneter form.
"WHOA!" Luigi shouted, a little frightened when he saw what Cappy looked like.
"Don't freak out, man! I helped your brother rescue Peach. I helped him out a lot on his adventure. He and I are good friends." Cappy assured Luigi.
"Okay. If you and Mario are friends, posso gestirlo. I can handle that." said Luigi, calming down.
"However, I'm not going to tell you anything that happened to Peach, except that Bowser abused her verbally, physically, and mentally." Mario added.
"The fact you're not telling me about the trouble she went through is understandable. But did Bowser really do to her what you said he did? Mama-mia, I didn't think he was that cruel. I'd expect that kind of cruelty from King Boo, but..." Luigi said.
"He did, Luigi. And if you saw how upset Peach was when she told me, you'd see that Bowser must pay this time." Mario told him.
Mario told Luigi everything, and Luigi listened to Mario's tale, angry that Bowser tried to kill Mario 3 times, furious when Bowser ruined Mario's attempt to propose to Peach, sad when he learned that Mario's heart had been broken...
"Il tuo cuore era spezzato?! Your heart was broken?! No wonder you wouldn't speak to me, Mario. If I had been in your shoes, I wouldn't have wanted to talk, either..." Luigi said, getting up, walking over to Mario, and giving him a gentle hug, something he knew his brother needed. And Mario gratefully returned the hug.
"I... I recently did apologize to Peach for stooping to Bowser's low level and forcing her to say yes to me. Non volevo farlo. I didn't mean to do it." Mario replied when he found his voice again.
"Did she forgive you?" Luigi asked.
"Completely." Mario replied.
"Good." said Luigi with a smile.
Then Mario told Luigi about the world tour Peach went on to make up for the one she and Tiara had been on, and what he did to Bowser's Kingdom.
"Oh, I wish we could go over there and see the look on Bowser's stupid face when he sees what you did to his kingdom." Luigi said, laughing at the thought of what all those anti-Bowser messages looked like. He wondered just what they said.
"Peach took pictures of every single message. You'll see them in time. I'll ask Peach to e-mail them to us." Mario promised.
"Oh, wait a second. Did you try to ask Peach the big question again? You know, to marry you?" Luigi asked.
"No. I wanted to, but I didn't. Peach said she needs time to recover from everything, and so I'm willing to give her as much time as she needs. Vale la pena aspettare. She's worth the wait." Mario said.
"You're a good man, Mario. She'll be your wife before you know it." Luigi said, patting his brother's shoulder.
Back with Princess Peach...
After telling the Toads about everything that afternoon, Peach had a video-chat with Daisy on her laptop that night, and they talked about Mario and the tour.
"So, did you and Mario work everything out?" Daisy asked.
"Yes, Daisy, we did. We're as close as ever." Peach smiled.
"You are? Does that mean you and him...?" Daisy started, getting excited.
"No, Daisy, we're not engaged. I still need time to recover from what I've been through before I think about tying the knot again." Peach said.
"But you still do want to marry him, right?" Daisy asked.
"Of course I do. I'm still in love with him. I never stopped. I just don't want to get married right now." Peach replied.
"Well, okay. I guess that as long as you and Mario are still in a solid relationship, then I respect your decision." Daisy smiled. Then she asked, "Do you want me to tell Mom?"
"If you could, that'd be great." Peach smiled.
"I'll tell her when we finish up this chat." Daisy promised.
The two talked a bit more, with Peach promising to e-mail Daisy lots of the pictures she took during the tour.
"Are there any pictures of you and Mario among the photos you took, Peach?" Daisy asked.
"Maybe a few." Peach said.
"Okay. I can't wait to see the pictures. You always take really good pictures when you go on vacations, Peach." said Daisy.
About an hour later, the video-chat was over, and Peach decided it was time for her to take a hot shower, and Tiara asked her, "Are you going to wear your new nightgown tonight, Peach?"
"No. I'm going to save it to wear when Mario and I get married. If a man has to see me in it, then I want him to be the first and only one to do so." Peach said, getting up and grabbing her favorite pink satin nightgown.
"Okay. Well, I'm glad that you and him worked everything out." said Tiara.
"Me too." Peach said.
The following day, Peach got the results of the exam the Royal Physician had given her the previous day. Bowser hadn't taken advantage of her loss of consciousness. The Princess was still as pure as the driven snow, much to her great relief.
Meanwhile, at Bowser's Kingdom...
Bowser had gone back to his kingdom after searching for Peach in the Moon Kingdom again, but to no avail. When he disembarked his airship, the sight that met his gaze was not a pleasant one.
Every building in his kingdom had some sort of anti-Bowser message poked into it by Pokios! Bowser knew that the Pokios didn't do this sort of thing on their own. Someone made them do it, but who would go that far?
"The Broodals! Of course!" Bowser thought. They hadn't been paid yet for helping him, and he wasn't planning on paying them for helping anytime soon. But he decided that that was their own fault; they hadn't thought to ask for their payment in advance!
"Boy, are they gonna hear it from me now!" Bowser said to himself as he dialed their number, which was how he got in touch with them in the first place.
At Rabbit Ridge Tower, the Broodals were all in bed, recovering from the beating Mario and Cappy gave them. Suddenly, they heard the phone ring.
"Are we still in business? I told that red guy no one would hire us after what he did." Rango said.
"Shut up! That's what I'm going to find out!" said Topper, lunging for the telephone. He picked it up and said, "Topper of the Broodals speaking. How can I help you?"
"Look, I know that you little pests are annoyed that I didn't pay you for helping me plan my wedding, but that didn't give you the right to come and vandalize my kingdom!" Bowser's angry voice said on the other end of the phone.
"What?! Former boss?! What the heck are you saying?!" Topper asked.
"The former boss is on the phone? What does he want with us?" Spewart asked.
"Shhhhhh!" Topper shushed him while listening to Bowser say, "You heard me correct, you idiot! I know you and your stupid siblings are mad that I'm not paying you for not finishing the job, and so you came here to my kingdom and made the Pokios poke all sorts of anti-Bowser messages into every building you saw!"
"You think we did that?!" Topper asked, offended.
"You're the only ones I can think of who would come here and do something that stupid!" Bowser said.
"Well, newsflash, buddy: We didn't do it! So you can just stop blaming us right now!" Topper said.
"I won't! And because I know you did it, I'm still not going to pay you! You'll never get the payment from me! So you might as well get used to the idea!" Bowser said, before slamming the phone down on the receiver.
"Oh, that's what you think!" Topper said to himself, slamming the phone down as well.
"Topper, what's going on? What did he say we did?" Hariet asked.
Topper told them what Bowser had accused them of doing.
"Is he really that stupid?! We didn't do anything to his kingdom!" said Spewart.
"Yeah! After that red-capped dweeb beat us, we came right back here!" said Rango.
"So it's time he learns what happens when he blames us for something we never did." said Topper with a sly grin. He went to see Madame Broode, and he told her what Bowser had said and done.
"Is that a fact?! Well, he's not going to get away with accusing my darling Broodals of doing something you never did, and he'll be paying you all more than the usual amount. I'll personally see to it that you get rewarded for your hard work." Madame Broode said, and she got ready to go to Bowser's Kingdom.
"Let him have it!" Hariet said to Madame Broode.
Several hours later, the Broodals' airship landed in Bowser's Kingdom, and Madame Broode, with her precious widdle Chain Chompikins in tow, went straight to Bowser's Castle.
When she got to the castle, she banged on the door 3 times, and she made sure that you could've heard it from any room in the castle, including the dungeon.
"Hold your horses, and quit trying to break down the door!" Bowser yelled as he came to answer the door. When he opened the door, he saw Madame Broode standing there, looking mad.
"What do you want?" Bowser asked.
"My darling Broodals deserve their payment after all the trouble they went through helping you plan your wedding." Madame Broode said firmly.
"You can tell them to forget about receiving it, because I didn't get married, which is their fault, because they didn't kill Mario!" Bowser said.
"Give me their payment so I can give it to them, or else!" Madame Broode demanded.
"Or else what? You're just a beached whale! You can't do anything to me!" Bowser said, feeling sure of himself.
Well, that was a mistake. Madame Broode may be a very large woman, but if you insult her weight to her face...
"HOW DARE YOU!" Madame Broode yelled, sounding like Gladys the Hippo Lady from "Rocko's Modern Life". She slugged Bowser so hard that he went flying up through the ceiling of the first floor of his castle, all the way up through the ceilings of the floors above them, to the top floor, where his bedroom was. However, his head ended up smacking the underside of his bed, and he went falling back down to the Great Hall, where he ended up sprawled on the floor at the feet of Madame Broode.
"PAY UP NOW!" Madame Broode demanded.
"Come with me..." Bowser said nervously as he got to his feet, a little shakily. He slowly, agonizingly, led Madame Broode to his castle's treasury.
"Okay, how much do I owe them again...?" Bowser asked, still a little dazed from what happened to him.
"You know the amount. Only you have to pay them double for the way you blamed them for what happened to your kingdom. They didn't do it, but if they had, I don't blame them." said Madame Broode.
"I'm not paying double!" said Bowser.
"Oh, yes you are! My poor darlings are recovering from a severe beating, and you owe them! Now pay up, or I'm going to have to belt you again!" Madame Broode threatened.
"Okay, okay! Geez, lady!" Bowser muttered as he paid her the money he owed, doubled, thanks to his stupidity.
After pocketing the money, Madame Broode said to Bowser, "If you plan on getting married again, don't count on my darling Broodals helping you plan the next wedding, because they got smart and blocked your number!"
"Good! Because if I do get married, I'm never going to call them for help again! Not after the way they failed to do their job correctly." Bowser said.
BIG MISTAKE!
"HOW DARE YOU!" Madame Broode yelled in Gladys's voice again, punching Bowser through the ceiling of his treasury. This punch sent him flying right out of his castle, and he landed in Honeylune Ridge, in the Underground Moon Caverns.
"Oh well, I can get myself out of here." said Bowser with a shrug. And he did. But when he got out, he had no immediate way to get back to his kingdom. However, he had his cell phone on him, so he called the Koopalings, and they came with an airship to bring him home. And on the way home, Bowser decided that it would be a long time before he tried to nab Princess Peach again.
The End
Okay! So Mario and Peach worked everything out before the world tour was over, and Bowser and the Broodals got their comeuppance! But you're probably wondering: do Mario and Peach ever get engaged, and married? Well, if you know me, you know the answer to that question. I hope you all enjoyed this story.
