(A/N: As you might have noticed, I've been doing some major reconstruction work on my "Super Mario" fanfics. This is going to be the new first chapter of "Super Mario's Happily Ever After", taking place the day before Mario and Peach's wedding! I'll start it now!)
It was a quiet day in the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser hadn't caused trouble in a very long time, so no one had to be on their toes today, not even Mario. Speaking of everyone's favorite red-clad plumber, let's go find him, because I'm wondering what he might be up to on a nice day like today!
We find Mario and Luigi walking down the path to Peach's Castle. They were having a nice little conversation, and Mario was also carrying a suitcase in his hand. Is he going somewhere, or is he going to be staying at Peach's Castle for a few days? He's done the latter before, every now and again. But I think we should probably stick around, for if we can hear what the brothers are discussing, then maybe we'll find out what's going on.
"So, did you pack everything you'll be needing, bro?" Luigi asked.
"Sì. I packed all the clothes and travel-sized things that I'll need, Luigi, as well as the charger for my phone, and I also packed my digital camera. I even charged the camera's battery last night, so it's-a full. I'll need a full battery in order to take lots of pictures." Mario said.
"Are you absolutely sure Peach didn't say where the two of you are going to be spending your honeymoon? I know that she picked the destination, but you think she'd have the common courtesy to let you know where you're going." Luigi said.
WHOA! So that's why Mario has got his suitcase with him! He's getting married, and he's bringing what he packed for the honeymoon to Peach's Castle! His wedding day must be right around the corner if he's doing this now!
"Luigi, I asked her about that as soon as she told me she'd picked the perfect place, but all she told me at the time was that she wanted it to be una sorpresa, a surprise. But yesterday she hinted that we're going somewhere beachy, so I'm under the impression that we're going to be spending our honeymoon in Bubblaine. That doesn't sound too bad, because it looked to be a very romantic place for couples! If I hadn't screwed up at Honeylune Ridge, I could've proposed to her there during the world tour she went on with Tiara..." Mario said with a sigh.
"Lo so, fratello. I know, bro. But you and Peach talked it out and fixed everything, and I'm really happy for you. Not just because you fixed everything, but because by this time tomorrow, you and her will finally be living happily ever after, which is something you've been looking forward to for a long time now!" Luigi reminded him.
Ah, so Mario and Peach's wedding day is tomorrow! This is so cool!
"I'm really looking forward to that, Luigi! Getting to spend the rest of my life with Peach, the woman I love more than my own life, will be a dream come true!" Mario replied, unable to fight the huge grin that was spreading across his face.
A minute or so later, the brothers arrived at Peach's Castle. But right before Mario could open the door (since Peach told him long ago that he didn't have to knock anymore), Luigi knocked on the door.
"Luigi, you know that Peach says I don't have to knock..." Mario said.
"Well, I really think that you should knock, anyway, on the off-chance Peach isn't in the castle at present." Luigi said.
"I usually swing by the castle when I know she's going to be there. That way, I don't have to worry about whether or not I showed up at a bad time." Mario said.
"Yeah, well, I still think you should knock, regardless." Luigi told him.
"Even if I did knock, doing so will be fruitless after today, because by this time tomorrow, I'll be living here in the castle with Peach." Mario reminded him.
Then the door opened, and Princess Peach was standing there with a happy smile on her pretty face.
"Mario! Luigi! I was hoping you'd both be here in good time." Peach said when she saw the Mario Bros. standing at the door.
"I told you I'd be here on time, mia cara principessa, my darling princess." Mario said.
"And I see you've got your suitcase packed for our honeymoon. That's good. Go set it in my room, and then come back out here, because we need to make our way to the chapel for our wedding rehearsal." Peach said to Mario, blushing as she realized what Mario had just called her. He never did that before, but she loved it.
"Okie-dokie, amore mio, my love!" Mario said as he entered the castle. But before he could start making his way upstairs to Peach's room, Peach asked him, "Oh Mario, could you please do me a favor?"
"What do you need, Peach?" Mario asked.
"Could you be a lamb and grab my purse for me while you're up there? It's sitting on my desk. You can't miss it." Peach said.
"Nessun problema, principessa. No problem, Princess. I'll be back down in a minute." Mario promised as he bounded up the stairs to Peach's room. He had been here plenty of times before, so he knew exactly where Peach's room was.
When he entered Peach's room, Mario smiled happily. Tomorrow night, this would be his room as well.
"Non vedo l'ora. I can't wait." Mario said to himself as he looked around the room. He set his suitcase next to Peach's, which was also packed for their honeymoon.
"Let me see..." Mario said, his eyes scanning the room. He quickly found what he was looking for: an empty outlet. He took his phone's charger out of his suitcase, plugged it into the outlet, then plugged his red smartphone into the charger. He'd leave the phone here to charge today and tomorrow.
"Non le importerà se lo lascio qui. I'm sure she won't mind if I leave this here." Mario said to himself.
Then he looked over at Peach's desk and saw her pink purse sitting there.
"Okie-dokie. There you are." Mario said, grabbing up the purse and taking it with him as he left the room.
"Mario is really excited about tomorrow, Peach. He woke up this morning in very high spirits. You would've thought the wedding was today." Luigi smiled as Peach allowed him into the Great Hall of the castle.
"He's not the only one looking forward to what tomorrow will bring, Luigi! When I woke up, I found myself wishing that tomorrow was today, too!" Peach replied, sounding just as excited as Mario had looked.
"(gasp) Luigi! I was wondering if and when you and Mario were going to show up!" said a familiar voice from the other side of the Great Hall.
Luigi and Peach looked upstairs to see Daisy standing outside of the door to her guest room. The flower princess looked happy to see her favorite man in green.
"Hi, Daisy! It's-a good to see you, too! When did you get here?" Luigi asked, waving to his royal girlfriend.
"This morning, around breakfast time. Captain Toad and the Toad Brigade were kind enough to meet me at the train station and escort me here." Daisy replied as she ran to the stairs, slid down the banister, and rushed over to Luigi, giving him a big hug.
"Daisy, how many times do I have to tell you: don't slide down the banister!" Peach asked as Luigi happily returned Daisy's hug.
"Aw, come on, Peach! It's a lot of fun! You should try it sometime!" Daisy said, feeling good in the arms of the man she loved.
"I don't want to try it because I'm a proper princess. And besides, what if I get hurt?" Peach asked, nervous about that thought. She didn't want to try and risk getting an injury. She wasn't good at dealing with pain like Daisy was.
"You're not going to get hurt." Daisy said.
"And what makes you so sure of that?" Peach asked.
"Peach, you know well that I have been sliding down the banister since I was 7 years old, and have I gotten hurt yet?" Daisy asked.
"Well, no... at least, I don't think so... But-" Peach tried.
"That's right! I haven't gotten hurt at all! If I haven't been hurt, then you won't get hurt, either." Daisy replied.
"(sigh) Why do I even bother trying to explain things to her?" Peach facepalmed.
"Don't let it get you down, la mia principessa, my princess. We've got a wedding rehearsal to get to!" Mario said as he came back downstairs and handed Peach her purse.
"You're right, Mario, and thank you. You're such a doll! But now I've got to find Toad, Toadette, and Toadsworth, and tell them that it's time to go!" Peach said as she shouldered her purse.
"No need, Princess. I already told Toad and Toadette that it's time for the wedding rehearsal. They should be on their way downstairs any second now." Toadsworth replied as he walked down the stairs to where the Mario Bros. and their royal girlfriends stood.
No sooner did Toadsworth finish his sentence did they hear a familiar voice say from behind him, "Last one downstairs is a dirty, rotten Koopa!"
Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Daisy looked to see Toad and Toadette appear at the top of the stairs behind Toadsworth. Toad was planning to run down the stairs, but Toadsworth was in the way, so he had to walk. Toadette, like Daisy before her, slid down the banister, beating Toad to the bottom.
"Ha! I win!" Toadette exclaimed as she reached the bottom of the stairs first.
"Oh, come on, that's not fair! Toadsworth was in my way! I couldn't run because I didn't want to knock him down! Peach would've yelled at me if I did that! Besides, Peach also says we're not supposed to slide down the banister because it's not safe!" Toad complained to his sister.
"Aww, but it's fun to slide down the banister!" Toadette said.
"Hey! I thought I was the only one who thought so!" Daisy said to her.
"Finally, someone who understands!" Toadette cheered, glad that someone agreed with her.
"Well, at least you listened and exercised caution, Toad. Thank you for that." Peach said to Toad as he and Toadsworth made their way to the bottom of the stairs.
"I didn't want to upset you, Peach. You're supposed to be happy on a day like today. Now let's go!" said Toad.
But right as they stepped outside the castle, Luigi noticed something.
"Che cos'è?! What's that?!" he asked, pointing to something in the sky.
The group looked up to see what looked like some sort of airship floating towards the castle.
"It looks like an airship." said Toad.
"It's not Bowser's, is it?" Daisy asked. If it was, she was more than ready to kick his sorry tail into another dimension. No way was he going to ruin what was supposed to be a happy time for Mario and Peach!
"Oh, I hope not." said Toadette as she looked at the airship.
"No, it doesn't look anything like Bowser's airship, and thank goodness for that! One of the last things I need is for that Koopa creep to try and capture me on the day before my wedding." Peach said, getting a better look at the ship. She was right. The shape wasn't like that of Bowser's ship.
"If Bowser tries to ruin today or tomorrow, he won't be around to ruin any more days when I get done with him." Mario assured her.
"And you know what? I'll help you take him out. I won't let him try and ruin what you and Peach have ever again." Daisy said, getting a happy smile from Mario.
Before long, the airship began to descend a few feet away from the castle's entrance, which worried Luigi greatly. But Mario and Peach were not worried anymore because they noticed that there was something very familiar about this airship. It looked like a hat, like the airships in Bonneton.
"Don't worry, Luigi. I've actually seen an airship like this before, so I have a good idea of who might be in there." Mario said to his brother.
"Me too." added Peach.
"Not a bad guy, I hope..." Luigi said.
"Nope. Un amico. A friend." Mario assured him as they approached the airship.
"Two friends, if we're lucky." Peach added.
When the airship finally touched down, the door opened, and out came none other than a couple of Bonneters known as Cappy and Tiara!
"Well, I'll be knitted and darned! If it isn't Cappy and Tiara!" Mario exclaimed in happiness when he saw the Bonneter siblings come out of the airship.
"Did you miss us? Because I missed you so much, Peach!" Tiara said as she flew straight into Peach's arms for a hug.
"I did miss you, Tiara! I'm so happy to see you again!" Peach said, and she meant it as she returned Tiara's hug.
"We didn't miss the wedding, did we?" Tiara asked, sounding a little worried.
"No, the wedding isn't until tomorrow. But you've come just in time for the wedding rehearsal." Peach smiled.
"The rehearsal? Okay. So we did make it in time. Thank goodness." Cappy said as he flew over to Mario.
"Giusto. That's right. As Peach told your sister, the wedding takes place tomorrow." Mario said.
"That's a good thing. I wanted us to be here in plenty of time." Cappy replied.
"Hey, I was wondering if we'd be seeing you two again!" Daisy said, getting Cappy and Tiara's attention.
Cappy and Tiara turned and saw Daisy smiling at them.
"Hey, I remember you! You're Peach's cousin, Daisy!" Tiara said.
"Yeah! You're here for the wedding, too?" Cappy asked.
"Of course! Daisy is my maid of honor." Peach said, smiling as she let go of Tiara and put an arm around Daisy's shoulders. Daisy did the same with Peach, so it was easy to see the bond the princesses shared.
"Ooh! How wonderful!" Tiara said.
"Are you and Cappy going to be in the wedding, too?" Daisy asked Tiara.
"Yes! I'm going to be Peach's wedding tiara, and Cappy will be Mario's Top Hat." Tiara said.
"Mario, is your brother also going to be in the wedding?" Cappy asked his friend.
"Yup. He's il miglior uomo, the best man. I decided long ago that if ever I was to get married, Luigi would be my best man, whether or not the bride likes him." Mario replied.
"Do you like Luigi?" Tiara asked Peach, having heard what Mario said and feeling a little concerned.
"I've always thought of Luigi as a very good friend, and I have grown to love him like a brother. And when Mario and I get married, he'll be my brother-in-law, which I can handle." Peach smiled.
"That's good." Tiara said, looking happy.
"Now that we've caught up with each other some, shall we get going to the chapel now to get the wedding rehearsal underway?" Toadsworth asked.
"Yes! As Mario would say, let's-a go!" said Peach.
Mario blushed when he heard Peach say one of his famous lines. It showed that she really loved him and looked forward to becoming his wife.
As they set off, Peach removed her crown and set it in her purse. Tiara got the message and took her place on Peach's head as the tiara she would wear tomorrow.
Seeing what Peach had done, Mario removed his own cap, and Cappy took his place on Mario's head... as the hat he would wear the following day.
Everyone was in high spirits as they made their way to the chapel. In fact, they were in such high spirits that Daisy suggested they sing a song on their way to the chapel.
"Like what?" Peach asked.
"How about "Good Day Sunshine" by the Beatles?" Daisy suggested.
"Canzone perfetta! Perfect song! It matches my mood right now." Mario said.
"All right! A Beatles song!" Tiara cheered.
"If you know it, don't hesitate to sing along!" Peach smiled.
"All right!" Cappy said.
So everyone sang "Good Day Sunshine" on their way to the Mushroom Kingdom's wedding chapel. It showed how mellow they were feeling on the day before the wedding, which would be the biggest thing to happen in the Mushroom Kingdom since Princess Peach became a legal adult.
When they reached the chapel, Toadsworth asked, "Okay, does everyone know what they're supposed to do at the wedding tomorrow?"
"We do!" Tiara and Cappy said, perched on the heads of the soon-to-be bride and groom.
"Besides the two of you, I mean." Toadsworth added.
"Of course. Mario and Luigi will be waiting at the altar with the minister. When the music starts, I walk in and take my place at the altar." Daisy said.
"Then Toadette comes in as the flower girl." Peach said.
"That's going to be fun." Toadette said. She was really glad that Peach had asked her to be in the wedding. But she wasn't going to act like she'd just won the title of Miss Universe, because being a flower girl was just a simple thing, and the audience would quickly forget all about her and how cute she looked as soon as they saw Peach walk in, anyway. The wedding was mainly about the bride and groom, and she knew that.
"And when Toadette reaches the altar, I come in, right?" Toad asked.
"Yes. And you know what your job is, don't you, Toad?" Peach asked.
"How could I forget? I'm the ring bearer, which means I get to walk down the aisle, carrying the wedding rings on a little pillow. And I promise not to drop the rings, or let them slide off. I'll be super careful." Toad promised.
"And when you reach the altar, we should hear the familiar intro of "Here Comes The Bride". When that song begins, I'll make my way down the aisle." Peach said.
"Good. Let's practice our parts for tomorrow, then." said Toadsworth. He raced into the main room and stood at the altar, pretending to be the minister. Mario and Luigi obediently followed and took their places at the altar.
"Pretend the music has just started!" Toadsworth called from the altar.
"Okay, here goes nothing." said Daisy. She slowly made her way down the aisle, and took her place at the altar. She and Luigi smiled at each other before turning to see who came next.
Then Toadette walked in, skipping down the aisle like a schoolgirl.
"This will be a lot easier to do once I get my basket of flower petals to scatter down the aisle." Toadette said as she reached the altar.
"I'm sorry, Toadette, but I'm afraid you won't be getting that basket until tomorrow." Daisy said.
"I know. Well, I can wait." Toadette replied.
Toad slowly walked in next, pretending to hold the pillow that the rings would be on. He even pretended that the rings were about to slide off at times, but he made sure that they didn't.
"Toad, please don't do that. I was afraid something might have been wrong with you." Toadsworth said when Toad reached the altar.
"Sorry Toadsworth, I was trying to make it seem a little more realistic, like I was actually holding the pillow with the rings on it." Toad explained.
"Well, you did un ottimo lavoro, a great job." Luigi praised.
"Thanks, Luigi." Toad smiled.
"Prego. You're welcome, Toad." Luigi replied.
"And now the song playing is "Here Comes The Bride". Get in here, Peach!" Daisy called.
Then Peach walked in, making her way down the aisle in a slow, stately manner, with all the elegance and refinement of a princess.
"She's so bellissima... I know she's going to look even more bellissima tomorrow in that white dress..." Mario said to himself with a lovesick sigh as he watched his future wife walking down the aisle.
"You're really looking forward to marrying her, aren't you, Mario?" Cappy asked, having heard Mario.
"I've been doing so for a long time, Cappy. You don't know how long I've waited to do this." Mario replied to the Bonneter on his head.
"I think I do..." Cappy said, thinking back to when Mario planned to propose to Peach at Honeylune Ridge. He wondered what could've happened if Bowser had stayed out of it. If he had, Mario and Peach would most likely be married right now, and perhaps with kids of their own.
Then Peach arrived at the altar and gave Mario a loving smile, the kind of smile that made his heart sing... Beatles songs.
Toadsworth started, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join Mario Mario and Princess Peach in holy matrimony."
"Whoo-hoo!" Daisy cheered loudly, getting a chuckle from everyone but Toadsworth. He didn't look too happy.
Seeing that Toadsworth wasn't amused with her, Daisy said, "Hey, Toadsworth, you should be grateful that it was just me cheering if I were you. There will be a lot more people to approve of the idea tomorrow. Be prepared for that."
"Right..." Toadsworth muttered, before asking Mario and Peach the 'do you take...' questions, and they both answered 'I do'.
"Then you exchange the rings, and your vows, and when that's done, I have to ask, 'If anyone here objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace'." Toadsworth said.
"I don't think anyone here is going to object... Pretty much everyone who got invited approves of Mario and Peach being wed..." Luigi replied.
"That's right. Mario and Peach only invited those who do approve, so there shouldn't be any objections." Daisy said.
"And because of that, I will pronounce them husband and wife." Toadsworth replied.
"Then I get to bacia la sposa, kiss the bride. And I'm-a gonna do it like this!" Mario said. He dipped Peach, but right when he was about to kiss her, he heard a couple of Bonneters say, "Awww...!"
"I didn't kiss her yet, but I knew they were gonna do that!" Mario said, pulling Peach upright as he straightened up.
"Mario, I think you might want to kiss her like that tomorrow, when you really are pronounced husband and wife." Cappy said.
"I don't know if I can wait until then." Mario told him.
"You've waited this long. You can wait one more day, ragazzo amante." Luigi said.
"What did you just call him?" Daisy asked.
"'Ragazzo amante' is how you say 'lover-boy' in Italian." Luigi replied.
Daisy tried not to laugh. It was kind of funny to think that Luigi called Mario 'lover-boy' in Italian.
"Fine, then. In the meantime, I'll do it like this." Mario said as he jumped up and gave Peach a quick kiss on the lips.
"I'll make this easier for you, Mario." Peach said. She leaned down so Mario could kiss her easier. They kissed each other the way they did the night they became boyfriend and girlfriend.
"Awww!" said everyone present.
"Save the 'aww'ing until tomorrow. When I kiss her tomorrow, we'll finally be marito e moglie, husband and wife!" Mario said.
"It really is too bad we have to wait until tomorrow to be married. This day is going by so slowly!" Peach said.
"I know. This is going to be the longest day of my life! I thought vigilia di Natale, Christmas Eve, was a long day that would drag on forever, but I was mistaken!" Mario said.
"Then again, I suppose it is a good thing. I still have to prepare the wedding cake." said Peach.
Mario's eyes lit up at the words 'prepare the wedding cake'!
"Can I...?" asked Mario.
"Yes, Mario, you can join me in the kitchen so you can lick the bowl and the beaters." Peach replied, giggling as they left the chapel and began walking back to the castle.
When they arrived back to the castle, Cappy and Tiara decided to leave Mario and Peach alone and talk with Luigi and Daisy instead.
"So, are you both staying here at the castle tonight?" Daisy asked the Bonneter siblings.
"I am." Tiara said.
"Is Mario staying the night here? If so, then I'll be staying here, too." Cappy said.
"No. He'll be staying in my mansion for one more night. Tonight." Luigi said.
"Then I'm joining you guys when you leave. I've got to be with Mario so I can complete his wedding ensemble in the morning." Cappy said.
"I hope Peach will let me stay with her in her room tonight. I don't want to sleep alone." Tiara said worriedly.
"I'm sure she will, if you ask her. But if she says no, although I highly doubt she will, you can bunk with me tonight. I wouldn't mind the company." Daisy assured her.
"Thanks, Daisy." Tiara replied.
While that was going on, Mario and Peach had gone to the kitchen. Peach removed her gloves and engagement ring, tied on her apron, washed her hands, and said, "Okay, we both agreed on a 4-layer wedding cake, right, Mario?"
"Corretto. Correct. And that's because the Frost-Frosted Cake had four layers." Mario said.
"Right. And if I remember correctly, the cake will be red velvet, and the frosting is strawberry." Peach said.
"Sì. I decided on the cake flavor, and you decided on the flavor of the frosting. Remember, I wanted you to have a say in our wedding plans." Mario reminded her.
"I haven't forgotten, Mario. I'm really glad I get to have a say in our wedding." Peach smiled as she gathered the ingredients and the tools she needed.
"Hey, both the bride and groom should have a say in the wedding. It's not fair if either one picks out everything without asking the other for their opinion. The couple can learn how to compromise by planning the wedding together." Mario said, preheating the oven to the correct temperature.
"Too bad Bowser doesn't think the way that you do, Mario. He never once asked me what I wanted because he wanted to be a groomzilla." Peach said.
"Queen Rotunda may not have been a bridezilla, but she was no better than Bowser. She made me exercise to death while she sat around on her fat, lazy butt and got fatter than the beached whale I fought at Jurassic Park. L'ho odiata. I hated her." said Mario, thinking back to how he too was almost married to someone who would've been better off being married to Bowser.
"And, of course, there was that crazy Holly Mackerel, who assumed that you in your Frog Suit was some frog she was supposed to marry." Peach added as she put the cake ingredients into the mixer.
"Oh no; please don't bring up that psychotic fish, Peach. I couldn't stand that woman, if you can call her that! Thank goodness I didn't look so good when she went and put that stupid fishbowl on my head." Mario said.
"Sorry, sweetie. I didn't mean to upset you." Peach said.
"Va bene. It's okay. Peach. And I'm also glad that Booster hasn't shown up since I saved you from having to be his wife." Mario said.
"Oh, I almost forgot about him. He was as bad as that psychotic fish, deciding he must marry this woman, me, who fell from the sky. And he proved to be as bad as Bowser, too, locking me on the balcony of his tower, waiting until the time was right to marry me, despite my constant cries of 'MARIO, HELP ME!' But thankfully, he hasn't tried to get me back since you rescued me from him." Peach said, feeling mad as she thought back to another previous bad suitor.
"I hated him, too. Where did he get the gall to think he could marry you when you didn't even know him, much less love him?" Mario asked.
"From Bowser, I guess. But if he did marry me before you showed up, I'd assign him as my consort without telling him, then annul the marriage so he wouldn't be anything." Peach said.
"Smart woman." Mario smiled.
"And we should look on the bright side; we don't have to worry about our horrible past engagements anymore." Peach said.
"That's right. I'm not going to worry about that fat witch and the psychotic fish. I'm going to think about how I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you, la donna che amo, the woman I love." Mario said.
"That's my Mario." Peach smiled as she started the mixer.
While Peach mixed the cake batter, Mario sprayed the cake pans with non-stick cooking spray.
"Oh, I almost forgot about doing that! Thanks for remembering, Mario." Peach said, realizing that Mario remembered something important for her.
"That's what future husbands are for, Peach." Mario smiled.
When the cake batter was mixed perfectly, Peach allowed Mario to lick the beaters while she busily filled the cake pans with batter. Then, by the time all the pans were filled, the oven was preheated, so Peach and Mario put the pans in the oven. When Mario turned back around to get the bowl so he could lick it, he found that Toad and Toadette had already grabbed the bowl and started licking it themselves.
"You know what? I'm not going to complain. At least I licked the beaters." Mario said.
"So what? The bowl is bigger." said Toad as he and Toadette worked on the bowl.
"Yeah, well... I'm not even going to respond to that." Mario said.
"It's okay, Mario. We both get the first slices of wedding cake come tomorrow." Peach whispered to him.
"And that's why I can't complain." Mario whispered back.
Later, when the layers were baked and had cooled, Peach removed the layers from the pans and started frosting them with strawberry frosting. She also made red and pink frosting roses on each layer, which Mario thought made the cake look really nice.
"Mama-mia! Our wedding cake is un capolavoro, a masterpiece! You are a genius!" Mario said to Peach when she finished frosting the cake.
"I do my best to make it look perfect!" Peach giggled.
"I'd take a picture, but I can't." Mario said.
"Why not?" Peach asked.
"Because the cake isn't quite done. There's still one thing missing from it: the topper!" Mario said, pointing at the top of the cake, where the topper was supposed to be.
"The topper will be there tomorrow. I promise." Peach said.
Mario and Luigi stayed at the castle for dinner that evening.
"Is this a rehearsal dinner or something?" Daisy asked.
"No, this is just the last time Mario eats here as a guest. Tomorrow will be the first time he eats here as a member of the royal family." Peach smiled.
"Yahoo for me!" Mario cheered, getting a happy smile from everyone present.
Everyone was really cheerful that night, talking about what tomorrow would bring and how amazing it was going to be.
"I would advise you people to not talk about this so much. All of you will want to be up bright and early tomorrow, and all this wedding talk is getting you really excited. If this keeps up, you'll be too excited to sleep, and we can't have sleepy people on one of the most important days to happen in the Mushroom Kingdom since the day Peach became a legal adult!" Toadsworth said.
"Oh, Toadsworth, I can't help it. I've been wanting to marry Mario since I can't remember when. And I'm so glad he's not a groomzilla, like Bowser was." Peach said.
"And I'm glad Peach isn't a bridezilla. She deserved to make some choices at our wedding, and she wanted me to choose, too, rather than have one of us choose everything like Bowser did for the sham wedding." Mario said.
"I'd never go bridezilla on you, Mario. Our wedding means 'both of us', not 'one of us'." Peach said, giving her husband-to-be a quick kiss on the cheek.
After dinner, everyone went outside to watch the sunset and continue talking about tomorrow and the joy it would bring.
When the stars appeared in the sky, Toadsworth said, "Okay, everyone, I think we should call it a night now."
"Now? You can't be serious, Toadsworth! The night is still young!" Daisy said.
"So? The big day is tomorrow." Toadsworth said.
"I hate to say this, Daisy, but I think Toadsworth is right. We're going to need plenty of sleep so we'll be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning. Plus, we'll need to be up early because I've got to look my absolute best tomorrow, and that's not something I can achieve in a matter of minutes. You know that." Peach said.
"I probably can achieve that, but I'll try and take it slow, so that I look immacolato, immaculate, like you, Peach." said Mario.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Mario." Peach said.
"Until then, buona notte, principessa. Good night, Princess." Mario replied.
The couple shared their last kiss as an engaged couple.
"Just think: by this time tomorrow night, you'll be living here, so you won't have to leave the castle, or my side." Peach said.
"I know. And I'm really looking forward to never leaving your side again, dolcezza, sweetie." Mario said.
"I know. I love you." Peach smiled, blushing.
"Anch'io ti amo. I love you, too, Peach." Mario replied, also blushing.
After Luigi and Daisy shared a kiss and bid each other good night, the Mario Bros. started making their way back to Luigi's Mansion with Cappy following them.
As Peach trudged upstairs to her room, Tiara said, "Peach, is it okay if I sleep with you in your room tonight? I really don't want to sleep alone, without Cappy."
"You mean Cappy's not staying here tonight?" Peach asked.
"He just left with the groom and the best man. He said he needs to be with Mario to complete his wedding ensemble tomorrow morning." Tiara pointed out.
"Oh, I should have guessed that he might want to stay with Mario tonight, in case the groom changes into his tuxedo before going to the chapel." Peach said. But she smiled at Tiara and added, "Don't be afraid, Tiara. If you really don't want to sleep alone, you can bunk with me tonight."
"Thank you, Peach. Thank you so much!" said Tiara, feeling glad that she wouldn't have to be alone tonight, even though Daisy had said she could bunk with her if Peach said no.
"You're welcome." Peach said as she reached the door to her room. She opened the door and allowed Tiara to enter her room first.
Meanwhile, when the brothers got back to the mansion, Mario allowed Cappy to stay with him in his room, which was very good.
"And it's-a just as well. Luigi's got somebody sleeping in his room with him. His ghost dog, who sleeps at the foot of his bed practically every night, except for the nights where he made the dog stay with me." Mario explained to Cappy as he grabbed his pajamas and started getting ready for bed right there in his room.
"I see. But then again, I don't know Luigi like I know you. So I really think I should stay with you, if anything." Cappy said, even though he wasn't watching Mario change. He was looking away to give him privacy.
"I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. It'll be the last time I wake up alone, as a single man." Mario said, before adding, "You didn't have to look away, you know. I wasn't stripping off completely. But it doesn't matter. I'm decent now."
"And this is your last night as a bachelor. Sure you're not nervous about tomorrow?" Cappy asked as he turned back to see Mario dressed in his red pajamas.
"Forse un po. Maybe a little. But I know I'll be okay once I see Peach and hear Toadsworth telling me to kiss the bride." Mario replied as he got under the covers of his bed.
"Okay, then. Now let's get some shut-eye." said Cappy as he made himself comfortable at the other end of the bed.
"Buona notte. Good night, Cappy." Mario said as he turned out the lights and closed his eyes.
"Good night, Mario." Cappy replied. But before he fell asleep, Cappy said, "One more thing, Mario. Don't you dare put your arm around me in the middle of the night thinking that I'm Peach."
"I'm gonna teach you to take it like a man." Mario replied with a smirk.
(A/N: Mario and Cappy's dialogue came from a conversation my uncle and my cousin had one night. They were joking, so Mario is just joking about teaching Cappy to take it like a man.)
Luigi had walked by Mario's room on his way to his bedroom, with a water bottle in hand, and even though the door was closed, he heard what Mario and Cappy were saying. He once had that conversation with Mario, and he knew Mario had been joking around. Now it seemed he was messing with Cappy. He slapped his hand over his mouth to try and keep from laughing until he got to his own room.
"Mario, I'm a Bonneter." Cappy reminded him.
"I know. But I'm still going to teach you to take it like a man." Mario said, still smirking.
Then Cappy noticed the smirk and realized that Mario was joking.
"Fine, then. Good night, Mario." Cappy replied as he allowed sleep to claim him.
Tomorrow will be the big day for Mario and Peach! Are you looking forward to that? If you are, then you know the drill: stay tuned!
