(A/N: So we're already at Chapter 5. I know that you've waited long enough, so I'll get this chapter started for you on the double!)


A few hours later, the Starshroom finally arrived in the Mushroom Kingdom, and the Toad Brigade dropped Mario off outside Princess Peach's Castle.

"Grazie. Thank you." Mario said to the Toad Brigade.

"You're welcome, Mario." said Captain Toad before he and the Toad Brigade left for parts unknown.

Before going to the castle, Mario saw the Odyssey. He quickly ran to his ship and stowed the bag holding his tux in an empty drawer in the Odyssey's handy wardrobe. Then, tightly clutching the package Mailtoad handed him, Mario triple-jumped his way up to Peach's balcony.


Upon hearing a thump out on Peach's balcony, Cappy, Tiara, and the Princess turned to see Mario looking at them through the French doors that led into the Princess's room.

"Mario!" Cappy and Tiara exclaimed in happiness. They even looked pretty happy to see him standing there.

"Just a minute, Mario!" Peach said. She quickly got up off the bed and went over to unlock the French doors, which she had locked last night before going to sleep.

"Now you can come in." Peach said to Mario.

"Sei sicuro? Are you sure it's-a safe, Peach? You're dressed in your bedtime attire, and I'm afraid Toadsworth might not approve of me being in here when you're..." Mario started.

"It's okay, Mario. Toadsworth is really busy right now, so he won't be coming in here to disapprove of you being in here with me, and besides, you've seen me dressed like this lots of times when you've stayed at the castle. So come on in." Peach said.


So Mario opened one of the doors and entered the room.

"Ciao Principessa. Hello, Princess." Mario said as he walked in and closed the door behind him.

"Hi, Mario." Peach said. Her heart was positively fluttering at the sight of him. Did he still love her, the way she did him?

"Hey, buddy!" Cappy greeted his friend.

"Cappy! How are you doing?" Mario asked the Bonneter who had helped him out on his adventure.

"I'm fine, knowing that Tiara is safe and no longer in the clutches of a wicked monster." Cappy said.

"I understand." Mario said. He always felt immense relief when he knew that Peach was safe.

"How about you?" Cappy asked.

"I'm all right." Mario replied. He was half-lying, because he did not know if Peach forgave him, much less still loved him.

"Hi, Mario. I'm so glad to see you!" Tiara said as she flew to the plumber and gave him a big hug.

"Hello, Tiara. It's-a nice to see you, too. Now what's this all about?" Mario asked, setting the package on Peach's bed and returning the younger Bonneter's hug.

"This hug is to thank you for saving me and Peach from the stupid monster known as Bowser." Tiara said.

"Prego. You're welcome, Tiara." Mario replied.

"Goodness me! Thank you for reminding me, Tiara, because I completely forgot!" Peach said.

"What did you forget, Peach?" Tiara asked, letting go of Mario.

"To reward Mario myself for the exact same thing." Peach replied as she approached Mario.

"You didn't thank me for saving your life?" Mario asked. He hadn't been worried about that at all. Whenever he saved Peach, he always made sure that she was safe and sound, and unharmed by the enemy. He wasn't saving her just for a reward. He was saving her because he loved her.

"I didn't. I was so upset about being forced that it completely slipped my mind. Now it's time to properly reward you for saving me from a fate worse than death." And with those last words no more than spoken, Peach knelt down beside the plumber, pulled him into a big hug, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Mama-mia..." Mario said to himself. He wasn't expecting that kind of reward.

"Thank you for saving me from a fate I didn't deserve, Mario. I missed you so much, and I'm so very sorry I left you at Honeylune Ridge... I'm also sorry it took me until now to realize I hadn't thanked you for saving me from that awful wedding. Please, Mario, please forgive me for what I did wrong..." Peach whispered.

"Don't worry, Peach. Sei perdonato. You're forgiven. But... can you ever forgive me for behaving no better than our worst enemy? It was wrong of me to do that, and I really didn't mean to. I was afraid, and I acted without thinking." Mario replied.

Peach responded by pulling him closer and giving him a big, smacking kiss on the lips, which really surprised Mario. He hadn't expected Peach to do that.

"It's all right, Mario. I've forgiven you for that." Peach replied, smiling at the stunned look on Mario's handsome face.

"Oh! I almost forgot! The Toad Brigade wanted me to give you this." Mario suddenly said, picking up the package and handing it to Peach as she stood up again.

"Oh, thank you, Mario! I think I know what this is!" Peach said as she sat down on the bed with the package on her lap and untied the strings.

"I think that package is one of your favorite things." Tiara said.

"Kind of, but that's because I already know what's in it." Peach said, opening the package. Sure enough, the package contained her dress, her gloves, and her shoes; the ones she had been wearing the day Bowser kidnapped her.

"Oh! It's the clothes you were wearing when Bowser kidnapped you." Tiara realized.

"Yes. I want to get dressed now, and since I didn't have these on for that long, I'm going to put them back on, so if you wouldn't mind giving me some privacy..." Peach said in a hinting tone.

"Okay, Peach, we can do that. Come on, Tiara, let's make ourselves scarce." said Cappy, leading his sister out of the room and into the Great Hall.

"Grande idea. Great idea. I think I'll join you." Mario said, but right before he could leave the room, Peach said, "Freeze, Mario!"

"Did I do something wrong, Peach?" Mario asked. Whenever his parents told him or Luigi to 'freeze', it usually meant they were in trouble.

"No, you're fine. I was going to suggest that if you're planning to make yourself scarce, then how about you do so... by going out to my balcony to wait for me?" Peach said as she disappeared behind her white linen dressing screen with the clothes in her hands.

"Oh... okie-dokie." said Mario. He shrugged to himself and walked back out to Peach's balcony to wait for the Princess as she got ready.

The plumber admired the view from the balcony. He could see for miles, and he thought Peach was lucky to have a view like this. But he couldn't help wondering why Peach wanted him to wait out here, rather than out in the Great Hall with Cappy and Tiara.

"I hope it's-a not anything bad... But Peach did kiss me on the lips when she forgave me... or was that kiss meant to lull me into a false sense of security?" Mario asked himself. He didn't know what the princess was planning, but he hoped it was something nice.


A few minutes later, the Princess came out to her balcony. She looked a lot better, now that she was dressed for the day with her hair brushed, her make-up on, and she was also wearing her crown, which Mario was glad to see. But she was also hiding her hands behind her back, and that did not go unnoticed by Mario.

"Hello, Mario." Peach smiled.

"What are you up to, Peach?" Mario asked.

"What do you mean? I'm not up to anything." Peach replied.

"Yes, you are. You've got your hands behind your back. Are you hiding something?" Mario asked, trying to see behind Peach.

"Maybe..." Peach replied, blushing as she tried to keep Mario from seeing what she was hiding.

"Oh, I can tell by your blushing face that you are. In that case, what is it?" Mario asked.

"You'll find out pretty soon, so just be patient. You know that good things come to those who wait." Peach said.

"All right." Mario said. He remembered hearing that saying lots of times before when he showed impatience, and he'd found that the good things usually were worth the wait.

Peach looked at Mario and said, "As you know, I have forgiven you for behaving no better than our greatest enemy."

"Lo so. I know. And when I found out why you left the Moon Kingdom on my airship without telling me, I forgave you. I understand that you wanted to get away from Bowser in the worst way. If I had been in your shoes, I would have wanted to do the exact same thing." Mario said.

"I just wish I had thought to tell you that I was going to leave. It was really wrong of me to leave you behind with no way to get home, and I felt awful when I realized what I did to you. Perhaps it would have been better if I had taken Bowser's airship instead, so he would be the one who had no way of getting back home." Peach said.

"Good thinking. It would have served him right for what he put us through." Mario replied.

"Yes, it would have." Peach agreed, before saying, "But getting back to what happened. When I kissed you like I did to show that you've been forgiven, I was hoping you'd know that I really do forgive you, and that is because I still love you, Mario."

"Tu fai? You do, Peach?" Mario asked, hoping this was true.

"Of course I do. Why else was I hoping that you would come to the castle when you returned to the Mushroom Kingdom, and that I couldn't apologize enough for what I did to you, hurting your feelings and taking your ship? I was upset, but I never stopped loving you, Mario." Peach said.

"I... I-I still love you, too... P-Princess... I never stopped..." Mario said.

Peach smiled emotionally and said, "I was hoping you would still love me, Mario. After what I did to you, I was afraid that maybe I wasn't worthy of your love anymore."

"No, Peach. Don't think like that. Once I knew why you had done what you did, and that you were sorry for doing it, I wasn't unhappy with you. In fact, I was the one who felt unworthy of your love." Mario said.

"But we still love each other, and we're still in a relationship, so we're okay now, right?" Peach asked hopefully.

"Destro! Right!" Mario smiled. He felt good knowing that he hadn't lost Peach, or her love. He couldn't imagine what his life would be like if Peach wanted him out of hers. It would kill him.


Peach smiled brightly at this, and then she said, "Now, Mario, I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it?" Mario asked, ready to do whatever it was Peach said. Knowing that she still loved him made him more than willing.

"I need you to close your eyes." Peach replied.

"What? Why, Peach?" Mario asked, confused.

"Just do it." Peach told him.

Mario internally shrugged, but he did as Peach said and closed his eyes.

"No peeking..." Mario heard Peach say.

"Don't worry, Peach. I'm not going to peek." Mario promised.

A few seconds of silence passed before Mario finally heard the Princess say, "Okay, Mario, you can open your eyes now."


Mario slowly opened his eyes... and he almost fell over when he saw the sight before him. Peach had gotten down on one knee, and she was holding out... his trademark hat! He thought it was destroyed by Bowser, or lost forever! But that wasn't the most surprising part. Oh no, the biggest surprise for him was that on top of the hat lay a small gold band.

"Peach... what's going on...?" Mario asked, more than surprised.

The Princess took a deep breath and began, "As you can see here, Mario, your hat did not get destroyed. Before it landed on the floor of the airship's deck, I quickly pounced on your hat and stuffed it in my dress without Bowser seeing. It was resting between the inside of the bodice, and my corsets, so I would advise you to wash the hat before you wear it again."

(A/N: You guys might remember Peach saying that she could have saved Mario's hat and stowed it in her dress in "An Odyssey's Happy End". In this AU, she actually did it.)

"I... I will... Wash the hat, that is..." Mario replied, blushing like a madman.

"As for the ring you see resting on top of the hat... Well... I actually bought that ring for you... a few weeks back. I was planning to ask you the big question on Thanksgiving, but after what we've been through, I think now is the perfect time to do it." Peach said.

(A/N: Since "Super Mario Odyssey" came out before Halloween, it's a safe bet that Mario had rescued Peach in November, shortly before Thanksgiving.)

"You... You wanted to... Were you going to...?" Mario could barely ask the questions on his mind.

"Yes, Mario, I knew exactly what you were planning to do at the Moon Kingdom, after we escaped the Underground Moon Caverns. I could tell that you wanted to propose, and I was more than ready to say yes to your question, whether or not you had a ring to offer me." Peach replied.

"Do you still want to...?" Mario asked.

"Will you marry me, Mario? And before you ask, I'm not doing this just to get Bowser off of my back, because we already know that our being in a relationship hasn't stopped him from capturing me. I'm doing this because I really do love you, and I want to spend the rest of eternity with you. If that's all right with you..." Peach said, blushing like mad.

"Is that all right with me? It's-a more than all right with me! Ti sposerò! I will marry you, cara mia, my darling!" Mario exclaimed as he moved closer to Peach and kissed her on the lips, letting her know how much he loved her. Peach, overjoyed, began returning his kiss. And while they were kissing, Peach managed to get the ring on the ring finger on his left hand, and they were both really happy.

"It fits!" Mario exclaimed as he looked at the gold band that sparkled on his finger.

"It does indeed." Peach smiled.

"How did you know what my ring size is?" Mario asked.

"Well, that's simple. I measured your finger one day while you were taking a nap in the guest room that you and Luigi always share when you stay here." Peach replied.

"Mama-mia! How did I sleep through that?" Mario asked.

"You're a pretty heavy sleeper, Mario." Peach giggled.

"Why didn't you wake me up when you were going to do that?" Mario asked.

"If I had woken you up, you probably would've known what I was thinking. Also, I let you sleep because I wanted to surprise you." Peach said.

"Well, I guess I can't complain, because I'm very surprised." Mario said.

"Shall we make the announcement of our engagement to those in the castle?" Peach asked.

"Andiamo, mia principessa. Let's-a go, my princess." Mario replied as he and Peach walked back into Peach's room, and then into the Great Hall.


Several minutes later...

Everyone in the castle was feeling extreme excitement, celebrating the news of Mario and Peach's engagement. Even Cappy and Tiara were excited with the big news, for they felt really bad for Mario when Peach shot down his attempt at the Moon Kingdom.

Cappy was also really surprised to see that Mario got his hat back, because Peach had been quick enough to save it from being destroyed by Bowser. It went to show that while Bowser was quick, Peach was much faster this time.

"When he seemed surprised that he didn't have it on his head, I agreed to be his hat, but I first had to ask him what style he preferred." Cappy said.

"I had to take out my wallet and show him the picture of me on my driver's license, for I was wearing my hat when I had that picture taken." Mario replied.

"Then I knew what he wanted." Cappy finished.


After a week of recuperating from what they had been through, Peach decided that a new world tour would do all of them a world of good, for Peach and Tiara had a lot of bad memories, courtesy of Bowser, that they really wanted to forget. Not only that, but Peach invited Mario and Cappy along for the ride.

"Contami! Count me in!" Mario said, liking the idea of going to those different places with his future wife by his side.

"Awesome! I was hoping that Mario and I could visit those kingdoms again to have more fun... and maybe we'd even find more Power Moons while we're at it." said Cappy.

Needless to say, they all had a fine old time on the tour. Peach and Tiara replaced all their bad memories with really good ones, and Mario and Cappy were able to find way more Power Moons than they had during their initial visits to each kingdom. Also, it gave Mario and Peach the chance to return the Lochlady Dress to the Lake Kingdom, and they even got more wedding plans figured out.

The couple had been somewhat apprehensive about visiting Bowser's Kingdom and the Moon Kingdom, but they still went to those kingdoms anyway, and they didn't see Bowser in either one. Mario and Peach had no idea where the Koopa King was, but then they realized that they really didn't care. What mattered was that they were going to be together for the rest of their lives, and there was nothing Bowser could do about it!

The End


Okay, that's the story! I bet you weren't expecting Mario to get the happy ending he deserved. Well, come on, he earned it after all the hell Bowser put him through! And we learned that Peach felt sorry for leaving him! And they worked things out in the end, so all is well! Hope you all enjoyed the story!