(A/N: In that last chapter, Mario and Peach had a few problems before going to bed, but they still love each other. What happens next? Maybe we'll find out if I start this chapter.)


The next morning...

Peach awoke to sunlight streaming in through the window of the Odyssey, and she felt the airship land. Unable to see where they were, Peach tried to get up so she could see where they landed, but something seemed to be holding her down.

Peach looked around, and it didn't take long for her to see just why she couldn't move. Mario was still asleep, and still holding her tight, as he had done when he finally fell asleep last night.

"Oh, isn't he cute when he's asleep? But I need to find out where we are, and it seems the only way I'm going to find that out is if I wake him up." Peach thought. How could she get Mario up nicely?

She had an idea. She moved close to Mario and started giving butterfly kisses to his nose. That woke him up.

"Okay, I'm up." Mario said, laughing a little as he opened his eyes.

Imagine how he felt when he saw Peach still in his arms, smiling at him.

"Good morning, Mario." Peach said.

"Mama-mia... If only we were married... I could get used to holding Peach every night... and seeing her lying next to me first thing every morning..." Mario thought.

"And buongiorno, good morning, to you, too, Peach." Mario said to Peach, smiling back at her.

"Did you sleep well?" Peach asked.

"I slept very well. Now tell me, was that you trying to wake me up?" Mario asked.

"Yes..." Peach replied, blushing.

"And just what were you doing to me?" Mario asked.

"Why, I was just giving butterfly kisses to your nose, Mario." Peach replied innocently.

"And why, may I ask, were you doing that?" Mario asked, tightening his hold on Peach, pulling her even closer to him.

"Because I felt the Odyssey land, and I wanted to see just where we landed. I couldn't get up and do that because you were holding me. But don't get me wrong, Mario; I enjoyed sleeping in your arms, but I didn't feel that I could leave the bed until you were awake, too. And so I had to wake you." Peach replied, her face now as red as Mario's shirt as she realized just how close they were.

"Okie-dokie. That sounds fair enough. Now let's-a go see where we landed." said Mario as he let go of Peach. They stood up and stretched before putting their shoes on and heading outside to see where they were.

They looked around and saw that they were in a very familiar place. A short distance away stood a familiar-looking castle. It was Peach's Castle. They were back in the Mushroom Kingdom!


"We're home!" Peach happily said, her face back to normal.

"So we are!" Mario replied, looking just as happy as Peach was.

"Now what time is it?" Peach asked.

Mario checked his watch and saw that it was 7:00 a.m.

When he told Peach the time, she said, "The cooks should be fixing breakfast right about now."

At the mention of the word 'breakfast', Mario heard and felt his stomach growling.

"Well, that's a good thing, because I'm just about starved. Let's-a go to the castle and eat!" Mario said.

"Mario, I'm hungry, too, but I was wondering: Shouldn't we wake Cappy first and take him in with us?" Peach asked.

Mario, who had been ready to run to the castle as fast as he could, froze when Peach reminded him of his Bonneter friend. That's right; it wasn't just the two of them this time, it was the two of them... and Cappy.

"Hai ragione. You're right, Peach. We should. As much as I want to see what your cooks are serving for breakfast, I know that it would be rude to leave Cappy in here all by himself in a world he's not familiar with. He'd go nuts if he woke up to find us missing in a place he doesn't know." Mario said.

"Let's get him up, then." Peach said.

So they went back into the Odyssey and over to the chair Cappy was sleeping on.

"Psst! Cappy, wake up!" Mario said in a loud whisper, trying to rouse the sleeping Bonneter.

"Uhh... what is it? What's going on?" Cappy asked, starting to come around.

"It's morning, and we're back in the Mushroom Kingdom. Come on. Get up." Mario told him.

"Oh! We made it. I didn't realize it." Cappy said as he got up from the chair he had been sleeping on.

"Peach and I were going to her castle to get some breakfast, and we wanted to get you up. It would've been rude of us to leave you when you're in an unfamiliar place." Mario explained.

"Thanks for thinking about me, Mario." Cappy replied as he turned into a cap like Mario's and took his place on the plumber's head.

"Hey, that's what friends do, Cappy." Mario said as he took Peach's hand, and they walked to the castle together.

When they approached the castle doors, Mario opened the door for Peach and said, "Prima le signore. Ladies first." He gestured for Peach to enter first.

"Such a gentleman..." Peach smiled, curtsying to Mario before entering the castle.

Mario entered after her and closed the door behind him.


As soon as they entered the castle's dining hall, the Toads that were sitting there all gasped as they realized that Peach had returned.

"Princess Peach! You're back!" the Toads yelled, leaping out of their chairs and running to greet the princess.

"When did you get back?"

"How did Mario defeat Bowser?"

"What was Bowser's plan this time?"

These were a few of the questions the Toads asked, and they were dying to know what had happened.

"Everybody, calm down! I'll tell you all what happened after we eat, okay?" Peach said to the Toads.

The Toads all seemed to accept that, and so they went back to their chairs and sat back down. Peach took her place at the head of the table and motioned for Mario to sit in the chair immediately to her left. He obediently sat down beside her.

A few minutes later, the cooks brought out the food, and even they were surprised to see Peach sitting in her in her usual spot. They almost dropped the food on the floor, but they didn't. If they had, then that would've upset everyone, and they'd have a big mess to clean up.

"Princess Peach! When did you return?" one of the cooks asked.

"Minutes ago. I'll tell you all what happened after breakfast if that's okay with you." Peach said.

"As you wish, My Lady." the cook replied as he and the other cooks placed the food on the table.

While this was going on, Toadsworth came in, and he too had the same reaction as everyone else.

"Princess! Oh, thank the Star Spirits you're okay! I'm so relieved!" Toadsworth said as he made his way to the table, where the Princess sat.

"It's good to see you too, Toadsworth." Peach said, smiling at the sight of the old Toad who was like a father to her.

"Master Mario, I can't thank you enough for saving her life again." Toadsworth said as he took his place immediately to the right of the Princess.

"I can't take all the credit, Toadsworth. I had help from Cappy, Daisy, and Toadette." Mario said.

"What? Who's Cappy? I know who Daisy and Toadette are, but I have no idea who Cappy is." Toadsworth said, very confused.

"I'm Cappy." said a voice from Mario's head.

Everyone looked at Mario, and they saw that his red hat now contained a pair of eyes! Talk about freaking out! None of the Toads had ever seen a Bonneter before!

"Calmati! Hey, take it easy! Cappy's my friend. He's on our side!" Mario told them.

"Yeah! I helped Mario!" Cappy added.

Everyone relaxed upon hearing that Cappy was one of the good guys. If he was a good guy, then they needn't worry, because he was someone could be trusted.

"So, Cappy, how did you come to meet Master Mario?" Toadsworth asked Cappy after the initial shock wore off.

"It's part of Peach's explanation. We'll tell you after breakfast, as she said." Cappy replied.

"Very well." said Toadsworth.


After breakfast, everyone gathered in the Great Hall and listened to what Peach, Mario, and Cappy (who was now in his Bonneter form) had to say. They told what Bowser's plan had been, how Cappy met Mario, why they were working together, and what they had done to save Peach from Bowser.

"He bought it! He actually bought it!" Toadette said to herself in a whisper, impressed that the Super Crown on Daisy's head had successfully tricked Bowser.

"So, Daisy's going to trick Bowser, eh? Can she pull it off?" Toadsworth asked.

"She said she was going to sell it, and make him believe she is Peach... until the wedding, that is." Mario said.

"I wonder what Daisy's going to do to Bowser when it comes time for the wedding?" Peach said.

"Probably something really good, to make him sorry for what he did to you and my little sister." Cappy replied to Peach.

"Maybe she's making him sorry right now." Mario said.

"I just hope she doesn't lose the Super Crown. What if we need it again?" Toadette asked. She felt as though the power-up belonged to her, since it turned her into a twin of Princess Peach.

"I'm pretty sure Daisy is planning to hold onto it after dealing with Bowser so that you can have it back." Mario assured Toadette.

"Yes, Toadette. Daisy is very good when it comes to borrowing stuff. She always returns it very promptly, and it is always in the same condition it was in when she borrowed it." Peach said. It was true; she and Daisy used to borrow each other's things all the time when they were little, and Daisy was good about keeping Peach's things neat and pretty whenever she borrowed them. Peach was the exact same way about borrowed items.

"Well, that's good." said Toadette with a smile.

After the story, everyone dispersed and went about business as usual.


"What do you want to do now, Mario? Do you want to stick around for a little while longer?" Peach asked.

"Mi piacerebbe. I'd like to, but I really think I should go home and see Luigi now. I need to let him know that I'm back, and that you're okay." said Mario.

"Does he know you were out saving my life?" Peach asked.

"Sì, but he doesn't know why, or what was done to rescue you. When I awoke in the Cap Kingdom, I texted him, letting him know that you needed rescuing. That's all he knows." Mario replied.

"Okay. If you're leaving, then I think I'll go and take a shower. Come to think of it, I really need one after what Bowser did to me while I was in his clutches." Peach said as they walked towards the exit.

"You go ahead and do that, Peach. I think I'll be taking a shower myself when I get home, but first I'll have to tell Luigi that I'm back, and what happened to you. Maybe after I shower, I'll come back here to spend some more time with you." Mario suggested.

"That sounds nice. I would like to spend more time with you today." Peach smiled.

"Hey, can I go with you, Mario?" Cappy asked, flying after him and Peach.

"Cosa certa. Sure thing, Cappy. I'd like for you and Luigi to meet one another." Mario said as he stepped outside. Cappy turned into a hat like the one Mario always wore.

"Until we meet again, my love..." Peach said, leaning close to Mario.

Mario leaned in as well, for he knew exactly what Peach wanted.

The two shared a tender, loving kiss before Mario left the castle. And Peach watched him walk away until he was out of sight.


And that's where this chapter is going to stop! Stay tuned for the next chapter, because that one begins where this one left off!