(A/N: So Mario and Peach do still love each other. Can they talk about the problem and get it resolved with no problems, keeping their relationship intact? Well... I'll start the chapter now so you can find out!)

It was another bright and sunny morning in the Mushroom Kingdom. The days had been a lot brighter for everyone when they learned that Princess Peach finally returned from her new world tour. But we can't go to Peach's Castle just yet. We need to get our butts over to Luigi's Mansion, so let's head on over there!

At Luigi's Mansion, Mario and Luigi were currently sitting at the table in the kitchen, enjoying the blueberry pancakes that Luigi had prepared for breakfast. Luigi was dressed for the day, but Mario had taken a shower when he got up, so he was wearing his red bathrobe and customized slippers.

Cappy was also having breakfast with the brothers, and there was polite conversation as the three of them ate.

"So, Mario, are you ready?" Luigi asked.

"Ready for what?" Mario asked in between sips of orange juice.

"You have to go to the castle and work things out with Peach. She'll most likely be there." Luigi reminded him.

"Oh yeah..." Mario remembered the talk he and his brother had last night. He took another bite of his pancake and nervously replied, "I-I am."

"Non preoccuparti, fratello. Don't worry, bro. I'm sure that Peach is more than willing to work things out with you. She probably feels as guilty as you do." Luigi said.

"Not when she was the one being forced by Bowser... and me..." Mario said.

"That's right, Luigi. I don't think she's even aware of how hurt Mario was when she turned down his proposal, or how badly he wants to apologize so he still has a chance of ending up with her if he wants to propose again. If she was, she might have waited for him to show up at the castle before she left." Cappy said.

"Okay. But if she is aware of those things at all, I think she'll most likely accept Mario's apology, forgive him, and agree to still be his girlfriend." Luigi said.

"I guess so. She did try to talk to him during her world tour, and she wouldn't have done that at all if she was still mad at him. And I even told him that the reason Peach left had nothing to do with him." Cappy said.

"There you have it, Mario. Before the day is over, you'll have your woman back in your arms again!" Luigi smiled.

"You think so, Luigi?" Mario asked.

"Ne sono sicuro. I'm sure of it. If Peach wanted to talk to you during her tour, she must really be hoping you'll talk to her again. I should know. I felt that way myself when you didn't talk to me when you came home after the rescue mission went awry when completed. Even Doggy was concerned." Luigi said.

Mario felt bad.

"Mi dispiace. I'm sorry for worrying you and Doggy like that, Luigi." Mario apologized.

"It's okay, Mario. Once I know there's a reason behind the way you're feeling, I feel better. Then I know I can try and help you feel better." Luigi said.

"Sei il miglior fratellino. You're the best little brother." Mario said as he got up, walked over to Luigi's chair, and gave him a big hug.

"Grazie, Mario. Thank you." Luigi said, returning the hug.

Cappy was pleased to see that Mario and Luigi were so close, like him and Tiara. It was then that he remembered his baby sister. Was she okay? Had she been dropped off at Bonneton before Peach returned to the Mushroom Kingdom, or was she still with Peach? He really wanted to get to Peach's Castle and find out right away!

"Mario, I hate to interrupt this moment of brotherly love, but we really need to get going!" Cappy said.

"Come mai? How come?" Mario asked, letting go of Luigi.

"I don't know if Tiara is still with Peach or not." Cappy replied.

"Oh, right." Mario mumbled. He knew that Cappy had been worried about his sister during their big adventure, and now he was doing it again. He went back to his seat, finished his pancakes and his glass of orange juice, thanked Luigi for fixing breakfast, and bolted up the stairs to get ready for the day.

Mario was ready in 7 minutes, and when he came back downstairs, he was dressed in his usual attire and said, "Okie-dokie. Let's-a go!"

Cappy took his place on Mario's head, as his trademark cap.

"Yeah! Let's get going!" said Cappy.

"Buona fortuna, grande fratello! Good luck, big bro!" Luigi called from the kitchen, where he was washing the breakfast dishes.

"Grazie! Thanks, Luigi. I'll be back later!" Mario called back.

But before he could leave, Polterpup bounded over to Mario, barring his way.

"Hey, Doggy. I'm going to go see la principessa. Wish me luck." Mario said as he knelt down and patted the dog's head.

The puppy wished Mario luck by licking his face in a frenzy of joy.

"Okay, okay! Grazie! Thanks, boy!" Mario replied, laughing as the dog lavished him with doggie kisses.

Polterpup stopped and looked at Mario, wagging his tail while panting happily.

"All right, boy. Go help your master while I'm out." Mario said to the dog as he wiped his face with his shirt sleeve. So Polterpup walked into the kitchen while Mario walked out the door.

Luigi smiled when he saw the dog come into the room.

"I really hope he comes back in a happier mood this time." Luigi said to Polterpup. Polterpup also seemed to feel the same way as he looked up at Luigi, panting and wagging his tail. Luigi knew Mario would be glad if he knew that he had two people hoping for the best.

Meanwhile, Mario walked along the path to Peach's Castle, feeling pretty glad that Cappy was with him. He really didn't want to go there alone, like he did the day he found out Peach was missing.

"I sure hope Tiara is with Peach and not home alone. She hates being left all alone by herself. It scares her really badly." Cappy said.

"I'm sure Tiara already explained to Peach that she didn't want to go home unless she knew that you're there, and if she did, then I would think that Peach agreed to let your sister stay at the castle with her until they find out where you are." Mario assured his friend.

"Yeah, you may be right. But I just can't help worrying about her. My little sister is a delicate spirit, you know, like Peach." Cappy said.

"I've noticed that. I've seen how frightened she was while she and Peach in Bowser's clutches." Mario replied. He was feeling angry when he mentioned the name of the Koopa who helped ruin everything.

A few minutes later, Peach's Castle started to come into view.

"There it is... Peach's Castle..." Mario said as he looked at the building that used to make him smile whenever he saw it.

"Shall we head on over there and see if Peach is around?" Cappy asked.

"Okie-dokie." Mario replied. He couldn't help feeling completely nervous as he made his way over to the fountain out front. There he and Cappy could see lots of people from the different kingdoms, and they all appeared to be celebrating and having a lot of fun. Peach wasn't among them, though.

"What's going on here?" Mario asked as he looked at all the people.

"Looks like Peach made lots of new friends in the different kingdoms she and Tiara visited." Cappy pointed out as he assumed his Bonneter form.

"Non sarei sorpreso. I wouldn't be surprised. Peach is so friendly and kind-hearted, it's-a very easy for her to make friends with people. She was able to get my brother, Luigi, who's usually quiet and shy, to open up and talk to her." Mario replied.

"We should go look for Peach. You think maybe she's inside the castle?" Cappy asked.

"Only one way to find out." Mario said. He slowly made his way to the castle's front doors, where the Toads greeted him with some exciting news.

"Welcome back, Mario! Princess Peach is back!"

"Hi there, Cappy! Miss Tiara is back with us too!"

"Look! Princess Peach is back! And guess what? Turns out she went on a world tour just for fun! She told me all about it. I'm so glad our lovely princess had a lovely time!"

"Me, too." Mario said, before asking, "Is Peach, by any chance, inside the castle?" He was hoping they wouldn't say that she was presently running an errand in Toad Town.

"Princess Peach is on the balcony!" said one of the Toads.

"Oh. I guess I'll just make my way up there, then." Mario said. Before he went to look for a way up to the balcony, he said to the Toad who helped him, "Grazie. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mario." the Toad replied.

So Mario found a temporary staircase that led to the castle's roof. He could easily get to the balcony from there.

"You want to get there this way?" Cappy asked. He never knew of anyone getting to someone's balcony like this.

"The only easy way there is through the French doors in her bedroom. And because I'm not one of the people who works at the castle to clean her room, it would be very rude of me to enter Peach's bedroom without her permission." Mario said.

"You're right." Cappy said.

Mario then looked down and saw that Peach and Tiara were on the balcony, talking and laughing. Peach was dressed in her usual attire once again, including her crown. And she was still as lovely as ever in Mario's eyes.

"Mama-mia... È ancora bella... She's still beautiful..." Mario said to himself with a sigh.

"And Tiara is with her. Thank goodness!" said Cappy in relief.

That was when the girls spotted Mario and Cappy above them.

"Cappy!" Tiara called out at the sight of her brother.

"Hey, Mario!" Peach called out.

"Come on, buddy! Let's go down there and see them!" Cappy said to Mario.

Mario swallowed nervously and made his way down to the balcony from the roof.

(A/N: This is where the original story began.)

"Hey, girls!" Cappy greeted, but Mario was quiet.

"Hello!" Peach cheerfully greeted the boys.

Cappy and Tiara immediately started talking, with Cappy explaining that he and Mario took so long because they went to Rabbit Ridge and Culmina Crater, and what they saw and did when they were there.

"I hope you're not too upset with us for not coming back as soon as you and Peach did." Cappy finished.

Tiara completely understood, and she was very happy that her brother and Mario taught the Broodals a valuable lesson for helping Bowser. Maybe now they'd learn to find out whether or not the bride and groom really loved each other before deciding to help plan another wedding. If they were still in business, that is. But still...

"I'm just glad you're okay." Tiara said as she hugged her big brother.

"I'm so glad you're not alone. I know how scared you are of being left all alone." Cappy said as he returned his sister's hug.

Peach smiled at the reunion the Bonneter siblings were having. Then she looked back at Mario and noticed that he seemed... unhappy. She had noticed that he had been not just quiet, but also pretty unhappy since he'd rescued her from a fate worse than death. That really worried her.

"Mario, are you okay?" Peach asked, concerned about her red-capped beau.

Mario, hanging his head, slowly shook his head no.

"What's the matter, Mario? Can you tell me? Please?" Peach asked in a gentle voice, kneeling before him. Mario wasn't even making eye contact with her. That was even scarier than his silence and unhappy look. The Princess was tempted to lift his chin with her finger so she could get him to look up at her, but she wouldn't have to.

"Possiamo per favore parlare? Can we please talk?" Mario asked, finally looking up at Peach.

Surprise flashed across Peach's face. Mario finally said something to her for the first time in what felt like a very long time. She wondered if he'd spoken to anyone at all during the time he was giving her the silent treatment.

"Wait. Mario can talk?" Tiara asked.

"Of course Mario can talk. He talked to me, and when he got home, it took him a while before he spoke to his brother." Cappy said.

"So Mario can talk to you guys, but why didn't he talk to Peach, or me? Do you know, Cappy?" Tiara asked her brother. She had also noticed Mario's silence and, like Peach, was rather worried about him.

"It's... a long and very complicated story, sis." Cappy said.

"How so?" Tiara asked.

"I'll tell you when we get home." Cappy promised.

Tiara didn't like to wait, but she figured that if she must wait, then she would. She replied, "Fair enough."

"Come again, Mario?" Peach asked Mario. She was so stunned to hear him talk again that she hadn't quite heard what he said.

"Can we talk, Peach? Per favore? Please?" Mario asked.

That's exactly what Peach wanted to do. It made her feel a little better to know that Mario wanted to do the same thing.

"I don't see why we couldn't..." Peach slowly replied.

"I was hoping that if we're going to talk, then maybe we could do so... alone." Mario said to Peach, his gaze turning towards the Bonneter siblings when he said that last word.

Cappy quickly realized what Mario was hinting at. He kind of expected that Mario and Peach were going to need privacy if they were going to talk. So he knew what he and Tiara were going to have to do.

"Oh! Well, I guess we'd better make ourselves scarce, then. Come on, sis!" Cappy said, motioning for Tiara to join him and stay close to his side. After the whole ordeal with Bowser, he'd become a lot more protective of his little sister; he really didn't want to let her out of his sight again.

"Coming, big brother!" Tiara called as she quickly followed her brother into the crowd of people.

"Okay, Mario. I think we're alone now." Peach said as she watched the Bonneters disappear into the crowd below.

"Actually, Peach, when I said 'alone', I guess I meant maybe somewhere a little more... privata..." Mario explained, being more specific.

"Oh. Very well, then. Let's go inside, where it'll be nice and quiet." said Peach, understanding that whatever Mario needed to say to her must be pretty important if he wanted them to talk alone, in private. Besides, it sounded like a good idea. They might be able to hear each other better if they talked indoors.

So Mario and Peach entered the castle together through the French doors that led into Peach's bedroom.

"Now I wouldn't mind talking in here, but maybe we'd better not. If You-Know-Who decides to show his ugly mug, then I don't want him to be able to find us that easily." Peach said as she closed the French doors behind her.

"That's understandable, Peach." Mario replied.

"Perhaps we could go downstairs and talk in the castle's sitting room. Will that suffice?" Peach asked Mario.

"It'll do." Mario replied. He knew that the sitting room was a good room for them to talk in. It was nice and quiet, and private, too, like he wanted. Plus, Bowser wouldn't expect to find them in there. He didn't even know that such a room existed in the castle.

And so Mario and Peach walked downstairs to the sitting room, which was on the first floor of the castle, and down the hall on the left. The sad thing was that on their way to that room, they didn't hold hands. Peach didn't even put a hand on Mario's shoulder. Because of this, Mario couldn't bring himself to put an arm around Peach.

Once they entered the sitting room, Mario went over and sat down on the comfy-looking sofa while Peach closed the door to ensure their privacy. Then she walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Mario, ready to get this conversation started.

What's going to happen when they start talking? Can they work it out? That's for me to know and you to find out, so stay tuned!