Epilogue

Since his return from Sugar Rush, Mario had been busier than ever, and he'd since made up his mind that a little rest was long overdue. Peach was rescued, this month's Mario Kart tournament was over, and the arcade was once again safe from the malevolent forces of Bowser. And now, basking in the shade of an Acorn Tree, the plumber was finally getting some time to enjoy that rarest of luxuries: a break.

As busy as he'd been, though, Mario couldn't deny he'd had lots of fun throughout his latest adventure. He'd made lots of new friends, too- Wreck-it Ralph had turned out not to be such a bad guy after all. And Vanellope… What a great kid. Pretty impressive racer for a 9-year-old, too. Mario couldn't wait to bring her along for next month's karting session. He wasn't sure exactly how it would turn out yet, but Rosalina had given him an interesting idea about anti-gravity racing…

Without warning, Mario's train of thought was interrupted by the sight of an airship touching down right in front of him. Peering up at the craft, Mario spotted Boom Boom, Kamek, and the unmistakable face of the Koopa King, now restored to his original form.

"You again?!" Mario exclaimed.

"That's right!" Bowser snarled. "And don't get any ideas about thwarting me this time, Mario! I've got the power of the Stars and control of this entire kingdom in the palm of my hand!"

Mario braced himself, waiting for Bowser to reveal Peach aboard his ship, but he didn't. Instead, he withdrew a large glass bottle, and Mario gasped as he recognized the vaguely familiar, redheaded face trapped inside.

"Mario?" yelled Jubileena, rapping on the sides of her glass prison. "If it's okay, could you, maybe, get me outta here? Please? …Help me!"

Bowser merely laughed at the timid request of his prisoner. "Mario won't be saving you, squirt…" he chuckled, "Not when I've finally commenced my latest master plan!"

Boom Boom cleared his throat. "Um… Technically, boss, sir, it was my master plan…"

"Shaddup!" Bowser growled at him, before turning to Mario once more. "Well, Mario, I've got a kingdom to take over! Think you can stop me? I'll be waiting in my castle! Gwahahaha!"

With that, Bowser's airship took off for the Koopa Kingdom with Jubileena in tow, leaving a dumbstruck Mario to watch them vanish on the horizon.

"Back at it again, huh?" a familiar voice came from behind Mario. The plumber turned and spotted Ralph trudging his way towards him.

"Yeah," answered Mario. "He doesn't learn-a, does he?" Just then, something red on the ground caught his eye: a pair of Cherries. "Jubileena must have dropped-a these… what do they do?"

"Search me," said Ralph. "But if they're anything like the ones over from Pac-Man, they're not good for much. Maybe only a couple points."

Inquisitively, Mario took a bite out of the fruit- and was startled as a red figure appeared before him. Eyeing the figure from head to toe, Mario gasped: he was looking at another Mario.

"The Cherries… create-a copies of yourself-a?!" both Marios exclaimed in unison.

"Holy Mother Hubbard!" Ralph cried out in shock. "Whoa… I bet that'll help even the odds against Bowser, eh?"

"Yeah!" Mario agreed. "Bowser may think-a one Mario's no big-a deal, but let's see how strong-a he is against-a two of us!"

"Not to mention 643 pounds of pure, unbridled Bad Guy!" added Ralph, smashing his fists together. "If you're on your way to Bowser's place, then count me in."

Mario smiled. "Up for another adventure, Ralph?" he asked him.

Ralph smiled back. "Ready when you are, buddy!"

And so, with a mighty "Yahoo!", Ralph and the twin Marios set off on another ever-familiar journey to Bowser's Castle.

THE END

…

Aaaaaand that's it! Thanks for reading, you guys! If you've been reading through this entire story right up to the end, you have my deepest thanks. I hope you enjoyed reading this just as much as I did writing it. And trust me, this was really fun to write!

Mario and Ralph's big adventure is over… but the fun won't stop here. What will the duo encounter on their next journey? What will happen next time Mario faces off against Vanellope on the track? Expect much, much more crossover goodness to come!

In the meantime, check out my latest Wreck-It Ralph fanfic, The Only Thing That Matters!

If you liked this story, be sure to leave me a review. I always enjoy reading other writers' feedback!

Thanks to AUTOBOTS ARE AWESOME, cassandraclara3, and shadowmwape for following this story until the end. I hope it was well worth it!

If you're a fan of Nintendo (or Wreck-It Ralph), be sure to check out my other stories, and stay tuned for more action!

Once again, thanks for playing (reading)! You guys are the best!

See you next time,

1upDawg