Disclaimer: All assets of the Mario Movie belong to Nintendo and Illumination.

Chapter 18: Reunion

Peach sighed as she stared at the Ice Flower Toad gave her. She sighed. Ever since her capture, she was forced to put on a dress tailored to her by Kamek after she tried to fight back, but was ultimately restrained by his magic as he placed the dress on her, one that surprisingly fit her to say the least, and she didn't even want to know how Bowser got the specific measurements for it, but who was she kidding? He fawned over her 24/7. It didn't come to a surprise that he knew everything about her down to the immaculate detail.

She didn't know what happened to Luigi and Toad. Last thing she knew was they were restrained like she was, but she didn't want to wander to that negative territory of them being dead, though she wouldn't say that wasn't a possibility, but did she truly believe it? No. They had to be alive. She couldn't lose anyone else close to her, and she grew a bond between her and Toad over the past few days. She even thought of him as some sort of a younger brother. She heard about what happened to his parents, so to see him fight back after all the 'terrorism' he caused, as her guards often put it, was inspiring. Same with Luigi. He didn't give up, even if Mario was gone. He decided to keep fighting for his sake. They were both quite the inspiration to her just as she was to her people. In the end, it all came full circle.

"Hello, princess!" Peach quickly placed the Power-up away as Kamek came through the room with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. "I've come to deliver the good news!"

"Good news?"

"About the wedding! It starts in five minutes! Aren't you excited? Your life is about to change for the better. Soon, our two kingdoms will be united with you and Lord Bowser at the helm. Aren't you excited?!"

Peach stood still before rushing in, pinning him against the wall. "Well, you just love acting so exuberant about this whole thing," she growled.

Nearby guards shouted and ran in the room. "Lord Kamek!"

"I'm OK," the Magikoopa wheezed. "At least I will be once she releases me." He glanced at Peach. "To think I asked a harmless question, and this is how you respond."

"Then it's like you don't even know me, and yet we've known each other for so many years. You really think I was excited for this? Huh?! Of course not! You force something against my will, and yet you completely ignore my feelings! Do they even matter to you?!" There was silence as she scoffed. "Why should I be asking such stupid, rhetorical questions? Yeah. That's all they are to you, nothing but rhetorical questions. And I only agreed to marry him because he was hurting my friends, something you vile organisms choose to overlook, just like my feelings." She stared at Kamek. "So, go ahead. Try and ask me if I'm excited about this dumb wedding. Go ahead." The Magikoopa stayed silent. "As I thought." She released him, the Magikoopa coughing as the guards helped him to his feet.

"The wedding starts in five minutes." He placed the bouquet on the desk. "I'll be taking my leave. Guards, escort her when it's time." He and the guards walked out, closing the door behind them. Peach snorted. Even after all these years, nothing's changed. Well, she suspected as such, but if they weren't gonna listen to her words, then it was time for action. She glanced at the bouquet and pulled out the Ice Flower, now wrinkled. It could still be of use. Thankfully, Kamek made it easy to have it hidden in plain sight. She stuffed it inside and waited as the time slowly marched by.

Eventually, the guards knocked on the door. Peach straightened her dress as they entered the room. "It's time." They escorted her out of the room towards the courtyard where she could feel the intensifying heat from the doors alone. Why did Bowser hold the wedding near a volcano for crying out loud? She was already perspiring, especially in her dress. As the Wedding March started to play, the doors opened as Peach walked down the aisle, glancing at all the various minions who sat in the booths including a few standout organisms like King Boo and King Bob-omb, both who ruled their own areas of the Mushroom Kingdom. It just came to show how flashy Bowser wanted to make this wedding, especially when he flashed a smile while straightening his suit. She stood in front of him as Kamek approached the podium.

"Hello, my sweet," Bowser said. "I'm glad you could make it to the wedding. Today will certainly be one for the history books, wouldn't you say?" Peach didn't say anything as she avoided his gaze. "Clearly, you aren't happy, but I do know something that will turn that frown upside down. Behold!" He pointed to a giant, floating structure that housed hundreds of hanging cages as the organisms screamed, the ones most notably being Luigi and Toad. Peach sighed with relief. They were still alive. She also caught sight of Cranky Kong as well as he fiddled with his cage. What was Bowser planning? "I know what you're thinking. 'What are they doing here?' Well, I'm so glad you asked! You see, I wanted our wedding to start strong, and I figured since I have the prisoners, why not sacrifice them in your honor?"

Peach scoffed. "What?"

"No need to thank me. I'm just using this as a testament to our love." He glanced at a nearby guard. "Lower the prisoners!" The winch activated as the cages slowly descended towards the lava below. He glanced at Kamek. "You may begin."

The Magikoopa nodded. "Dearly belov-"

Peach punched him before he could finish, causing many of the minions to dramatically gasp. "Drama!" a Dry Bones said.

"Peaches, what are you doing? You're ruining our sentimental moment."

"You think they're nothing but expendable beings to you? Is that what you think of me: that I'm expendable, too?"

"What? Peaches, no! Of course not! This is a way to show how deep our love grows! Sometimes, sacrifice is necessary, but it's all for the greater good. Honest."

"So, this is what you meant by being truly honest with me? Isn't it?!" She scoffed. "You're a damn fool to think I'd ever marry a monster." She pulled out the Ice Flower from her bouquet and transformed into her ice form. "I'd never marry someone like you!"

Bowser narrowed his eyes. "When did you get a Power-up like that?"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm ending everything here and now. This war. Our relationship. Everything ends today!"

Bowser rubbed his temples and sighed. "I've really tried my hardest to be patient with you, but you truly have gotten on my nerves. Fine. You don't want to marry me? Fine! I'll destroy your whole kingdom, starting with you!" He launched a stream of fire at her, but she jumped out of the way, her body twirling as she flew through the air before she followed up with a flurry of ice attacks, freezing his legs, arms, and even his mouth before leaping in the air, launching a gigantic ice ball that encased the entire Koopa in ice upon contact. But knowing how strong he was, that ice wasn't bound to hold him forever. She landed on the ground and launched one ice ball at the winch, freezing it in place as the cages stopped descending. She glanced at the minions behind her as they yelled in response and charged at her. She found it hard to defend herself when all kinds of attacks were coming every which way, but she did her best, freezing as many minions as possible, but it slowly started to become too much as atracks narrowly missed her, but others grazed her dress.

She growled as she backed up as spears narrowly sliced her. What should she do? Was there anything she could use to her advantage? She glanced at King Bob-omb, who was fast asleep. Who knew he could doze off during such a ruckus? Well, what mattered was that he was a bomb, and thus explosive. That was her advantage. She caught one of the spears that flew towards her and dipped one end in a pool of lava. She jumped and threw the spear at King Bob-omb's fuse, causing him to snap awake as he shrieked from the shock of Peach's action. Unfortunately, the ice on the winch started to break as King Bob-omb was about to explode. She ran towards the winch and was about to throw an ice ball when King Bob-omb exploded, launching minions away with its huge blast radius. Unfortunately, Peach herself was caught in the blast, sending her back as she flew into the podium, losing her Power-up. She glanced at the winch as it slowly lowered the prisoners to their doom. She didn't have any more Power-ups on her. What was she gonna do now?

The wind breezed past Mario's hair as he and Donkey Kong flew towards the Mushroom Kingdom. "Are you sure this is the way?" Mario asked.

"How about you use context clues and start with looking at the sky?" Mario glanced at the dark and foggy clouds surrounding the landmass as another approached it. Mario could even see Bowser's face engraved on the front.

"Oh. I see."

"Good. About time you did, too. I for one spotted it a million miles away."

"Now you're just exaggerating."

"Am I? Without me, you would be hella lost. Just saying." Mario rolled his eyes. Even despite improving their relationship, there was always gonna be a gruff side to the Kong. Well, he shouldn't expect anything else from him. "Now, as we get closer, get prepared for whatever they throw at us."

Mario nodded. "Right." They crossed into the Mushroom Kingdom as they approached Bowser's Castle, flashes of ice blue catching Mario's eye as he pointed to the source. "They must be up there!"

"Indeed." Donkey Kong aimed the Rocket Barrel upwards.

Mario gasped as a couple of Koopas aimed a missile at them before firing it off. "Donkey Kong, watch out! Missile incoming!"

"Duly noted!" He swerved the Rocket Barrel as the missile zoomed right past them, but the Koopas didn't give up. They fired two more at them. Donkey Kong struggled to fend off them as while he avoided one, the other rammed into him, knocking them off as they and the Rocket Barrel rolled along the ground. Mario rubbed his head as he stared at all the various blocks the Koopas were heisting and gave a wicked smile at Donkey Kong. "The heck is with that look?" Mario gestured to the Rocket Barrel then the Koopas. "Ah! I see!" He picked up the Rocket Barrel and hurled it at them, causing a massive explosion as the Koopas were sent flying. As the plumber leapt over a couple Koopas, he jumped and hit a Question Block, a Super Mushroom landing in his hands, but he didn't wretch. Considering he ate thousands of those, he had gotten used to the taste of them, even if they still tasted vile in his opinion. He kicked another block, a Fire Flower landing in Donkey Kong's hands as he transformed into his fire form.

Mario gasped. "You can use Power-ups, too?"

"What? You think those are mutually exclusive to your species? Just about anyone can use these if they want to, but considering my stature, I rarely have a need to, but considering we're in a race against time, I will gladly put aside my ego and use these to help your girlfriend. Now, let's go!" He ran. "I'm gonna get to Peach before you do!"

"Oh, heck naw! Also, she's not my girlfriend!"

"Not yet that is!" Mario rolled his eyes and chased after him as the two began wreaking havoc on Bowser's minions. Donkey Kong aimed for higher ground as he threw fireballs, exploding upon impact as he entered a pipe while Mario jumped whilst avoiding spears thrown by the Koopas and a gnawing Piranha Plant that attempted to bite him. They reunited and just booked it through the plains, knocking away enemies and bouncing and hopping around obstacles, and Mario gave the biggest laugh he had in a long time. For once, he was actually having fun as he trounced on one enemy after another with his sweet moves, though Donkey Kong wasn't afraid to show off sweet moves of his own, but that was expected for him. Actually, just seeing the Kong smile made Mario himself smile. They weren't at each other's throats anymore. If anything, they were rivals, and there was nothing wrong with a friendly rivalry. Mario knocked a shell back, trouncing more enemies as he ran, but flipped face forward into the ground as the shell ricocheted into him, losing the Power-up in the process. "Ha ha! Loser!" That same shell ricocheted into the Kong.

"You were saying?"

"Ah, shut up! I'm still gonna beat you, Power-up or no Power-up!" He continued running.

"We'll see about that!" He punched a Question Block, a brown leaf emerging from it as he quickly grabbed it. "What does this do?" He consumed it, his body transforming into some sort of furry creature with a tail as he flew in the air. "Whoa!" He had a hard time regaining control of this new Power-up as he spun in the air out of control, accidentally knocking a Koopa from his flying car before Mario regained his senses, rejoining Donkey Kong as he climbed on the huge spike ball.

"You're late!" the Kong said.

"Technically, it's still anyone's game since we're still not at Peach yet but say whatever you want."

"Whatever. Anyway, cool raccoon suit!"

"Really?"

"Not at all! Also, enemies ahead!" More Koopas flew to them, throwing spears at them when they got within range. The two didn't slow down. Donkey Kong managed to use his giant fists to swat the Koopas away and run at the same time, but all Mario did was swat them away with his tail, which he found out could be used as a weapon. He still had a hard time regaining steady control, but eventually the two made quick work of the Koopas and reached the top to see Peach exhausted from all the fighting she did, and Bowser surprisingly encased in ice. Mario smirked. He wouldn't expect anything else from her, especially when she had a hidden Power-up on her. He glanced ahead at the floating mechanism that lowered prisoners towards the lava below. "Donkey Kong!"

"Already on it!" He ran and leaped towards the winch, cranking it up as the cages slowly ascended out of the volcano. "Find some way to keep this thing from moving! I can't hold this forever!"

"Right!" He glanced around and saw a lever of some sort that looked to control the winch. He flew to it and yanked on it, locking it in place and keeping the winch from moving as Donkey Kong let go with a heaving sigh. But even with the prisoners safe from the danger below, there was an ominous scream, one that sounded familiar as Mario gasped, not even waiting a second later before he took off. No wonder that sounded familiar. He flew towards the cages where a figure was flailing his arms in the air as he fell. Mario zoomed and grabbed him before he could fall into the lava. "Lu!"

"Mario?" The two landed on solid ground as Mario stared at Luigi's face, one he hadn't seen in such a long time as the two embraced in a hug. "Mario! You're alive!"

"Lu!" They didn't let go as they just hugged each other. Mario sighed with relief, almost crying tears of joy. Luigi, his best bro, was safe. After the two got separated, Mario became so worried for his safety. While he did vow to stop Bowser, never once was there a moment where he didn't think about his bro. Luigi must've gone through the same motions, but finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the two were finally together again. They released their hug. "Lu," Mario said. "You're safe. I was so worried for you. At first, I didn't know where you ended up. For all I knew, you could've ended up somewhere completely different, but I never gave up on the thought you were in this world. I couldn't, and I'm glad I didn't because we're back together again. What did I say? As long as we're together, everything's gonna be OK, and we are because we found each other!"

"Mario, I just feel so happy. Also, why do you look like a bear?"

"I think it's more along the lines of a tanooki, but that doesn't matter. I hope Bowser didn't do anything too harmful to you."

"Well, he kinda did. They tried to interrogate me for information about you, but Mario, you will never guess what I did."

"What? Tell me!"

"I actually stood up to him!"

"What?!"

"I had no intention of telling him anything regarding you, so when he decided to get devious with his plans, I punched his advisor head-on! I actually stood up to someone!"

"What?! Oh my goodness! Luigi, that's so awesome!" He pulled him in a hug. "I'm so proud of you. You actually stood up for yourself. Way to go, bro."

"Thanks. Also, I never gave up on you. When Cranky Kong told me what happened, I was scared at first, but I didn't believe it. I didn't believe that you died, and I'm so glad I was right!"

"Yes." He glanced at Peach, the other person who also without a doubt was affected by his 'death'. He ran and hugged her. "Hey, Peach."

She sniffled as she returned his hug. "Mario, I'm so glad you're alive."

"Yes. To be honest, it's a miracle I even escaped, but more on that later. I'm just glad to see you again. You've been quite busy. No surprise Bowser would stage a wedding right after I 'died'."

"Yes. He would do something devious like that, but what matters is that you're here. Perhaps I should've taken an example out of Luigi's book, but what matters in the end is you're alive, and with Donkey Kong, as well. Did you two patch some stuff up?"

"Yeah, but I'd like to think of us as rivals. He did make it a race to get to you."

"Which I won!" They turned to said Kong as he walked to them. "Besides, I freed the other prisoners, so they won't at least die a fiery death, but I totally won!"

"Yeah, right! You're just sad that I was faster than you."

"Faster?! Bullcrap!"

"Actually, I saw you two arrive at the same time." They glanced at Peach. "But I didn't want to say anything since you were rescuing the prisoners and having a heartfelt reunion, but I'd thought I would throw my two cents out there."

Donkey Kong roared. "Fine! This war isn't over, Mario. Whatever competition we face, I will beat you! Mark my words!" Mario laughed.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" a gruff voice said. Cranky Kong, who leaned on Toad's shoulders, slowly walked to them. He almost slipped and fell, but Toad was quick to steady him. "Thank you, young man." He nodded.

"Dad." Donkey Kong ran to him. "You're OK."

"Indeed. The other prisoners are making their way towards the Mushroom Kingdom via the pipe Luigi took, but I thought I'd figure I would see everyone again. Mario, I'm relieved to see you're alive and well. You should be proud of your brother. At first, I thought you were dead, Donkey Kong, but Luigi convinced me otherwise. He managed to change a stubborn man like me around, and I even managed to help him escape, and it seems like it was worth it."

"But, Dad, you look beat up."

Cranky Kong sighed. "Indeed. I was immediately captured and Bowser unleashed his fury to say the least." He pointed to his leg. "He completely broke my left leg in fury, but decided I wasn't worth killing by his hands and left me to join the other prisoners. I'm lucky to even survive at all. I'll take a broken leg any day than die by his hands." He sighed once more. "Son, I'm sorry for the way I treated you. To me, with the way you acted so carefree and nonchalant, I assumed that you didn't care for my kingdom and would always scold you, but I was wrong."

"Dad," Donkey Kong said, "It's not that I don't care for my kingdom. I do. It's just that sometimes, I just want to forget about life for a while and just make people laugh and smile. I will gladly die for my people, but your way of running the kingdom differs from mine. Plus, I just want a normal father/son relationship. Ever since Mom died, you've been extra hard on me, but please. Can't we have a normal relationship as father and son?"

"Perhaps you are right. I was always taught to put the people first. That's what my father taught me, and his father taught him and so forth. Ever since you were born, I knew you were different. You acted so carefree when you were young, and I remember all the lessons I tried to drill in your head about how you should act, but in the end, I refused to see things from your point of view." He touched his cheek. "Son, I am sorry for all the accusatory things I've said to you about not being good enough to be king. I've seen you have to be the best to even prove yourself to me, but even then, I looked over all your achievements because I thought you could never change." He hugged him. "I was wrong. You, son, are more than enough, and I am proud of what you've done and will do in the fut-" Donkey Kong squeezed him, causing his back to crack as he screamed. "Ah, my back!"

"Oh! Sorry, Dad!" He released him.

"Sometimes, I forget how strong you are, but make your pecs dance. You deserve it!"

"No time now. Definitely later, though!" Cranky Kong laughed.

"Um," Toad said, shivering, "Guys, I think the ice is starting to break!" There were a multitude of ice cracks as Bowser broke off the ice with a stream of fire, his face fuming with fury as he roared in anger.

"Launch the Bomber Bill and destroy the Mushroom Kingdom!" There was a giant rumble as everyone turned around to see a giant missile launching out of another volcano as it flew through the air. It slowly arched as it made its way towards Peach's Castle.

"What?! Bowser, no! Don't do it!"

"Too late, princess! You should've accepted my proposal. Now, your people are gonna die because of you!"

Mario narrowed his eyes. "Not if I have something to say about it." He took off.

"No! Mario!" Peach yelled.

He flew towards the Bomber Bill, trying to catch its attention as he whacked into it. "Hey! Over here!" He whacked it a few more times, but it ignored him and continued to charge straight downward. Mario growled and flew into the front, trying to push it, but even with his strength, he still couldn't get the missile's attention. One thing he noticed was the Bomber Bill did have eyes and was sentient to begin with, so could it feel pain given that? There was only one way to find out. "Alright, you asked for it!" He spun his body in the air as he slammed his tail in the missile's eye, slowly halting its movement as it yelped out in pain, barely stopping just in time as it barely missed impact as it bent the flagpole it touched. It glared at Mario as it growled, causing him to back off as he cheekily waved at it. "Hello."

And so the chase began as they flew around the castle across the water towards the mushrooms. Where was Mario gonna lose this thing? This thing was probably this world's equivalent of a nuclear bomb, and having it go off anywhere near civilians was bound to have numerous casualties, so where could he- His thoughts were interrupted as he flew into a few mushrooms, his body covered in paste as he spat some out of his mouth. "Really?!" As he regained his focus, he spotted a weird, green pipe from afar. He gasped. Wait. It was the same pipe he came out of, and if his memory served correct, that was where that weird, cloudy place was. That was the perfect place! "Follow me!" He circled around, aligning himself with the pipe as the Bomber Bill closed in on him, increasing his heart rate. He fluttered his tail, causing him to go faster. "Come on! Just a bit closer." The pipe inched closer. "Now!" He flipped over the Bomber Bill, exclaiming, "Mamma Mia!" as it rammed into the pipe, sucking it in. Mario waited in anticipation for a few seconds. There was a giant explosion as a humongous shockwave of energy emerged from the pipe, reverberating the air as it shoved Mario towards Bowser's Castle, banging against the cliff as he hung onto the rock, now without the Power-up. Energy continued to reverberate the air as the castle shook before eventually, the air became still and silent. Mario climbed up and sighed, but his troubles were far from over.

Energy began pulsating from the pipe again, this time appearing to suck everything in as Mario's feet were slowly lifted from the ground. He glanced around to see the same thing happen to the others as they held onto different objects for dear life.

"Mario!" Peach shouted over the raucous noise. "What is going on?!"

"I don't know! All I did was guide that thing into the weird pipe I came out of!" His hands were starting to lose their grip.

"Is there any way we can-" She screamed as she lost her grip, falling into the void of light that slowly sucked Bowser's Castle in.

"No! Peach!" Slowly, one-by-one, the others lost their grip. Mario reached out, trying to catch them, first with Peach, then Toad, Cranky Kong, and Donkey Kong, but his attempts were null and void as they all vanished into the void. Then, Luigi was sucked in as Mario cried out his name. "LUIGI!" That only left Bowser beside him.

"This is all your fault!" he yelled as he was sucked in the void. Mario sighed. So, this was the end, huh? All his friends were gone. He was gonna get sucked up, and all because of an irrational move he made. But he couldn't have done anything else. Now, his fate was up to chance. Who knows where he would end up. Home, perhaps? And what about the others? Well, all he could do was close his eyes as he let the energy take hold of him as the pipe swallowed him and the rest of Bowser's Castle whole before the light flashed out of existence in an instant, leaving no trace of its existence behind.

Thanks to tedspongebob1985, RedsterTheGamer, LegionnaireBlaze, and egenemagi for favoriting/following this story!

And here was the big twist of the movie. Honestly, the final arc is my favorite of the entire movie, and I can't wait to adapt that part into next chapter. Also, Mario and Luigi are together again! I even included all of the major characters meeting together before Bowser launches the Bomber Bill. To me, that scene was one that could've used a lot more padding, so I hope I did that justice in your eyes. One last thing, I absolutely loved writing the rivalry between Donkey Kong and Mario, because that's what that is by this time of the movie. They're one of my favorite relationships I've developed over the course of the story. Anyway, see you next time.