(A/N: Remember the escape plans Peach told Mario about back in "We Can Work It Out"? I was planning on writing them out before I wrote the aforementioned fanfic, but then I got ideas for escape attempts in the Sand, Snow, and Seaside Kingdoms! Let's start with the Sand Kingdom!)
When Bowser's airship arrived in the Sand Kingdom, the Koopa King removed his wedding shoes and started making his way to the bride's chamber, where Princess Peach, his bride-to-be, was being held prisoner until Grambi-knows-when.
At that moment, Peach was in the middle of a conversation with Tiara, who was currently in her Bonneter form.
"I'm here to try and make your heart hurt a little less by keeping you company and trying to cheer you up in whatever way I can think of." Tiara said to the princess.
Peach hugged the Bonneter tightly and said, "You're such a sweet little angel, Tiara. I'm sure your big brother misses you terribly!"
"And that's why he'll be sure to help us out, Peach! He promised me that he would get me back, so when he comes to save me, I'm going to ask him to help you, too, because apart from him, you're my bestest friend." Tiara said, returning Peach's hug.
Peach sniffled as she held Tiara at arm's length and said, "I hope to one day introduce you to my gal pals, because I know that they'll love you as much as I do. That will also give you more friends to talk to."
Suddenly, the door to the room was thrown open, which interrupted the girls' conversation and caused Tiara to fly out of Peach's arms in surprise. There stood Bowser, who said, "All right, Peach! We're in the Sand Kingdom now, and I need you to come with me!"
"No! I won't go with you! I'd rather die than be seen with you!" Peach frowned as she defiantly folded her arms across her chest and turned away from Bowser. Tiara fearfully turned back into her tiara form and took her place on top of Peach's head, wishing that Bowser would go away and leave them alone.
"Oh, now you don't really mean that..." Bowser started, only to have Peach interrupt him, saying, "Are you really sure you want people to see us together, Bowser? People are going to get the wrong idea if they see the two of us together, and believe me, you don't want that!"
"That's just you, Peach. It won't bother me because I can breathe fire and turn them to a pile of ashes if they say anything bad about us. Now come on! You have to come with me! This kingdom is where we'll find your wedding ring, and I want you to see it!" Bowser said.
"I don't want to see the stupid wedding ring, Bowser, because I don't want it!" Peach declared, not even looking at him. The princess knew she was being impolite by not looking at Bowser when she spoke to him; when he spoke to her, but she didn't care. He never was polite to her, so why should she be polite to him?
"But you're going to like it! I promise!" Bowser tried.
"Now who are you trying to convince? Me, or yourself? I personally think it's the latter, because I will not accept anything from you; not even an apology! Now get out of here and leave me alone!" Peach replied.
"Okay, you know what? I really didn't want to do this, but I can see that you're leaving me no other choice." Bowser said. He marched over to where Peach was standing and picked her up in one of his giant claws, which she did not appreciate, and she let him know it.
"Put me down! You put me down right now or I'll scream!" Peach shouted, beating on his fist with small, ineffectual fists. The Koopa King didn't even flinch.
"Hey, you had your chance to come with me, but you refused to take it! Now I'm going to carry you!" Bowser said as he carried her out of the room.
"NO! Let me go!" Peach pleaded as Bowser walked to the airship's deck.
"Nope!" said Bowser, and then he leaped off of the deck of the ship with Peach in his clutches.
Peach screamed all the way to the ground because it was a long way down. It really was too bad that Bowser didn't let Peach jump down herself because she could always bring herself to a slow, graceful landing, whether or not she had a parasol with her.
"All right, before we go and get your wedding ring, first things first!" Bowser said, and he began to put up posters of his stupid wedding all over the buildings in Tostarena Town.
Tiara groaned in annoyance. It was bad enough that he had to put up those awful wedding posters all over Bonneton. Why did he have to do the same thing here?
"Really, Bowser?! This is practically vandalism and false advertising!" Peach yelled at him when she saw the wedding posters. The sight of them made her sick, even though she was happy that they showed her looking angry at the idea of marrying Bowser. She didn't want him to be her husband!
"No, it isn't!" Bowser said.
"Yes, it is! And I'm not at all happy about the idea! I don't want to get married! Not to you, anyway! I want to go home!" Peach said.
"If the home you're referring to is your castle in the Mushroom Kingdom... no can do, Peach! But don't you worry; that castle is going to be our summer home after we're married." Bowser assured her.
"Oh, you wish! That's never going to happen, because if I can get out of this mess, then I hereby banish you from the Mushroom Kingdom. And if you so much as set one foot across the border, you'll be shot on sight." Peach grumbled under her breath.
"But before we go the wedding venue, I'll take you to have a look at your new home: my castle, in my very own kingdom!" Bowser said.
"No way! I don't want to live in your stupid castle in your dumb old kingdom! Your castle sucks as much as you do, and your kingdom is an awful, terrible place where death is lurking around every corner!" Peach cried.
(A/N: Bear in mind that Peach is still heartbroken over the loss of Mario (since she doesn't see him alive until they reach the Cloud Kingdom), which is why she's acting OOC.)
"What?! It is not! You're just making stuff up!" Bowser said.
"I am not!" Peach said, even though she wasn't entirely sure what Bowser's Kingdom was really like, because whenever she was taken there, they went straight to his castle, where she would either be shut up in the dungeon, or locked in a cage suspended from the ceiling in the main room. She never really got to see what his kingdom was like.
But there was a time when Peach had gone to Bowser's Kingdom when she had to be the hero and save Mario, Luigi, and Toad from Bowser's evil clutches, but she had been so focused on rescuing her friends that she paid no attention to the scenery. And she hadn't seen much of the kingdom that time she tried to escape from Bowser's Castle, only to be recaptured, much to her chagrin.
"Look, Peach, do us both a favor and just relax, or else you're going to wear yourself out before it's time for the wedding. We can't have you doing that." Bowser said.
"Oh, yes we can! I'm going to ensure that you're not going to marry me today, or any other day, for that matter!" Peach said.
"Tough luck, tootsie. We're going to get married whether or not you want to!" Bowser said, forcing the princess to look at him.
Peach turned her head away from Bowser. She hated looking at him because she knew that he was a cold-blooded murderer, having killed Mario not too long ago and destroying his hat so she would not have any reminders of the man she loved; the man who loved her back and gave her reason to be happy that she existed.
Eventually, Bowser decided that he put up enough of his stupid posters, and it was time to go look for the ring, and to get to it, they had to go through the ruins.
On their way to the ruins, Peach finally realized there was something different about Bowser.
"Wait a second. When did you take off your wedding shoes, Bowser?" Peach asked her enemy, noticing for the first time that he was barefoot in this kingdom.
Tiara hadn't noticed, because she didn't like to look at Bowser. He was big, mean, and scary to her. Now that Peach mentioned it, she looked down and saw that sure enough, Bowser was going barefoot in this kingdom.
"Oh, I did that as soon as we arrived in the Sand Kingdom." Bowser answered, glad to have heard his bride ask him something normal for once.
"Why did you take them off?" Tiara asked.
"Partially to avoid getting sand in my shoes. It sounds rather uncomfortable." Bowser replied.
"It is uncomfortable. I should know." Peach said. She had gotten sand in her shoes many times before, and the feeling was not pleasant for her. She realized that it was a good thing Bowser was carrying her, but she wasn't going to admit that. Not to him. He'd get the wrong idea.
"But the main reason I'm not wearing them here is so that when we return to the airship, Peach can get some practical experience." Bowser said.
"Practical experience?" Tiara asked.
"Doing what?! Trying to get used to the sight and stench of your feet?" Peach asked, annoyed with Bowser and completely disgusted with him.
"No. Since we're getting married, you're going to have to learn how to take care of me, your new husband! After we collect your ring, you're going to get a head-start on that chore, Peach. When we get back to the ship, before I put my shoes back on, you are going to wash my feet, and after that, you are going to give them a massage!" Bowser declared.
Peach was horrified! The thought of having to work on Bowser's awful, stinky feet was daunting, to say the least! It scared the princess so much that she blacked out right in his clutches!
"Oh no!" Tiara softly cried from her perch on top of Peach's blonde head. She quickly went into her Bonneter form and tried to rouse the unconscious woman by nudging her head with her tiny body.
"Peach, please wake up! You have to wake up!" Tiara pleaded in a whisper, not wanting Bowser to realize that Peach was out like a light. If he found that out, he would most likely try to wake her up in a very unpleasant way, and Tiara would not allow him to do anything of the sort to her friend.
It took a few minutes before Peach came to.
"Ohhh... Where are we?" Peach asked, looking around and realizing that they were not outdoors anymore.
"Have you not been paying attention to your surroundings, Peach? We're in the Inverted Pyramid now. And somewhere around here is where we'll find your wedding ring." Bowser said.
"Oh." Peach said, sounding unimpressed as Tiara took her place on her head once again. She still didn't want to see the ring. She refused to accept it. Anything from Bowser was not a good thing.
"However, I'm going to have to set you down for a while. Do you think you can behave yourself if I do that?" Bowser asked.
Peach grinned internally, and said in a loud voice, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
"Good!" said Bowser. But unfortunately, when the Koopa King set Peach on the ground, on her feet, he was keeping a close eye on her to make sure she wasn't planning to do something really stupid, like try and run away from him.
"Ohhh, this is not fair! Why couldn't he be warned that if he sets me down, he mustn't look back to be sure that I'm following him, like in the story of Orpheus and Eurydice?" Peach muttered to herself in disappointment.
Tiara felt so bad for her friend. She really wanted to help Peach escape Bowser's clutches now more than ever.
"Don't worry, Peach. I'm going to help you get away from this big goon." Tiara thought from her place on Peach's head. She began to think. What could she possibly do to help her friend escape from the clutches of this vile monster?
At one point, Bowser produced a big map from his pocket. He was going to have to study it while keeping an eye on Peach at the same time.
"Now let me see... where is that ring being held again?" Bowser said to himself as he unfolded the map. He thought he'd marked the spot where the ring was earlier on, but he had to find where they were first.
Seeing the map and how big it was gave Tiara a great idea. She quickly turned into her Bonneter form and whispered to Peach, "Watch this, Peach."
Peach didn't know what her friend was going to do, but she watched as Tiara flew behind the map, and when Bowser least expected it, the little Bonneter pushed the map right into Bowser's face to blind him!
"What the-?!" Bowser yelled as he was being blinded by the map, unable to get it off of his face.
Realizing that Tiara was keeping Bowser busy, Peach seized the opportunity to leave. She quickly removed her high heels and carried them while running in the other direction as fast as her legs could carry her, making a mental note to thank Tiara later.
When Peach was out of sight, Tiara flew after her like a shot, intending to catch up to her friend and help her out some more if she could.
"Geez, what the heck happened?" Bowser asked himself before noticing that the worst thing in the world had happened: Peach was gone! She ran off while he was being blinded by the map. Time to let the girls know that they were in big trouble!
"PRINCESS PEACH! YOU AND THAT TIARA FRIEND OF YOURS HAD BETTER GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW! OR ELSE!" Bowser screamed at the top of his voice as Peach ran out of the Inverted Pyramid with Tiara right beside her.
"Please help us out! Blot out her footprints so that monster can't find us if he leaves the Pyramid!" Tiara, still in her Bonneter form, begged the Tostarenans who were standing around outside the building.
"And if he asks you where I am, you never saw me!" Peach added.
The Tostarenans completely understood. They did exactly as Tiara asked, blotting out Peach's footprints in the sand so Bowser wouldn't be able to find where she had disappeared to if he left the Pyramid to search for her. They also agreed to keep quiet and not tell the monster where Peach had gone. He didn't look very friendly, and she looked and sounded scared of him.
As Peach ran, she was beginning to think that removing her shoes was a very bad idea because the sand was hot and it burned her feet. But she couldn't exactly run very fast in high heels, and if she'd had them on when she left, Bowser would've heard them and followed the sound. And she couldn't stop running long enough to put her shoes back on. She wanted some good distance between her and Bowser first.
Peach ran as far as Tostarena Town, hid behind a big building, quickly put her shoes back on, and removed her gloves.
"Here... Blot... out... any... more... footprints... with... these..." Peach said, handing the gloves to Tiara as she panted, trying to catch her breath.
"Okay. I'll do that. But now what are we going to do?" Tiara asked as she used the gloves to blot out the rest of Peach's footprints.
"We... need... to... hide...!" Peach gasped.
"Where are we going to hide, Peach? There don't appear to be any really good hiding places for us around here! Bowser will be sure to find us no matter where we go!" Tiara cried.
Suddenly, Peach spotted something by the ground of the building she was leaning against. She knelt down for a closer look at it. What she found looked to be a small alcove that she could just fit into if she crawled on her belly.
"Maybe... we can... hide... in there." Peach suggested. The princess waited until Tiara blotted out the last of her footprints, and when Tiara took her place back on her head in her tiara form, Peach put her gloves back on, got down on all fours, and crawled into the alcove.
"No good, Peach. If Bowser looks in here, he'll see us for sure, and then we're going to be in real trouble when he yanks us out of here." Tiara said to her friend.
Peach then noticed something up ahead, and she said, "I think this area leads to something. I'm going to find out where it takes us."
The princess crawled until she came to an area where she could stand up, and in front of her was a door.
"I would not open that door if I were you, Peach. What if it's one of those magic doors that takes you to a place you don't want to be, like back in the bride's chamber on Bowser's airship, and when we try to leave, we really are back on his airship?" Tiara asked fearfully as Peach stood up and dusted off her dress.
"I don't think that's going to happen, Tiara. I'm going to open the door, but I'll have a look-see to make sure that we'll be safe." Peach replied. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
Peach found herself in Tostarena Town's Crazy Cap store, but she quickly learned that she was behind the counter.
"Oh boy..." Peach thought as she realized that she was behind the counter.
"Peach... I really don't think we're supposed to be back here..." Tiara said, loud enough to catch the attention of the employees, who turned and saw Peach standing there.
"Uh, Miss..." the employee with the yellow hat began.
Scared for her life, Peach frantically cried, "Please don't send me away! Let me hide back here! There's a huge, ugly monster out there who murdered my boyfriend so he could have me all to himself! If he comes in, don't let him know that I'm here! Please don't let him take me again!"
The employees looked at the princess, but they didn't know if she was being serious or not. She did, however, look very upset.
"Should we believe this woman?" the purple-capped employee asked his co-worker as they looked at Peach, who had tears of panic coursing down her cheeks.
Tiara heard what the employee said, and she knew she could vouch for Peach. She went into her Bonneter form and told the employees, "You'd better believe her! She's a princess, and she has been through horrors the two of you can't even begin to imagine!"
That was all the employees needed to hear.
"All right, then. You can hide here." the yellow-capped employee told the princess.
"Oh, thank you! Thank you so much!" Peach said as she laid down on the floor, feeling relieved that the counter covered the floor so Bowser would not be able to see her if he came in.
Tiara looked pleased before she turned back into a bridal tiara and took her place on top of Peach's head. She was glad that she and Peach were safe from Bowser... for now.
Peach also spotted a green Power Moon in her hiding place. She thought that it might be a nice souvenir for her from this kingdom, so she took it and tucked it away in a safe place.
Although Peach was safe behind the counter, she got really nervous whenever she heard someone entering the building, because she was afraid that it might be Bowser who came in, but when she heard the customer reply in an unfamiliar voice, she would inconspicuously heave a sigh of relief. She was glad that Bowser hadn't found her... yet.
About 10 minutes after her arrival, Peach heard the employees gasp when the door opened, and one of them sounded very scared as he asked, "M-m-may we h-help you, s-sir?"
"Did either of you skull-faced guys happen to see a beautiful blonde in pink come through here?" asked a familiar, gruff-sounding voice that caused Peach to quiver with fear.
"Oh no! It's Bowser!" Peach and Tiara thought, frightened.
The employees looked at each other and realized that the woman lying on the floor in back of the shop wasn't lying at all. This was the monster she spoke of. Now it was time for them to do as she said and lie to him.
"Nnnnno... W-we haven't seen anyone l-like that... c-come by here lately." said the yellow-capped employee.
"Yeah, s-s-sorry about that, sir. Y-you might want to ask... s-someone else for help." said the purple-capped employee.
Bowser grumbled something under his breath about 'idiots' before exiting the store, slamming the door behind him as he went.
The employees waited a minute or two before the yellow-capped Tostarenan looked down at the trembling princess and said, "It's okay, Your Highness. He's gone now."
Peach's trembling stopped, and then she looked up at the employees gratefully and said, "Thank you for protecting me."
"No problem." the purple-capped employee assured her.
"But I still can't leave here until I know that I'm totally safe." Peach told them as she hid her face again.
"It's understandable. You can stay back there until you know it's safe for you to leave." said the yellow-capped employee.
A few more minutes passed before Peach heard the door open again, and she listened as the yellow-capped employee said, "Hello, sir. How may I help you today?"
"I would like to purchase one Power Moon, please." the customer replied in a voice Peach instantly recognized.
Peach picked up her pretty little head when she heard the customer's voice. That voice! She knew it! It sounded like... No... It couldn't be Mario's voice! He was dead! She saw Bowser kill him back in the Mushroom Kingdom!
"All right. That will be 100 coins." the yellow-capped employee said to the customer.
"Okie-dokie." said the customer.
"Can it be?" Peach thought as she listened to the customer talk. The customer possessed Mario's cheerful voice and Italian accent. No one else in the world sounded like him! The customer handed over the coins, and then the employee said, "Here you go, sir! One Power Moon."
"Grazie! Thank you!" the customer said as he accepted the Power Moon.
Peach's heart leaped in joy when she heard the customer reply in Italian before giving the English translation. It had to be Mario!
"Mario, is that you?!" Peach asked aloud in surprise, leaping to her feet to see the customer's retreating back as he began to exit the shop.
The sound of Peach's voice caused the customer to stop dead in his tracks!
"Peach?!" Mario asked in surprise, turning around so fast that Cappy fell off of his head.
"Whoa!" Cappy cried out as he fell to the floor, not prepared for Mario's reaction to hearing Peach's voice.
Peach blushed as red as a Double Cherry when she saw Mario's handsome face looking back at her. It was him! He wasn't dead, after all!
"Oops! I'm sorry, buddy." Mario said as he picked up his hat and put it back on his head. Then he saw Peach looking at him from behind the counter. She looked so surprised and happy to see him again. And he wasn't expecting to see her here, away from Bowser!
"Peach! Mia dolce principessa! My sweet princess! Are you okay?!" Mario asked Peach in surprise and relief as he ran up to the counter and looked at her through the clear plastic that kept them from getting close to each other.
"Am I okay?! What about you?! Mario, I... I thought you were dead!" Peach exclaimed.
Before Mario could reply to her, the purple-capped employee said, "Okay, my co-worker and I can tell that you kids are glad to be reunited, and while we're very happy for you, do you two think that maybe you could continue this emotional reunion somewhere else, please?"
"Oh! I'm sorry! But I don't know if Bowser's still out there, looking for me, or if he gave up!" Peach said.
"Neither do I, Peach. I can see his airship flying overhead in the distance, but I just arrived in this kingdom, so I can't really tell if he's walking around out there or not." Mario said.
"He was looking for her, because he came in here a few minutes ago, asking us if we'd seen her. But she told us not to tell him that she was here, so we did as she said and lied to him." said the yellow-capped employee.
"Grazie per aver salvato la mia ragazza. Thanks for saving my girlfriend." Mario smiled, seeing Peach's face flush when he referred to her as his girlfriend.
"You're welcome." the yellow-capped employee replied.
"I could go out and make sure the coast is clear." Cappy said, assuming his Bonneter form.
"Cappy! You came!" Tiara cried in excitement, seeing her brother.
"Tiara!" Cappy exclaimed in surprise and relief at the sound of his baby sister's voice. He even saw her lovely eyes appear on the tiara Peach was wearing.
"Hey!" the employees said.
"Oh, right. Sorry. I'll go look now." said Cappy, and he quickly flew out of the store. The Bonneter had himself a good look around the area, then he flew back in after a minute or two and said, "The coast is clear. You girls can come out."
"Thank you." Peach said. Then she added, "Meet us out back, Mario. There's a little alcove there, and that's how Tiara and I got back here. That's where we'll come out."
"Okie-dokie." Mario said as Cappy turned back into his trademark cap.
Before she left, Peach said, "Thank you so much for letting me and Tiara hide from the monster, and for protecting us from him."
"Hey, it was no trouble at all, Princess. We're glad we were able to help you out." said the purple-capped employee.
Peach smiled gratefully and left the back area with Tiara still on her head.
The employees wondered if they would get a bonus for protecting a princess from an evil monster. Probably not, but they did a good thing for royalty, and that was the right thing to do.
Mario and his Bonneter friend went outside and found the alcove Peach spoke of. When Peach crawled out of the alcove, Mario immediately swept Peach into his arms and joyfully kissed her on the lips. Peach was only too happy to return his kiss.
"Oh, Mario. I missed you so much!" Peach said after their kiss.
"I was so worried about you, Peach. I'm glad you're safe!" Mario replied, tightening his hold on the woman he loved.
"But we can't stay out here for long, in case Bowser comes back. Goodness knows what he'll do if he finds me and learns that you survived." Peach said to Mario.
"Hai ragione. You're right, Peach. He fully intended to kill me this time around because he wants to marry you. But as long as there's still a breath in my body, he won't have you as his wife. Not now, not ever." Mario promised as Peach relaxed in his arms.
"Mario, I say we get the girls to our ship and continue our talk there." Cappy suggested.
"Good idea, Cappy. Let's-a go!" Mario said, carrying Peach to the ship. Mario was happy to hold Peach again, and Peach relished the feeling of being in Mario's big, strong arms once again. They were reunited, and it felt so good...
Once they were back on the Odyssey, Mario set Peach on the bed, where they promptly started having a make-out session, and Cappy and Tiara quickly assumed their Bonneter forms and began celebrating the fact that they were reunited.
"Oh Cappy, I knew you would come! I just knew you would!" Tiara exclaimed in happiness as she hugged her big brother.
"I can't take all the credit, Tiara. If it wasn't for Mario, I never would have been able to catch up to Bowser's ship and reclaim you. So if you want to thank someone, you should thank him." Cappy told her.
"Thank you, Mario!" Tiara said, flying over to Mario and giving him a big hug.
"Prego. You're welcome." Mario replied, returning the Bonneter's hug for a moment before turning back to Peach and giving her a passionate kiss on the lips, which helped her feel a lot better.
Now that the girls were safe, there was a lot to tell. Mario and Cappy started by telling the girls how they met and became friends, agreeing to work together since the people they loved were captured by the same villain.
Mario then told the girls how they met Bowser's wedding planners and engaged one of them in pitched combat... and won!
"That's my Mario!" Peach smiled, making Mario blush.
Then Cappy told the girls about finding their airship, which he and Mario called the Odyssey, and how it runs on Power Moons.
"Oh, you mean this?" Peach asked, handing Mario the Power Moon she found.
"Whoa!" Cappy exclaimed as he recognized the item Peach produced.
"Yes! That's a Power Moon! Where did you find it?!" Mario asked in surprise as he accepted the Power Moon.
"I found it when I was hiding behind the counter at the Crazy Cap. I took it as a souvenir for myself, but if this something you boys need, then I really think you should have it." Peach smiled sweetly.
"Grazie, Peach! Thank you!" Mario said.
"Oh, Mario, until I heard your voice in the Crazy Cap, I thought you were dead!" Peach cried.
"I wasn't. My spirit is too strong to die when your life is in danger." Mario told her.
"I'm just so happy to see you again." Peach said, hugging him tightly.
"Anche tu mi sei mancata, mia bellissima principessa. I missed you too, my beautiful princess." Mario replied as he gladly returned the hug.
"Mario, we still need to get more Power Moons to power up the Odyssey some more before we can continue our journey." Cappy told him.
"I know, Cappy. But now that we've got my girlfriend and your sister back from Bowser, I don't really think we'll need to continue our journey." Mario said.
"Mario, I think you might have to continue your journey, after all." Peach said.
"Why is that, Peach?" Mario asked.
"Because if Bowser can't find us here, he might think Tiara and I somehow found a way to get back to our own kingdoms, and those are the first places he's going to look for us!" Peach replied.
"Yeah! If he finds us, we are sunk!" Tiara exclaimed.
"That's not good, especially after all the trouble we went through to find this ship and obtain enough Power Moons to start our adventure." Cappy said.
"Okie-dokie. But I think that we should really keep a sharp eye on Bowser's ship and follow him wherever he goes. Then Cappy and I will fix whatever he messes up." Mario said.
"That's a good idea, Mario." Peach said.
"But we're going to have to look for more Power Moons and hope we have just enough to power this ship when his ship starts moving again." Cappy said.
"We'll do that." Mario assured his friend, before turning to Peach and asking her, "Can you tell me why Bowser came here in the first place?"
"He was looking for a wedding ring for me." Peach said.
"The only one I know of here is the Binding Band, but he'd have to be out of his mind if that's the ring he was planning to give you! It's too big for a person to wear! You could use that thing like a hula-hoop!" Cappy said.
"What? Are you serious?!" Peach asked.
"Yeah. I looked it up on my smartphone, and... it's-a much too big for your finger, Peach. I don't know who that phony king is trying to kid." Mario said.
"But how did you girls manage to escape from Bowser?" Cappy asked.
"Your sister had a hand in that." Peach replied, before adding, "Which reminds me: thank you, Tiara."
"You're welcome, Peach." Tiara replied, feeling glad that she had helped a princess.
"Tiara! You helped Peach?" Cappy asked in surprise.
"I had to, Cappy. You see, Bowser took off his shoes so that when we got back to the airship after finishing up here, Peach could learn how to wash and massage his ugly feet after he walked through the sand." Tiara said.
"Che pensiero rivoltante. What a revolting thought." Mario said, feeling bad for Peach. He hugged Peach again, and she buried her face in his shoulder, trying to purge the thought from her mind. It was too awful to think about.
"So, what did you do?" Cappy asked his baby sister.
"Bowser pulled out a map and was studying it while keeping an eye on Peach at the same time. Then I flew behind the map and pushed it right into Bowser's face to blind him so Peach could run away. And you guys should've seen how fast she ran! When she was near the exit, I flew after her like a shot!" Tiara explained.
"I owe you my life, Tiara. Thank you for helping me escape from a fate worse than death." Peach said to the little Bonneter.
"That's my clever baby sister!" Cappy said, giving Tiara a big hug. He was so proud of her.
"Well, in the meantime, Cappy and I are going out to look for more Power Moons, and maybe, if we're lucky, we'll even stop Bowser in the process. You girls just wait here and talk." Mario said, and he and Cappy left the ship.
Peach and Tiara shared a quiet conversation, hoping Bowser didn't know that Mario had caught up to him, and had the girls safe and sound in his and Cappy's ship. Peach also hoped that Bowser wouldn't see Mario, because being spotted by Bowser could spell doom for Mario, and Peach could not bear to lose the man she loved with all her heart.
Mario and Cappy returned to the Odyssey about an hour later, much to Peach's great relief. Not only that, but they had good news for the girls.
"What happened?" Peach asked, seeing how happy Mario looked.
"We found Bowser, and sure enough, he was trying to steal the Binding Band." Mario said.
"And those silly rabbits who aren't going to get any Trix were with him, trying to help him steal it." said Cappy.
Peach and Tiara giggled at Cappy's reference to the silly rabbit, even though they always felt sorry for him.
"Well, they were too busy to see us, so I threw Cappy at one of those rabbits, and Cappy hit him right in the back." Mario began.
"Yeah! And when I hit him, he got sick all over the Binding Band." Cappy said. (A/N: The Broodal they were referring to was Spewart, but Mario and Cappy don't get to deal with him until they reach the Wooded Kingdom.)
"Ew! Now Bowser can see just why I didn't want that ring!" Peach frowned.
"I guess so. But you should have heard Bowser's reaction when he saw what happened! He started yelling and screaming at the rabbit for getting sick on the Binding Band!" Cappy said.
"I'll bet that was funny." Tiara giggled.
"It got even funnier when the rabbit and his comrades got so angry that they started yelling back at Bowser, and all the noise caused this HUGE stone-thing to come at them out of nowhere!" Mario said.
"You should've seen how pale everyone turned when they saw the stone-thing appear. And when it saw what happened to the Binding Band and realized what they were planning to do with it, boy, did that thing get mad!" Cappy replied.
"How mad was it?" Peach asked.
"Do you remember the Piantas, and how angry they were at me for things I never did? Well, if you multiply their anger times infinity, you've got the anger that thing felt." Mario said.
"Oh my goodness! I would have hated to be with Bowser at that moment!" Peach said.
"But you girls should've seen what that thing did to them! It belted that lot into next year!" Cappy said, making the girls laugh out loud.
"I even used my smartphone to record a video of them getting beaten to a pulp. And they were all screaming and yelling the entire time! It was hilarious!" Mario said, laughing a little as he recalled watching the beat-down his enemies suffered at the hands of an angry stone-thing.
"Are you going to post that video on YouTube?" Peach asked.
"Yeah, but I'll do that when we get home." Mario said, before adding, "Well, we did what we needed to do, and seeing what Bowser and his wedding planners have been through, Bowser is going to have to annullare il matrimonio, cancel the wedding. No way is he going to be able to walk down the aisle with you when he's in terrible, miserable pain."
"Great! So we can go home now?" Peach asked.
"As long as you drop me and my sister off in the Cap Kingdom first. We've got to fix up our home, which also doubles as an airship." Cappy said.
Mario remembered seeing how awful the place looked after Bowser had been through it, and Cappy did say that all their airships were wrecked in the attack.
"You know, I could help you repair your home and mode of transportation. If you want." Mario suggested.
"You'd do that?" Cappy asked, and Tiara looked surprised.
"What else are friends for?" Mario asked with a smile.
"Aww, you're so nice. Now I understand why Peach fell in love with you!" Tiara said, which made the plumber blush so hard he was shaming his shirt.
"Speaking of Peach, what are we going to do about her?" Cappy asked.
"I could probably help you with the repairs, Mario, if you'll let me. Plus, it might not be safe for me to return to the Mushroom Kingdom just yet, on the off-chance Bowser has a speedy recovery from his beating. And I also wouldn't mind spending more time with Tiara." Peach said.
So Mario and Peach agreed to fly to the Cap Kingdom and help Cappy and Tiara fix up their home and mode of transportation. The Bonneters were sprucing up the inside of their home while Mario and Peach looked at the outside. Mario knew what tools he was going to need in order to make the repairs. Peach was able to help out by handing Mario the tools he needed when he asked for them.
Cappy and Tiara had their airship/home looking good and up and running in no time, thanks to Mario and the princess. Not only that, but Cappy told Mario that he could keep the Odyssey, now that his own ship, his home, worked again.
As for Bowser, he apologized to the Broodals for wasting their time because he had to cancel the wedding. He had a lot of bruises and broken bones, and even if he did find Peach, it wouldn't do him any good to get married like that. But the Broodals still made him pay them for what they had done so far, even though it wasn't a whole lot.
The End
So that's the end of Peach's escape from the Sand Kingdom. Wow, that was quite the escape. But we still have 4 more escapes from 4 other kingdoms to see! If you want to see them, then you might want to stay tuned!
