(A/N: Well, it turns out there is another way Peach could have escaped from Bowser while they were at the Seaside Kingdom... if the thought of turning the ship around never crossed her mind. Do you want to see what else the princess could have done? Let's start this escape plan and find out!)
When Bowser and the Broodals arrived in the Seaside Kingdom, Bowser got one look at the sights and excitedly went to go fetch his bride, Princess Peach. He wanted her to see what this place had to offer, and help him decide whether or not this was the perfect place for the two of them to spend their honeymoon. He had a feeling that she might really agree with his opinion.
But when Bowser opened the door to the bride's chamber, he saw that Peach appeared to be taking a nap. Tiara was also napping, snuggled close to Peach, lying in the crook of her arm. As much as Bowser wanted Peach to see the kingdom they were in, he decided that maybe she was resting up for their wedding. They were getting close the venue, and it would soon be time for the wedding to start.
So Bowser decided he would let Peach get her beauty rest, and he left the room, this time leaving the door unlocked so she could go out and have a look at the kingdom if she woke up from her nap while they were still here. Then he went to his room, removed his tuxedo, and grabbed a big bag of supplies. He had something to do while he was here, and he was going to take care of it right now.
However, Bowser didn't realize it, but the princess was actually pretending to be asleep, in order to avoid being seen with him! She didn't want anyone to see them together and assume that they were a couple, which she felt was the case when they were in Tostarena.
(A/N: That really is the case. Have Mario speak to some Tostarenans in the desert when you first arrive, and they will refer to Bowser and Peach as a couple, the thought of which is enough to make Mario sick to his stomach.)
When the sound of Bowser's footsteps faded into silence, Peach opened her eyes and looked at Tiara, whispering to her, "Tiara, you can look now. Bowser left the room."
"Oh, he's not here?" Tiara asked, opening her eyes and having a quick look around the room. Like Peach, she wasn't really sleeping. She was faking it, too, since she, like Peach, hated having to look at Bowser's ugly mug.
"He left the room, but I don't know if he left the ship. Also, I didn't hear the all-too-familiar click from the door, so perhaps Bowser didn't lock the door when he closed it. If the door is unlocked, do you think you could go and see what he's up to?" Peach asked.
"I don't have to find him and ask him what's going on, do I? If he sees me out there, he'll realize he forgot to lock the door, and he'll take me back here and lock the door!" Tiara said.
"No, Tiara, you don't have to speak to him. Just look for him, and tell me what he was up to when you spotted him." Peach said.
"Oh, okay. I can handle that." Tiara said. She tested the door, and sure enough, it was unlocked! She and Peach were genuinely surprised.
"Wow! He really didn't lock the door this time! That's a first!" Peach smiled.
"All right. I-I'll go see what he's up to..." Tiara replied, opening the door and leaving the room.
"Good luck." Peach whispered to her friend.
Tiara slowly flew around the airship, doing her best to stay in the shadows, like those ninja turtles that her big brother liked to watch on T.V. sometimes. She really didn't want Bowser to catch her, the way he did back in Bonneton. That was bad enough.
After a minute or so, she caught sight of Bowser, who was no longer wearing his tux. He was walking out to the deck of the airship with a huge sack in his hand.
"Huh? What is that big, naked jerk up to?" Tiara asked herself as she flew after him, doing her best to keep quiet so he would not turn around and spot her.
Out on the deck, Tiara watched as Bowser jumped overboard with the sack. Surprised, Tiara flew back into the ship and straight to the bride's chamber, where Peach was waiting for her.
"Peach, you're not going to believe what I just saw!" Tiara exclaimed to her friend.
"What did you see?" Peach asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I... I saw Bowser! And he... h-he was stark naked!" Tiara said.
"He's usually stark naked when I'm with him, Tiara. That's nothing new to me." Peach replied.
"Gross..." Tiara shuddered, before saying, "Well, I also saw him carrying a big sack. I don't know what was in it, but then I saw him jump overboard with it."
"Bowser jumped off the ship?! I need to see this!" Peach said. She ran out to the deck with Tiara following close behind her. Upon reaching the deck, Peach got her first look at Bubblaine, and she was immediately amazed at the sights the kingdom had to offer.
"Oh wow... Look at this place! It's so beautiful..." Peach said as she looked around, impressed with what she was seeing.
"Peach, I see Bowser! He's down there!" Tiara exclaimed, pointing to the water down below, where Bowser was busy doing something. It looked like he was corking up one of the fountains that sent water into a giant tower that looked like a chalice.
"I don't believe it... He's down there, and he left us here on the ship, all by ourselves..." the princess mumbled. But then she realized what she just said, and she slowly repeated, "He left us here... on the ship... all by ourselves..."
"Peach, what's going on?" Tiara asked, concerned for her friend.
"Tiara, we are alone on this ship with absolutely no supervision! Do you know what this means?!" Peach asked her Bonneter friend, her voice taking on a higher pitch from excitement.
"I... I think so..." Tiara replied. She thought for a moment and said, "It means that Bowser actually trusts us enough to leave us here by ourselves."
"But he'll soon learn that it's the worst mistake he ever made! I'm going to go change back into my regular attire, and after I do that, I'm going to leave this ship because I don't want to get married to a loser!" Peach said, running back into the ship as fast as she could.
"Can I please go with you, Peach?" Tiara asked as she followed the princess.
"When I leave this ship, yes. But you can't be with me in the room when I'm changing my clothes, for that would be most indecent. Wait outside the room for me, and you can get on my head in your tiara form when I leave the room in my normal attire, okay?" Peach explained.
"All right, Peach. I'm glad you're not going to leave me here all by myself." Tiara said.
"Tiara, you have been nothing but a perfect little angel to me since we were captured. And you hate Bowser's stupid guts as much as I do. I'm not going to make you stay here with someone we both hate. That wouldn't be very nice. Plus, if you stayed here, Bowser would force you to tell him where I disappeared to if he found you and not me." Peach said as they reached the door to the bride's chamber.
"Oh, right. I should have known that you wouldn't ever leave me to deal with that horrible monster on my own. You're so nice, Peach. I can see why everyone loves you so much." Tiara said, watching as Peach disappeared into the room.
Peach quickly but carefully changed back into the clothes she had been wearing when Bowser took her away from the Mushroom Kingdom. Away from her castle. Away from her subjects. Away from Mario...
"Mario..." Peach suddenly whispered, feeling sad as she thought about her red-capped beau. She loved him so much, and what did Bowser do? He tried to kill him back in the Mushroom Kingdom, but he succeeded in the Cloud Kingdom. Peach wished that she'd thought to shield Mario from Bowser's attacks with her body. Bowser would never be able to hurt Mario if the princess got in the way.
But Peach didn't think to do anything to protect her loving man, her red-clad knight in overalls. Now Mario was dead, and she was never going to see him again. The princess was heartbroken, and she knew for a fact that she never wanted to marry Bowser. She hated him more than anything, and if there was one thing she wanted right now, it was to get away from him in the worst way.
When Peach came out of the room, dressed in her normal outfit (save for her crown), Tiara flew to the top of her head and assumed her tiara form.
"Okay, now that I'm back in my own, comfy clothes, let's get the heck out of here." Peach said as she ran for the exit, hoping that Bowser hadn't finished his chore just yet. She'd be in huge trouble if he finished up early and returned to the ship. If he saw her like this... there'd be more than hell to pay, and the thought made her shudder.
When she came back out to the deck, Peach around looked for Bowser, and to her relief, she saw him swimming to another fountain that he was going to cork up. He was so intent on his task, and he had his back to Peach. He would never notice that she was trying to escape from him.
"I've got to get away from him while I still have the chance. Here goes nothing..." Peach said in a low voice. She took a deep breath, then jumped from the ship. The princess even used her dress to do a floating jump, allowing her to safely land not in the water, but on the soft sand.
"Okay, now that we've escaped, let's go look for a place to hide." Peach said as she removed her red high heels and carried them as she hurried barefoot through the sand, searching for a place where she and Tiara could hide from the Koopa King's evil eyes.
"And while you're looking for that..." Tiara began, leaving Peach's head.
"Tiara, what are you doing?" Peach asked, realizing that Tiara left her head.
"I'm going to blot out your footprints, Peach. We don't want Bowser to see them. If he does, he just might recognize those tiny feet as yours, and he could easily follow the prints and find us. Then we'll be in even worse trouble." Tiara replied, blotting out the footprints.
"Oh my goodness! You're right, Tiara! Thank you for realizing that and doing something else to save me from Bowser." Peach said.
"That's what friends are for, Peach. But where are we going to hide? There don't appear to be any buildings around here!" Tiara worriedly exclaimed.
"Well, except for that lighthouse over there... But it looks like I'd have to go through the water to get to it. And I can't get my dress wet. It'll shrink." Peach said.
"So it looks like we're up the creek without a paddle." Tiara sighed sadly as she blotted out more of Peach's footprints.
Suddenly, Peach spotted a small, round structure in the southwest corner of the place, near the volleyball court.
"Let's go over there and see what that structure is." Peach said, hurrying over to that area. To her relief, the structure was a building! If she could get into it, she could hide from Bowser!
"Oh my goodness! This is the perfect place for us to hide from Bowser!" Peach said as she spotted the door for the building. However, the door was locked, and it also seemed to be guarded by a female Bubblainian.
"Excuse me, Miss, but would you please be so kind as to unlock the door and let me into that building?" Peach politely asked the Bubblainian.
"To fully enjoy the pleasures of Bubblaine, you must wear clothes you can entirely relax in." said the Bubblainian in a French accent. She sounded a lot like Mrs. Pepper from "Blue's Clues".
"Uh-oh..." Peach said, her face turning pale in realization. Her pink silk dress didn't really look like something she could entirely relax in. Add to that the fact that the corsets she wore underneath it wouldn't qualify as relaxing clothes, either.
The Bubblainian took a good look at Peach's attire and said, "You are not dressed for the hard-relaxing resort life at all! You may not come in."
That worried Peach. If she couldn't hide in there, then Bowser could easily find her. And if he did, he'd probably kill her for changing her clothes and leaving the ship! What was she gonna do?!
"Please! You don't understand! You have to let me hide in there! It's dangerous for me to stay out in the open!" Peach pleaded, looking very upset.
Seeing how upset Peach was told the Bubblainian that perhaps she should find out why this woman said that being in the open was dangerous for her. She asked, "Can you please tell me why being out in the open is dangerous for you?"
"That's easy. You see, a few days ago, I was captured from my homeland by a horribly frightening monster!" Peach began, looking terrified.
Suddenly, the Bubblainian pointed at something and said, "Could that be the monster you're talking about?! Is he the one you're referring to?"
Peach looked, and sure enough, the Bubblainian was pointing at Bowser, who had just corked up another fountain.
"EEK! That's him! I just escaped from his airship, and if he sees that I escaped, he's going to hurt me in a really awful way! Please help me!" Peach pleaded.
The Bubblainian seemed to be wondering if she should really believe this woman's story or not. She did look terrified at the sight of the monster, and she sounded upset at the thought of him hurting her. But what if it was all an act?
Tiara, who had just finished blotting out Peach's footprints, saw that the Bubblainian was busy contemplating Peach's words. The Bonneter knew how to help Peach convince the Bubblainian to let them into the building.
"Please let us hide in there, ma'am! This woman is a princess! That monster wants to make her his wife just so he can rule her kingdom, and then he's going to kill her so that the kingdom will belong to him and him alone!" Tiara said, looking the Bubblainian in the eyes. She wasn't making up this story, either. Peach knew all about Bowser's plan, and she told Tiara all about it.
"What?! He's going to kill this young woman?! And she's a princess, you say?! Zut alors! That's horrible, and it also sounds very serious!" the Bubblainian exclaimed.
(A/N: I know the Bubblainians didn't speak French in the game, but the Seaside Kingdom appears to be based off of France, so I had to do it.)
"Can you please help me?" Peach asked hopefully.
"Well, I'm afraid that there isn't a whole lot we Bubblainians can do against a beast like him. But since that monster is after you with the intention of killing you, then I'm going to grant you permission to hide in the Beach House until the coast is clear." the Bubblainian said, unlocking the door and allowing Peach to enter the building.
"Oh, thank you, ma'am! Thank you so much!" Peach replied in relief as she entered the Beach House with Tiara back on her head in her tiara form.
At first, the other Bubblainians in the Beach House were very surprised to see this pretty young woman enter in a fancy pink dress and long, white opera gloves. That outfit didn't really look like something you could relax in. Why was she allowed in here in an ensemble like that?
Well, when the Bubblainian outside explained to them what Peach and Tiara told her, they didn't complain. They totally understood that this woman needed safety, and she'd have it here.
"Don't be afraid, Princess. You'll be okay as long as you're in here." said a male Bubblainian, who sounded like Mr. Salt from "Blue's Clues".
"That monster may not even notice this place, for it doesn't look interesting enough. But if he does see it, he's probably not dressed in the proper clothes for relaxation." another female Bubblainian began.
"You're right. He's not, because he's not wearing anything at all." Tiara added from her place on Peach's head.
"Tiara's right. He's skinny-dipping." Peach said.
"Eww... Then he cannot come in here. We won't let him in." the female Bubblainian assured the girls.
"We're willing to let you stay in here as long as you need to, even though you're not dressed in the proper attire for complete relaxation." the male Bubblainian promised.
Peach thanked the Bubblainians, then walked to a far corner of the room, where she was able to brush the sand off of her feet before putting her shoes back on. As she sat down, she felt relief, but at the same time, she was feeling very sad. She wished Mario was here with her, but he was dead. Bowser personally saw to it that Mario would never be able to save her from a fate she knew she didn't deserve.
"Peach, what's the matter? I thought you would be happy that we're safe." Tiara asked, assuming her Bonneter form and looking at her friend in concern, having noticed her forlorn expression.
"I am, but... I just miss Mario so much... But he's gone! He's the only man I'll ever truly love, and he's gone! Oh, Tiara, I'm never going to feel happy again without him..." Peach said, and she buried her face in her hands and began to cry from the pain of her broken heart.
"Aww, Peach... I miss my big brother, too, but I'm glad that at least we're able to hide from that Bowser jerk. He may not even realize that we left the ship until he reaches the wedding venue. Can you imagine his reaction when he realizes that we're not with him when it's time for him to walk down the aisle with you? I betcha he's going to feel really stupid." Tiara said, trying to cheer up her friend a little.
Peach just continued to cry. Even though she had escaped from Bowser and was safe for now, how was she going to get home? Mario had been following them, but he was killed; he couldn't take her there. And her people didn't know where Bowser took her when they left the Mushroom Kingdom! They might assume that she was dead! What were they gonna do without her?!
All Tiara could do was hug the princess as best she could, hoping that maybe Mario and Cappy had somehow survived being shot down. She didn't want to believe that her big brother and Mario were gone for good. The young Bonneter wasn't about to give up hope. She learned about that from one of her favorite movies, "Wakko's Wish".
Sometime after Bowser's airship and the Broodals left the Seaside Kingdom, a red, hat-shaped airship arrived, landing on the beach. Mario disembarked his airship, known as the Odyssey, and looked around. He was impressed with how nice the Seaside Kingdom looked, but he wasn't amused to find Bowser's footprints in the sand.
"So it looks like that Koopa creep has been through here already..." Mario said, sounding angry at the sight of the footprints.
"Yeah, been and gone, but I'm not entirely sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing." Cappy said, not seeing Bowser's airship anywhere. He didn't see the Broodals' ship, either.
After uncorking the fountains and getting rid of the giant greedy Gushen who had been drinking the Sparkle Water left in Glass Tower, Mario spent some time looking around for and gathering up more Power Moons, even though he knew he had to catch up to Bowser in order to save his princess from a marriage she wanted no part of.
"Don't get me wrong, Cappy; I want Peach to know I'm alive, and I really want to save her life, but I have to make sure I have more than enough Power Moons in order to catch up to Bowser." Mario said.
"Yeah. And so far, our enemy doesn't seem to know that we didn't die when he tried to shoot us down. Let's hope it stays that way so when we catch up to him again, we can take him by surprise by snatching Peach and Tiara right out from under his ugly nose." said Cappy.
"Oh, that may not be so easy, Cappy. You must remember that we dealt with the Broodals back in the Snow Kingdom, and Bowser's ship was still there when that happened. Well, what if he told them that they needn't worry about dealing with me anymore because he shot us down? They might have told him that we weren't dead like he thought." Mario told his friend.
"If that was the case, then perhaps we should've warned them that if they tell their boss that we survived being shot down, we could really make them suffer for it..." Cappy replied.
"Unless they assume we were bluffing..." Mario said. Then he thought about something else and said, "Wait a second. If they know about Bowser's ability to breathe fire, they might be afraid to tell him. If Bowser realizes that I'm not dead, and they failed to stop me again, he'll want to have four heaping helpings of roasted rabbit for dinner. They wouldn't tell him if that was the case."
"Hold everything! That monster can breathe fire?!" Cappy asked, his eyes wide.
"He breathes fire at me and my brother all the time, Cappy. He even tried to do that to Peach when she had to fight him in order to rescue me, Luigi, and Toad from him." Mario said.
"Holy...! The monster was doing that to your...?! And now he's trying to...?!" Cappy was so angry that he couldn't speak. And Mario didn't blame him. He felt the exact same way when Peach told him about that. But he gave Bowser a punishment he'd never forget, one that made him stay away from the Mushroom Kingdom for a whole year. (A/N: You can use your imaginations here, readers.)
Eventually, Cappy had calmed down enough to speak again. He had determination in his eyes as he shouted, "All right, that tears it! We have to save Peach and Tiara right now!"
"You're right. I don't want Peach to stay with that creep any longer than she already has. And your sister doesn't need to be exposed to any more bad things than she's already seen!" Mario said.
Mario also collected all the regional coins he could find and did some shopping in Bubblaine. Among his souvenirs from Bubblaine were a hat and outfit that seemed suitable for someone to wear if they were taking a vacation here. And he wore this new outfit as he played some volleyball, and while following a cute little puppy dog who helped him find a Power Moon that was buried under the sand.
After a while, Mario finally decided to see what the Beach House near the volleyball court was like.
"Maybe they'll have some cold drinks in there for us to enjoy." Cappy said.
"That would be great because ho davvero sete. I'm getting thirsty, and I didn't feel that way when we first arrived here." said Mario.
"Yeah. Now that you mention it, I'm feeling a little parched myself." Cappy added.
The female Bubblainian outside the Beach House told Mario that to fully enjoy the pleasures of Bubblaine, he must wear clothes he can entirely relax in.
"Oh! Will this outfit suffice?" Mario asked, making a pose in the outfit.
"You have achieved the perfect ensemble for relaxation! Please enjoy yourself within." said the Bubblainian with respect as she unlocked the door and allowed Mario to enter the building.
"Grazie! Thank you!" Mario said as he entered the Beach House.
"Relax and enjoy." the Bubblainian said to Mario.
When Mario entered, he saw, to his disappointment, that there were no cold drinks to be had.
"I'd gladly drink the Sparkle Water, but I really don't want to do that unless I'm drinking it with mia principessa, my princess." Mario whispered to Cappy on his head.
"I understand, Mario. The description made it sound like something you should drink only when you're with the person you love, rather than alone like that greedy Gushen was doing. However, I'm pretty sure we can still drink from the carbonated sea. That is what makes the Sparkle Water, after all." Cappy replied.
"Right. I guess I'll do that after I'm done in here." Mario said.
The Bubblainians in the Beach House all appeared to be hula-dancing, and Mario happened to be a very good dancer. So he decided he would dance to some hula music with them. Doing so earned him a Power Moon, and it made him feel good.
"Wow! I got a Power Moon just for dancing the hula with you? Mille grazie! Thank you very much!" Mario said to the Bubblainians.
At the sound of Mario's voice, Peach picked up her pretty little head. She hadn't heard him enter the building, and the sound of the hula music he danced to made her want to cry even more because she wished with all her heart that she could dance to it with Mario, and he wasn't here anymore...
However, the voice she just heard sounded a lot like Mario's cheerful Italian-accented voice. She even heard it say something in Italian, and it included the English translation, like Mario would do whenever he was teaching her Italian. She looked to see where the voice came from, and she saw a short man with a familiar mustache. But his outfit was unlike anything Peach had ever seen Mario wearing before.
"Mario... you're alive?" Peach asked quietly, too quietly for Mario to hear. Could it really be him?
"Okie-dokie. I think we've got more than enough Power Moons to get ourselves to the next kingdom now, so I say let's-a head on back to the Odyssey, Cappy." the man's voice said.
"CAPPY?!" Tiara suddenly shouted in complete surprise, startling everyone in the building. She had been resting quietly on Peach's head after trying but failing to comfort her royal friend. But hearing someone mention her brother's name caused her to reveal herself.
Cappy leaped off of Mario's head and immediately assumed his Bonneter form when he heard that familiar feminine voice call out his name. He looked in the direction the voice came from, and when he saw Tiara looking at him, his eyes were as big as dinner plates.
"Tiara...?! Is that really you?" Cappy asked, unable to believe his eyes.
"Cappy! You're here! And you're alive!" Tiara exclaimed.
"Oh my gosh! Tiara, I was so worried about you!" Cappy exclaimed, flying towards his little sister as fast as he could.
"Cappy! Oh, I knew you were alive! I knew Bowser didn't do you in! I knew you'd come! I just knew you would!" Tiara exclaimed as she and her brother met each other in a big hug.
Mario let out a slight chuckle as he watched the Bonneter siblings celebrate their happy reunion. They were overjoyed to be together again, the way he and Luigi felt whenever they reunited after being separated from each other.
"Apetta un minuto! Wait a minute!" Mario said to himself as he looked at Tiara. If the younger Bonneter was here, then Peach should be here with her. He didn't think Tiara would escape and leave Peach to deal with Bowser all by herself, or vice-versa.
"Tiara, vieni qui per favore! Come here, please!" Mario called out, getting Tiara's attention.
"It really is Mario! He survived again! Oh, thank the Star Spirits!" Peach joyfully thought, feeling her eyes sting with happy tears. Mario wasn't dead, after all! He was here, and he was very much alive!
"Mario! Oh, thank goodness you're here, too!" Tiara exclaimed, flying over to the heroic plumber and greeting him with a hug.
"Mama-mia! What's this for?" Mario asked, surprised as he returned Tiara's hug.
"First of all, I can see that you're good friends with Cappy, and any friend of Cappy's is a friend of mine. Secondly, I know you came here to save me and Peach! She told me all about you, and how awesome and handsome you are! I'm so glad you and my big brother are here... alive and well..." Tiara said.
"Tiara, I was just going to ask if Peach is with you, and I'm glad you answered my question. Dov'è lei? Where is she?" Mario asked.
"Before I answer your question, please answer this one: how do you know my name?" Tiara asked the plumber.
"Easy. Like Peach telling you about me, Cappy told me a lot about you, and that included your name. Not only that, but I saw and heard you answer to that name just now." Mario said.
"Oh, of course." Tiara replied, giggling sheepishly. Then she said, "Peach is over there." As she spoke, she motioned to where a beautiful, golden-haired human woman dressed in pink was sitting, fluttering her delicate, begloved hand at him with happy tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Grazie, Tiara. Thank you." Mario said. He smiled as he gently patted Tiara on the head, then he walked over to where Peach sat. He was so glad to see his lovely girlfriend again.
Tiara happily flew back to her brother and hugged him again. Cappy gladly returned the hug. He was so relieved that his baby sister was all right, and that Mario and Peach were finally reunited.
"Hi, Mario..." Peach greeted her hero, her voice barely above a whisper. She couldn't believe she was seeing him, and talking to him. She thought she'd never get to do that again, except for in her dreams.
"Oh, cara mia... My darling..." Mario replied. He pulled Peach into a strong embrace, kissed her cheek, and whispered into her ear, "Sono così felice che tu sia al sicuro. I'm so happy you're safe..."
That did it. Peach broke down sobbing into Mario's shoulder, relieved that he was alive, and that he was here, holding her tightly in his big, strong arms. She thought she was never going to see him again. But she was with him again, for he had survived being shot down by Bowser.
"Aw, Peach... Per favore, non piangere. Please don't cry. I'm alive, you're safe, and we're together again. Everything is going to be fine." Mario assured the princess. He was glad to have her back, safe and sound. He was able to hold her close, which is what he wanted to do a lot sooner than now.
"M-Mario... I-I was so s-s-scared... I th-thought... I was... n-never going to... s-see you again!" Peach sobbed, before giving her hero a kiss on the cheek. It felt good to kiss him, and to feel his arms wrapped around her. He was so warm, and he smelled nice.
"Non preoccuparti, Peach. Don't worry. Cappy and I survived what Bowser tried to do. And besides, my love for you is too strong to make me give up. I plan to stop at nothing until I know you're safe from that idiota." Mario assured Peach.
"You're the s-sweetest man ever, M-Mario... I-I don't know... wh-what I would d-do... if you w-weren't here..." Peach wept into his shoulder.
"You're safe now, dolcezza, sweetie. I'm here for you, and I'll never leave you when you need help." Mario said as he tightened his hold on Peach. He kissed her cheek again.
"I... I was s-so... upset when Bowser... sh-sh-shot you d-down... I-it broke my... h-heart..." Peach whimpered. And that memory unleashed another round of sobbing from the princess, which made Mario feel sad because he hated to see his girlfriend cry.
The Bubblainians were all listening to this conversation, and they couldn't help feeling bad for the princess. It was painfully obvious to them that the monster saw to it that she suffered greatly before she worked up the courage to get away from him. They were proud of her for escaping the monster's grasp and finding safety with them.
"But now you're with me again, and I'm going to help you feel better. Ti amo, Peach. I love you." Mario said as he rubbed Peach's back, trying to comfort her.
Peach looked at Mario before whispering, "I love you, too, Mario. I'll be okay as long as you're by my side..."
Mario smiled, and he and Peach leaned in close to share a passionate kiss. When their lips finally met, everyone present said, "Awwww..."
Suddenly, Mario and Peach jumped apart, realizing that they were not alone.
"Oops. I was so happy to see you again, and in my happiness, I didn't seem to remember that we had un pubblico, an audience." Mario said, blushing.
"I don't mind, so long as I'm with you." Peach replied, hugging Mario as tightly as she could. And Mario didn't blame her because he didn't like hearing that she was heartbroken. But now that she knew the truth, her heart should be on the mend.
"Shall we get going?" Mario asked his princess.
"All right." said Peach.
"Wait! What about Bowser?! Is he still out there?!" Tiara asked fearfully.
"No, thank goodness. We didn't see Bowser, his stupid ship, or the Broodals, but we saw his ugly footprints, so we know for a fact that he was here." Cappy said.
"Bowser's not here?! You mean... he actually left the Seaside Kingdom without us... and he doesn't know it?!" Peach asked in surprise.
"Tieni il telefono! Hold the phone! Bowser's not here, but you girls are... How did I not realize that you had escaped from him until now?!" Mario asked incredulously.
"I guess the excitement of being reunited with our loved ones again must have gotten in the way of our realization." Cappy replied.
"I guess so." Mario said.
"Peach, if Bowser left, he must think that we're still on the ship!" Tiara said.
"Hopefully, he doesn't realize that we've left him... yet..." Peach said.
"Mama-mia! That idiota is gonna be in for una grande sorpresa, a big surprise when he goes to check on you and finds out that you're not there." Mario chuckled. Then he noticed that Peach was in her regular attire again, and he said, "Oh, and I see that you changed back into your normal clothes, too."
"I didn't want to wear the Lochlady Dress, Mario. It wasn't mine. And I even told Bowser it was bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, but he didn't believe me." Peach replied.
"He's too stupido to realize just how badly he screwed up, making you put on that wedding dress too early. And even though I know that you didn't want to wear it, you really looked wonderful in it, like un angelo, an angel." Mario said to his princess.
"You really think so?" Peach asked, flattered. She always felt flattered when Mario complimented her. But whenever Bowser tried to flatter her, Peach ended up feeling like he insulted her.
"Peach, you look lovely in anything." Mario assured her.
"Mario, you always know how to flatter me." Peach replied, blushing. But then she worriedly added, "However, we might want to leave this kingdom soon. There's no telling when Bowser's going to find out that Tiara and I aren't on his ship, and I have a bad feeling that this is one of the first places he's going to look for us."
"You're right. We can't let him find you girls. Okie-dokie, let's-a get going." Mario said, picking up Peach and holding her bridal style. He knew she liked when he carried her like that. Cappy and Tiara quickly took their places on Mario and Peach's heads, respectively.
"Thanks for coming!" said a male Bubblainian.
"Good luck!" said a female Bubblainian.
Then Mario and Peach kissed each other on the lips as they left the Beach House, and the female Bubblainian at the door was glad to see that the two humans appeared to be a couple.
"Why did you let Peach in there if she wasn't dressed in clothes she could relax in? Don't get me wrong; I'm grateful that you did, but I'm curious about that." Mario said to her.
"Well, when I found out she was a princess, and her life was in danger because of the monster who was corking up our fountains, I knew the situation was serious. So I decided to allow her to hide in the Beach House to protect her from the evil eyes of the monster." the Bubblainian explained.
"I see. Well, grazie. Thank you for helping to keep my girlfriend safe until I could find her." Mario said.
"She's your girlfriend! C'est magnifique! I'm so glad that we allowed her to take refuge in the Beach House." said the Bubblainian, looking really happy.
Because Mario was still thirsty and Peach also wanted a drink, the group decided to have a drink of the carbonated seawater. That helped everyone feel much better.
With their thirst quenched, Mario used Cappy to warp the group to the Odyssey, and they added the Power Moons to the ship. When that was done, Cappy said, "Okay, our next stop would be the Luncheon Kingdom, but Bowser and the Broodals most likely beat us to it, and they might still be there as we speak. We can't risk going there with the girls. So I think we should go somewhere else, but where?"
"That's a very good question." Mario said to Cappy, before turning to Peach and Tiara and asking them, "Where do you girls want to go?"
The girls conversed in whispers for a moment. For one thing, they knew they weren't ready to go home just yet. A few minutes went by before Peach asked, "Mario, could we please go to the big city, the one that Bowser was advertising his stupid wedding all over? I want to take all the wedding posters and shred them into confetti."
"Hey, yeah! That's a great idea, Peach! Let's go there! I want to shred the posters, too!" said Tiara.
"It's already been done, girls. Mario and I got rid of as many wedding posters as we could before we took care of the Mechawiggler that Bowser decided to leave. The other advertisements were dealt with by city officials, according to the mayor." Cappy explained.
"Mario, you did stop the Mechawiggler, didn't you?" Peach asked Mario.
"Of course I stopped it. And I did it because I knew I could. Even you know that I can pretty much fix whatever Bowser wrecks." Mario said.
"And you're proving that right now by mending Peach's heart, which Bowser shattered into a million pieces without a second thought." Tiara said.
"I know. And because we're going to New Donk City, I think I'm going to give Pauline a call. I haven't seen her since the Music Festival, and I've been wondering where she ran off to when it was over." Mario said.
"What Music Festival?" Peach asked.
Mario told Peach about it, and she felt awful that she missed it.
"Don't worry, Peach. I'm sure Pauline won't mind doing it again if I ask her. It was her idea in the first place, and she really seemed to be enjoying herself during it." Mario replied.
"Who is Pauline?" Tiara asked.
"An old female friend of Mario's. I've seen her every now and again at Super Mini Mario World, an amusement park based off of the popular Mini Mario toyline. She's a nice woman." Peach said.
"She's also la sindaca, the mayor of New Donk City." Mario said.
"That's interesting! Now let's go to the city!" Peach said.
So Mario set a course for the Metro Kingdom and called Pauline to find out that she was currently at the Wedding Hall at Honeylune Ridge. He told her that she didn't need to be there any longer. Bowser's wedding was going to end up being cancelled because the bride ran away.
"What? Mario, how do you know that the bride ran away?" Pauline asked aloud, causing the other wedding guests to look at her.
"I told you, the bride in Bowser's wedding posters is my girlfriend. I found out that she escaped from Bowser in the Seaside Kingdom, and she's with me right now." Mario explained. He added that since Peach was with him, the wedding wasn't going to happen, she could return to New Donk City.
When the call ended, Pauline told everyone what Mario had said, so they all got ready to head on home, which didn't bother them in the least. They didn't really like the look of the couple getting married, anyway.
Then Peach and Tiara told Mario and Cappy about everything Bowser had put them through, and how they escaped from him. It didn't really make the boys happy to know how much the girls had suffered at the hands of the Koopa King, but it pleased them to know that the girls worked up the courage to escape from him.
Meanwhile, in Bowser's Kingdom...
After stopping in the Luncheon Kingdom to get the main course for the wedding banquet, Bowser's airship touched down in his own kingdom. The Koopa King (who put his tux back on before leaving the Seaside Kingdom) was ready to head into his castle and make a few finishing touches to himself before the wedding. He couldn't believe it was almost time for him to marry Peach. When he did, the Mushroom Kingdom would be all his!
"I'd better go get my bride. She needs to get to know her future children, 'cause I'm going to make her adopt them right after the wedding. Then Jr. can call her 'Mama Peach' to his heart's content, and she'll be glad to let him do that. She'll be his mother for real in due time." Bowser said to himself.
So Bowser ran to the bride's chamber and knocked on the door, saying, "Peach, we're at my castle in my kingdom! I want you to come with me so I can introduce you to your new, ready-made family!"
Nothing happened. The door didn't open, and Peach didn't give him a response. Bowser thought that was rather odd. But maybe she didn't get what he meant, so he decided to explain it to her.
"Peach, it's me, your groom! Now come on out of there! I've got to take you into the castle so you can get to know my kids while I finish getting ready for our wedding! And you're going to have to get to know them, because guess what? You're gonna adopt them after we marry! That's right! You're going to be their mommy because they not only want a mommy, they need a mommy!" Bowser tried again.
Again, nothing happened, which caused Bowser to get frustrated. Peach never disobeyed his orders like this in the past, and he didn't like it one bit.
"Listen to me, Princess Peach! I'm going to give you 3 seconds to come out of that room and respond to me! If you don't do it, then I'm going to break down the door and drag you into my castle, ignoring your kicking and screaming! And I'm gonna start counting right now! 1... 2... 3...!" Bowser threatened.
The door wasn't opening, and Peach wasn't responding. That really made Bowser mad, because a threat like that always worked on Jr. and the Koopalings, and he knew for a fact Peach wasn't deaf.
(A/N: It really is a miracle that she hadn't gone deaf after all the times he laughed in her ears during the adventure. You'll notice how she covers her ears during those moments. Poor thing...)
"Okay, then. I really hoped it wouldn't come to this, but you leave me no other choice." Bowser said to himself. He let out a mighty roar as he broke down the door, probably in an attempt to scare the princess. And it didn't take long for the look of anger on his face turned into a look of shock as he realized that Peach wasn't in the room, but everything else was.
That's right; the Lochlady Dress, the veil, gloves, shoes, and Soirée Bouquet were all there in the room, but the bride herself was nowhere to be found. Her wedding tiara was also missing, but he figured that Peach must have taken it with her because she liked it more than she wanted to admit.
"What in the-?! Peach is gone?! And she changed out of the wedding dress?! I thought I told her she wasn't allowed to change out of it, but now she goes and deliberately disobeys my orders?! What was she thinking?!" Bowser screamed, angrier than he was at the sight of Mario when they were in the Cloud Kingdom. He was furious with Peach for what she had done.
Bowser began to search every room on the ship, and during his search, he was yelling, "Princess Peach! When I find you, you're going to be in a world of trouble, pretty missy! Now come on out of your hiding place and put that wedding dress back on, or else you're gonna have to pay the price!"
However, it soon became clear to him that Peach wasn't even on the ship, for he couldn't find her in any of the rooms after a thorough search. That means she was somewhere else, but where? At a lack of better options, he decided to call the Broodals for help.
"Topper here. What is it, Boss?" Topper asked as he answered his green smartphone.
"We have a huge problem. My bride is missing!" Bowser said.
"What? You lost your bride? How did you do that?" Hariet asked.
"I don't know! And the worst part is that she changed out of the wedding dress. Well, okay, tell a lie. She's still got the tiara, but she left her dress, gloves, and shoes here." Bowser said.
"Ooh, tough luck, Boss. Are you going to have to cancel the wedding?" asked Spewart.
"Heck no! We've come too far for me to just call it quits! I'm going to need your help finding her if the wedding is going to happen." Bowser said.
"Did you check your airship for her? Maybe she's hiding in one of the rooms." Rango suggested.
"Yes! I checked every room twice, and I couldn't find her hiding anywhere! This means she's not on the ship, and she ran away from me!" Bowser said.
"All right, Boss. Calm yourself down and try to remember: when was da last time you saw her?" Topper asked.
"Let me think... Oh yeah! It was back in the Seaside Kingdom! I wanted her to check out the place when we arrived, but she was taking a nap. She might have escaped from me while we were there, or maybe she got away while we were in the Luncheon Kingdom. So you guys check the Luncheon Kingdom for me, and I'll scope out the Seaside Kingdom." Bowser said.
"Do... do we really have to look for your bride in the Luncheon Kingdom, Boss?" Spewart asked, feeling a little nervous. Something told him that going back to the Luncheon Kingdom wasn't something they wanted to do. The Volbonans saw them stealing the Stupendous Stew. He had a sick feeling that the Volbonans might be plotting their revenge on him and his siblings.
"Yes! The four of you should know that place well enough since you were able to snatch a lot of Stupendous Stew for the wedding feast. Plus, I really want to have myself another look around the Seaside Kingdom. I'm thinking that Peach and I are totally going to spend our honeymoon there." Bowser said.
"Boss, can't we please check the Seaside Kingdom and have you check the Luncheon Kingdom instead? We think you might really enjoy the Luncheon Kingdom if you go there. It's got lots of delicious-looking food that might satisfy your hunger, and the food there did smell appetizing enough to make your stomach growl." Hariet said, hoping to change his mind.
"Yeah! We could hear your stomach rumbling louder than the volcano over there! You must really be starving!" Rango added, also hoping Bowser would reconsider his decision.
"Oh no! I'll be fine! I'm saving my appetite for the wedding banquet, which will commence right after I make Princess Peach my wife! Now get a move on! Head out to the Luncheon Kingdom and see if you can't find her there! And if you do find her, get her back and let me know right away!" Bowser demanded before ending the call.
"We're not really going to go to the Luncheon Kingdom... are we?" Rango nervously asked Topper.
"I don't see any other way around it..." Topper sighed, sounding defeated as he put his smartphone away.
Even though they really didn't want to do it, the Broodals slowly and reluctantly took their airship back to the Luncheon Kingdom. That proved to be a sad mistake on their part, for the Volbonans were angry with the Broodals for stealing a lot of their Stupendous Stew, and sure enough, they wanted revenge. They were launching cheese rocks at the ship in an attempt to take it down!
"Hey, stop doing that! Leave us alone!" Hariet yelled at the angry Volbonans.
"No way! You took our food, so we're intending to take down your stupid ship! And when we finally stop you, we're going to add you to the Stupendous Stew, for rabbits might be a very fine ingredient in the recipe!" said a Volbonan.
The Broodals turned pale under their fur as they looked at each other and said, "Uh-oh..." Were the Volbonans really planning to kill them?!
"No! Don't you dare kill us!" Spewart said.
"After the trouble you caused here, stealing our Stupendous Stew, the four of you deserve to suffer a nasty fate." said another Volbonan.
"That does it! We're leaving here now! Someone's going to have to tell the boss that if he wants his bride back so bad, then he can look here himself if she's not at the Seaside Kingdom. We're gonna get killed if we don't get our fluffy little behinds out of here!" said Rango.
The Broodals turned their ship around and flew back to Bowser's Kingdom, waiting for Bowser to call and give them the verdict on the Seaside Kingdom. When Bowser called, Topper was quick to answer his smartphone on the first ring, saying, "Topper here. Go ahead, Boss."
"Well, I'm mad. Someone managed to uncork the fountains, but I don't think Peach was the one who did the job. She's not that strong, or even that smart. And I know for a fact that Mario isn't the culprit, because he's pushing daisies! I took care of him personally!" Bowser began.
The Broodals looked at each other in shock. They forgot to tell Bowser that Mario wasn't dead! But now they knew that it was best to keep their mouths shut and never tell him what happened at the Snow Kingdom! If he found out that Mario was still alive, and that they failed to stop him over there...
"Anyway, I looked all over this kingdom for Peach, but I can't find her anywhere. She didn't leave any footprints for me to follow! And the people all claim that they haven't seen a beautiful blonde woman in pink with a talking tiara on her head walking around here. I think they know more than they're letting on, but they won't let me find out." Bowser added.
"So it sounds to me like you'd better go check out da Luncheon Kingdom, Boss. Maybe dat's where your bride went, and she might be gorging on sweets over there. Perhaps she's going to let herself go so she won't look as attractive as you thought, and as a result, you'll change your mind about marryin' her." said Topper.
"First of all, Bunny-Boy, Peach is a princess, and she has an image to maintain! She must keep herself slim, trim, and drop-dead gorgeous at all times! There's no way is she going to let herself go, especially on her wedding day, the one day of her life where she can't afford to look bad! Secondly, I know I told the four of you to check that place for me while I was checking out this place. Didn't you do it?" Bowser asked.
"Boss, believe us when we tell you that we wanted to look for her, but we couldn't do that. And for all we know, she wasn't even there." Rango said.
"Yeah, we had to leave as soon as we got there! The people were more than a little angry with us for stealing their stew for your wedding. They were hell-bent on getting revenge on us in the worst way." Hariet added.
"So what?" Bowser asked. He didn't seem to care that his wedding planners were in big trouble with the Volbonans in the Luncheon Kingdom. That was their problem, not his.
"Boss, if we stuck around that kingdom any longer, we would not be having this conversation right now. The people there were so angry with us for stealing their food, they were actually thinking of adding the four of us as an extra ingredient in the next batch of their famous stew! Get the picture?!" Spewart asked.
"I sure do! Mmm... it's been a long time since I've had yummy rabbit stew..." Bowser said. He was practically drooling all over his black smartphone as he licked his chops.
The Broodals heard that, and they all looked at each other and gasped in a 'he-did-not-just-say-that' kind of way, and then Topper looked at his siblings and said, "All right. All in favor of throwing in da towel and not finishing da planning of dis weddin', say 'aye'."
"Aye!" said Hariet, Rango, and Spewart.
"All opposed?" Topper asked.
The sound of crickets chirping was heard.
"Okay, it's decided. We're all done here." said Topper.
"What was that?" Bowser asked.
"We quit." Rango replied.
"You quit? You can't quit." Bowser said.
"We can, and we have!" Spewart said in an angry voice.
"I'm still your boss, you know, and I command you to get your cotton-tailed little butts back to the Luncheon Kingdom and start searching for my runaway bride! NOW!" Bowser demanded.
"No! We're calling it quits and going home! So you're not our boss anymore!" said Hariet.
"I mean it! If you don't do as I say..." Bowser started.
"GO SOAK YOUR HEAD, YOU MEANIE-FACE!" the Broodals yelled, having had enough of him and his stupid demands for one wedding.
"Okay, that's it! I'm telling your manager what you're doing! She'll have a bone to pick with you when she hears about this!" Bowser said.
"Not unless we tell Madame Broode about you first!" said Topper.
"I'll beat you to it! I've got her on speed-dial!" Bowser said.
"That's what you think!" Hariet thought as she pulled out her royal purple smartphone. The rabbit quickly found Madame Broode's number on her contact list. She chose to call the number, hoping Madame Broode would pick up, and when she answered, Hariet was quick to tell her about Bowser and what he said and did to make them angry enough to quit working for him.
"He said that, did he?! Don't you worry your pretty little head, my darling. I'm currently at the Moon Kingdom, but after what you said, tell your brothers that I'm on my way over to your location right now, and I'm going to have the matter out with your so-called boss." Madame Broode said to Hariet.
"You're bluffing." Spewart retorted during Hariet's talk with Madame Broode.
"Am not!" Bowser said.
"Then call her! Go ahead and call her right now!" Rango challenged.
"I will!" said Bowser, but Spewart was right about him. The Koopa King was bluffing. He didn't have Madame Broode's phone number at all; he just wanted to scare them. So he prank-called one of his lesser minions instead. When he called the Broodals back, he sounded rather triumphant as he said, "When I get back to my kingdom, you're all gonna be in a world of trouble."
"Not as much trouble as you're going to be in." said Topper to himself. It was obvious that Bowser was lying to them. Hariet told them what Madame Broode said, and he knew that Bowser wouldn't sound so triumphant if he really had spoken with her.
Later, Madame Broode arrived in Bowser's Kingdom to find that Bowser had returned, and he was yelling at her darling Broodals. Well, that was something she couldn't bear. Her darling Broodals didn't deserve to be treated that way by some ugly turtle in a fruity white tuxedo.
"That's quite enough from you!" Madame Broode yelled at Bowser, slapping a huge sticker that said, "Do Not Open Until Dec. 25th" on Bowser's big, fat trap, shutting him up for the time being.
"Yay, Madame Broode!" Topper, Hariet, Rango, and Spewart cheered, jumping up and down in happiness at the sight of their manager. They knew she wouldn't let them down.
"Now tell me again, my darling Broodals: what did that horrible, loud-mouthed monster say to you when you told him just why you couldn't go back to the Luncheon Kingdom?" Madame Broode asked.
When they told her, she gasped the same way the Broodals did, and by that time, Bowser finally managed to get the sticker off of his mouth. It was then that he noticed Madame Broode, and she was glaring daggers at him.
"Don't believe them! They're the ones who disobey direct orders! And the worst part is, I'll bet you're the one who told them that it's okay to do that, you old sow!" Bowser yelled.
Well, there were two things that Madame Broode could not, and would not tolerate. One was when people hurt her darling Broodals. The other thing was people calling her 'fat', even without saying the actual word. Needless to say, Bowser was not about to get away with this.
"HOW DARE YOU!" Madame Broode yelled, sounding like Gladys the Hippo Lady from "Rocko's Modern Life". She then slugged Bowser all the way to the Sand Kingdom, and he ended up in the room where Knucklotec was. The big stone deity was very surprised to see Bowser. Also, given that the first guy he fought said he didn't take the ring, maybe this one knew who took it.
"Oh, this is just great! That fat old hag slugs me out of my kingdom and all the way over here, away from the supplies for my wedding. And I was more than ready to use that Binding Band on Peach, so she will always be mine..." Bowser muttered, his back to the stone deity.
Knucklotec knew that the ring he guarded was referred to as the Binding Band, and when he heard Bowser mention it, he was less than happy. He flew right in front of the Koopa King with surprising speed and shouted at him in a really loud voice, "YOU take ring?!"
Bowser jumped a foot in the air when the stone-thing appeared in front of him and yelled at him. But then he realized that it was calling him a thief.
"No, I didn't take your stupid ring! The rabbits who betrayed me-" Bowser started, before being cut off by the angry Knucklotec yelling, "YOU... CALL RING STUPID! RING NOT STUPID! YOU TAKE RING!" And then he gave Bowser a vicious uppercut that sent him flying up and out of the arena. In fact, he was sent flying right out of the Sand Kingdom!
Bowser screamed like a little girl as he flew over several kingdoms before finally landing right in the cooking pot on top of Mount Volbono in the Luncheon Kingdom, where the rest of the Stupendous Stew was being cooked.
"Oh crap! I'm not supposed to be in here! And... oh no! This stuff has ruined my wedding tux! I can't get married like this!" Bowser exclaimed in anger.
"Hey everyone, you've got to see this! An ugly turtle in a fruity white tux just landed right in our brand new villain-boiler!" a Volbonan exclaimed in delight.
"What are you, crazy?! There's no such thing as a villain-boiler!" Bowser exclaimed, before the volcano erupted and sent him flying out of the pot!
Bowser screamed like Zazu when he was launched out of the birdie-boiler in the animated version of "The Lion King", but the eruption sent the Koopa King flying all the way to... the Moon Kingdom. He landed right outside the Wedding Hall, his white tux stained with Stupendous Stew and moondust, and it was all wrinkled. He couldn't get married like this!
"Oh, great! I'm at the wedding venue, but I still don't have my bride with me. And... I was right there in the Luncheon Kingdom, wasn't I?! I probably could have found her there! Why did I have to land in that stupid pot?! More importantly, why didn't I just jump out of that stupid pot and go look for her before that lousy eruption sent me here?! I'm such an idiot." Bowser groaned.
He had nothing better to do now, so he went into the Wedding Hall and found that it was empty. It seemed as though the guests never showed up, or if they had, they got tired of waiting for him and the bride to show up and went back home. Perhaps they assumed that the wedding wasn't going to happen anytime soon, so they gave up and left.
"Well, this stinks..." Bowser muttered under his breath. But thankfully, he still had his smartphone on him, and it still worked after everything he'd been through, much to his relief. He did the only thing he could think of: he called up Jr. and the Koopalings and asked them to come and get him in an airship and bring him back to their castle.
"But Papa, I don't understand. Aren't you supposed to marry Mama Peach here?" Bowser Jr. asked their father when he and his older adopted siblings arrived at the Moon Kingdom to pick him up.
"I wanted to, but I'm afraid that it's not going to happen today, kids... I'll have to try again someday... after my wounded pride heals..." Bowser said. He was not at all happy that he was still a widower. He was even angrier that he had to pay the Broodals to put the wedding supplies back where they found them. They told him that if he didn't pay them, then he'd have to do it himself.
Meanwhile, Mario, Peach, Cappy, and Tiara were in New Donk City. Pauline had returned from the Moon Kingdom, and she mentioned that the day was her birthday. So Mario and Cappy looked around and found her a new purse as a birthday present. Pauline was very pleased with the gift, and after giving Mario a Power Moon in return, she asked him if there was anything else she could do to thank him.
"Well, do you think that maybe we could have il Festival della Musica, the Music Festival again real soon, like tonight? I told my girlfriend, Bowser's runaway bride, about it, and she feels so bad that she missed it. Plus, you were right about it being right up my alley. I rather enjoyed it." Mario said.
"You're both in luck. I was planning to have the Music Festival tonight anyway, to finish celebrating my birthday. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Pauline asked.
Mario thought for a moment, and then he said, "Well, I was wondering if..." He beckoned for Pauline to come real close, and he whispered something in her ear. It must have been pretty good, because she smiled and said, "Oh, that's easy!" And she quietly gave him directions to some place, for she finished up by saying, "And you're there!"
"All right!" said Mario. He then turned to Peach and said, "Dolcezza, sweetie, I need to go and run an errand here in New Donk City. I won't be gone long, but you and Tiara can talk with Pauline in the meantime."
"Okay..." Peach said. She and Mario shared a quick kiss on the lips before Mario walked off. With Mario gone, Peach looked at Pauline and asked, "What is he really up to?"
"Sorry, Your Highness, but I'm sworn to secrecy. However, I'm sure that Mario will tell you all about it when he's good and ready." Pauline replied.
"Oh... all right." said Peach. So she and Pauline started talking and getting to know each other. This was good, for they didn't really talk to each other all that much during visits to Super Mini Mario World. Peach and Tiara told Pauline how they got away from Bowser in the Seaside Kingdom, and Pauline told them how Mario saved New Donk City.
"Mario told me about that. He's always good at fixing whatever Bowser ruins." Peach smiled.
"I noticed. He even helped make the Music Festival possible, you know. If it wasn't for Mario, then I know that the Music Festival would still be a pipe dream." Pauline replied.
The women even talked about things that they liked. Pauline was pleased that Peach loved to bake cakes because she just adored good cake. Peach was a wizard at baking cakes, so she promised to bake a cake for Pauline if she ever visited the Mushroom Kingdom.
Minutes later, Mario came back, looking really happy. He also said, "Fantastico! I see that the two of you have become buoni amici, good friends. I thought you girls might get along."
"I'm glad to say that any friend of yours is a friend of mine, Mario." Pauline replied, smiling as she put an arm around the princess's shoulders. Peach put an arm around Pauline's shoulders, and Mario quickly snapped a picture of them with his smartphone's camera.
After enjoying the Music Festival, Mario and Peach returned to the Mushroom Kingdom with Cappy and Tiara. A week had passed before Peach felt like visiting all those kingdoms she and Tiara had been through before, places Mario and Cappy had been, including the kingdoms they still had yet to visit.
"But we might need some tour guides as well, to show us around and help keep us safe, just in case..." Peach said, hinting that she'd like for Mario and Cappy to come along.
Mario and Cappy eagerly accepted the offer, and they all had a great time exploring the different kingdoms, including the ones they hadn't been to yet. And to their great surprise, the supplies for Bowser's wedding had all been returned to their proper places.
"Perhaps Bowser gave up. Maybe he knows that trying to marry you is fruitless, since you ran away from him and he hasn't found you." Mario said when he saw that the Binding Band, Lochlady Dress, and Soirée Bouquet were put back in their proper places.
"Maybe you're right. He didn't even try to look for me in the Mushroom Kingdom when we returned there after Pauline's birthday and the Music Festival. And I'm glad he didn't show up there because he'd find out that you're not dead like he thought. I'm afraid he would have killed you for real." Peach said.
About a month after their tour was over and Cappy and Tiara returned to Bonneton, Mario worked up the courage to ask Peach to marry him. He even had a ring, which he'd bought when they visited New Donk City. And Peach was so pleased that she accepted his proposal. Now they were ready to spend the rest of their lives together, and they'd live happily ever after.
The End
Wow! So that's what would have happened if Peach hadn't thought of taking control of Bowser's airship when the big dummy left her and Tiara on it. I hope you all enjoyed this alternate version of Peach's escape in the Seaside Kingdom!
