(A/N: So Mario is ready to ask the princess for her hand in marriage! But he only figured out where he wants to propose. What else are they going to do at Shooting Star Summit? Let's get this show on the road if we want to find out!)
The next morning, Mario woke up feeling pretty disappointed. Not only did he not come up with an interesting way to propose to his girl at Shooting Star Summit, he had an awful nightmare about Bowser having stolen the Star Rod again. The worst part was that the evil Koopa tried to kill Mario right in front of Peach before he even could get out a word of the big question! What an awful thing to dream about!
"Mama-mia! How can a guy even think of proposing to the woman he loves after having a dream like that?!" Mario asked himself as he got out of bed and grabbed a red shirt from the dresser and blue overalls from his closet. He and Luigi had to work today, so he got dressed for the day, made his bed, and slowly walked downstairs to see if breakfast was ready yet.
When Mario came downstairs, he was glad to see that Luigi was in the dining room, dressed for the day and having just prepared breakfast for the two of them. The younger plumber had already set the plates of food on the table, and now he was currently filling two glasses with orange juice. When he saw Mario, he smiled at him.
"Buongiorno, fratello. Good morning, bro." Luigi politely greeted his brother.
"I only wish that it was." Mario replied.
"What?! How can you think it's-a not a good morning? The sun is shining, and everything looks nice." Luigi said.
"Because I had un brutto sogno, a bad dream." Mario told him.
"Ohh... I'm sorry to hear that, Mario." Luigi said with a frown as he went to the kitchen to put the carton of juice back in the fridge.
"It wasn't your fault, Luigi. I'm the one who just had to bring up that stupido moment with Bowser before we went to bed last night, hence the reason why I had an annoying nightmare." Mario said with a sigh as he sat down and looked at the plate before him. It contained egg whites and toast.
"Well, either way, that moment did help you figure out where you want to propose to Peach, and that's kind of a good thing." Luigi said as he joined his brother at the table.
"You're right about that. But it still doesn't change the fact I had a nightmare about it." Mario replied.
"I hate to tell you this, but I didn't really dream last night. So it seems that neither of us had any luck figuring out a good way for you to propose to la principessa, the princess." Luigi sighed.
"I might have figured." Mario said as he got ready to eat.
As they enjoyed the most important meal of the day, Luigi said, "By the way, I was listening to the radio while I was preparing our food, and they said the weather this weekend is going to be very nice, with clear skies and sunshine. Now I was thinking if that's true, maybe we could plan on doing something fun with Peach, like go on a picnic."
"Yeah, we could do that..." Mario began, but he began to trail off as he thought about his brother's suggestion. A picnic with Peach actually sounded like a pretty good idea as part of his proposal plan. Maybe he could plan on him and Peach having a nice little picnic under the stars at Shooting Star Summit before he popped the question! That sounded great! However...
"Luigi..." Mario began.
"Yes, bro?" Luigi asked after swallowing a bite of toast.
"Uhh... a picnic with Peach does sound like a very good idea..." Mario continued.
"I thought you might like that suggestion. We should talk to her about it and see what she says." Luigi replied.
"But... well... I started thinking that... perhaps she and I... should go on a picnic ourselves... at Shooting Star Summit... So I can... propose to her..." Mario added, a little nervous.
"Just the two of you? At night?" Luigi guessed.
"Sì..." Mario replied, afraid that Luigi might not approve of them going on a picnic alone. After all, he was the one who came up with the idea of going on a picnic.
Luigi thought about it for a minute, before saying, "Come to think of it, that does sound like a very romantic thing for the two of you to do, and it would be a good way for you to ease into asking her the question. I think Peach would be una principessa felice, a happy princess if you were to do this."
"So... I should go for the picnic idea?" Mario asked.
"Sì. But when are you going on this picnic? I know you said you wanted to propose to Peach soon, but you didn't exactly say how soon." Luigi pointed out.
Mario was quiet for a moment, thinking about how he was going to word his answer, before asking, "Hmm... Didn't you say that the weather was going to be really nice this weekend?"
"I did." Luigi replied, nodding his head.
"Then it's-a settled. This weekend, I'm taking Peach along with me for a picnic under the stars at Shooting Star Summit, and after we eat, I'm going to ask her to marry me." Mario said.
"Mario, you might want to ask Peach if she can do this first, and she also has to approve of the idea as well." Luigi said.
"Oh, right." Mario said, feeling stupid. What if Peach was busy this weekend? And would she really want to have a picnic at night? What if she thought it was too dangerous? After all, Bowser wasn't afraid to try and kidnap Peach at night. He proved that by taking her away during the night of both the Star Festivals.
"Secondly, if Peach does agree to this picnic, who is going to prepare the food for it? Are you going to do it, or are you going to leave it up to her?" Luigi asked.
Mario could've slapped himself. Of course! Not only did he have to ask Peach if she was free this weekend, a picnic also needs food. He knew that Peach was the one who prepared the food for their picnics in the past, but this one was his idea, not hers like all the other ones.
"Well, since I got the idea of the picnic this time around... I think... I should prepare the menu for it. But I might need some help when it comes to preparing the food in time..." Mario said.
"Say no more! I'll be glad to help you if Peach is able and willing to go!" said Luigi.
"Grazie! Thanks, Luigi! Now all I have to do is call Peach and see what she says to this idea!" Mario said, pulling out his smartphone. But when he called up the castle, Toadette answered the phone. Mario politely asked her if he could speak to Peach, but the female Toad said that the princess was currently in the middle of a royal council meeting, so she couldn't talk to him until it was over.
"Oh... Well, I guess I'll call her later, then." Mario said as he ended the call. He couldn't help feeling a little disappointed that he didn't get to speak to his woman.
"Yeah, maybe you can try and reach her while we're having lunch. Chances are the meeting will be long since over by then, and she'll be feeling well enough to talk with you, since she usually feels drained after those meetings." Luigi suggested.
"You're right. Those meetings never last too long, but they still manage to bore her to tears and tire her out. So by the time the two of us stop for lunch, she should be able to speak with me." Mario said as he and Luigi finished their meal, gathered their tools, and got ready to go to their job.
Later that day, the Mario Bros. had made good money for the plumbing work they did, and by then, it was time for them to stop for lunch. Luigi was driving to the restaurant they were going to eat at, so Mario seized the opportunity to pull out his bright red smartphone and call Peach.
"I hope she'll pick up this time." Mario said to himself as he quickly dialed the number of Peach's smartphone, hoping for the best.
At Peach's Castle, the princess was in her room. She was tidying things up when she heard the "Super Mario Bros." theme playing. She looked at her nightstand and saw that her smartphone was making that sound. The phone's screen also showed Mario's smiling face. Peach knew that the tune and picture meant Mario was calling her, so she picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"
"Ciao Principessa. Hello, Princess." Mario's voice replied. He sounded happy to hear her lovely voice.
"Mario! It's so good to hear from you, sweetie! How are you doing?" Peach asked, smiling at the sound of Mario's cheerful voice.
"Good, now that I'm able to talk with you." Mario replied, blushing. Hearing Peach call him by a sweet nickname always had that effect on him.
"Aww! Mario, you're such a little sweetheart, do you know that?" Peach asked.
"No, you're the sweetheart, Peach. Everyone in the Mushroom Kingdom loves you! And it's-a not just because you're their princess, either." Mario told her.
"I suppose that's true. And while I love this kingdom and care very deeply for my subjects, you're still the one I love the most." Peach replied.
"See? This is exactly why you're the sweetheart." Mario told her.
"Okay, I believe you. Now, I'm sure you must have a good reason for calling me up." Peach said.
"And you're right. There is a reason why I'm calling you, Peach, and it's-a not just to tell you how sorprendente, amazing you are, or that I love you, even though those are usually the reasons for 99% of my calls." Mario said.
"Really? What's the reason this time?" Peach asked, blushing at the fact that Mario said he loved her. He was a special part of her life, and she felt lucky to be the woman who had stolen his heart, the way he had stolen hers...
"Uh... Do you have anything planned... for this weekend, Peach?" Mario asked.
"I don't know for sure, but I can ask Toadsworth. He should know. Hold on." Peach said. She hurried downstairs with her phone and found Toadsworth making his way to the dining hall, since it was about time for lunch.
"Toadsworth!" Peach called as she caught up to the old Toad.
"Princess! I was wondering where you disappeared to after the meeting." Toadsworth said, turning to face the princess.
"I was in my room, but I have a question for you." Peach explained.
"What kind of question? I'll answer it if I can." Toadsworth said.
"I was wondering, do I have anything to do this weekend, like something that involves leaving the kingdom, or something or other?" Peach asked.
Toadsworth thought for a moment before saying, "No, not that I know of... Why?"
"Mario's calling, and he asked me about it, but I wasn't really sure, so that's why I asked you." Peach replied, before speaking into the smartphone again, saying, "I'm free this weekend, Mario. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was thinking that maybe... the two of us... could go to Shooting Star Summit... for a picnic under the stars... this weekend... if you want to..." Mario said.
"Wow, really?! Oh Mario, that sounds so lovely and romantic! I would love to do that!" Peach replied in surprise. The two of them had never done anything as wonderful as that before, and she loved the sound of it.
"Great! I was hoping you might like that idea!" Mario said.
"Now it's this weekend, you say? What night?" Peach asked.
"Saturday night. That's the best night for us to do something like this." Mario replied.
"You're right. Saturday would be the best for both of us. By the way, which of us is preparing the meal that we're going to eat?" Peach asked.
"I'm taking care of that." Mario said.
"Well, given you're the one asking me out, I guess that makes perfect sense. So, give me the plan." Peach said.
"Okie-dokie! I'll come and pick you up around 7:00 p.m. on Saturday night, and then we'll make our way to Shooting Star Summit. When we get there, we'll have our picnic." Mario told her.
"That sounds fair enough! I should be ready for you by that time." Peach smiled.
"And because we're adults, we can stay out there as long as you want to. You're the princess, and I'm willing to stay out there with you as long as you want me around." Mario said.
"Great!" Peach replied.
"All right. I'll talk to you later, mia principessa, my princess!" Mario said.
"Bye, Mario. I love you!" Peach said.
"Anch'io ti amo. I love you, too, Peach. Buh-bye!" Mario replied, ending the call.
When Peach knew the call was over, she told Toadsworth, "Mario and I are going for a picnic under the stars at Shooting Star Summit on Saturday night. This Saturday, to be precise."
"You are? So that's why he wanted to know if you were busy." Toadsworth said.
"That's why. He's such a romantic young man, and I feel like the luckiest princess in the world to have him as my loving boyfriend!" Peach said, sighing lovingly as she thought about her red-clad beau. She couldn't think of anything that was more romantic than picnicking under the stars with the most special man in the Mushroom Kingdom.
"All right, then, Princess. But given that Master Mario is thinking about taking you to a place like that for a starlight picnic, I must advise you to please be on your guard. I wouldn't be surprised if he actually had... something naughty... on his mind." Toadsworth said.
"Toadsworth! You can't possibly be thinking that Mario would be planning this picnic to try and get me in 'the mood', because he would never do a thing like that. Mario has always been a perfectly well-behaved gentleman, and you know it! But even if he was thinking about doing such a thing, I am sure Luigi would be able to discourage him from following through with such thoughts." the princess scolded him.
Toadsworth thought about her words for a moment, and then he looked sheepish as he replied, "You're right, Princess. I wasn't thinking straight. I should know that Master Mario would never go that far with you. He knows as well as the rest of us that you are a prim, proper young lady, and so you're in the right to say that he wouldn't dream of trying to push you into doing something so... un-ladylike... until you and him are married."
Peach blushed at the thought of her and Mario being married. She still felt bad for turning him down and hurting his feelings, even though she had apologized for it. But she said, "Exactly! And now I know that I'm going to spend Saturday afternoon making myself look pretty for him." And with that, she made her way back upstairs to put her phone away.
Back with Mario, the red-capped plumber was blushing furiously and smiling so widely that his cheeks hurt. And Luigi noticed, for he said, "All right. I know the princess agreed to the idea of the picnic, Mario. That's got to be the reason why you're grinning like un idiota. But what did she say to get you shaming your cap and shirt?"
"Peach really knows how to make me blush, Luigi. She's always calling me by these sweet little nicknames that women call the men they love, and she reminded me that I'm the one she loves the most." Mario replied, his face turning even redder at that thought.
"Mama-mia! At the rate the two of you were going, I thought for sure you were going to forget all about your picnic plan and just propose to her over the phone!" Luigi said.
"Cosa sei, pazzo?! What are you, crazy?! I wouldn't do that! Peach would never say 'yes' if I asked her the big question over the phone! She wouldn't be able to see the engagement ring and give me a straight answer if I did that!" Mario exclaimed.
"Whoa! Don't get so excited, bro! I know you're way smarter than that. But the way she had you blushing so deeply, I thought for sure you were going to get caught up in the heat of the moment and ask her to marry you right then and there!" Luigi said.
"Okie-dokie, I don't suppose I can blame you for thinking that sort of thing might happen. Peach did have me about ready to say something close enough to a proposal. But ho tenuto a freno la lingua, I held my tongue. I wasn't about to spoil everything." Mario said.
Later that night, as the brothers enjoyed a pizza for dinner, Luigi said, "So, let's start discussing Saturday night. What are you and Peach going to eat on this picnic, anyway? Would you like to have something fancy, or something simple?"
"Well, I really don't think I want to prepare something fancy. Peach might get suspicious if the meal is fancy, and the proposal is supposed to be a surprise for her. I don't want her to suspect." Mario said.
"Ah, so you want to keep the meal simple. Well, I think we can do that." Luigi said.
"Right. We'll probably have sandwiches for the main course." Mario said.
"Those are easy enough to make, and you also know what kinds of sandwiches Peach likes to eat, due to the picnics we've been on in the past." Luigi said.
"Yeah, and they'll even have the crusts cut off." Mario added.
"Why am I not surprised?" Luigi asked.
"Luigi, you know that I never liked the crusts. Plus, I noticed that Peach cuts the crusts off of those delicious little tea sandwiches she likes to make." Mario said.
"Does she really? I never noticed that before..." Luigi mumbled. But then he asked, "What else are you and Peach going to eat on this picnic? Devilled eggs?"
"No... I don't think so... Maybe hard-boiled eggs would be better, since this picnic is simple. And we'll need salt and pepper for them." Mario said.
"Right. You do need salt and pepper for hard-boiled eggs." Luigi said. Then he said, "I almost forgot. You two might also want something to drink with that food to wash it down. What are you going to drink?"
"Well, I do want Peach to be happy on this picnic, so I think we'll prepare one of her favorite drinks: limonata rosa, pink lemonade!" Mario announced.
"Of course. She does like to drink that on our picnics." Luigi said.
"And it has to be the Crystal Light brand. She says that it's the best pink lemonade there is." Mario added.
"I do remember hearing her say that when she drank some during the last picnic we went on, so we'll make sure to get some of that." Luigi recalled.
"Now we need to figure out what we're having for dessert." Mario said.
"Ooh, that may not be easy... Are you going to pick up something from the bakery in Toad Town before you pick her up for the picnic?" Luigi asked.
Mario was lost in thought for a moment, and then he said, "No, I don't want to do that. But I was wondering: don't you have any good cookie recipes in your recipe books?"
"Cookies? Questa è una buona idea! That's a good idea. And even better, you're right! I do recall a few of the books containing some delicious ones! Let's-a go check them out after we finish eating!" Luigi said.
After the brothers finished their meal, they put the rest of the pizza in the fridge for leftovers, and then they began to look through Luigi's recipe books for some good cookies that were simple to make. They found a good cookie recipe in The Little House Cookbook, and it was called "Ma's Best Butter Cookies".
"Oh! Those sound good." Mario said as he looked at the recipe.
"Butter cookies... And you're right, Mario. The recipe is simple, but it sounds good. Really good." Luigi smiled.
"Then that's what we're going to make!" Mario said.
"All right!" Luigi smiled.
That Friday, after finishing up their work for the week, Mario and Luigi went to the store and, along with their groceries, they bought the ingredients they were going to need for the picnic food.
"Think the meal I'm planning will be enough to impress Peach?" Mario asked.
"The food should help you relax enough to ask her to marry you. I'm kind of worried about you being too scared to follow through with your proposal plan." Luigi said as they looked for a cashier who wasn't really busy.
"I'm hoping it will help me. But I can also ask the Star Spirits for the courage if I'm really that afraid to go through with it." Mario replied as they found a cashier and started setting the items on the counter for them to scan.
"That's true. And I'm sure they'll be glad to help you out, after the way you helped them out when they were in trouble. In fact, I think they're the reason why you haven't died whenever You-Know-Who attempts to you-know-what..." Luigi said.
"Probabilmente hai ragione. You're probably right." Mario replied.
After the brothers paid for the stuff, the cashier said to Mario, "I don't know what you're up to, Mario, but it must be pretty important, so I'm going to wish you luck with it."
"Grazie! Thank you!" Mario said as he and Luigi took the groceries home.
And this is where Chapter 2 ends. Now Mario has his plan, but will everything go right? Well, you're going to have to stay tuned if you want the answer to that question.