(A/N: Wow! Did I really just take this story to 4 chapters? This story has got more to it than I first thought! But we don't have time to think about that; it's time to get this show on the road! As Mario would say, let's-a go!)
Mario was making his way to Princess Peach's Castle, carrying the picnic basket. He looked up at the sky, where stars were beginning to appear.
"Please let everything go well tonight..." Mario mentally pleaded to the stars, hoping the Star Spirits were out and about and could hear his unspoken wish.
When Mario finally arrived at the castle, he knocked on the doors and waited politely for someone to answer.
Princess Peach was in her room upstairs, making the finishing touches to herself as she sat before her vanity table. She was dressed, had her hair done, her make-up applied, and was wearing the jewelry of her choice (as well as her crown). The princess was just spritzing on some perfume called 'Sweet Honesty' when she heard the knock at the doors. Sure enough, she saw that it was already 7:00!
"Oh my goodness! That must be Mario! He's here!" Peach excitedly thought as she leaped to her feet, grabbed her smartphone, put it in her purse, and shouldered her purse as she turned off the lights, ran out of the room, and hurried to the stairs. She couldn't wait to see Mario!
Meanwhile, Toadsworth had opened the door and was pleased to see Mario standing before him.
"Well, good evening, Master Mario!" Toadsworth greeted the plumber.
"Good evening, Toadsworth..." Mario mumbled, feeling a little nervous.
"I assume you're here for the princess?" Toadsworth asked.
"Why, yes I am." Mario replied, trying to keep himself calm.
"Jolly good. She has been looking forward to seeing you again, ever since you invited her on this picnic you've planned." Toadsworth said.
"Well, I thought it would be something nice and romantic for the two of us to do, you know?" Mario said.
"Mario! You're here!" Peach happily exclaimed as she quickly but carefully made her way down the stairs, looking positively thrilled at the sight of her boyfriend.
Mario looked at Peach. She looked so lovely and happy, and she was dressed the way she was for their vacation at Isle Delfino. He couldn't believe he was going to be asking her the big question tonight. He was starting to forget about his nervousness when he saw her.
"Buonasera, mia principessa. Good evening, my princess. Are you ready to go?" Mario asked the princess, removing his cap and bowing deeply.
"Of course I am. Now as you would say, let's-a go!" Peach smiled as she gave him a curtsy.
Then Mario straightened up, put his cap back on, returned the smile, and held out his hand for Peach's delicate hand. She gladly took it. But right when they were about to leave the castle...
"Hold on a second!" Toadsworth began.
Mario and Peach looked at each other and rolled their eyes in annoyance as they turned to face the old Toad. They couldn't help thinking, "Here we go again..."
"Oh, come on! You know that they need this lecture!" Toadsworth glared at the author.
But the readers, like Mario and Peach, couldn't really care less about your long, boring lectures. So do us all a favor and just tell Mario and Peach the most important part so they can get going and the story can continue.
"Oh, all right. Fine. Master Mario, you must promise me that you will keep a close eye on Princess Peach at all times." Toadsworth started.
"I always do. You know that." Mario replied, smiling at Peach, who smiled back at him.
"And I want the two of you to behave yourselves while you're on this picnic." Toadsworth added.
"We will." Mario and Peach replied in unison.
"Very well. Have fun!" Toadsworth said. He watched the pair until they were out of sight.
There! That wasn't so hard now, was it?
"Hey! I wanted to say a lot more than that to those two, but you never give me the chance to say enough in these fanfics!" Toadsworth said to me as he closed the castle doors.
I could let you say more, but if I did that, the readers would easily get bored and fall asleep before the story got to the most exciting part. Plus, I might get a lot of angry reviews and comments if I allowed you to lecture Mario and Peach. When I cut out your lectures, it's for the greater good, so you might as well get used to the idea.
"Okay, you win this round..." Toadsworth said, accepting defeat. There was absolutely no point in arguing with the author of the story. It wasn't going to get him anywhere.
Great! Now let's join Mario and Peach (since we're supposed to be with them right now), and see how they're doing.
As Mario and Peach walked to Shooting Star Summit, they were quietly talking and laughing and clearly enjoying each other's company. They were happy to be together again.
"I've been looking forward to this picnic ever since you asked me out, Mario." Peach told her beau.
"I know. Toadsworth told me. And I've been looking forward to spending the evening under the stars with you, Peach. And it looks like we're going to be in for una bella notte, a beautiful night." Mario replied to his princess as they began to see shooting stars. If they were seeing those, then they were obviously nearing their destination.
"Aww... How did I get so lucky to have a man as wonderful as you in my life?" Peach asked.
Mario smiled, shook his head, and told Peach, "No, Peach, I'm the lucky one."
"You're so special and sweet, Mario. None of my previous suitors were as wonderful as you. You may not be royalty like they were, but I think you should know that you are better than them in every way." Peach said.
Mario felt his face flush as red as his cap. He knew that all of Peach's previous suitors were men of noble birth, and here she was, telling him he was better than men of nobility. It was high praise for a common plumber from Brooklyn. He smiled at Peach and said, "Grazie, Peach. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Mario." Peach replied.
When the couple reached Shooting Star Summit, they immediately started looking for a place to set up their picnic, trying not to let the sight of the shooting stars distract them too much.
"Hmm... How about over there?" Peach suggested, pointing out a clear spot where they could get a good view of the shooting stars.
"There's good." Mario replied, and they walked over to the spot Peach pointed out.
Peach quickly found the blanket in Mario's picnic basket and spread it out on the ground. Then she and Mario sat down on the blanket and set the basket nearby.
"Okie-dokie. I'll start getting out the stuff." said Mario. First, he pulled out the cups, and the thermos that contained the drink.
"What did you bring for us to drink, Mario?" Peach asked as she watched her boyfriend open the thermos.
"Limonata rosa. Better known as pink lemonade. And non preoccuparti, don't worry, it's the Crystal Light brand." Mario replied as he poured two cups of the beverage.
"Oh, that's my favorite kind of pink lemonade! You're so sweet!" Peach said as she gave Mario a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Grazie. Thank you. And now here's il corso principale, the main course." Mario said as he looked in the basket and pulled out the sandwiches, which were in their own sandwich bags. He packed two for himself and two for Peach.
"Oh, you made sandwiches! And I see you even cut off the crusts, like I do whenever I make tea sandwiches." Peach said.
"Sì. But I only cut off the crusts because I don't like them. I never have." Mario said as he took a sandwich.
"What kind of sandwiches did you prepare for us?" Peach asked, picking up one of the bags he placed before her.
"Well, this one that I'm about to eat is peanut butter and jelly, my favorite. And the one that you're holding is butter and strawberry jam." Mario explained.
"That's one of my favorites!" Peach smiled.
"The other two sandwiches are cheese sandwiches. You know, the kind where you buttered both slices of bread and put 3 ultra-thin slices of cheddar cheese between them." Mario added, before taking a bite of his sandwich.
"My other favorite! Mario, you're so amazing!" Peach said as she started to eat her sandwich.
"I'm glad you're enjoying this picnic so far." Mario said, smiling as he watched the shooting stars. He was feeling pretty good right now, being under the stars with Peach, and enjoying a nice meal with her.
"This is really good, Mario." Peach smiled as she ate her sandwich. She couldn't think of a better way to spend her Saturday night.
"I can't take all the credit for the food, Peach. Luigi helped me prepare this meal, you know. He's un fratello meraviglioso, a wonderful brother." Mario replied as he looked at his princess. She was the loveliest woman he'd ever seen, and he was blessed to have her in his life. He'd let her know that later tonight, after they finished eating.
"He is, and you know that I love him like a brother, the way you do." Peach replied.
"I've noticed." Mario said. The plumber also knew that if he married Peach, Luigi would be her brother-in-law. Now that would be pretty neat, since she just admitted to loving him like a family member.
After they ate their sandwiches, Peach said, "The sandwiches were good, but I'm still pretty hungry. Did you pack anything else for us to eat, like I do when we go on picnics with Luigi and Toad?"
"Sì. I brought hard-boiled eggs. And I made sure to bring salt and pepper for the eggs, too." Mario said.
"Smart thinking." Peach smiled. This was such a nice evening, and Mario had prepared an equally nice meal for them to enjoy as they watched the shooting stars. She didn't know when she enjoyed herself more.
The couple felt content to sit and watch the shooting stars for a few moments after they finished the eggs, but then Mario asked, "Peach, do you still have room for dessert?"
"Oh yes, of course! What's for dessert, Mario?" Peach asked.
"I brought cookies! And not just any kind of cookies, either! Butter cookies!" Mario replied as he took the bag of cookies out of the basket.
"Butter cookies? It's been quite a while since I've had those." Peach said. She took a cookie from the bag and gasped in surprise and delight as she noticed the red star iced on it.
"Oh, that's really cute! Did you ice that star on the cookie?" Peach asked.
"Sì. Then Luigi helped me put icing stars on every last cookie once he realized what I was doing with one of them." Mario explained.
"I see." Peach said. She took a bite of the cookie, and after swallowing, she said, "Wow! This is really good. Where did you get these cookies?"
"Oh, Luigi and I made them. We found the recipe in The Little House Cookbook, and it was called, 'Ma's Best Butter Cookies'." Mario replied.
"Well, the book didn't lie about them being the best because I just told you that they're good. You've got to let me see that book sometime. It just might contain recipes I should consider trying." Peach said.
"I'll talk to Luigi about letting you borrow the book, and I'm sure he'll be more than happy to let you see it." Mario replied.
They sat eating their cookies as they talked and watched the stars. Peach never felt happier, being out here with Mario. And Mario was equally happy.
"This is such a wonderful night." Peach smiled as she leaned close to Mario, having finished the cookies.
"It sure is." Mario replied, looking at Peach with eyes full of love.
"You're the most wonderful man in the universe, Mario. You're so sweet, kind, handsome, and thoughtful." Peach told him.
"And you're more speciale than you might think. Now you probably think that I say you're speciale just because you're una principessa, a princess. You should know that I say it for other reasons. You are the sweetest, loving, most amazing, and bellissima, beautiful woman who ever lived, and I feel very blessed to have you in my life, Peach." Mario said.
Peach kissed him for that, then she stood up and looked at the stars, with her back to Mario.
"Peach, dolcezza, sweetie... What are you doing?" Mario asked.
"Making a wish." Peach said.
"Oh? What are you wishing for?" Mario asked.
"I can't tell you. It might not come true if I tell." Peach replied.
"Oh, right. Well, I think I'll make one, too." Mario said, standing as well. Since Luigi had wished for Bowser to stay away, Mario wished for courage. The courage to say the words he so desperately wanted to say at Honeylune Ridge, before everything fell apart. After making his wish, the plumber asked, "Peach, have you made your wish yet?"
"Yeah, I think so. I do hope the Star Spirits will grant it." Peach said.
"I'm sure they will. Or maybe Twink might have been listening and will see to it that you get your wish. He helped you out in the past, so I think he'd be glad to do it again." Mario said.
"I almost forgot about Twink! You're right, sweetie. I'm sure my wish will be granted if he was listening." Peach said, smiling as she turned to face her red-capped beau. She noticed that he seemed to be a little nervous about something. That made her feel concerned, and she asked him, "Are you okay, Mario?"
"I'm fine, dolcezza, sweetie. I just... have something I want to say to you..." Mario replied.
"What do you want to say?" Peach asked.
Mario took a deep breath, and then he felt the courage to open up and speak his piece.
"Princess Peach, I lost my heart to you the first moment I rescued you. But the only thing standing between us besides the big stupid Koopa King was the fact that you're royalty and I'm not. And that hurt, because you still had my heart, but I knew you deserved someone of noble birth, as long as that someone wasn't him." Mario began.
"That's true. I never wanted to be with that jerk in the first place." Peach replied.
"I know. But when you told me that status meant nothing to you because you loved me anyway... I knew that my heart was in very good hands." Mario added.
Peach blushed. She never would have guessed that Mario had harbored feelings of love for her from the moment they met each other. Not as babies, but when they met again... as grown-ups.
"I want you to know that I meant it when I told you that you're speciale, and I really am blessed to have you in my life, my princess. I love you more than my own life, which is why I'll stop at nothing until I know that you're completely safe. You should also know that because I love you so much, I'd love for us to spend every waking moment of our lives together, and that I'll continue to love you until the day I die." Mario continued, looking at Peach lovingly.
"Oh, Mario... You're so sweet and romantic..." The princess nearly swooned at his words. He knew how to flatter a girl and make her feel as special as he said she was.
"Now, cara mia, my darling, I must ask you the question that I've been wanting to ask you for quite some time." Mario added.
"What is the question, Mario?" Peach asked, although she had a pretty good idea of what he was going to ask her.
Mario quickly got down on one knee, produced the ring box, and opened it to reveal the 14-karat gold ring set with a heart-shaped ruby. Peach's hands flew to her mouth as her breath stopped in a gasp. Even though she had a feeling that he was going to do this, she hadn't counted on him having a ring, nor how lovely the ring was going to be.
"Princess Peach, mi vuoi sposare, will you marry me?" Mario asked, hoping that nothing would go wrong this time. He mentally begged the Star Spirits to make sure that no one bad was going to show up in order to ruin his proposal. That thought was something he could not handle. Not right now! Not when he was waiting for Peach to give him an answer.
Peach's eyes sparkled as she looked at the ring. She couldn't believe that this had happened. Mario had just asked her to marry him! Was that his plan when he invited her on this picnic? If it was, she was surprised that she hadn't seen it coming!
Her mind took her back to when she and Mario were on Honeylune Ridge, where he seemed to be trying to propose to her with a Rocket Flower, in an attempt to one-up their idiotic enemy. But he wasn't here; she had wished he'd stay away from them tonight, and thankfully, her wish was being granted. He wasn't showing his ugly mug in order to ruin this moment for either of them.
But now she had to give Mario an answer to his question. She knew what her answer was going to be if ever he thought to ask her again. After everything they'd been through since then, it was the answer he deserved to hear. She was ready.
"I... I-I will..." Peach replied, feeling emotional.
"You what?" Mario asked, trying not to look hopeful. Did she just say what he thought she said? He sure hoped so.
"YES! I will marry you! I love you so much!" Peach exclaimed, bursting into tears of joy as she wrapped her arms around Mario in a hug.
"Yahoo!" Mario cheered, wanting to jump for joy. But he didn't. He couldn't do that with Peach's arms around him. But he was so happy he couldn't complain. Instead, he took the ring out of the box and carefully slipped it onto the 4th finger of her left hand.
"It fits perfectly! Mario, how did you know my ring size?" Peach asked as she managed to look at the ring sparkling on her delicate hand.
"Remember that day earlier this week when I visited you at your castle? Well, I was feeling serious about you. Serious enough to ask you la grande domanda, the big question. So I asked you what your ring size was, and you told it to me without a second thought." Mario replied.
"I did? Wow, I must have been too lost in love to realize just what you were planning to do." Peach said.
"You had to be, but it was a good thing, for that's how I was able to pull this off and surprise you." Mario told her.
"That's another reason why I love you so much. You're always full of surprises!" said Peach as she pulled Mario close and kissed him on the lips. Mario was surprised, but he returned her kiss.
When they finally broke apart, Mario's face was as red as his cap.
"Mama-mia..." Mario said, feeling love-struck.
"You have no idea how happy you made me right now." Peach told him.
"I have some idea... You have stars in your eyes." Mario replied.
"You put them there, you know." Peach giggled.
"I do know." Mario said, still dizzy with passion. He felt like the luckiest man alive. This was the happiest night of his life so far, and he didn't want it to end.
"So, I really do think my wish came true tonight." Peach told him.
"Did you wish for me to propose to you?" Mario asked.
"No, because I didn't see the proposal coming. That was a surprise for me. I actually wished for You-Know-Who to stay away from us tonight." Peach replied.
"Really, now? Luigi told me that he was gonna wish for the same thing. But that's a good wish. I didn't want him ruining this night for us, either. No way could I handle another rejection." Mario replied.
Peach's face fell as she thought back to when she learned that she had broken Mario's heart. She hadn't meant to hurt him. It made her feel like the most awful person in the world; to have broken the heart of the sweetest man she had ever known, and the only man she would ever truly love.
"I really am sorry about that time I rejected you, Mario. I know that we were able to work it out and get our relationship back on track, but... I know that I could've handled the whole thing differently, to spare you a broken heart. I still feel bad, knowing how much I hurt you when all you ever did was love me, and save my life every time I was in peril." Peach said.
"Don't worry, Peach. Sure, I was heartbroken, but you know that you still owned my heart. I didn't want to give it to anyone else. You're the only woman I'll ever trust with it." Mario replied.
"And you're the only man I trust with my life. You never fail to save me, and I think it was a good thing you followed me on the world tour, to make sure Tiara and I were safe from harm. I knew I still loved you." Peach said.
"You're right about why I followed you. I didn't want anything bad to happen to either of you in any of those kingdoms... even though I had been putting them back to normal before you girls went to visit them." Mario replied.
"Even so, you're a wonderful man, and I'm glad we're engaged now." Peach replied, before kissing him on the cheek. Then she asked, "Is it okay for you to tell me what you wished for?"
"Sì. I wished for the courage to ask you the big question. I know I had a ring on me, and that this attempt was going to be different from the time I asked you at the end of our biggest adventure ever, but you couldn't blame me for needing the courage." Mario said.
"I know. You're such a brave man, and I'll be glad to call you my husband." Peach replied, sharing another kiss with her beloved plumber.
The couple sat close together on the picnic blanket, holding each other close as they watched the shooting stars. Neither of them were ready to leave each other's side and call it a night.
But this chapter has to end at some point, like now. And since I didn't write the words 'The End', there's still more to come, so stay tuned!