(A/N: So in that last chapter, Mario bought a ring for Peach and went home to Luigi, and Luigi wants to know who is fooling Bowser. Let's start this chapter and see what happens when he finds out!)
"Oh boy, here we go... È ora della parte difficile... Time for the hard part..." thought Mario, looking really nervous. And unfortunately for Mario, Luigi noticed.
"Mario, who was it?" Luigi asked, not sure if he was going to like the answer. Seeing Mario nervous was definitely not a good sign.
"Well... if I'm going to tell you properly... then I guess I should start from the beginning..." Mario started.
"Dovresti. You should. It's-a the best place to start." Luigi noted.
"We... well, we asked Toadette if we could... borrow her... her Super Crown... to pull this off... I think I... mentioned... that power-up to you... back when Toadette and the Toad Brigade... found it and... showed us what it does..." Mario added, sounding just as nervous as he looked.
"You have mentioned that power-up to me before, and I saw what it does... But if you're borrowing it from Toadette, then it means that you asked someone other than her to use it to trick Bowser." said Luigi. He looked into Mario's eyes and asked, "A chi hai chiesto? Who did you ask?"
Mario looked really uncomfortable now, which told Luigi that he was going to hate the answer. The younger brother watched as Mario swallowed and nervously said, "I asked... D-Daisy..."
"...Did you just say... Daisy? As in... Princess Daisy, the woman of my dreams?" Luigi asked, hoping he did not hear that answer correctly.
Mario knew that Luigi's reaction was not going to be good, and despite being known for his courage, he couldn't bring himself to verbally answer the question, or even look his brother in the eyes. He looked at the floor, but Luigi still saw him nodding his head yes as he did. This told Luigi that Mario was telling the truth. Daisy had been sent to Bowser in Peach's place.
The room was quiet. Too quiet for Mario and Cappy's liking... and then...
"HAI MANDATO LA MIA RAGAZZA A QUELLO CREEP?! YOU SENT MY GIRLFRIEND TO THAT CREEP?! WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU THINKING?!" Luigi shouted, scaring his brother and Cappy with his anger. The latter was so frightened that he turned back into Mario's hat and landed on Mario's head a little lopsided.
"Luigi, you know as well as I do that we couldn't send Toadette to trick Bowser! If we'd sent her, it wouldn't take long for Bowser to discover that he had been duped! And do you know what he would have done to her?! He would have killed Toadette! And after killing her, he would have killed me and taken Peach back." Mario explained as he reached up and straightened Cappy on his head.
"You do have a point..." Luigi said, before asking, "But since when is sending mia ragazza, my girl, to Bowser a good idea?!"
"Luigi, in case you're forgetting, Daisy is a tomboy; she's a big girl! She can hold her own against villains like Bowser! You know that! And had you come with us, you would've seen that she tricked him good! He really believed she was Peach when he saw her wearing the Super Crown!" Mario said.
"Oh, did he?" Luigi asked.
"He did! And I have a good feeling that she's making Bowser pay for all the horribly nasty things he did to Peach while she was with him! Daisy told us that her idea was to have some fun with Bowser until she reveals herself to him at the wedding, and the fun she spoke of meant no fun for him!" Mario said.
"And Bowser's not the least bit suspicious about Peach's odd behavior?" Luigi asked.
"He probably doesn't even notice. I saw how beautiful Peach looked in the wedding dress, so maybe he's been blinded by her loveliness. Or maybe he's too in love with the idea of getting married to my princess and ruling this kingdom to realize that something is up!" Mario said.
Luigi had to admit that Mario may be right. Bowser was usually ignorant of Peach's feelings, so perhaps he didn't notice that she was not acting like herself at all.
"Plus, I heard tell that Bowser is afraid of Daisy..." Cappy put in.
Then Luigi remembered the time Daisy slugged Bowser, claiming that 'he was in her way'. He said, "That's right... He did become really scared of her after she slugged him..."
"Yes! He won't hurt Daisy! He's too afraid of her to fight back! Her idea is to mess with him, then scare the daylights out of him at the wedding! After she stops him, we'll go get her, and then you can find out what she did to him. Okie-dokie?" Mario asked.
"Okie-dokie." Luigi said with a sigh. He still wasn't all that happy about his girl being in the clutches of Bowser, who had marriage on the brain, but if what Mario and Cappy said was true, then maybe it wasn't going to be a bad thing, like he thought. He had to remember that even though his girl was a princess, she was also a tough tomboy. She could easily hold her own against villains. She proved that when she slugged Bowser.
"So... can I please go upstairs and take my shower now? I kind of need one after everything I've been through." Mario asked.
"Yes, bro, you can go shower." said Luigi.
"Mario, is it okay if I stay down here and talk to your brother while you take your shower?" Cappy asked, turning back into his Bonneter self.
"Sì, you can talk to him... if he's in the mood for it." Mario replied as he made his way out of the kitchen.
"I don't mind." said Luigi, having overheard and giving Cappy a small, friendly smile.
"So, Luigi... Mario told me that despite living here, this mansion really belongs to you." Cappy said to Luigi once Mario was out of the room.
"He's right about that. It does." Luigi replied as he reached into the cupboard and got out 3 plates, which he set on the table.
"Since the mansion is yours, you're not going to kick Mario out for asking Daisy to switch places with Peach, are you?" Cappy asked.
"I think I overreacted on that, because I saw Daisy put Bowser in his place. And I know that as siblings, Mario and I have a tendency to get on each other's nerves every now and again. But no matter how angry he makes me, I could never bring myself to kick him out of the mansion." Luigi began.
"So, you're not mad at him anymore?" Cappy asked.
"I can't stay mad at him for too long. Mario and I always hug and make up in the end because we're gemelli, twins. Twins share a very special bond, and we're always going to care about each other, no matter what happens." Luigi explained as he took three glasses out of the cupboard and set them beside each plate.
"That's good." said Cappy. Then he asked, "So, how did you end up getting this glorious mansion in the first place? Do you think you can tell me about that?"
"Well, now that is an interesting story, Cappy..." Luigi said as he produced the napkins and forks, setting them in their proper places beside the plates. Then he sat down at the table and got ready to tell Cappy the story of how he got his mansion.
While this was going on, Mario went right to his bedroom. He took the black velvet ring box out of the pocket of his overalls and put it in the top drawer of his nightstand, for safe-keeping. Then he emptied his pockets and set everything on his bed before charging his smartphone. With that done, he took off his shoes and his gloves before grabbing some clean clothes from his closet and dresser, setting them neatly on his bed. Then he exited the room.
On his way to the bathroom, Mario passed by the linen closet, where he grabbed a washcloth and a towel. He peeked inside Luigi's bedroom (the door was usually open during the day) and he saw Polterpup sitting on Luigi's bed, having been awoken from his nap when his master yelled.
"Ciao, Doggy." Mario said, seeing the puppy.
When Mario said that, the dog looked at him, and his tail started to wag. Then Polterpup got down from the bed and ran over to the plumber, pouncing on him and knocking him down, causing him to drop the washcloth, and the bath towel.
"Whoa!" Mario yelled as he fell, landing on his back.
Polterpup then proceeded to shower his master's brother in dog drool by licking his face. It was obvious that the dog was glad to see him. Now even though Mario hadn't been prepared for this sort of greeting from the dog (he probably should've seen it coming), he was grateful that this was happening to him before he took his shower, rather than after.
"Hey! Taglialo fuori! Cut it out!" Mario said, laughing as he tried to push the dog away so he could at least sit up.
Eventually, Polterpup stopped licking the red-clad plumber's face and just looked at him, panting happily while wagging his tail.
"Good boy. Now go back to Luigi's room and lie down." Mario said, patting the dog's head. The ghost dog got off of Mario and rushed off to obey.
"Mama-mia. Ghost dogs. You can't live with them, you can't live without them." Mario chuckled to himself as he got to his feet, gathered his things, and walked into the bathroom to take his shower.
Several minutes later, Mario had finished taking a long, hot shower, and he felt so fresh and new. He dried himself off, brushed his hair, combed his mustache, and put on his red bathrobe and customized slippers. He walked back to his bedroom.
Once he was in his bedroom again, Mario shut the door and changed into his clean clothes, put his shoes and gloves back on, walked over to his nightstand, recovered the black velvet ring box from the top drawer, and slipped it into his pocket with his keys and wallet.
When Mario left his room, he went back to the bathroom to gather up his towel, washcloth, and yesterday's clothes. He dropped them all off in the laundry room before going to the kitchen, where he found Luigi sitting at the table and talking with Cappy. To Mario, it sounded like Luigi was just wrapping up some story.
"I asked Mario if he wanted to move in with me when this mansion was being built, but he was molto nervoso, very nervous about doing so. After what he had been through in that fake mansion, I didn't blame him; but I didn't fancy the idea of living here all by myself. And you know what? He didn't want to be alone, either, but he also didn't want to live in the mansion, despite the fact that this one was not going to be haunted." Luigi said.
"Poor Mario... he must have suffered something awful in that haunted mansion..." Cappy replied, feeling bad for his friend.
"Like you wouldn't believe." Luigi replied, before adding, "I didn't know where he was going to live, because he felt that he couldn't live with Peach unless he had a job in her castle, or if he married her. But Peach didn't say anything about hiring any guards, cooks, maids, servants, or anyone, and neither of them were making any wedding plans that I knew of."
"I really wouldn't be surprised if Mario was doing the latter after finding out what Bowser wanted to do." Cappy put in, thinking about the trip he and Mario took to that jewelry store before they came here.
"I wouldn't be too surprised, either, knowing how much my brother loves Peach. But he weighed his options while we worked on the mansion's plumbing, since we're plumbers. It helped, too, for Mario was able to see a lot of the mansion as it was being built. Before it was ready to live in, he decided that perhaps it would be for the best if he moved in with me. It took some time before he adjusted, and I did what I could to help him out." Luigi finished.
"I'll admit that you were very brave, Luigi, going into a haunted house, something that scared you, to save Mario's life. And then you were kind enough into invite him to live in the mansion with you, and you helped him adjust. You're a great brother. And I bet Tiara would be willing to help me if I was in her position." Cappy said.
"I'm sure she would be more than willing to do that, Cappy. I also think she had a feeling that the two of us were coming to rescue her, as well as Peach." Mario said, getting their attention.
Cappy and Luigi turned and saw Mario standing in the doorway to the room, smiling and waving at them.
"Oh! Mario, we didn't see you come in!" said Cappy.
"When did you get done taking your shower, bro?" Luigi asked.
"Not too long ago, and Doggy is still in your room, Luigi. He was awake, and very happy to see me." Mario said as he joined his brother at the table.
"While you were upstairs, the timer went off, so the lasagna is ready for eating." Luigi told Mario.
"Good. I'm just about ravenous." Mario replied.
"Mario, how can you be hungry again? We just ate breakfast not too long ago." Cappy pointed out.
"I know, but Luigi makes the lasagna just like our mama-mia used to. And it's-a so good!" Mario said.
"Mario's ability to be hungry after eating is one of those things that I have never been able to figure out about him, even though we're twins and I've known him all my life. But I still love him, and I won't complain if he eats slowly and politely, like he does when we dine at Peach's Castle." Luigi said.
"I mind my manners because Peach is royalty, and I know how to behave in front of people like that. I did so when we were staying at her castle after we saved her from Bowser for the very first time. Remember, when we finished up our first adventure here, we were trying to find a way to get back to Brooklyn, and Peach let us stay at her castle until we built that little place to stay in, and then we found our way home." said Mario.
"I do remember that. Then after we got back to Brooklyn, we realized that that we'd never been happier than we were during our stay in the Mushroom Kingdom, so we moved back into the home we left behind and expanded it. Now what do you want to drink with your lasagna?" Luigi asked.
"What do we have?" Mario asked.
"Well, I did prepare some cherry Kool-Aid this morning..." Luigi said, thinking out loud.
"Then I think I'll take a glass of Kool-Aid." Mario replied with a smile.
"I thought so." Luigi said. He knew Mario liked cherry Kool-Aid because it was red, his favorite color. He then turned to their guest and asked, "Would you like some Kool-Aid, Cappy?"
"Yes, please!" Cappy replied happily.
Luigi saw no harm in that, so he, Mario, and even Cappy had Kool-Aid to drink. After pouring the drinks, Luigi dished up the lasagna, and Mario planned to do as Luigi said. He was pretending that Peach was dining with them, and he ate the food very slowly and politely.
"Now Mario, Cappy mentioned to me that he has una sorellina, a little sister who needed rescuing, too. Is she staying at the castle with Peach?" Luigi asked.
"Actually, no." Mario replied after swallowing a forkful of lasagna.
"No?" Luigi asked.
"No, and do you know why? Because Bowser is a big, overgrown jerk! He refused to let her join Peach when he let her go in exchange for Daisy. And what's worse, he even yelled at Tiara and made her cry!" Cappy said, getting angry as he remembered the way Bowser frightened his sister right in front of him. Seeing someone upset sweet little Tiara always made Cappy's blood boil.
"Of course. He's as much of a jerk as King Boo is, except King Boo has a penchant for turning my friends and brother into paintings. He has a serious painting fetish that I just wish I could make him lose." Luigi said to Cappy.
"Also, Luigi, I had a thought. What if Bowser tried to marry Peach, only to find out that she was already engaged to someone else; someone who isn't him? He might not try to marry her if that's the case." Mario said to his brother.
"Mario, I know that if anyone should marry Peach, it really should be you. But if you're thinking of marrying Peach just to try and make Bowser leave her alone..." Luigi started.
"No, not entirely. The main reason I'd want to marry her is because I really do love her, Luigi. And I've been wanting to marry her for quite some time. I know now that I should have asked her to marry me a long time ago." Mario said.
"You're really going to do it?" Luigi asked, surprised.
"Sì." Mario replied, and he meant it.
"I know you love the princess, Mario, and I'm glad you want to marry her. Ma il matrimonio è serio. But marriage is serious. It's-a not something you can just throw away whenever you see fit. You have to know that Peach is the one you want to be with forever; that she's the only woman you'll ever love." Luigi said.
"I am serious about her, Luigi. I love Peach so much that I would give anything to spend the rest of my life with her. I can promise her that I will be a good husband to her, one who will always love her and treat her with the respect she deserves, royalty or not. And she must know that I would never, ever break my marriage vows because I promise to love her even after forever ends." Mario said.
"Okay, now that's poetry." Cappy said to himself.
"If you really feel that way about Peach, and you know that she loves you back, then I must tell you to go for it." said Luigi, before asking, "Now, since we know that you really love the princess and want to marry her, just when are you planning on asking her the big question?"
"Stasera. Tonight." Mario replied.
Luigi almost did a spit-take of Kool-Aid when Mario said that. But after he managed to swallow his drink, he said, "Bro, I'm not trying to put you down or anything, but do you really think Peach will be up for giving a positive answer to your marriage proposal after Bowser attempted to marry her?"
"Yeah, Mario. Luigi does have a point; it might be too soon... What if Peach shoots you down like a duck when you ask her the big question?" said Cappy.
"I know there's the chance of that happening... But what if Bowser is still feeling okay enough to continue chasing after Peach when Daisy works him over? I've got to do it now. I can't risk Bowser trying to marry her again. Peach has been through more than enough with him this time. He treated her worse than ever before." Mario replied.
Luigi and Cappy thought about that.
"Good point, bro. Yeah, you'd better ask Peach the question while the chance is there. She won't have to go through any trouble if you're her husband-to-be." Luigi said.
"Getting engaged to you, someone she really loves, just might be enough to completely cheer her up." Cappy said.
"Exactly. So I'm going to do it." Mario said as he finished eating. Sure enough, he had eaten slowly and politely.
"Wow! You used good table manners as you ate the lasagna. Buon lavoro. Good job, Mario." Luigi praised, realizing that his brother had eaten politely.
"Grazie, fratello. Thanks, bro." Mario replied.
"And mind you, if you marry Peach, you're going to need to remember to eat like that more often." said Luigi.
"I'm more than willing to do that for Peach. I love her more than any other woman I've known." said Mario.
After finishing their lunch, Mario and Cappy told Luigi all about their adventure.
"I can't believe Bowser actually tried to kill you right in front of Peach. Doesn't he realize that that's a very good way to turn her off?" Luigi asked.
"Apparentemente no. Apparently not. He probably thinks that if I'm out of the way, maybe Peach will give him a chance and fall for him. But what he needs to do is find someone who actually could like him. Kidnapping Peach isn't going to make her like him, and forcing her into marriage... that right there is a deal-breaker. She's only going to hate him even more." said Mario.
"Add to that the fact Bowser obviously wouldn't allow Peach to have a single say in the wedding plans. I remember you telling the annoying female rabbit who said you weren't invited that she was wrong about that because the bride really did invite you to the wedding." Cappy said.
"Only she didn't believe me. The worst part is, she was right not to. I just said that to try and get her to shut up. And even if Peach really did invite me, it would be so that I could rescue her from a fate she didn't deserve." Mario said.
"Almeno sei vivo. At least you're alive, Mario. If I lost you, I don't know what I'd do. We're twins, two halves of a whole. No one could ever replace my other half if you died." Luigi said.
"I know that, and I won't let myself die. Not when I know that Bowser is still out there, making plans to capture my girl and turn her into his wife, even though she doesn't want him as her husband." Mario said.
"I'm glad you refused to give up the fight, Mario. That is exactly why I didn't give up when you were trapped by those stupido ghosts." said Luigi, giving Mario a hug, which he gladly returned.
"You're a good brother, Luigi. I really should ask you to join me on more adventures." Mario said.
"So, is Peach really feeling okay, now that she's away from Bowser and back home, where she belongs?" Luigi asked, letting go of his brother.
"Yeah. I calmed her down on the way, and when we told everyone in her castle about everything we went through. She's feeling a lot better now. That should make it okay for me to ask her the big question." Mario replied.
Cappy wished more than ever that his sister could've been saved, too. What if that jerk Bowser was still tormenting her while she was being looked after by Daisy? He wished he could keep in touch with Daisy, but the flower princess didn't think to take her smartphone with her. That was just as well, for she couldn't risk Bowser catching her in the middle of a call and finding out who she was before the wedding.
After supper (which was leftover lasagna), Mario brushed his teeth, rinsed with Scope, applied some manly cologne, brushed his hair, and combed his mustache once again. He checked his reflection critically, grinned, and told himself that he was ready to go back to Peach's Castle. He intended to be engaged to Princess Peach before the night ended.
"You're going to do it?" Luigi asked as he saw Mario getting ready to leave.
"Yup. I've got the ring, too." Mario said.
"Really? When did you get her a ring?" Luigi asked.
"Before I came home." Mario replied.
"Can I see the ring?" Luigi asked.
"Okie-dokie." said Mario. He pulled out the box and opened it, showing Luigi the ring inside. Luigi had to admit that the ring was beautiful, and worthy of a princess like Peach.
"What do you think?" Mario asked.
"She's not going to turn you down when she sees that ring, Mario. She's going to say 'yes'." Luigi said.
"That's what I'm hoping for." Mario replied.
"Buona fortuna. Good luck." Luigi said.
"Thanks, Luigi." Mario responded.
The two shared a hug, but before they left, Cappy asked if he could come along.
"I don't know, Cappy... I was hoping it was just going to be me and Peach..." Mario started
"Please? I promise to keep quiet, and Peach won't even know I'm there. I might look like a spare hat you had at home." Cappy begged.
"Okay, then..." Mario said, seeing there was no way around this. He should've guessed that after witnessing how wicked Bowser was while they were on the Odyssey, Cappy really needed to see some more positive sights. So Cappy disguised himself as Mario's hat once again, landing neatly on the plumber's head.
"See ya, bro!" Luigi called as Mario exited the mansion.
"A dopo, fratello! See ya later, bro." Mario called back, waving to his brother before continuing on his way to the castle, ready to see his sweetheart and ask her for her hand in marriage.
In the next chapter, Mario and Peach will be seeing each other again. What's going to happen? You're just going to have to stay tuned if you want to find out!