(A/N: Holy cow! It has been a very long while since I've written a story that numbered 9 chapters! Well, I know how eager you are to find out what happens, so I won't keep you in suspense much longer.)
As the Odyssey began to make its way back down to Earth, Princess Peach let out a sigh of relief, glad that it was finally over, again. She turned her gaze to Mario, who stood looking out the window, watching as the planet came closer into view. Peach stood up and walked over to him, but he didn't seem to notice that she was there.
Tiara noticed that Peach was standing next to Mario, but neither of them were talking to each other. She knew that if they didn't talk to each other sooner or later, they would never feel better. It was time to get a conversation going between the two of them, so the little Bonneter flew to her royal friend and whispered, "Peach, isn't there something you need to say to Mario?"
"I know, Tiara. I know I need to talk to him, and I'm going to. I'm just... trying to figure out how I'm going to word what I need to say." Peach whispered back.
"Oh, okay." said Tiara, flying back to her brother.
It took the princess another minute or so before she came up with something to say. She cleared her throat, then softly tapped Mario on the shoulder while gently calling out, "Mario..."
Since Mario was focusing on the sight of Earth coming closer, he wasn't expecting Peach to do anything to him, and he was so startled that he jumped. Even Peach was startled by his reaction. But Mario was even more surprised when he saw that she was standing next to him. When did that happen?
"Yes, Peach? Is there anything I can do to help you?" Mario asked, trying to relax a little at the sight of the princess.
"I... I just wanted to... to thank you... for saving my life... again..." Peach replied with a smile.
Mario looked very surprised at this, and he had every right to be. Peach hadn't really thanked him for saving her life the previous time. He didn't know how to reply to this, but he managed to say, "Um... Prego. You're welcome."
"I... I-I'm really sorry that I didn't thank you for doing this the first time around... It was wrong of me to not acknowledge the act of kindness you had done for me... especially when you consider the fact that..." Peach said.
"No, it's okay, Peach. You don't need to apologize for that. I didn't deserve to be thanked, not after what I did to you after I'd saved us from an untimely death." Mario replied, his voice on the brink of tears as the memory of that horrible moment came back to him again.
"You couldn't be more wrong..." Peach thought. She could tell that he was still very upset about that moment, and she knew that she couldn't blame him for feeling that way. She really should've asked him to join her when she wanted to go on that world tour. They could've had this all worked out by now if she had talked to him sooner. It was time for them to take care of the elephant in the room.
"Mario, we need to talk." Peach told him, her voice taking on a slight serious tone.
Mario knew he should've seen this coming, and he quietly let out a sad sigh as he said, "Lo so... I know..."
Peach knew that this conversation wasn't going to be easy, so she looked at Cappy and Tiara and politely asked them, "Could you two please give us some time alone?"
"Can do, Your Highness." Cappy replied, before turning to his sister and saying to her, "Come on, Tiara. Let's go out to the deck. Mario and Peach need to be alone right now."
"All right..." said Tiara. She took one more look at Mario and Peach before following her big brother out to the Odyssey's deck.
"Do you think Mario and Peach are going to tell each other that they still love each other?" Tiara asked Cappy as they closed the door to the ship.
"Peach still loves him?" Cappy asked. He had a feeling that she did, due to the text messages she sent to Mario, but he wasn't entirely sure. She might have been saying those things just to convince him to come and rescue her.
"Yes. She told me herself that she's still in love with him." Tiara replied, before realizing what her big brother just said, and she asked, "Wait, do you mean Mario still loves her?"
"You'd better believe he does. He says that while Peach may have broken his heart, he hasn't really stopped loving her. From what I can tell, he'll always love her, whether or not she loves him back. In fact, part of the reason why he came to stop Bowser was to prove his love for her. And from what we've seen, he did it." Cappy said.
"Awwwww!" Tiara gushed. Then she said, "Mario and Peach are going to be so happy!"
"Not yet. Before they admit that their love is still there, they have to talk about what happened before we left Honeylune Ridge the first time. Why Mario did what he did, and why Peach rejected him." Cappy said.
"Oh yeah, that's right." Tiara remembered. She sighed and added, "You know, I really feel like we should be in there, so we can comfort Mario or Peach if they start to cry about that moment. I don't like to see either of them sad."
"I don't like that sight, either, Tiara, but I think they'll be able to comfort each other. If they still love each other, like they say, they'll allow the other to hold them close and let them do the comforting. I'm pretty sure that Mario is an expert at comforting Peach, and she probably knows how to comfort him." Cappy said.
Tiara couldn't argue with that. She had done her best to try and comfort Peach when she cried during their time as prisoners, but she knew that her friendship just wasn't enough to help her feel better. She was sure that if Mario was with Peach, he'd know what to do.
Now Mario and Peach were the only ones inside the ship. They sat themselves down in the chairs Mario and Cappy had occupied during their first adventure, and Mario asked, "So, who's going to go first? If you want to start, Peach, I'll let you."
"Well, Mario, I know that you're usually a gentleman, always suggesting 'ladies first'... but I was thinking that you should start off this time. I can see that you have a lot of things that you really want to get off of your chest, so if anything, I want you to begin." Peach told him.
"Okie-dokie." Mario said. He knew that he owed the princess a big explanation for the immature way he behaved after the escape from the Underground Moon Caverns, so he got ready to speak to Peach. Unfortunately, he was so upset that when he spoke, his words came out really fast.
"I'm so sorry, Peach! I know I was wrong to act no better than Bowser when he made that pathetic last-ditch attempt to propose to you, but I was afraid! I was so afraid!" Mario burst out.
"Whoa! Slow down, Mario! You were talking so fast that I didn't really catch anything you were saying after you said you were sorry!" Peach said, concerned about her beau.
"I said, 'I know I was wrong... to act no better than Bowser... when he made that... that pathetic last-ditch attempt to propose to you... but I was afraid! I was so afraid!'" Mario repeated, speaking a little more slowly so that Peach could better understand him.
"You were afraid? But Mario, you're the most courageous man I've ever known! I know Toadsworth said that my father was also a courageous man, but I don't know for sure because I never got the chance to know him. But let's get back to the topic at hand: what could you possibly be afraid of?" Peach asked.
"The possibility of Bowser making you his wife and you accepting it without a fuss." Mario said.
"What? Mario, that's ridiculous! You know for a fact that I would never marry Bowser. I couldn't marry him even if my life depended on it!" Peach said.
"That's what I thought, until recently." Mario said.
"Recently?" Peach asked. She didn't know how recently Mario came up with this idea.
"I didn't realize where this problem really began until I was talking with Cappy and Tiara while you were changing out of the Lochlady Dress on Bowser's airship." Mario told her.
"Okay, let's start talking about where it began." Peach said.
Mario sighed, then said, "All right. Do you remember when we ended up in the Underground Moon Caverns after I fought Bowser, and I had taken control of him to get us out of there?"
"I do remember you doing that. In fact, I think using our enemy to escape from that dangerous place was one of the most courageous moves that you've ever made in your entire life." Peach said.
"It was also the worst mistake I ever made." Mario said.
"How was it a mistake?" Peach said.
"Well, because we didn't really start talking about things until now, I never did tell you that I had 'captured' Bowser. You see, when I throw Cappy at certain things or enemies, I can take control of them. I become them! Cappy asked me to throw him at Bowser, since he was big and strong and powerful, and using him looked like our only means of escape." Mario said.
"Capturing... That's what that move was called, when you disappeared into Bowser's body after Cappy had situated himself on his head?" Peach asked.
"Sì. In fact, I need to tell you something about capturing. Remember when you saw me as a frog in the Wedding Hall, and you thought the Broodals had turned me into one?" Mario asked.
"You really captured that frog, didn't you, Mario?" Peach asked, realizing what he was saying.
"I did, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to say anything to you while I was in that frog's body, because the first time I captured a frog, back in Top-Hat Tower in the Cap Kingdom, I was mainly able to say 'ribbit'." Mario said.
"Oh?" Peach asked.
"Yeah. But now that you know what I had done, I don't want you to think that I had captured that frog with the intention of making you think I had been turned into one and the only way to turn me back into myself was to kiss me. You have to understand that I would never trick you like that, Peach. I didn't want you to feel obligated to kiss me." Mario said.
"Oh, okay." Peach said. She then added, "Well, in case you're wondering, even if I did know that you had captured that frog and could end the capture when you saw fit, I still would've kissed you."
"Really?" Mario asked. When she nodded, he said, "That's interesting. However, I still have a bad feeling that capturing Bowser was un grosso errore, a big mistake on my part. I really didn't want to take control of him, but Cappy wouldn't let me protest."
"But you saved us from certain death! How was saving us a mistake?" Peach asked. She thought it was surprising and brave of Mario to use the one character who caused them so much grief to get them out of a horrible place neither of them belonged.
"When I was using Bowser's strength and power to get us to freedom, I'm pretty sure that you were looking at him the whole time I was in control of him." Mario said.
"Now that you mention it, you're right. I actually was looking at Bowser, or you. I guess I was just... really surprised to see that Bowser possessed some of your features, even though I knew you had to be in there... somewhere..." Peach said. She had been surprised to see Mario disappear into Bowser's body, and to see his mustache appear on his face. She was also happy to see Mario's blue eyes.
"But when we got out of there, and he held out the Soirée Bouquet to you in a last-ditch attempt to get you as his wife, I think you might have imagined that I was still in control of him or something, because you actually looked... flattered... by that gesture..." Mario said.
"Uh-oh..." Peach thought. Now she had an idea of what went wrong. After what she had seen in the Underground Moon Caverns, she must have imagined that Mario had taken control of Bowser again, or was still in control of him, or something like that... until she saw him kneeling before her with that Rocket Flower in an attempt to one-up Bowser!
"Mario..." Peach nervously began.
"I didn't want you to end up with Bowser, Peach! You looked like you were just about to accept his pathetic proposal without another thought! I couldn't let you do that! I love you too much, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing you to a big jerk like Bowser! You know that you and your kingdom will not survive if you marry him!" Mario said.
The princess thought back to that awful moment when Bowser and Mario started shoving their flowers into her face. It was clear that both of them wanted to be her husband, but they knew that only one of them would be able to have her, and they were going about trying to win her in an immature fashion. She hated that, and she let them know it. But as Tiara had pointed out, she had been pretty... harsh... with Mario...
"If I had only realized what I was doing..." Peach thought. Mario was only trying to save her from Bowser, and how did she reward him for it? By rejecting his marriage proposal and hurting his feelings! And to make matters worse, she didn't thank him for saving her life. Heck, she didn't even talk to him about the problem on the way home! He had to be feeling pretty awful right now. Time for her to fix that.
"I... I-I'm so sorry, Mario..." Peach said, feeling tears welling in her eyes.
"You don't need to apologize to me, Peach. Not when we both know that I was the idiota who-" Mario started, before Peach interrupted him, saying, "You are not an idiota, and I never again want to hear you call yourself one!"
"Whoa!" Mario cried, so surprised that he fell out of his chair.
"If anyone here deserves to be called an idiota, it's me! The fact we had to go through this awful mess all over again is my fault! And the worst part is that I know it could've very easily been prevented!" Peach said.
Mario knew he couldn't argue with that as he slowly and nervously got back into his chair. There were a lot of things he and Peach could have done differently to prevent Bowser from finding the princess and causing mayhem again, but they hadn't counted on him recovering from the rejection so quickly!
"First of all, I should have taken this dress, as well as my gloves and shoes, back from Bowser's airship before we left Honeylune Ridge the first time. That would have prevented him from getting my DNA and finding out where I had gone." Peach said.
"True... But if he didn't have your DNA, he would have gone straight to the Mushroom Kingdom to try and find you, only he'd learn that you weren't home. Plus, since the Toads didn't know where you had disappeared to, you would still be in the clear." Mario said.
"Not really. You know how sneaky Bowser is. He would have decided that since I wasn't home, then he could just take over my castle and kingdom so that when I did get home, I would have no choice but to marry him. However, there's no doubt in my mind that the Toads would've called for you to stop Bowser and help them before that could happen..." Peach said.
"I don't think I would have been in the position to fight Bowser and expect to win... because my heart was broken... And it broke even more... when I found out that you had gone missing. If I had tried to fight him, I would have lost for sure. You would have come home to find that your beautiful kingdom was in ruins... and it's-a because I couldn't defeat Bowser... I would have failed you... for the final time..." Mario said.
"But your failure... would have been... my fault! Not only did I run away... without telling anyone... where I was going... or why... I didn't even speak to you! After that rejection... your heart... had to be hurting... in ways even I couldn't begin to imagine! What was I thinking?!" Peach burst out, crying into her hands.
"You're... not that far from the truth about my heart, Peach... As I said earlier... my heart was broken... and it... it still is... It's-a been like this since the rejection..." Mario replied, hugging Peach tightly. He was doing this not just to comfort the princess, but because he also needed comforting.
"I'm so sorry, Mario. I really should have spoken to you about this whole mess sooner than now, and that's because... you're not the only one who suffered from a broken heart..." Peach whimpered as she looked up at him.
"Who else?" Mario asked. He prayed she wasn't going to say Bowser, because he made it obvious that he didn't have a heart. Not after the way he tried to kill him!
"Y-you're talking to her..." Peach replied.
"You?!" Mario asked incredulously.
"Yes..." Peach cried, burying her face in Mario's chest and wrapping her arms around him, returning his hug. "Every time I saw Bowser kill you... I... I-I felt my heart ripping in half! And it hurt more than any injury I may have suffered in the past!"
"Oh, Princess... I should have thought about that fact... If I had, I would've made Bowser sorry for hurting you like that." Mario replied. He held her even closer when he heard how much emotional pain she'd been in.
"I was in the wrong to not speak to you about all this until now. It's no wonder you asked me if I trust you..." Peach whimpered.
"I wanted to help you when I found out Bowser was back and had you in his clutches, but I... I had to make sure... that you wanted me to help you..." Mario said.
"I don't blame you for feeling that way, Mario... You had every right to ask me that question... And I want you to know that I meant it when I told you that I do trust you with all my heart." Peach replied.
"I was hoping you still did." Mario said.
"Because I didn't stop loving you! Everything Bowser did this time told me that I was wrong to reject your proposal! The only thing he did right was remind me why I love you and not him!" Peach said.
"I thought you had given up on the idea of us when you left, since you didn't even tell the Toads that you were planning to leave the kingdom. They saw you pack your suitcase and leave, but because you didn't say anything to them, they couldn't find you! They were worried sick about you!" Mario started.
"I don't doubt it. The Toads always worry about me whenever I leave the castle grounds." Peach said.
"But Cappy was so worried by my reaction to such news that he believed they might have been lying and questioned them to make sure they weren't!" Mario said.
"I know! I was wrong to leave them, and you, in the dark! And when we get home, I know that they're going to demand an apology from me!" Peach cried.
"So you'll give them an apology, as well as an explanation for what you had done. When they hear everything, I know that they'll tell you they understand, accept your apology, and forgive you for everything. That's because they love and care about you." Mario said.
"I also know that Toadsworth is going to give me a big, boring lecture for running off like I did! But I don't need a lecture from him! Not now! I've already been through more than enough as it is!" Peach wept.
"Don't cry, Peach. I'll go with you so I can keep him from lecturing you. You learned from this, and that should make him let you off without one." Mario offered.
"I just... I had a feeling Tiara might be suffering from PTSD-" Peach said.
"If she was, then Bowser only made it worse." Mario interrupted.
"And we had so many bad memories that we wanted to lose in a hurry. I didn't think about anything or anyone else! All I wanted was to get out and replace those bad memories on the double." Peach said.
"I don't think I can blame you for that, Princess. I remember how you were more than willing to try and help me make lots of happy memories when our vacation to Isle Delfino started off badly." Mario replied.
"You didn't deserve to be treated that way, because I knew you didn't cause the troubles the islanders were suffering from. No one but the hotel manager and the Nokis had the courtesy to thank you for your help and hard work." Peach said.
"You thanked me by spending almost every minute of our tropical vacation by my side. Having you that close made me feel a lot better." Mario said.
"And truth be told, after what we went through at the beginning of the vacation, I really wanted to share my hotel room with you, so we could have even more time together." Peach told him. She knew that Mario was going to need a lot of love and reassurance that time, and after what he'd been put through this time, he was needing it again.
"As happy as I am to hear this, aren't we getting off-topic?" Mario asked.
"Sorry. I suppose I should've told you what Bowser put me and Tiara through before I left. They say that talking about your problems is supposed to help." Peach said.
"If you want to tell me, Peach, I'm willing to listen to you. And if you start to cry about some of them, I'll be right here to comfort you." Mario promised her. He knew that another way to prove himself to Peach was to be the understanding person she could count on.
So for the next hour-and-a-half, Peach told Mario about everything she and Tiara went through as Bowser's prisoners, leaving nothing out. It wasn't a particularly easy chore, but talking to Mario about all this felt... right.
Mario proved to be a very good listener, paying close attention to everything she said. He was also understanding, and he did what he could to comfort Peach when she started to cry. Even though he tensed with anger during some of the particularly bad moments she had with Bowser, he didn't let Peach see. But he did promise her that if Bowser ever showed up again, he was in for a severe beating.
"Mama-mia... I'm so sorry that I wasn't able to rescue you sooner, Peach. You didn't deserve to suffer the way that you did." Mario told the princess as he held her close.
"Thank you so much for listening to me, and for not hitting the roof when you heard about the really bad things Bowser had done to us. You must have excellent restraint. And I'm so glad you rescued me, Mario. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here for me." Peach said.
"Restraining myself was not easy, but I didn't want to scare you with my anger, Peach. Bowser did more than enough of that, so I just imagined myself beating him into a pile of mush when I heard those bad parts." Mario told her.
"Okay." said Peach with a small smile. Then she said, "Mario, I owe you more than just a simple thank-you for saving me from marrying Bowser... twice. And I know the perfect way to repay you for doing it."
Mario was about to ask Peach just how she was going to repay him for rescuing her and Tiara from Bowser's evil clutches, but his unasked question was answered in a way he did not expect. The princess suddenly pulled him close to her and kissed him passionately on the lips!
Mario's eyes widened! He hadn't expected Peach to kiss him like this! After what he'd done, he didn't think Peach would ever kiss him on the lips again! But while he was allowing himself to enjoy the kiss, he felt the need to return it when he felt Peach's love mending his heart.
For her part, Peach was feeling a lot better now that she was kissing with the plumber she always loved. It felt so good to be back with him and away from an evil Koopa who liked terrorizing her and her friend. And she couldn't have been happier when she felt Mario returning her kiss. She felt that the kiss was something both of them needed.
At that moment, Cappy and Tiara were peeking into the Odyssey through the window, and when they saw Mario and Peach kissing, they couldn't help going, "Awww..." but Mario and Peach were lost in love and did not hear them.
"I bet they realized that the love spark was never gone." Tiara said.
"Or maybe they're about to realize it." Cappy said to his sister.
When the kiss ended, both of them were gasping for air. It took a few minutes before they were able to speak again. Mario was the first one to speak up, asking Peach the question he'd been afraid to ask... until now.
"Peach, do you still love me?" Mario asked, looking into the princess's lovely blue eyes.
"Of course I do, Mario. I have forgiven you for what you did last time, and for your information, I'm still in love with you. I never stopped loving you." Peach said, smiling when she saw the happiness on Mario's face. Then she asked him, "Am I forgiven for what I did to you?"
"Lo sai! You know it!" Mario exclaimed as he gave Peach a quick kiss on the cheek. He hugged her again and softly whispered to her, "Tu sei così speciale. You are so special."
"You see, Mario? This is just another reason why I will never love Bowser! He's nothing like you! He never says sweet things like that to me, and he never treats me like I'm someone who matters. To him, I'm nothing more than a slave who needs to learn her place and never have a say in anything." Peach said, blushing at Mario's sweetness.
"I would never, ever think of treating a princess the way Bowser does you! And do you know why? Because when Luigi and I were growing up, Mama and Papa taught both of us to treat women with respect." Mario told her.
"Your mama and papa raised you boys right!" Peach smiled. Then she said, "There is something else I need to tell you. I know that you were planning to propose to me the first time you rescued me at Honeylune Ridge."
"I guess I made that pretty obvious, didn't I?" Mario asked, feeling a little sad.
"I could tell by the way you looked at me as you were approaching me. I knew what you wanted to do. You may not have asked me the big question yet, but truth be told, I was more than ready to say 'yes' to you." Peach replied.
"You were?!" Mario asked incredulously.
"Yes. Because you're my true love, and Bowser never will be. And to answer the big question you wanted to ask me, I would love to marry you someday, but after everything Tiara and I have been through in the clutches of that despicable monster, I don't think I want to get married for a little while yet. I need a lot of time to recover from what Bowser did." Peach said, before adding, "And I don't think we can really consider ourselves engaged right now..."
"Non preoccuparti. Don't worry, Princess. Your love is all I need at the moment, and you can take as much time as you need to recover from this. You're worth waiting for." Mario replied.
"Thank you for being so understanding and sweet to me. You're the perfect man for this princess." Peach said, her eyes sparkling with happy tears. Mario was all she needed to be happy right now.
"So let's get back to why you left. You're telling me that you had gone on a world tour to try and lose the bad memories you and Tiara had of those kingdoms you were taken through?" Mario asked.
"Yes. We felt the need to get out and make new, happier memories in a hurry." Peach replied.
"How was it going before Bowser showed up?" Mario asked.
"It was good, but... I felt uneasy. Not because I was afraid that Bowser was going to show up and ruin everything; I really wasn't expecting him to. I was kind of hoping to see you while we were going through those kingdoms." Peach said.
"Funnily enough, Cappy told me that he enjoyed our travels so much that he didn't want our journey to end. He wanted to visit all those kingdoms again and find even more Power Moons, so perhaps we could see more places." Mario said.
"Had you done as he said, you really would have found more because I found a Power Moon in each kingdom we had been to, and I was planning to give them to you if and when you showed up and found us." Peach said.
"Really?" Mario asked.
"Yes. I have no use for them. I thought maybe you might like them." Peach said.
"You were right. Those things help to power up the Odyssey..." Mario said. Then he asked Peach, "Are you and Tiara planning to resume this tour after we get home?"
"I think we should. But... I really think we should start the whole thing over because... I want you to come with us... if you want to." Peach said.
"Cappy, too?" Mario asked.
"Of course. He wanted to continue your journey, and I think Tiara needs her big brother as much as I need you." Peach replied.
"All right. Since I wanted to work out this problem with you before I went anywhere, I'd be happy to join you." Mario said. In his mind he added, "And I'll make sure I get our relationship back on track."
"I was hoping you might like to come. Having you along should discourage any villains from coming after me." Peach smiled.
"Right. So when are we gonna leave on this world tour?" Mario asked.
"I'll give us a couple of days to recuperate from this problem. During that time, I'll have my outfits laundered, and then I'll pack my suitcase again. I'll also give you time to pack." Peach said.
"And I'm going to have to take Luigi home. Last I saw him, he was still at the Comet Observatory with Rosalina. Unless she took him home already." Mario said.
"Is the Comet Observatory really close to the Moon Kingdom?!" Peach asked.
"Yeah. I got there in little to no time at all." Mario replied.
"All right. Now how about you call Luigi or Rosalina and find out what's up?" Peach suggested.
"I think I will." Mario said. He pulled out his smartphone and called his brother. Sure enough, Luigi was still at the Comet Observatory, but he was glad to hear that Mario saved Peach (Rosalina also said 'hi' to Peach). Luigi almost thought of asking Mario if he and Peach were still a couple after all that, but he decided not to. Mario might not feel comfortable answering that question in front of Peach.
"So, you're on your way back to the Mushroom Kingdom?" Luigi asked.
"Yeah. We are. I was wondering if you want me to come and get you." Mario said.
"No, it's okay. Maybe I'll have Rosalina take me home. You and Peach need to be together right now." Luigi said.
"Okie-dokie. Speaking of, I'm pretty sure that this time, I'll be staying at the castle tonight." Mario said.
"I knew she still loved him." Luigi thought, before saying, "All right. Behave yourself."
"Don't worry. I will." Mario promised with a slight laugh.
After ending the call, Mario and Peach called Cappy and Tiara back into the Odyssey and told them everything. The siblings were pleased that Mario and Peach were still in love. They knew those two turtledoves never gave up on one another.
Tiara was also pleased to hear that they were going to restart the world tour so Mario and Cappy could join them. It would make the tour a lot more fun, especially since Cappy expressed interest in visiting all those places again, to look for more Power Moons. And they were going to take the Odyssey, so Mario would have a place to put all those Power Moons he and Cappy were sure to find.
The new world tour was a lot of fun for the group. Even though Mario and Cappy were busy looking for Power Moons, the plumber still managed to keep Peach safe, and he made sure that she had a wonderful time in each of the kingdoms they visited. And Peach was glad that she didn't have to worry about Bowser coming after her again. They saw to it that he wouldn't be able to easily find her again. But he'd most likely assume that she went home after Mario saved her.
Well, Bowser didn't think about going after Peach again was because when he and the Broodals finally came to, it took them a while to find his missing airship. When they finally found it (out of fuel), the Broodals decided to help by towing it back to his kingdom for him. After paying them at least one-fifth of the money in his castle's treasury, Bowser decided to tell Kamek and the kids the truth about what happened, and decided that he would wait a year before going after Peach again.
After the new tour had come to an end, Peach had recovered enough to ask Mario to marry her, and she bought him a ring after he finished visiting the Dark Side and Darker Side of the Moon. When he got back, she immediately asked him to marry her, and he happily accepted her proposal. Months later, they were married and lived happily ever after!
The End
Okay, that's the story! I hope those of you who ship MarioXPeach enjoyed it!