(A/N: When it comes to "Super Mario Odyssey", one of the first things that comes to everyone's minds (apart from the ending) is Pauline, everyone's new favorite character. I wondered, what if she was so pleased with Mario's help that she decided to return the favor to him? Turns out I thought of two different ways she could do it, and here's one of them!)
After happily rewarding Mario with a Multi Moon for his participation in the New Donk City Music Festival, Pauline said, "I honestly can't thank you enough for all of your help, Mario! You've done so much good for New Donk City! I only wish I could do more to show you my sincere gratitude."
"Hey, don't sweat it, Pauline. We're still friends, and friends help each other out whenever they can. And I knew I could do it. I've also gotten used to fixing what Bowser wrecks." Mario told her.
"I can tell, but... I feel as though I haven't really done a whole lot to thank you for everything that you've done." Pauline said.
"You might feel that way, but you don't hear me asking you for anything in return, do you?" Mario asked.
"Well, no..." Pauline began.
"Because knowing that you're my friend is enough of a 'grazie', thank you, for me." Mario said.
Although it made Pauline happy to know that she had such a kind-hearted friend in Mario, she couldn't help frowning to herself, wishing there was something more she could do to thank this man for all his help. She felt that he deserved a lot more than what she had done. Inviting him to this festival, dedicating it to him, and giving him a Multi Moon were not enough.
"Well, tomorrow morning, I'll be ready to head out after Bowser again. I'm not about to let him marry my girl." Mario said, and he began making his way back to the Odyssey, the airship he and Cappy piloted. It would help him continue his journey to rescue Peach from Bowser's evil clutches. He hadn't seen Bowser since his battle with the Mechawiggler, and it made him very angry to know that the dirty little coward had gotten away yet again.
That was when Pauline remembered something VERY important; and if anything, she believed it was something Mario should know about.
"Mario, wait!" Pauline called after him.
Mario stopped and turned around, asking, "Yes, Pauline?"
"About Bowser, that brutish monster who advertised his wedding all over New Donk City... you're chasing after him; is that correct?" Pauline asked as she approached him.
"Sì, that's right. Because I told you that he kidnapped my girlfriend and is forcing her to marry him. I'm not going to just sit here and let him take her away from me and make her miserable for the rest of her life!" Mario exclaimed.
"I'm well aware of that. And you're not going to believe this, but... he was feeling bold enough to give me an invitation to his stupid wedding." Pauline said.
"Mama-mia... You're not thinking of actually attending the event, are you?" Mario asked in disbelief. He never thought Bowser would attempt something so idiotic. No one in their right mind want to attend his stupid wedding!
"Well, when I realized what it was, my initial idea was to put the invitation through the shredder in my office..." Pauline began.
"Why didn't you?" Mario asked. If he was in her place, that's what he would've done from the get-go.
"Because I decided that I would read it a little more thoroughly before I do that, and it was a pretty good thing that I did. Guess what I found out? The invitation clearly said that I can bring a friend, if I want." Pauline finished.
"Really, now?" Mario asked, surprised.
"Yup." said Pauline, smiling at him.
"Okie-dokie, then. Let me ask you something importante: did it tell you not to bring Mario along because he's not invited?" Mario unhappily asked, saying the last three words in a mocking tone of voice, remembering the very rude tone of voice Hariet spoke in when she told him this before their battle in the Sand Kingdom.
"I don't recall. Let me check..." Pauline replied, pulling out the invitation and reading it to herself. To her relief, it didn't tell her that she could not bring Mario with her.
"Nope." said Pauline.
"No?" Mario asked in disbelief.
"Maybe he assumed that none of the guests would know you. And if that's the case, then he made a big mistake when he invited me. Or maybe he wasn't counting on the fact that I would actually think of doing such a thing." Pauline said.
"May I please see the invitation?" Mario asked, holding out his hand.
"Read it and weep." said Pauline, handing him the invitation.
Mario's blue eyes quickly scanned the invitation. He practically gagged as he read it (since it tried to make it sound like Bowser and Peach were a match made in the Overthere), but he saw that Pauline was right. The invitation did say that she could bring a friend if she wanted, but it didn't say anything about Mario not being invited to the big event.
"Well, fancy that." Mario said as he handed the invitation back to Pauline.
"So that got me wondering if maybe you'd like to come to the wedding with me. What do you say?" Pauline asked.
"It's-a nice of you to offer me a lift, but don't worry about me. I've got the airship, the Odyssey, to chase after him, and my idea is to try and save Peach before the wedding can take place." Mario said.
"Actually, Mario, going with Pauline sounds like a pretty good idea if you ask me." said a voice.
"Who said that?" Pauline asked, looking around, trying to figure out who spoke. She hadn't heard it before.
"Oh no..." Mario groaned. He recognized that voice very well.
"Come on, buddy, I really think we should join her." said the voice again.
"Non lo so... I don't know..." Mario replied.
"It might spare us some anger." the voice coaxed.
"Well, now that you mention it..." Mario started, thinking about it.
"Mario, are you talking to that voice?" Pauline asked, realizing that he was talking after the voice talked.
"Sì, I am." Mario replied with an unhappy sigh.
"So, who is it?" Pauline asked.
"Cappy, you might as well show yourself to Pauline." Mario said. Cappy didn't normally do anything like this in front of people in the other kingdoms, but he did let Bowser see him back in the Cloud Kingdom. He would let Peach see him, since she had probably already seen what Tiara really looked like. And that Sphynx they met in the Sand and Wooded Kingdoms seemed to know that Cappy was someone.
Cappy's eyes appeared on Mario's trademark hat, startling Pauline.
"Whoa! I've never seen a hat do that before." Pauline replied in surprise.
"Neither had I, until I met and befriended Cappy of the Cap Kingdom." Mario said. He then told Pauline how his trademark hat was destroyed after a scrap with Bowser (which he lost because Bowser cheated), and Cappy took its place.
"I'm sorry to hear about your trademark hat, Mario." Pauline said.
"But I'm not complaining, for Cappy is un meraviglioso aiutante, a wonderful helper." Mario began, which made Cappy say, "Aww, I'm special."
"The two of us quickly decided that we should work together because Bowser not only kidnapped my girlfriend, he also kidnapped Cappy's little sister. She's on the wedding posters, too. See?" Mario said, holding up a poster and showing Pauline the picture. If you looked carefully, you could see Tiara's eyes on Peach's bridal tiara. She looked just as disgruntled as Peach did.
"Oh yeah. I can see her." Pauline said, noticing Tiara.
"Anyway, I think I should show you what I really look like." Cappy began.
"You mean, you don't really look like Mario's hat?" Pauline asked.
"No, not all the time." said Cappy, and then he assumed his Bonneter form.
"Oh wow!" said Pauline. She hadn't expected that he looked a little like a ghost with a body shaped like a top hat. And since he was a friend of Mario's, she had no reason to be afraid of him. The fact that he was friendly and looked like a ghost made her think he was a bit like Casper.
"Yeah, this is the real me. But my real form wasn't Mario's style, but I managed to catch a scrap of his hat after it got shredded, so I decided to try and take the form of his hat. Mario and I have been helping each other all this time." Cappy said.
"Okay. Now you were saying that going with me might be a good idea?" Pauline asked.
"I think it is. You see, before we came here, we caught up to Bowser in the Cloud Kingdom, and he wanted to fight us. We won, of course, but after we kicked his sorry butt, he was so mad, he shot down the Odyssey in an attempt to prevent us from stopping his wedding from taking place." Cappy explained.
"He did what?! No wonder I almost didn't want to go to his stupid wedding!" Pauline said.
"I don't blame you for that. Anyway, I thought that going with you might be a good idea... if you have your own mode of transportation to get there." Cappy said.
"I do. There is a transport ship I'll be taking to get there." Pauline said.
"Great! We should take that, because if we take the Odyssey and Bowser sees it, he'll realize that we're not dead, and he might try to kill us again." Cappy continued.
"You're right, Cappy. We can't have that." Pauline said.
"But Cappy, you know that my plan from the get-go was to stop Bowser and get back Peach before they even arrive at the wedding venue, wherever that is. I can't attempt to get her back and prevent the wedding from taking place if the transport ship is going straight to the venue." Mario said.
"According to the invitation, the wedding will take place at the Wedding Hall in the Moon Kingdom." Pauline said, looking at the invitation again.
"LA LUNA?!" Mario screamed.
"THE MOON?!" Cappy screamed at the same time. Then he and Mario looked at the full moon in the sky.
"But that's too far! You'd have to be out of your mind to think of get married over there!" Mario said.
"And since Bowser wants to do that, then it's safe for us to say that he's out of his freakin' mind!" said Cappy.
"I really think it might be safer if you boys travel to the wedding venue with me. I know that you want to save the girls in a hurry, but goodness knows what's going to happen to you if Bowser sees your ship and learns that you're still alive." Pauline said.
"Yeah. And I really don't want him to try anything else. It was bad enough that he had no problems with shooting down the ship (because he's a sore loser who can't lose gracefully). We had to search for 10 Power Moons to repair it, and that was not an easy chore." Cappy said. He did not enjoy his time in the Lost Kingdom.
Mario thought about Pauline's words, and he realized that she was right. Bowser wanted him dead this time, which made him far more dangerous than he was in the past. And if he learned that Mario was still alive, he might just try something far more sinister to do them in. He refused to let Bowser win! Princess Peach's life was at stake, and he couldn't let her down!
Also, he was unable to stop the Broodals from stealing stuff for the sham of a wedding. Every time he managed to reach the spot where those no-good thieves were flying around, they were only too happy to tell him that he was too late to stop them from getting what they had already taken and delivered to Bowser, knowing that it would annoy the heck out of him.
With that in mind, Mario knew what he was going to do.
"You know something? You're absolutely right." Mario said to Pauline.
"I am?" Pauline asked.
"Sì. If Bowser finds out that he failed to kill me again, then I really don't want to find out what he's going to try next." said Mario.
"Yeah. He already tried to murder you twice! In front of Peach, no less!" Cappy said.
"Oh my gosh! He actually did that in front of her?! Yeah, your girlfriend deserves much better than a heartless monster who doesn't care about her feelings!" said Pauline.
"She sure does!" said Cappy.
"Which is why I've made my decision. I'm changing my plan! We're going to the wedding with you, Pauline!" Mario said.
"YES!" Cappy cheered, thrilled at the prospect of getting to see a lot more of Pauline.
(A/N: In my stories, Cappy has a crush on Pauline. But unlike Bowser with Peach, he knows that what he's feeling for the mayor is just a crush, nothing more. This means that he WILL NOT try to pursue a romantic relationship with her. He's smarter than Bowser will ever be!)
"Great! Come with me, and we'll take a transport ship to the Moon Kingdom." said Pauline.
"All right." said Mario, following his friend.
"This is so awesome! We're going to ride to the Moon Kingdom with a foxy lady!" Cappy said in a voice that was almost loud enough for Pauline to hear.
"Cappy, per favore! Please!" Mario pleaded.
"Please what?" Cappy asked.
"Behave yourself! That means keeping your little crush on Pauline quiet!" Mario told him.
"I will. But you can't blame me for thinking that Pauline is smokin' hot." Cappy replied in a softer voice. Mario gave him an unhappy look, so he whispered, "Relax, Mario. I can keep my crush a secret from her. I'm not as stupid as Bowser, if that's what you're afraid of."
"Grazie. Thank you." Mario said as Cappy assumed the form of Mario's favorite hat.
Before long, they reached the transport ship and learned that they were not going alone. Another man from the city (who said he was John) had been invited, and while he hadn't been sure about attending, he couldn't refuse when he learned that Mario and Pauline were going. Riding to the wedding with a couple of V.I.P.s sounded like fun to him.
"I'm only attending the wedding just so I can object to the union. That monster deserves to have his happily ever after spoiled." John said.
"Oh, it's-a gonna be spoiled, because I'm planning to get the bride back before the groom can try anything to stake his claim." Mario told him.
"That's right. Mario told me that the bride is his girlfriend." Pauline explained to John.
"Great! I'll be rooting for you, then." John said to Mario, who smiled in reply.
The ride to the Wedding Hall was uneventful (except John was excitedly using his smartphone to take pictures of the people he was riding with, and he also took some selfies with those people), mostly because Bowser didn't notice the ship Pauline was taking, but even if he did, he didn't see that Mario and Cappy were on it.
Mario used the long ride to think about how he was going to stop Bowser. And he had to admit that while he wanted to save Peach quickly, going with Pauline was a smart decision. For now, it was probably for the best to let Bowser think he was dead. Mario could only imagine his surprise when he learned that he wasn't really dead!
When they finally arrived at Honeylune Ridge, Cappy assumed his Bonneter form, and he said to Mario, "I got the most awesome idea ever! If you really want to upset Bowser even more, I know just what to do." He landed on Mario's head in his top hat form, and he turned Mario's current outfit into an elegant white wedding tuxedo.
"Mama-mia!" Mario exclaimed as he looked down at his new attire.
"Wow! That tuxedo looks great on you!" said John.
Pauline whistled and said, "They were right; clothes really do make the man!"
"Do I really look so good?" Mario asked.
"You do. I'll just take a picture of you since there are no mirrors nearby." said John. As he spoke, he took the picture of Mario.
"Check it out. The bride is going to have a hard time trying to resist you." John said as he handed his phone to Mario so he could see how he looked in his wedding tux.
Mario was impressed with what he saw, and he said, "Oh yeah! If Bowser sees me in this, he might think that I have plans to marry the princess myself after I kick his sorry butt."
"Come again?" Pauline asked, and John looked surprised.
"The bride is none other than Princess Peach of the Mushroom Kingdom, and she's my girlfriend." Mario said.
"You're a lucky guy to have a princess as your woman! And that's all the more reason for us to object to the idea of her marrying a monster." John said.
"I know. But I don't love her because she's a princess, or because she's bellissima, beautiful. I love her because she's everything I want in a woman, and she completes me! She is, as they say, my better half, and I can't imagine living the rest of my life without her." Mario said.
"Now that's romantic!" said Pauline as they walked into the Wedding Hall.
As they waited for Bowser and Peach to show up, Mario was going over his plan to rescue Peach from a fate worse than death. However, he knew that he was going to need some cooperation from the other guests if he wanted it to work.
So Mario informed the other wedding guests about his plan to rescue Peach and ruin Bowser's Moon Wedding once and for all, and they were more than willing to help him out. The guests who came from the Sand, Lake, and Wooded Kingdoms immediately agreed to help because of how he helped them out. And they didn't really think Bowser and Peach made a great couple. They had shown up in order to object, but Mario's plan sounded like fun.
Even though Mario hadn't visited the Snow, Seaside, and Luncheon Kingdoms (since Mario sees them after he takes care of things in the Metro Kingdom), the guests from those places also wanted Bowser to suffer, and they readily agreed to help Mario. But they also asked him if he wouldn't mind fixing the problems in their kingdoms as well.
"Tell you what; help me rescue the woman of my dreams from a fate she doesn't deserve, and I'll be more than happy to fix the damage Bowser caused. You can also take back the objects that he stole from you after I get done ruining his wedding." Mario promised the characters from the kingdoms he hadn't been to.
Since everyone agreed to cooperate, Mario went over his plan with everyone, and they listened very carefully as he told them what he had in mind. They all had the plan down pat by the time the Broodals arrived to put everything in the Wedding Hall.
"Oh no! The Broodals are here!" Cappy said in a whisper.
"We can't let them see me! They're working for Bowser, and if they see me standing here, they're going to tell him about it. And I really don't want Bowser to see that I'm alive and well until after Peach is safe." Mario whispered to Pauline.
"On it!" Pauline assured him. She whispered something to John, and he motioned for everyone else on the left side of the chapel to come and cover Cappy and Mario so the Broodals wouldn't see them.
When all the supplies were finally in place, the wedding bells began to ring.
"Mama-mia! Bowser and Peach must have walked in!" Mario gasped.
"Stay calm, Mario. This is your chance to rescue Peach!" Cappy told him.
"You've got this." Pauline assured Mario, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Mario took several deep breaths to try and calm himself, but it didn't help much when the bride and groom entered the main room. And everybody heard the bride before they saw her. Princess Peach looked exquisite in the one-of-a-kind Lochlady Dress, but she wasn't the least bit happy with the idea of marrying Bowser. She was sobbing her heart out as she was forced to walk down the aisle with him.
Mario's eyes widened when he saw Peach in the wedding dress. He hadn't been able to see her very well back in the Cloud Kingdom, because he had to deal with Bowser, then run when Bowser wanted to shoot him down. Now that he was able to see her clearly, he let out a quiet, loving sigh at the sight of his princess looking like an angel. But hearing her cry brought him back to reality, and it was tearing out his soul!
"Non preoccuparti, angelo mio. Don't worry, my angel. I'm never going to let that stupido beast claim you as his own! He's got another thing coming if he thinks he already won!" Mario angrily muttered to himself as he watched the bride and groom slowly make their way down the aisle.
"Oh my! Look at the bride! The people in my kingdom made the dress that she's wearing! Doesn't she look just lovely?" the Lochlady asked the male Bubblainian who was next to her.
"I can't deny that while she's lovely, the poor woman doesn't look like she's crying for joy... And I can't really blame her for feeling so upset. That monster won't make her a good husband." the snail replied.
"I feel the same way, but in spite of that, I'm still thinking I should take some photos of her so I can show everyone back home that the person who wore our national treasure looked good enough in it justify our heartache." the Lochlady said. She quietly produced a camera and took a few photos of the bride.
And I'm sorry, but this is where I'm going to end Part 1. The story was getting a little long to be a chapter of its own. However, stay tuned for Part 2! Good things come to those who wait!