(A/N: Now it's time for Mario to rescue the bride from living miserably ever after with someone who was proving that he was capable of murder. And I'll get this show on the road so you can see it happen quickly!)

Mario waited until Bowser and Peach were walking by where he was standing, and then he made his move. When Peach was right next to him, the plumber reached out, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her away from Bowser.

"Whoa!" Peach quietly said as she felt herself being pulled away from the groom and into the crowd. But Bowser was so lost in excitement about what was going to happen that he didn't hear her. He didn't even notice that he was now walking down the aisle by himself.

Peach looked around, wondering what had happened. One minute she was being forced to walk down the aisle with Bowser, and the next, she was standing among the guests, who were looking at her in surprise.

"What-" Peach started to say, but a tall, svelte brunette woman in red shushed her, so Peach knew to keep her voice quiet. The bride whispered, "What's going on here?"

"I've got good news for you. You're not going to get married to that brutish monster. Not today, or any other day, for that matter." the woman told her in a whisper.

"I'm not?" Peach asked, a little surprised but still keeping her voice no more than a whisper.

"Nope. We've come here to rescue you from a fate you don't deserve." the woman replied, still whispering.

"Really?" Peach whispered back, confused and happy.

"Yes. All of us could see how unhappy you are about marrying that creature. But one of us came up with this plan to save you from a fate worse than death." the woman whispered to her.

"Oh? Who came up with the plan?" Peach whispered, before feeling a small tug at her skirts. She looked down to see who was doing it, and she saw a short yet handsome man in an elegant white wedding tuxedo smiling up at her. The princess gasped quietly as she recognized the man's smile and mustache. She also saw his bright blue eyes sparkling with love, just like Mario's whenever he saw her.

Tiara spotted Cappy's eyes looking at her on Mario's top hat. She wanted to exclaim in happiness, but doing so would get Bowser's attention. She didn't want to do that, so she kept quiet.

"M-Mario?! I-is that really y-you?" Peach asked softly as her eyes filled with tears.

"Yes, Peach. It's-a me." Mario replied in a soft voice.

Peach could hardly believe her eyes and ears! Mario was alive! She thought he'd been killed, but he was alive! He had survived being shot down!

"Thank the Star Spirits!" Peach thought joyfully, but she didn't say it because she didn't want Bowser to hear her. She wanted to hug him, but she couldn't. She knew that if she did, she might not be able to let go of him anytime soon. She simply asked Mario in a whisper, "B-but how?"

"It's-a kind of a long story, but there's no time for me to explain it to you. You've got to get out of here before Bowser reaches the altar and realizes that you're not with him. Pauline will lead you to safety, and the guests will cover you. Now go!" Mario whispered, ushering her away.

"Come on. Follow me." the brunette woman whispered to Peach. She was obviously Pauline.

"All right. Just hold on a second." Peach whispered back. She gave Mario a quick kiss on the nose (which made him blush like a madman) before following Pauline through the crowd, to the exit, and out of the Wedding Hall.

"Freedom..." Peach thought happily as she and Pauline left the building and ran to the transport ship, where they would be safe from Bowser. She couldn't believe how easy this had been!

By then, Bowser had reached the altar, and he said, "Okay, now it's time to get down to... Huh?" He finally realized that Peach was not next to him like he thought she was. He looked around, but he didn't see her anywhere in the room!

"WHERE IS MY BRIDE?!" Bowser yelled at the top of his voice, causing everybody to jump.

Mario had to work hard to keep his face straight, and Cappy was trying not to laugh.

"Where did she go? Where could she have gone?! I know you all saw her! Tell me where she went!" Bowser yelled at the guests, who were very quiet. They all looked at each other before turning to face him and shrug their shoulders in confusion, pretending that they didn't know what Bowser was talking about.

"Somebody had better answer me! NOW!" Bowser demanded.

"I guess we'd better put him out of his pain." Mario whispered to Cappy.

"Okay, I'll go first." Cappy said. Then he yelled loud enough for Bowser to hear, "You wanna know where the bride is, Bowser? Not here!"

"WHAT?! Who said that?!" Bowser asked, looking around again.

"I did!" Cappy said, and he assumed his Bonneter form as he leaped off of Mario's head, revealing himself to Bowser.

"Hey, I know you! You're that little hat ghost I saw with Mario when we were battling at the Cloud Kingdom!" Bowser recalled as he looked at the Bonneter. Then he said, "Wait a minute, you're still alive. Don't even tell me that the little pipsqueak-"

"What's the matter? Did you miss me, Bowser?!" Mario asked as the crowd parted to reveal the well-dressed plumber, who stepped forward with no fear.

"NO! THIS CAN'T BE TRUE! I KILLED YOU RIGHT AFTER YOU FOUGHT ME IN THE CLOUD KINGDOM! I WATCHED YOU FALL TO YOUR DOOM! YOU CAN'T POSSIBLY BE ALIVE!" Bowser screamed at the top of his voice, forcing most of the guests to cover their ears.

"Actually, you only thought you had killed me! If you actually believed that I was going to give up the Boo and let Peach be married to a tyrant like you, then you obviously thought wrong! I'll never give up on her, because unlike you, I care about her feelings and want her to be happy! So I helped her out!" Mario said as Cappy took his place back on Mario's head, but his eyes showed, and they were set in a fierce glare.

"Oh no! I'm not going to let you take her away from me that easily! She's supposed to be my wife, and you'll just have to get used to the idea!" Bowser yelled, and he ran to the doors.

"Move it! Go, go, go!" Mario yelled to the guests, who had anticipated Bowser's plan. They moved with surprising speed to close the doors, then they stood in front of them to block his path.

"Get out of the way!" Bowser demanded.

No one moved.

"Move it!" Bowser said.

Nobody did anything. They just stood in front of the doors, refusing to budge. And everyone who wasn't the Steam Gardener folded their arms across their chests and glared daggers at him.

"Look, I'm supposed to be marrying that princess! You all came here to see our wedding!" Bowser said.

"Actually, we really came here just to get some free cake and stew." said a Shiverian.

"That's right. We didn't want to see you get married to her. It was easy to see that she hates you. She made that clear as she walked down the aisle with you. And as a result, we were all prepared to object to your union with that pretty lady." said a Volbonan.

"All right, then! If you morons aren't going to move out of my way on your own, don't say that I didn't warn you when I said that I could make you move!" Bowser decided. He took off his wedding hat, and the boxing gloves came out of it!

"This is your last warning! If you don't move out of the way right now, then you can prepare to die!" Bowser yelled as he threw his wedding hat at the guests, who were noticeably scared at the sight but still refused to move away from the doors.

"Oh, no you don't!" Mario yelled, catching the hat by one of the boxing gloves. He swung the hat 'round and 'round, the way he did Bowser when he had him by the tail. Mario did this for about a minute before he finally let go of the hat and sent it flying back to Bowser.

The hat was spinning rather fast as it flew back to its owner, but due to Mario's small size, the hat was near Bowser's legs, and one of the gloves punched him in a place where no man wants to be punched! And due to the speed it was moving when it reached him, the Koopa King was in more pain than he had been when Mario used the hat to punch him during their battle in the Cloud Kingdom.

Bowser sang like a chorus girl as he fell to his knees, and then to the floor, clutching his junk in complete pain and utter humiliation. He couldn't believe what Mario had done to him! He couldn't get married after something like this!

The guests found this hilarious, and they were all laughing like crazy at Bowser's pain and suffering. John even used his phone to record what had happened, for he planned to upload it on YouTube later on.

"Let's hear three cheers for Mario!" Cappy shouted in happiness as he reassumed his Bonneter form, and everybody who wasn't Bowser cheered, "Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray!"

"Grazie! Thank you, everyone! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to see a beautiful princess who isn't getting married to an ugly monster. So long, Gay Bowser!" Mario said as he walked out of the Wedding Hall, with Cappy on his head.

All the guests moved close to Bowser to make sure he was unconscious as Mario slightly opened the doors, walked through them, and closed them again.

"Wow! I can't believe how quick and easy that was!" Cappy exclaimed once they were outside the Wedding Hall. He was so happy that he remained in his Bonneter form.

"I really don't know why I didn't think of doing that during the battle back at the Cloud Kingdom. If I had, Peach would've been saved already, and we wouldn't be here right now." Mario said.

"Yeah, if you knew then what you know now..." Cappy said.

"Still, now that he's been dealt with, I can finally rest easy, knowing that my princess is safe and sound at last." Mario said as he walked over to the transport ship that they rode in with Pauline.

"Don't forget about my little sister. I saw her looking at me when you and Peach were reunited in there." Cappy said.

"I could never forget your little sister. I know she and Peach were in this mess together." Mario said.

Meanwhile, Peach, Tiara, and Pauline were all sitting together in the transport ship, talking about Mario.

"I just can't believe Mario survived! Bowser was hell-bent on murdering him this time around, and I was so afraid and upset when I saw Bowser shoot down his ship after being defeated in the Cloud Kingdom! If I lost Mario for real, I don't know what I'd do!" Peach told the mayor.

"Mario and his hat friend told me about Bowser shooting them down. I'm also glad that he lived." Pauline said.

"I think the Star Spirits were smiling down on him." Peach said.

"They probably were. He's a lucky guy." Pauline said.

"How do you know Mario?" Peach asked.

"He and I are very good friends." Pauline replied.

"Oh." said Peach.

"Thank you for helping us get out of there and away from Bowser." Tiara said to Pauline.

"Hey, it was no trouble at all. In fact, I couldn't have done that if Mario hadn't asked me to." Pauline replied.

"Didn't Mario take his own airship here?" Peach asked as she looked around the transport ship.

"Well, he thought about it, but when I got invited to the wedding, the invitation said I could bring a friend, so I asked him to come with me. After all, the invitation didn't say that I couldn't bring Mario." Pauline smiled.

"It's a good thing you brought him, because I mentally invited him to the wedding, despite Bowser's intention of keeping him out." Peach said.

"And Bowser never suspected a thing!" Tiara said.

"What does he know?" Pauline asked.

"A better question is, what does he think his brains are good for?" Peach countered.

"ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! SAY IT AGAIN!" Mario and Cappy shouted in unison, having heard the question as they entered the ship, surprising the females.

"Mario!" Peach exclaimed, thrilled to see him.

"Cappy!" Tiara exclaimed, flying over to her brother to give him a big hug, which he happily returned.

Then Mario rushed over to Peach, swept her into his arms, and gave her a passionate kiss on the lips, which she was only too eager to return as she wound her arms around his neck.

Pauline smiled as she watched the happy reunions. There was no doubt in her mind that the bride was right where she belonged, in the arms of Mario. And given how Mario held the bride close as he kissed her, she knew that he was very much in love with her.

When they finally pulled apart for air, Peach asked Mario, "How did you survive being shot down?"

"I think the Star Spirits were watching over me and wanted me to live. Or maybe your friend, Twink, saw exactly what was going on and asked them to please help us out." Mario said.

"The latter is actually not a very bad assumption." Peach said, remembering the Star Kid who kept her company during the time Bowser had taken the Star Rod.

"We can't forget about him." Mario said.

That was when Peach noticed Mario's tuxedo.

"Oh my! Mario, you look so handsome! Where did you get that tux?" Peach asked.

"From Cappy." Mario replied.

"Cappy changed your clothes?" Peach asked.

"Sì. When we arrived here, Cappy landed on my head as a top hat, and my outfit turned into this." Mario explained.

"I've never seen you dressed in such finery before!" Peach smiled.

"Were you planning on marrying the princess while you're wearing that tux, Mario?" Tiara asked.

Mario blushed at the thought, and said, "As much as I'd love to marry my princess, I don't think I could do that right now. She's been through an awful lot of trouble with Bowser, and..."

"It's true, I'm afraid. After everything Bowser put me though this time, marriage and weddings are the very last things on my mind right now. But I do want to marry you, Mario. I just don't want to get married in this dress, or in that place, with stolen supplies. Did you know that he wouldn't even let me help with the wedding planning?" Peach asked.

Mario's mouth fell open, and he said, "That's just stupido! Everyone knows that the bride and groom are supposed to plan the wedding together in order to learn how to compromesso, compromise, a skill that will serve them well in their married life!"

"Exactly! He doesn't wish to learn how to compromise! He just expects me to be a willing slave who will do whatever he says!" Peach said.

"Good thing Mario wanted to stop that stupid jerk from having you as his wife. You don't deserve a monster like that for a husband." Pauline told her.

"I know. I would much rather have Mario as my husband. He's the sweetest, most wonderful man a woman could ever ask for." Peach said, enjoying the closeness between her and Mario.

"Which is why I didn't give up on you. You're my better half, cara mia, my darling." Mario told her.

"And you're mine." Peach said, allowing herself to relax in his arms.

As they held each other close, happy to be together again, Mario said, "You know, Peach. There is something I've been wanting to do as soon as I got you back."

"I bet I can guess what it is." Peach said, moving her face close to his.

"You're guessing right." Mario said as he leaned forward. Then their lips met in another passionate kiss. Before anyone knew it, they were making out.

"Wow! I knew Peach was in love with Mario, but now that I'm able to see them together again, I know they were made for each other." Tiara said.

"That's how Mario felt. Why else did he want to rescue her from that jerk-face?" Cappy asked.

"Because his love for her was too strong to make him give up." Pauline replied.

The couple continued making out until John came walking back to the ship, looking pretty happy. He said, "Okay, that dumb old monster finally realized that he has no other choice. He called off the wedding, so everybody is taking what's been stolen from them (except for that woman from the Lake Kingdom), and I guess it's time for us to head back to New Donk City."

"All right. Let's go." said Pauline.

"When we get back, I should take the Odyssey and explore those kingdoms that Bowser stole stuff from and put them right again. I think he did more than just steal stuff." Mario said.

"He did. And I'll go with you." Peach said.

"Peach, as much as I love you and wanted to rescue you during the adventure Cappy and I went on, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to discourage you from joining me in those kingdoms." Mario told her.

"Why?" Peach asked.

"Because what if Bowser decides to plot immediate revenge? If he is, and he sees the Odyssey, he'll come after me, and if he sees you with me-" Mario began.

"Mario, he's not going to be able to shoot you down if he sees that I'm with you. There's no point in trying to kill you as long as I'm around. You'll be safe." Peach told him.

"You're right about that. But in that case, he'll just come up with some other way to kill me so he can take you back with no problems whatsoever." Mario finished.

"Oh, good point." Peach mumbled. She really couldn't handle the thought of losing Mario forever. Every one of Bowser's attempts to kill him had broken her heart.

"And there's no way that I can take you back to the Mushroom Kingdom. If Bowser does come after me and he doesn't see you with me, that's the first place he's going to look." Mario said.

"So where am I going to stay, if not with you, or at home?" Peach asked, a little concerned.

"I have an idea. You can stay with me in New Donk City until Mario gets back from helping those other kingdoms. So if Bowser does look for you, he might not suspect that you're in the city." Pauline promised.

"Can I really stay there, with you?" Peach asked, concerned.

"Hey, you're Mario's girlfriend, and I still feel like I owe him big for helping to save New Donk City. I can't do enough to repay the favor! And I can safely say that any friend of Mario's is a friend of mine." Pauline told her.

"Oh, thank you so much!" Peach said.

"Please let me stay, too! I don't want to return to the Cap Kingdom without my big brother, Cappy!" Tiara pleaded.

"Sure thing! I won't leave you out of the fun, sweetie!" Pauline said to the young Bonneter.

"Thank you, pretty lady!" Tiara exclaimed, twirling with joy.

"Call me Pauline, please." Pauline smiled.

"Okay, Pauline." said Tiara.

Mario had a feeling that Peach and Tiara would be safe as long as they were with Pauline in the city. Bowser may not look for them there. So with Pauline leading the way, Mario accompanied them to the apartment building where Pauline lived. After sharing a lingering kiss with Peach, Mario and Cappy made their way back to the Odyssey, and went to take care of the troubles in the Snow, Seaside, and Luncheon Kingdoms.

(A/N: He didn't have to go to the Ruined Kingdom or Bowser's Kingdom because Bowser never attacked him, and his main mission in Bowser's Kingdom was to try and rescue Peach.)

When Mario finished taking care of the troubles in each of the kingdoms he hadn't been to before the wedding, he'd wonder how Peach was doing. Because she didn't have her smartphone on her when Bowser took her away, he would call Pauline's cell phone and ask her if he could talk to Peach. He wanted to make sure that Peach was feeling fine, and to let her know that he was well.

Peach told him that she was having a good time in the city, and she meant it. Pauline was very kind to the princess, showing her and Tiara around New Donk City, and they did a lot of fun activities together, which helped them get to be very good friends in the process. However, Peach also heard a lot of wonderful things about the Music Festival, and she was sad to have missed it. But Pauline said she'd be glad to do it again... if Mario was up for it.

"So what do you say, Mario? Do you think you're up for a reprise?" Peach asked, referring to the Music Festival.

"Sembra divertente! Sounds like fun! And Cappy and I sure could go for some fun after fixing all the problems Bowser had caused in the kingdoms we hadn't seen after we finished up in New Donk City." Mario said.

"All right. I'll let Pauline know what you said." Peach told him, feeling glad that she would be able to enjoy the Music Festival after all. She'd hoped that Mario would say 'yes' to the idea.

Sure enough, when Mario and Cappy returned to New Donk City, Pauline had the Music Festival that night, and Peach never imagined that it would be so much fun. And by that time, she had recovered enough from what Bowser had put her through to ask Mario the big question.

"Will you marry me, Mario?" Peach asked, looking at the plumber with love in her eyes.

Mario was very surprised to hear Peach asking him the question that he wanted to ask her, but he was able to reply, "Of course I will!"

When Pauline found out about their engagement, she was really happy for the couple, and decided it would be best to congratulate them with one more song, called "Break Free (Lead The Way)".

And several months later, Mario and Peach were married, and they lived happily ever after. Pauline was also invited to the wedding, and she and her band provided music during the reception. She was so glad that she was able to help Mario.

The End

Okay, that's one way Pauline helped out. But there's still one other way she did it, and if you want to see it, then I suggest you stay tuned!