(A/N: Okay, now that Part 2 is here, you can see Bowser get the shock of his life! I know how eager you are to see it, so I'll start this thing before you riot!)
"All right! On the count of three, we're going to start singing the song. Are you ready?" Pauline said to Peach as they stood by the microphone.
"Yes. I'm ready as I'll ever be..." Peach said, taking deep breaths to keep herself calm. She was nervous and excited all at the same time. She was nervous because she never sang to Bowser before, and excited because the song of her choice spoke her true feelings for him.
"It's going to be fine, my lady. You've got this." Pauline said in a gentle voice, giving the bride a reassuring smile. Once she had calmed down, Peach smiled back and said, "Let's hit it!"
"One... two... three!" Pauline said, and she and Peach belted out the intro to Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name", surprising everyone in the Wedding Hall!
As the band started playing the song, it turned out that no one was more surprised than Bowser! His stupid grin was quickly replaced by a look of horror as he realized what the song was! NO! This wasn't right! This wasn't the kind of song he expected Peach to sing to him! He didn't even know that she liked Bon Jovi! If he'd known she liked this song, he would've gladly listened to a Beatles song instead!
But then he thought, "Wait a minute! Maybe I'm dreaming. If I'm dreaming, I can wake up, and Peach will be singing something nicer to me instead." Bowser slapped himself in the face as hard as he could, but to his disappointment, it hurt. And it hurt bad. He wasn't dreaming. He was awake, and Peach was still singing Bon Jovi.
The guests smiled widely as they recognized the song they were hearing, and the message that it gave to the groom. To stick the needle in a little further, they all began rocking out to it. Sure, this wasn't the kind of song they expected to hear at a wedding, but they could see that Bowser wasn't a great guy! He deserved to know that he wasn't marriage material!
Peach and Pauline took turns singing into the mic, and they were clearly enjoying themselves, for Bowser was the perfect person to sing this song to. It was as though the song was written just for him (even though it really wasn't)! However, the thing they enjoyed the most was the way Bowser was reacting to it. He was not enjoying it, but he had this coming for a long time, and payback was as sweet as peach cobbler!
Before the song was over, Mario and Cappy were finally approaching the Wedding Hall, and they were very surprised when they heard the Bon Jovi song coming from the main room.
"Mama-mia! Is somebody covering Bon Jovi in there?" Mario asked as he recognized the song that was playing.
"Sure sounds like it. But why are they playing that particular song at a wedding?" Cappy asked from his place on Mario's head.
"I wonder if this is how Pauline wanted to stall the wedding. Can't say that I blame her if this was the song she picked to do it." Mario said as he walked into the building, trying to figure out why he was hearing the song.
"Neither can I." Cappy said.
When Mario entered the room where the wedding was supposed to take place, he was in for quite a surprise! Pauline's back-up band was playing the song, and Bowser was curled up in a tight ball on the floor, his eyes tightly closed, and his hands clamped over his ear canals, trying not to listen to the demoralizing song. And everyone was jumping up and down, singing along with Pauline and the bride.
"Oh wow... is this really how Pauline wanted to stall the wedding?" Cappy quietly asked, trying not to laugh at the sight of Bowser.
"I guess so. I can always ask Peach and get a straight answer from her." Mario replied.
Mario approached the girls and gave Peach's skirts a light tug, causing her to stop singing and turn to look at who was trying to get her attention. When she saw Mario standing there in an elegant white tuxedo, she gasped in surprise and excitement, then knelt down and gave him a tight hug with a big smile on her face. Then she gave him a passionate kiss on the lips, right in front of everyone (Bowser doesn't count 'cause he wasn't paying attention)!
When Pauline realized that Peach had stopped singing, she was pleased when she saw the reason why. Upon seeing Mario, she gave him a happy smile and a quick wave. Cappy's eyes appeared on Mario's top hat and looked pleased at the sight of Pauline's smiling face. He even winked at her. Mario returned Pauline's smile and waved back at her, then turned his gaze back to the princess, who was positively beaming at him.
"Shall we go, mia dolce principessa, my sweet princess?" he asked in a soft voice.
"I've done what I needed to do here, so let's-a go!" Peach giggled.
"Hey, that's my line!" Mario said.
"I know. But you know why I used it? Because I'm so glad to see you again, and I love you." Peach told him.
Mario couldn't argue with that.
"Anch'io ti amo. I love you, too, Peach." Mario replied lovingly, leading the princess out of the Wedding Hall. Once they were outside, Mario said, "All right, Cappy. You know what to do now, don't ya, buddy?"
"But of course!" Cappy said, and with that, he warped the group back to the Odyssey.
"Wow, that was quick!" Peach replied when she saw that they had appeared right outside of the Odyssey.
"I know. That's the reason why I asked Cappy to warp us here. Now let's-a get in." Mario said, opening the door and allowing Peach to enter the Odyssey first. She made a curtsy at him, then walked in, and once she was inside, Tiara assumed her Bonneter form. Then Mario entered the ship, and Cappy also assumed his Bonneter form because he knew Tiara was going to want to hug him. And she did.
"CAPPY!" Tiara screamed in excitement as she practically glomped her brother.
"Whoa!" Cappy yelled as he was knocked to the floor, not prepared for Tiara's reaction to seeing him again. But he couldn't blame her for this, and he asked, "Aw, did you miss me?"
"You bet I did! I missed you so much!" Tiara sobbed in happiness as she hugged her big brother tightly.
"And I missed you, too, Tiara. I was so worried about you!" Cappy told Tiara as he returned her hug.
"But you're okay! I'm so relieved that you showed up! After Bowser tried to stop Mario from rescuing Peach, I didn't think I would ever get to see you again! Oh, Cappy, I was so afraid that I'd lost you to a creep!" Tiara wailed, her eyes watery.
"Hey, I'm not going to give up and die when my baby sister needs rescuing! Like Mario with Peach, I won't stop until I know you're out of danger. And I'm so glad you're safe." Cappy replied.
"Look at those two. I haven't seen Tiara this excited during the time I've known her." Peach said as she sat down on the bed to watch the happy reunion that Cappy and Tiara were having.
"I know how you feel. Cappy's been worried, too, even though he and I tried to have some fun on our adventure to get you girls back." Mario told her as he set a course for the Mushroom Kingdom.
"Did you have any fun?" Peach asked.
"Not much. I was too worried about you to really enjoy myself." Mario said as the Odyssey lifted off, taking the group away from Honeylune Ridge.
"I was so worried about you after Bowser used that stupid hat of his to punch you away from his dumb old airship. You almost had me back!" Peach said.
"Lo so. I know. And my intention was to save you before Bowser even made it this far." Mario said as he sat down next to his beloved girlfriend.
"You did your best, and you finally did save me. That's the important thing." Peach told him as she reached over and gently rubbed his shoulder.
"But I know that I could have had you out of this mess a lot sooner than now! Bowser's just un idiota if he can't learn to surrender before things get too out of hand for him. He could have spared himself a lot of trouble if he'd learn when to wave the White Flag of Surrender earlier!" Mario said.
"Actually, this is also my fault, in a way." Peach said.
"Don't blame yourself, Peach." Mario told her.
"No. I should've tried to think of a way to stop Bowser from trying to kill you. Or at least found some way to get revenge on him for hurting both of us. You should know that the thought of losing you broke my heart." Peach said.
"I'm sorry you had to endure so much heartbreak from that thundering boob. But now that you know I'm alive and we're finally together again. Is that enough to mend your heart?" Mario asked.
"Yes. I can feel it mending itself, now that I'm with you, which is exactly where I belong." Peach smiled as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Anyway, I think you did get your revenge on him. You used a Bon Jovi song to let him know how you feel about him. I could see that you showed no mercy on him as you were singing." said Mario.
"I never would've been able to do it without the help of that woman and her band." Peach said.
"That woman you were singing with was my good friend, Pauline, the mayor of New Donk City. I asked her to stall the wedding so I could get there in time to rescue you. Tell me how she did it." Mario said, wondering what Pauline had done to help his woman.
"Okay. When Bowser and I reached the altar, she yelled really loud and brought the wedding ceremony to a standstill. She said that we couldn't get married until we carried out a new wedding tradition, where the bride and groom pledge their love to each other in a song before they exchange their vows and rings." Peach said.
"Did she let you go first?" Mario asked, hoping she would say yes. He was afraid that Bowser might have tried to play the 'I outrank Peach so I should really go first' card in order to get his way. All he could do was hope that Pauline didn't go for that.
"Yes, and it wasn't just because of the saying 'ladies first', either. She said that the word 'bride' comes before 'groom' in alphabetical order, and he ought to be happy that I'm going first." Peach said.
"You're right! Those are perfect reasons as to why you should go first." Mario said. He made a mental note to thank Pauline later on.
"So she asked me what song I had in mind. I told her I didn't want to sing any love songs, and that was fine with her. I thought of two songs that had to do with being out of love with someone, but we only needed one. When I told her what they were, she chose the Bon Jovi song." Peach began.
"I can tell why she would. It's-a Bowser all over!" Mario smiled.
"That's what she said. Her band even backed us up, and she helped me sing it, letting Bowser know that he does as the song says." Peach said, smiling a little as she thought about the look on his stupid face when she and Pauline sang the intro.
"Then Cappy and I showed up to save you and Tiara before the song was over." Mario recalled.
"And here we are, in your ship, on our way to... where are we going?" Peach asked.
"Home. To the Mushroom Kingdom." Mario said.
"Good. I really want to get back home and change out of this dress." Peach said.
"I know the reason why, Peach. It's-a stolen, and you were wearing it to marry someone you hate. But I want you to know that I think it looks bellissima, beautiful, on you." Mario said.
"Oh, you little flatterer. Come over here..." Peach said, pulling Mario into her arms and covering his face with kisses.
"OOH!" Tiara exclaimed in excitement as she watched Mario and Peach.
"What's going... WHOA!" said Cappy when he saw what was happening to his friend.
Mario and Peach were too lost in love to care that they had an audience watching them. Peach wanted to kiss Mario so badly, and Mario had been looking forward to being kissed by her again.
When Peach finally stopped, she said, "Oh, Mario... I'm sorry for taking you by surprise like I just did, but you have no idea how badly I wanted to do that to you."
"I... I think I do..." Mario replied, his face shaming his bowtie.
"It felt so good to kiss you again." Peach said.
"I love you so much..." Mario said, before falling over, dizzy with love.
Meanwhile, back in the Wedding Hall...
Bowser carefully removed one hand from an ear canal, and he heard silence, or had he gone deaf?
"Okay, the song is over?" Bowser asked, realizing that he could still hear after all.
"Yes, it is. If you hadn't covered your ear canals, you would've been able to tell a lot sooner than this." said Pauline, sounding slightly annoyed. But she was really glad he hadn't wanted to hear the song. If he heard Peach stop, then he would've seen Mario as the reason why, and then there would have been trouble. Bad trouble.
Bowser leaped to his feet and said, "All right. When I get done singing my song, my bride is going to have a new song to sing to me, and it's called..." That's when he realized that he didn't see the bride anywhere.
"Huh? Where did she go?" Bowser asked, looking around the Wedding Hall.
"Hmm... you're out of luck, 'cause the band and I never heard that song before." said Pauline with a helpless shrug, and the band members smirked at each other.
"I wasn't saying that it's the name of a song! I'm saying that I don't see my bride in here! Where did she disappear to?" Bowser asked.
"Oh, right! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but she left while you were lying there, trying not to listen to the song she had chosen. Since you were ignoring her, she decided to leave, and she was singing "Who's Sorry Now?". The worst part is, I don't think she's feeling the least bit sorry for what she did." Pauline smirked.
"She did WHAT?!" Bowser almost screamed.
"She left, which means you're not getting married!" Pauline said with a big smile on her face.
"You CAN'T be serious!" Bowser growled.
"Oh, but I am! We all saw her leave this place. Sorry, Bowser, but the princess has found another man to marry, and he's not you! In fact, he's better than you in every way, shape, and form!" Pauline said.
"This is SO NOT FAIR!" Bowser complained.
"Oh, and you think stealing from our kingdoms was for this sham wedding was fair?!" asked a voice.
Bowser looked around to see that the wedding guests had suddenly surrounded him. And the worst part was the fact that they were glaring daggers at him.
"Uhh..." Bowser began, feeling a little nervous.
"You know, we didn't exactly appreciate you stealing our kingdom's Binding Band and ruining the sight of our kingdom with your stupid posters! Our kingdom turned freezing cold and was iced over when you did that!" said a Tostarenan. (A/N: One of the Moon Rock missions involves removing wedding posters from a building in Tostarena Northwest Reaches, despite the fact the wedding won't happen.)
"And while the bride looked exquisite in the Lochlady Dress, we didn't ask you to steal it, since it happens to be our kingdom's national treasure, and NOT for sale!" a Lochlady added.
"You mean you can't make an exception for my bride? She's a princess, you know." Bowser said.
"Unfortunately, no. And that's partially because she didn't look happy to be wearing it." the Lochlady said.
"Hey, you said the dress brings eternal happiness to whoever wears it, so every bride yearns for it!" Bowser complained.
"The brochure does say that, but you missed the fine print. By that, we meant that it brings eternal happiness... as long as the bride who wants it so badly is getting married to her true love, and from what we saw and heard, you're not it!" the Lochlady glared.
"And stealing our kingdom's Soirée Bouquet was completely unforgivable. You will never be allowed in our kingdom again as punishment." the Steam Gardener said.
"And what about the way you vandalized New Donk City by advertising your stupid wedding all over the place?! The advertisements were an eyesore that covered our city like a bad rash, and it made everyone sick!" said John.
"Not to mention that... thing... that was stealing the city's power! What were you hoping to achieve when you put it on New Donk City Hall; a place in the Hall of Infamy?! It's thanks to Mario that everything in our city is right again!" said the bassist.
"Hooray for Mario! He's the best!" everyone cheered.
Bowser growled. He absolutely hated to hear that the guests were cheering for Mario when all he ever did was ruin his plans!
"And there was no need for you to block the entrance to the race course and steal our cake from us! That cake is for the winner of the Bound Bowl Grand Prix!" said the Shiverian.
"You didn't need to take our Sparkle Water and cork the fountains, either! And I'm hoping you haven't had even one drop of our Sparkle Water yet, because you don't really deserve any of the wonderful things drinking it can bring!" added the Bubblainian, who sounded like Mr. Salt from "Blue's Clues".
"And you most certainly don't deserve any of our famous Stupendous Stew! But we really aren't going to let that bother us too much because you stole it before it was even ready! We hadn't added the meat!" said the Volbonan.
"Oh, come on! I mentioned that my bride is a princess. So don't you think she deserved the best of the best for this wedding!" Bowser told them.
"She probably is worthy of it, but let me ask you this: was any of it what she wanted?" asked the drummer.
Bowser didn't answer the question.
"WAS IT?!" everyone yelled, closing in around him.
"No..." Bowser replied in a small voice.
"What was that?" asked John, putting his hand to his ear.
"I SAID 'NO', OKAY?! I DIDN'T WANT HER STUPID INPUT ON ANY OF THE DETAILS FOR MY WEDDING!" Bowser yelled.
That told the guests what they needed to hear.
"In that case, LET'S GET HIM!" yelled a Tostarenan.
The guests proceeded to beat up Bowser and let him have it! They didn't hold back, either; he received the full brunt of their wrath! And he was not quick enough to stop a bunch of people at once! When the beating was over with, he was unconscious, and he looked to be in the worst shape he had ever been in! The only thing for him to be glad about was the fact that Peach wasn't here to see him looking this pathetic.
"All right! Now that the monster has been properly dealt with, all of you can take back what's yours and get it back to where it belongs!" said the guitarist to the guests.
"Well, I'm afraid I'll be going home empty-handed. I can't take back the Lochlady Dress. The bride was still wearing it when she left the Wedding Hall, and she hasn't brought it back yet. But I guess she didn't want that monster to see that she took it off." said the Lochlady.
"I'm sure that she'll bring it back to you someday soon. The bride seems like a very nice woman to me." Pauline assured the Lochlady.
"She does." said the Lochlady.
Everyone loaded up the wedding supplies on Bowser's airship, then took it back to their kingdoms, returning everything to where it belonged. When the airship was empty, they sent it right back to the Moon Kingdom, where it crash-landed and broke, leaving Bowser with no way to get back home. But then again, he had his smartphone on him. He asked one of the Koopalings to come, and to bring his Koopa Clown Car.
Now let's rejoin Mario and Peach...
As they continued their journey home, Peach noticed Mario's white tuxedo, and she said, "I almost forgot, but you look so handsome in that tux. Where did you get it? Did the people who made this dress make the tux to go with it?"
"No, but that wasn't a bad guess. Cappy gave it to me as we were leaving Bowser's Kingdom." Mario said.
"I'm glad you like it, Peach. I was thinking that you might enjoy seeing how Mario looks in a tux." Cappy said.
"I love it. You look more amazing than I ever imagined!" Peach said.
Mario blushed. He couldn't believe his beautiful princess thought he looked handsome. It felt so good to have her back and hear her say sweet things to him. Then he thought about something.
"Peach, if I was the groom, and what Pauline said to stall the wedding was true, what song would you have picked to sing to me?" Mario asked.
Peach thought for a moment, then gave her reply, "I would have picked a love song. And it would be one that the two of us could sing together."
"Like a duet?" Mario asked.
"Yes, and I have the perfect song in mind, too." Peach said.
"Which song would that be?" Mario wanted to know.
Peach smiled as the intro for "Nobody Loves Me Like You Do" began to play. And then she began to sing the song.
Mario couldn't help smiling as Peach sang. He knew that song, and it was a duet. Peach's voice was so beautiful, he hadn't realized that his turn to sing had come until she reminded him, and he sang his part. But he liked when they were able to sing together.
Cappy and Tiara happily watched the couple as they seemed to pledge their love for each other in a lovely duet.
"How romantic!" Tiara sighed lovingly as she heard them sing of their love.
"I know. They're perfect for one another. And the song fits them perfectly!" Cappy said.
"It does. I'm so happy. Peach earned this moment." Tiara said.
"So did Mario. He finally got back the princess he loves more than his own life." said Cappy.
As the song ended, Mario and Peach shared another hug before their lips met in a lingering kiss, which made Cappy and Tiara go, "Awwww..."
"Ignore them, Mario. Nothing is going to stop you from enjoying this romantic moment with your princess." the plumber told himself as he kept his lips against Peach's.
When they broke apart, Peach held Mario at arm's length and said, "I love you more than you'll ever know."
"The feeling is mutual, Peach. And now that I've told you that, I need to ask you something very importante." Mario began as he got down on one knee.
"No way? He's really going to do it?!" Cappy and Tiara thought in excitement.
"Mario, are you...?!" Peach asked in surprise. She knew what it meant when a man gets down on one knee to ask a question.
"Ever since I met you, I can't imagine my life without you. I know that I can't offer you any of the things a nobleman can, but I can promise that you'll always have my heart, and that I will love you until the day I die. I know I don't have a ring on me at present, but Princess Peach, mio angelo, my angel... will you marry me?" Mario asked, looking at the princess with love in his eyes.
Mario then realized that this might seem kind of sudden to Peach (whose eyes were as big as dinner plates), and he had to fix that. So he added, "You don't have to say 'yes', but I love you so much, and Bowser kind of pushed me to do this. I know that this must seem very sudden, so I'm not going to blame you if you say 'no'."
Peach thought about all the trouble that Bowser had put her through. She didn't want to marry him, ever; and even though she didn't feel up to marriage at the moment, she reminded herself what she had promised herself when she was in Bowser's clutches: if Mario managed to survive and rescue her from living miserably ever after, she would marry him!
Well, now that Peach was safe, and Bowser wasn't here to ruin her life, it was time for her to give Mario the answer he wanted to hear, and the answer she longed to give him.
"I will." Peach said.
"You what?" Mario asked. He wasn't sure he heard that right.
"I will marry you!" Peach said.
"You will?" Mario asked.
"I promised myself that I would marry you if you saved me, and you did, so the answer is 'yes'. I'd be honored to be your wife!" Peach said.
Mario was so excited, he couldn't believe it! The princess he loved actually agreed to marry him! She was going to be his wife, and there was nothing Bowser could do to stop them, since Peach and Pauline had prevented the Koopa King from noticing Mario when he arrived at the Wedding Hall to reclaim his better half. They sealed their engagement with another kiss, oblivious to the cheering from Cappy and Tiara.
Later that night, when she had returned to New Donk City, Pauline called Mario and asked him how everything was going.
"It's-a better than I hoped! Peach and I are engaged to be married!" Mario told her.
"You asked her to marry you?! And she accepted?! Oh wow! That's wonderful news; I'm so happy for you!" Pauline exclaimed.
"I couldn't have saved Peach without your help." Mario reminded her.
"Hey, you helped me out by stopping that creature, putting together a back-up band, and restoring power to the power plant. You did so much good for me, I wanted to help you out in the worst way. So when you asked me to stall the wedding, I immediately went to work, thinking up a plan to help repay the favor. And I guess it's a good thing I invited the band to come with me to the event." Pauline said.
"That was a really smart move on your part. Grazie! Thank you so much for all your help." Mario said.
"Mario, I just couldn't thank you enough for all your help in New Donk City. I'm so glad I was able to help you get back your girl, and get engaged to her." Pauline said.
"And you did a terrific job!" Mario said, but then he let out an enormous yawn, over-tired from all the running around he had to do in order to save his wife-to-be.
"You sound pretty tired." Pauline noted.
"I am." Mario replied.
"I'll let you get some sleep, and we can talk more tomorrow." Pauline said.
"Okie-dokie. It was great seeing you again, and I'm so glad that you were able to help me save Peach from becoming Bowser's wife." Mario said.
"You told me that's what friends do, Mario. I wanted to be as good a friend to you as you were to me. Good night, and sleep well." Pauline said.
"Buona notte, Pauline. Good night." Mario replied as he ended the call, then burrowed under the covers in the bed in his guest room at Peach's Castle, dreaming about living happily ever after with Peach.
A little over a year later, Mario and Peach were happily married in a joyous ceremony that took place in the Mushroom Kingdom, and from that moment on, they lived happily ever after.
The End
All right! The other idea where Pauline helped Mario has been finished! I hope you guys liked this one, too, because these ideas were to celebrate 7 happy years of doing the Odyssey!