A/N: Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another update of Superstar Adventure and Happy 1st Day of June, everyone. It's hard to believe it's June already, which also means it's Quarantine Day #... whatever, I lost count. I want to give a special shout out to a new friend of mine, StarlitDuck for taking a look at this story from the beginning. He/she is on Chapter 4, I believe, but they took the time to write down their thoughts on what they think of the story so far. Can I say that your reviews definitely made my day! Quarantine's been a little rough despite me having some time to be creative as well as my job as a Shipt Shopper, but hey, I'm gonna stay positive and writing this and just Mario in general always makes me positive.

Suggested Music:

(1) Sad Girl - Super Mario Galaxy OST

(2) Broodals Battle - Super Mario Odyssey OST

Without further ado, enjoy the show

Battle For The Dress

(1) Back at Bowser's Kingdom, Princess Peach and Tiara finally got a moment to themselves when they were brought back to their jail cells thanks to a few Koopa Troopas. The two of them were exhausted from the long day they've had, and they were also sick of being trapped inside the castle in the first place. Peach leaned her head against the bars of her cell, hoping that Mario and Tiara's brother would bust down the door and set them free. But the longer Peach waited, the more impatient she got.

Closing her bluebell eyes, she released a low sigh and glanced over at Tiara, who hid her tears from the princess's sight. She didn't want to see her crying for the umpteenth time; it's all she's done since she was taken from her kingdom.

Feeling sorrow for the Cap Kingdom's princess, Peach rubbed her head and got up from her seat. She slowly approached her new friend and sat down next to her, wrapping her arm around her.

"Are you all right, Tiara?" she inquired.

"Hmm?" the Bonneter sniffed, wiping her eyes with her nubs. "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to weep like this. I've been doing this ever since we arrived here."

"Hey, I don't blame you," Peach chuckled. "I cried every time I got captured by Bowser in the past. I wasn't healthy for me both mentally and physically. For the former, I felt nothing but sadness and for the latter, my face would be all red. I looked like a walking tomato."

Tiara snickered when she heard that. "You're funny."

"Thanks. One of the things Luigi taught me is you can't get through life without a sense of humor."

"Who told you that?"

"Luigi, he's Mario's brother. He's a really sweet guy. He does get flustered and he's easily frightened, but he knows how to be brave when the time comes. You should see the way he catches ghosts, it's incredible!"

"Ha-ha, I bet it is," Tiara paused for a moment of silence. "Say, you and I never talked much aside from the conversation we had in the bathroom, which I apologize for."

"Don't be. We never had time to talk with each other."

"Right… might as well take this opportunity to get to know each other, right? Tell me about yourself, Peach. Where are you from?"

"Well, I'm the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom and when I'm not getting captured by Bowser, I spend a lot of time with Mario and my friends. I play video games with the Toads, I jog around Toad Town, I would occasionally vacation in Sarasaland and visit my cousin Daisy, I basically learn how to have fun while ruling my kingdom responsibly. I'll admit, I'm not a perfect princess, as I do get captured all of the time and make silly mistakes, but my colleague Toadsworth is always there to cheer me up."

"Sounds like you and I have a lot in common than I thought," Tiara smiled.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Well, except for a few things. Back in the Cap Kingdom, I'm always learning how to be a proper princess, but I also find time to have fun. My brother Cappy and I play pranks on some of our friends, we chase the frogs around, we capture random items and take control of them, and… well, we don't do this as much as we used to, but we liked to travel with our parents. It was fun while it lasted."

"You guys liked to travel, huh? Where did you guys go?"

"Oh, we went to all sorts of places! We mainly ventured to different kingdoms around the globe and they were amazing! My personal favorite is the Seaside Kingdom. The crystal-clear ocean, the clean sand, the crabs that liked to pinch Cappy, that kingdom was like heaven to me. We'd always go there after we visit places like the Metro Kingdom, the Lake Kingdom, Wooded Kingdom, etc… but unfortunately, we don't travel anymore. I feel like when Cappy and I bring up traveling, my father's always reminded of what happened to my mother."

Peach's jaw partly dropped to the ground when she heard that last remark. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your mother?"

"I don't know much, Cappy probably knows more than I do," Tiara sighed. "My parents took a trip to the Metro Kingdom once and my father was the only one who returned. We asked where she was, and he didn't respond. All he does it lower his head in shame and walk away. Since then, he's decided to keep the Cap Kingdom isolated from the other kingdoms around the world."

"Do you think something bad happened to your mother?"

"I… I don't know."

Peach didn't bother to ask anything else regarding Tiara's mother because the Bonneter herself was already depressed. But she wasn't as sad as she was before. Talking to someone definitely helped her on an emotional level, but she would feel a lot better if she was away from Bowser's clutches.

Leaning against the brick wall, Peach stroked her chin and tapped the left side of her forehead. Thinking of her next part of their conversation, she gasped and snapped her fingers. "Tiara, tell you what. Let's work out a deal. If you help me formulate a plan that'll get both of us out of here, we'll go to the Metro Kingdom and find your mother."

Tiara's eyes widened when she heard that. "W-what?"

"You said the last time King Beret saw your mother was when they took their trip to the Metro Kingdom, right? What if she's still there? Maybe something happened between the two that caused her to leave, who knows? But we won't find out until we go there and find her ourselves."

"That… sounds quite astute."

"Yeah, I'm totally whatever you said. So, are you in?" she held out her white-gloved hand.

Tiara looked down at the princess's hand and thought about her decision. While she didn't like to think something bad happened to her mother, she was also determined to find out why King Beret came back alone. Every time she asked, she got nothing as an answer, and it started to annoy her. If she took this opportunity, she could possibly find out the full story.

Nodding to the princess, she held out her nub and shook her hand.

"All right, Princess Peach, let's bust out of here."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

The two prisoners shared a high-five and nodded, beginning their plan of escape.

"Waaaaaaaaah! Put all of the money in the bag!"

Waluigi and his partner, Wario were inside the Lake Kingdom's Crazy Cap store, where they hoped to steal some Power Moons as well as acquire gold coins from the register. Both of them wore ski masks and dug through the selection of clothes the store owners had, hoping to find some hidden treasure. As Wario scrambled through a cabinet of hats and clothes, Waluigi held a sandbag up to the register…

…or at least, he thought he was doing that.

A Lochlady in front of the cash register glanced at her partner before she said to the robber, "Excuse me, sir. You're facing the wrong way."

Waluigi, who had his ski mask on backward, turned around and faced the cashier. "Huh? Oh, sorry! All right, now give me the money!"

"Are you planning on paying with coins or debit?"

Waluigi stroked his chin. "Um… debit."

The slender man reached for his wallet and handed the mermaid his debit card. Taking off his mask, he winked and gave a thumbs up to Wario, who shook his head and facepalmed.

The Lochlady scanned the debit card and raised an eyebrow. She scanned it again and nothing happened. After a third time, she handed the card back to the man with dire news. "Sir, we're showing a balance of zero dollars and zero coins both your checking account and savings account."

Waluigi frowned. "…oh."

"Waluigi, will you stop screwing around!?" Wario snarled. "We're supposed to be looking for Power Moons!"

"Not on my watch, Wario Bros."

Both rivals raised both of their eyebrows and glanced towards the front door. Standing in a heroic pose was none other than Luigi, who had his fingers clenched around his Poltergust 5000. His Polterpup, Egon, stood beside him. He growled at the Wario Brothers and snarled. Waluigi removed his mask and gulped as soon as the saw the ghost dog.

"Wario, that's a big dog."

"Oh, please, I've seen Yoshis that are bigger than him," Wario rolled his eyes. "You're too late, Luigi. Waluigi and I are about to wipe this place clean… we're not actually cleaning the place, we're just going to steal of the Power Moons from it, so… oh, you know what I mean!"

"Power Moons are needed for this kingdom's resources, you brute!" Luigi clenched his fist. "I'm-a not gonna let you take them-wait a second, why are you two wearing ski masks? Everyone knows who you are and what you look like."

Wario removed his mask and shared a glance with his partner.

"They make us look professional," the latter replied.

"Yeah, professionally stupid."

"All right, you asked for it, you little punk!" Wario grunted, as he jumped on his feet and charged towards Luigi like a rampaging bull. The green-hatted hero gasped and leaped to the side, allowing Wario to faceplant against the wall. He fell on his rear and Luigi jumped on top of his head, causing him to steal stars and mushrooms floating around his head.

Waluigi watched his partner lay on his back, as he reached into his pocket and pulled out two tennis rackets with his initial printing on the front. Spinning them around like a samurai twirling a sword, he swung forward and clashed his weapons against Luigi's vacuum.

Luigi ducked beneath another attack before he was kicked in the chest. Waluigi raised his right arm, ready to strike before…

MUNCH!

"Ow!" Waluigi screamed. He looked down at saw that Egon was biting his leg. "Hey, hey, hey! Get off of me! I just came back from the dry cleaners!"

"Yeah, get him, Egon!" Luigi cheered.

Suddenly, Wario grabbed Luigi by the back strap of his overalls and threw right outside of the front door.

The ghost hunter soared through the air and skidded across the ground on his back. He leaped back up on his feet, only to turn to the right. He gasped by what was happening through a glass window.

Topper, Spewart, and Hariet were stealing the Lochlady Dress of its display.

The three Broodals noticed the plumber staring at them and awkwardly stood still. The only person who waved at the plumber was Spewart. To which, Topper and Hariet moaned and rolled their eyes.

"The Broodals!?" Luigi gasped.

"Hey, it's Da Broodals!" Topper corrected the man.

Wario stormed forward and grabbed Luigi once again, holding him by the front straps of his overalls. "I like to call this move, shake it!"

Luigi learned what that meant the hard way because Wario started shaking him up and down in a rapid fashion. The plumber felt like he was on the wildest roller coaster in an amusement park, one that kept going around on an infinite loop. Wario cackled loudly as he kept shaking Luigi around, the latter's face turned as green as his hat. Egon rushed out of the store, dragging Waluigi across the ground. He spun around and chucked Waluigi into his partner's back, making the two fall on top of each other.

The ghost catcher fell on his rear and covered his mouth, hoping that he wouldn't lose his lunch.

The Polterpup approached his owner and helped him on his feet.

"Grazie, Egon."

"Arf! Arf!"

"Get off of me, Waluigi!" Wario snarled, as he pushed his sidekick off his back. "That's it, Luigi! Once I get my hands on you, I'm gonna-wait, what the what!?"

The chubby man was distracted by the sight of three Broodals inside of the Lochlady Dress's display room. "Hey, wait a minute! I know those guys!"

"We do?" Waluigi inquired.

"Yeah, don't you remember? They ripped us off!"

"How?"

"They sold us a bunch of Gold Flowers, but they wound up being a bunch of Poison Mushrooms! Who sells a man Poison Mushrooms!?

Waluigi motioned to himself and his partner.

"…oh, yeah. But come on, Waluigi! Let's go show those rabbits who's boss! We'll deal with you later, Green Mario. Waluigi and I have some unfinished business with these guys!"

Luigi rubbed his head when he watched Wario and Waluigi blast through the window of the display room. Wario somersaulted across the ground and crashed into Spewart's stomach. Waluigi ran forward and tackled Hariet. Topper moved to the side with the dress in his hands, instantly recognizing the Wario Brothers.

"Huh, I didn't think I'd see you idiots again," he chuckled. "I'd love to stay and chat with you two bozos, but I got business to attend to."

"Same here!" Luigi entered the battlefield once he and Egon jumped on top of Topper's head. They landed in front of him and the former blinded the rabbit with the Strobulb. Even though that mechanic mainly worked on ghosts, it was still powerful enough to blind a thieving rabbit. Luigi landed two punches before whacking Topper with his rear. He leaped forward and kicked the green-dressed Broodal across the air.

Wario held back Spewart's fist, as the Broodal himself shot the man with a blob of purple goo. Wario rolled across the floor, as Hariet pounced on top of Waluigi's head, slamming him with his own tennis racket.

"Wah, wah, wah!" Waluigi cried, trying to grab the rabbit. "Get this freak off of me!"

As Luigi evaded Topper's projectile hats, he briefly looked over his shoulder and witnessed the chaos that endured. Mama Mia. I hope Mario's having a better time than I am.

While his comrades fought against the Wario Brothers and Luigi in the Water Plaza, Rango was left behind to guard the ship and watch over a captured Toadette, who was tied to the ship's flagpole. Her mouth was taped shut by a white cloth and her hands were tied behind her back. The Moon Shards, now formed into a full Power Moon, stood beside her, and Rango sat on the edge of the ship.

He was board and got tired of waiting for his friends to return.

"Gawrsh, it's boring up here," he moaned. "If only I had someone to talk to."

He turned around and looked at the pink Toad. "Hey, excuse me, would you like to talk about heartfelt emotions?"

Toadette was confused, but she snarled as a reply.

"Sorry I asked," Rango rolled his eyes, turning back to the water below him. "Man, I really wanna go swimming. That water looks so nice. Like, I want to just get on my bathing suit and splash right down into that water. Maybe if I get lucky, I can meet a beautiful mermaid girl and we could spend the rest of our lives together. That would be very nice."

Toadette felt like she was going to vomit.

"But of course, I'm here playing babysitter for a small mushroom and a Power Moon… huh? Hey, what's that down there?"

On the grassy field below the ship, Rango noticed a sparkling pink glow buried in the grass.

"Why don't you stay there, little Toad? Oh, wait. What am I saying? You have nowhere to go. Ya-haha haha hahaha-yuck!"

Jumping off the ship with his obnoxious laugh, Rango landed against the grass and dug up the source of the pink glow. His eyes were met with a true spectacle once he tossed a chunk of grass into the water. "Well, Whaddya know? I found me some treasure!"

A pink Multi-Moon was buried in the dirt.

Gently taking it out, he brushed off the soil and held it in his hands. "Wait till Topper finds out about you, ya-huck! I bet he's gonna give me a promotion!"

Suddenly, a green Warp Pipe sprouted from the ground and out popped Mario and Captain Toad. The two of them landed on their feet and looked around their environment.

Rango noticed them, gasped, and hid the Multi-Moon behind his back. "You again!?"

Hearing his goofy voice, Mario turned and gasped.

Cappy jumped off his companion's head and sneered at the Broodal. "Hey! What are you doing here!? I bet you're planning to steal the Lochlady Dress!"

"Correct you are, Shrimp," Rango chuckled. "Da Broodals are down there stealing it as we speak, but that's not the only thing we found. We got lucky and found a small Power Moon in the grass along with a special guest. Why don't you say hello, little Mushroom Lady?"

Captain Toad and Mario glanced upward, seeing Toadette trapped against the flagpole.

"Toadette!" the captain shouted with his raspy voice. "Let her go, you fluffy freak!"

"Gawrsh, that was such a clever comeback. If y'all want her so badly," he removed his hat, and a line of spikes sprouted on the side. "Come and get her then, ha-yuck!" (2)

The fight between the heroes and the Broodal initiated once Mario and Captain Toad evaded to opposite sides, allowing the hat to bounce off the side of the battle arena. Rango chuckled as he watched the heroes run circles around him. They ran around aimlessly until the rabbit caught his hat, tossing towards Captain Toad.

"Yikes!"

Mario pushed the captain out of the way and threw Cappy at that hat, making it stop in its tracks.

Rolling across the ground, Mario laid Captain Toad on the grass, as he raced forward and noticed something inside Rango's hat, a yellow flower with orange petals. Remembering how he defeated the other Broodals, Mario jumped on top of the flower and it shot him vertically into the air.

Rango's eyes widened, as he searched for the plumber. "Huh!? Where'd you go?"

Without hesitation, Mario stomped right on top of Rango's head.

He cupped his hands together and boosted Captain Toad into the air, where he performed the same trick.

"How do you like that!?" Captain Toad snarled.

"That'll teach you!" Cappy nodded.

"You little punks are gonna pay for that!" Rango grabbed his hat and leaped upward. His upper body went inside his hat, so only his feet were exposed. He started hopping around the circular arena, hoping to squash the heroes like insects.

But due to their agile reflexes, Mario and Captain Toad avoided Rango's attacks.

"Mario, I need to get up to Toadette!" the latter exclaimed.

"Not to worry, I'll get you up there!" the red-hatted hero smiled, as he grabbed Cappy and tossed him forward. "Hop on top of Cappy and he'll boost you up!"

"Thanks, Mario!"

Doing as he was told, Captain Toad leaped off of Cappy's bouncy head, performed a front flip, and faceplanted on top of the Broodals' ship. Mario and Cappy cringed when they saw him land, but they were immediately kicked by Rango's foot.

Captain Toad wiped his face and approached Toadette. "Don't worry, Toadette, I'll save you! But first, let me get this off of your mouth!"

Ripping the cloth off of her mouth, Toadette screamed in agony.

"Sorry, Toadette. Are you okay?"

"Geez, Toad! Why don't you just rip my lips off!"

"You're welcome."

"I didn't say thank you, idiot!"

"Sorry, my bad."

Captain Toad rushed to the back of the flagpole and started untying the note that made up the rope. But it was difficult for him to do so because of his small hands. Toadette shared a brief glance with him before she analyzed the battle below. Rango tossed his hat forward and Mario stopped it by chucking Cappy into it.

Like before, Mario leaped into the air and stomped on top of Rango's head.

"You're-a done for, Rabbit!" he shouted with glee.

"I have a name! It's Rango!"

"Rango? You don't look like a lizard to me."

"Be quiet!" Rango crawled back into his hat and hopped around the arena. Mario and Cappy screamed, as they leaped to the side and ran away from their opponent. Growing concerned for Mario's safety, Toadette started to sweat.

"Toad, hurry up!" she said.

"That's Captain Toad to you and I'm almost done," Captain Toad said that as soon as he untied the rope, freeing his friend. "There we go! Mario, I got Toadette free!"

Mario long jumped away from Rango's stomp attack. "That's-a great, Toad! Now come down here and help me take Rango out!"

"Will do!" Toad smiled, as he offered Toadette his hand. "M'lady?"

Toadette felt flattered by Toad's gesture. "Oh, what a gentleman."

As both archeologists took each other's hands, Mario and Rango faced off one last time. Both of them stopped in their tracks and stared each other down. Rango gripped onto his spikey hat and spun around in a complete circle. Tossing his hat forward, he prayed that this would be the one hit that'll finish Mario and Cappy off…

…he couldn't have been more wrong.

Mario and Cappy stopped the hat from moving and jumped on top of the flower trampoline. Soaring through the air, the two of them bounced on top of Rango's head, but that wasn't the final blow. As soon as Mario somersaulted across the grass, he landed on his knees and shot a thumbs up to both Toads.

Captain Toad and Toadette shared a nod and gave Mario the same gesture.

Without a second thought, the two Toads leaped forward and Ground Pounded on top of Rango's head, knocking him into the dirt. Both of them flew through the air before they landed on their circular boots.

The battle with Rango was finally over. (2s)

Said rabbit struggled to get up because of the massive headache both Toads gave him. He grabbed his hat and fumbled around the arena, landing on his rear. Everywhere he looked, he saw images of Mario, Cappy, Captain Toad, and Toadette. "You think this is over? Think again, losers. Da Broodals are probably coming back with the Lochlady Dress as we speak and we're getting close to getting every supply on Bowser's wedding list. You'll never stop him in time!"

"As a matter of fact, we will," Mario retorted. "Those Broodals aren't getting the dress and do you want to know why? It's because my brother is down there stopping them as we speak. Knowing Luigi, he'll accomplish the missi-"

SPLASH!

Luigi, Wario, and Waluigi splashed out of the water and landed on their backs. Moaning and groaning in pain, Egon approached his owner and pulled him up. Mario, Cappy, and the two Toads gasped and rushed towards their ally. Rango laughed and turned to his left. Topper, Spewart, and Hariet climbed onto the top and ran towards the ship.

"Hey, Topper, I got a Multi-Moon and a Power Moon!" Rango said proudly. "…but then I lost them."

"I'm not surprised," Topper rolled his eyes. "But I don't matter! Let's get outta here and get back to da boss! I'm sure he'll be happy once we come back with this."

Topper showed the heroes that he successfully acquired the Lochlady Dress.

"No!" Cappy and Mario shouted.

The Broodals climbed on top of their ship and waved goodbye.

"So long, chumps!" Topper cackled. "Thanks for leading us to the Lochlady Dress, Mwa-hahahahahahahahaha!"

The rest of the Broodals laughed, as they set sail to their next destination.

Mario kicked the ground in frustration, as Wario and Waluigi stood up.

"What a bunch of furballs," Wario gritted his teeth. "They'll get what's coming to them soon!"

"I bet they will," Waluigi nodded in agreement. "But first, let's snag those Power Moons Malleo and Weegee have!"

"Hold it, Waluigi," Wario halted his partner from engaging in a fight. He angrily stared at the heroes and pointed at them with his pudgy finger. "Don't think this is over, Mario! Waluigi and I will find those Power Moons before you will! And if you stand in our way, we won't hold back!"

"Wah!" Waluigi smirked.

"We'll be back soon, Mario… you can count on it."

Wario and Waluigi jumped into the water and swam away from the grassy platform.

Mario and the others watched them swim back to shore.

"Well, that was a bust," Luigi lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Bro. I tried to stop them, but Wario and Waluigi kept getting in the way."

"Don't-a worry, Luigi," Mario nodded, patting his brother's shoulder. "You did your best and we will stop Bowser when the time comes. Peach and Cappy's family will be rescued, you can count on that."

"And Toadette and I are willing to help out," Toad nodded, as he whipped out a small device from his backpack. He handed it to Mario. Both Mario Brothers looked down at the device and gasped because they knew where it came from.

It was a Game Boy Horror SP: a communication device made by Professor Elvin Gadd. It was first given to them when Mario and Luigi set off on a quest to retrieve Princess Peach's voice from sibling villains: Cackletta and Fawful. Both brothers were amazed to see this machine return to them.

"The Game Boy Horror SP?" Luigi inquired, gently taking the device from Mario's hand. "How did you guys get ahold of this?"

"Professor E. Gadd made this for us a while back," Toadette replied. "He made this for every member of the Toad Brigade. We use it to find artifacts and communicate with one another. We figured this can be used to locate Power Moons."

"We're planning on getting the Toad Brigade back together and find our own set of Power Moons," Captain Toad nodded. "Once we feel we have enough, we'll rendezvous with one another and lend you guys our Power Moons. Those things activate the Odyssey, right? If you want to reach Bowser's kingdom, then you guys need a lot of Power Moons."

"Thank you so much, guys," Mario nodded. "We'll have to tell Professor E. Gadd we said hello."

"Indeed," Cappy nodded, despite not knowing who that is. "Let's test this thing out by looking for more Power Moons around the kingdom. Even though I can find them myself, this device can help us locate ones we might've missed."

"Correct," Mario smiled. "All right, team. Let's-a go!"

Just when they thought they could get some well-deserved rest, Princess Peach and Tiara were escorted by two Koopa Troopas into a private room. As soon as they opened the door, they were greeted to a ghastly sight.

Bowser and King Beret sat a beautiful round table with a pink table cloth and a set of plates on each side. There were three candles and a vase full of roses and tulips. The Koopa King adjusted his tie and took King Beret off of his head; the Cap Kingdom's king nodded to his daughter and motioned to her, inviting her to a "friendly" environment.

The two Koopa Troopas left the room.

Peach tilted her head to the right, wondering what her nemesis was planning.

"Peach, I'm glad you can make it," Bowser chuckled softly. "Please, have a seat."

Afraid of what would happen if she refused, Peach walked forward and sat in the chair across from Power. Tiara flew off of her blonde hair and sat on the table beside her, gulping and staring at her calm father. She was shocked to see him so relaxed.

"Greetings, Princess," King Beret greeted. "And hello, Daughter."

"Father, why are you doing this?" Tiara inquired. "You know Bowser's evil."

"Now, now, I may seem menacing on the outside, but on the inside, I'm just a big teddy bear," Bowser nodded. Peach folded his arms in disbelief. The smell of lies and slander filled the room. "I know I invaded your kingdom, but I did that for a good reason and that was to get rid of that annoying plumber, Mario. Now that he's off in the middle of nowhere, I thought this could be the perfect time to get to know my soon-to-be-wife, Peach. So, Peach, tell me about yourself. What's your favorite color? Do you enjoy long, romantic walks on the beach? Have you dreamt about ruling the Koopa Empire by my side?"

"Red, yes, and no," Peach replied.

"See, we're getting to know each other already."

"I know what you're trying to do, Bowser, and trust me, this isn't going to work. If I married you, that would mean I'd have to surrender my control over the Mushroom Kingdom to you."

"Well, I'm glad someone's paying attention."

"And if you really think I'm going to be the mother of those snot-nosed kids of yours, you're sadly mistaken."

"I would hire a nanny, but they all leave the second they come here."

"Stop being witty and be honest with yourself. You will never gain control of my kingdom and I will never become your wife! You're an evil, diabolical monster who cares about no one but himself!"

"Oh, really? If I'm so selfish, why do I have a device that gives me parental control of Junior's Nintendo Switch? Yeah, I care about the games he plays, I don't want him playing or watching anything explicit! Besides, Peach. How can you possibly save yourself from his marriage? I told you that you're a weak princess who relies on Mario to fight her battles. Getting captured is all you're good for."

"Trust me, Bowser… you have no idea what I'm capable of."

"Let's drop this mean-spirited conversation and order some food, shall we?" Bowser shook his head, as he whistled loudly. "Waiter! I'm waiting for the menu!"

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Junior moaned, as he came into the dining room dressed in a white and red sleeved suit. He had a fake mustache on and had black shoes on his feet. Handing the menus over to his customers, he huffed and took out a notepad with a black pen. "Hello, sir, and ma'am. Welcome to the Bowser Family Diner. May I take your order?"

Peach scrolled through the menu and was surprisingly intrigued by what was available. "Oh, wow. The lasagna seems promising."

"We'll split a salad," Bowser handed the menus back to his son. "And make sure mine has extra dressing on it."

"Yes, Dad."

Junior took the menus and walked into the kitchen.

Bowser and Peach were about to have another conversation when they heard an explosion come from the kitchen.

"Dad!" Junior shouted.

"What is it, Junior?"

"Morton burnt the salad!"

"What!? How's that even possible!? Give me a few minutes, Peach," Bowser jumped up from his chair. "Beret, watch over my date and your daughter, please. Morton, how on Earth did you burn a salad? Don't you watch cooking shows!?"

Bowser stormed into the kitchen and slammed the door.

Tiara took this chance to speak with her father. "Father, let's get out of here. This is our perfect chance."

"I'm sorry, Tiara, but I can't."

"Why?"

"It's Bonneter custom to obey their master's every command. No matter how harsh it may be."

"You can't be serious," Peach chimed in. "Bowser kidnapped you and Tiara with brute force. He's sending the Broodals after your own son!"

"If Cappy's smart, he'll go back to my kingdom and stay there," King Beret nodded. "I wouldn't want him involved in this mess… I'll be honest with you ladies; I hate being here. This dullard doesn't know a single thing about romance. But I simply can't rebel against him, it's not Bonneter law. If every Bonneter has a master, they must-"

"Who cares about our ancient custom!?" Tiara snarled. "Our ancestors abandoned that years ago! This is the modern era, Father! We need to get out of here, find Cappy, and head to the Metro Kingdom and find Mom!"

"Wait, what?"

"Peach and I have a plan to escape from this kingdom and find Mom in the Metro Kingdom. We think she's still there!"

"That's quite astute."

"Yes, I've already said that. Stop clowning around and come with us. We can find Mom toget-"

"No!"

Tiara paused. "What?"

"I cannot go back to the Metro Kingdom, not after what happened between your mother and I."

"So, she's in the Metro Kingdom?"

"I didn't say that."

"So, she isn't in the Metro Kingdom?"

"I didn't say that either."

"Then, what are you trying to say!?"

"I'm saying that as long as I stand, we will not be breaking out of here, we will not ruin the holy matrimony of Princess Peach and Lord Bowser, and we will not be going to the Metro Kingdom! It's your mother's fault she didn't come back with me! Why should I be bothered to go look for her!?"

King Beret's daughter widened her eyes at that last remark. She couldn't believe he said something like that, especially about a woman he's cherished for years. Tiara angrily looked at her father before she levitated upward. Her father noticed the disappointed look in her eyes.

The only thing she could say was, "If only Cappy and Mom could see you now, they'd be so disappointed."

With that, she floated out of the room and went back to her cell.

"Tiara, wait," King Beret raised his fight boxing glove, but it was too late. His daughter was already gone, and the damage had been done. Peach looked at the king with the same disappointed look. "You shouldn't be butting into my daughter and I's business, Princess Peach. I don't expect someone like you to understand how the Cap Kingdom works."

"Oh, I may not understand your kingdom's rules, but I understand that family is everything… something you obviously don't understand."

With his last remark, Peach jumped up from her chair and called upon the two Koopa guards. They humbly escorted her back to her jail cell.

King Beret watched the princess leave. Lowering his eyes in shame, he closed them and rubbed them with his boxing gloves. With a low sigh, he folded his arms and turned to the kitchen, where he could hear Bowser teaching his kids how to cook.

He slowly began to wonder if he was doing the right thing.

END OF CHAPTER 9

Mario and his crew are on their way to the Wooded Kingdom; however, they are unaware of the fractured relationship between the Cap Kingdom Family. King Beret has chosen to stay with Bowser, which has upset both Tiara and Peach. Will the king realize that family is more important than tradition or do we have ourselves a new villain on the rise? Either way, things aren't looking so well for Princess Peach and Tiara. Hopefully things will get better soon. With the Broodals searching for their next item on Bowser's list, Mario and his crew aren't too far behind. Tune in next time as I finally get to one of my favorite kingdoms...

"Chapter 10: Heroes of Steam Gardens."

Holy smokes! For the first time in a Mario story, I've reached ten chapters without Writer's Block! Whoooooo hoooooo!

POST-A/N:

The Game Boy Horror SP is a communication device Mario and Luigi acquire in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (Both GBA & 3DS Remake w/ Bowser's Minions). It was created by Professor Elvin Gadd and he'll give it to the brothers when they meet him at the Starbeans Café. I haven't played Superstar Saga in a long time, but I'm hoping to find the 3DS remake of that game and Bowser's Inside Story. Sadly, Partners In Time never got a remake, which sucks. I loved that one. I never played Paper Jam though, is that one any good?

If anyone gets the lizard joke made with Mario and Rango, I will give that person a ghost high five.

Since I haven't focused on Peach in a while, I figured I'd give her some spotlight in this chapter as well as Tiara. We never see the two interact that much in the game, so it makes me wonder how their friendship escalated. It's implied they're close since Peach is traveling with Tiara after the game ends, but it sucks we never see their friendship in the game itself.

As stated in the previous Author's Note, Captain Toad and Toadette will not be tagging along with the crew. I plan to have the crew consist of six to eleven characters at most.

Mario's Crew (In Order of Appearance):

1) Mario
2) Cappy
3) Luigi
4) Egon

We'll see who else comes soon.

And that's it, everyone. Thank you all so much for reading. Don't forget to R&R! I'm The Sensational SpiderDom321 and I'll see you all next time!

~SD321 (SpiderDom321)