A/N: Sorry for making you wait this long, but the finale is finally here! The ending note is where the bulk of my replies will be. Well, it's not really a set of replies. It's more of my take on the story as a whole and the reviews I received. The Post-Chapter Notes will be found before this, similar to what I did for Hidden Bravery. Anyway, let's hop into the epilogue so we can finish this story in the books. I hope you enjoy the final part of Distance!
Disclaimer: Once again, do not read this story if don't want to see any spoilers to Super Mario Odyssey. Mario and Nintendo are not owned by me. I only take credit for this fanfiction.
"I will always care for you, even if we're not together and even if we're far, far away from each other."
~Anonymous
Epilogue: Together
It was the following morning, and Peach woke up very early to greet Daisy who was planning to arrive at 9 o'clock. Outside the entrance of Toad Town, she saw the tomboy princess being escorted by a couple of her servants. After thanking them, Daisy ran over to Peach for a friendly embrace. Both were delighted to see each other in person after a long time. As they began walking towards the castle, Daisy realized how quiet the place was. Not a single Toad or being was outside. Confused, she glanced at Peach who couldn't contain her excitement.
"Okay, Peach, what's with the huge grin?" Daisy noticed, chuckling at her.
"Oh, it's nothing," she fibbed.
"Come on, you can tell me anything. If you got a secret, you have to spill the beans."
"You know I can't do that!"
"Not even for your best friend?"
"You'll see for yourself, Daisy."
As they continued walking, the Sarasaland princess noticed all the decorations in the town.
"Wow. This place sure looks festive. Are you throwing a surprise birthday party or something?"
"Maybe. It could be along the lines of that."
"Oh yeah? Who's it for?"
"That's what I can't tell you."
Daisy huffed, but it wasn't out of annoyance. She knew Peach was usually hard to get whenever a secret was involved.
"By the way, did you happen to find Mario last night?"
"I did. Actually, Mario came to me."
"He did?"
"Well, he went to Luigi first before he came over to the castle."
"Okay. So, what happened?" Peach took the next several minutes to briefly explain yesterday's events. "Man, that's relieving to hear. I'm glad both of you have made up from all that. I didn't realize there was some slight tension involved."
"Neither did I, until he explained it to me. I might have been guilty, but he said that it wasn't my fault for making him distant. Still, I can't help but take some responsibility."
"What matters is that you're still friends. Even if you don't get married to Mario, whether that's sooner, later, or not at all, as long as you still share that special bond, both of you will be in good comfort."
"Yeah, you're right. I always feel safe whenever I'm close to him."
"And I bet he feels the same way about you."
Peach peered down, but she had a wan smile. She didn't need to say anything. Daisy easily read her face.
A minute later, they made it to the front courtyard and crossed the bridge that led to the front doors. Once Peach opened the entrance, Daisy noticed how dark it was inside.
"Um, Peach? Did you have a power outage?"
She giggled before closing the doors. Soon after, the lights turned on, and Daisy jumped.
"SURPRISE!"
All of her friends were standing in the middle of the lobby. Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Rosalina, Luma, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Pauline, Cappy, Tiara, the Toads, and several other guests greeted her happily.
"Oh my goodness. This party is for me?"
"Of course, Daisy!" said Peach. "Since you've been invited to join us for the upcoming Smash Bros. tournament, we decided to throw a party to celebrate your debut!"
"Gee, that's so thoughtful of you guys! Thanks!"
"I'm sure you'll do well, Daisy," Luigi grinned. "I've seen you fight on your own."
"I appreciate it, Luigi." She then gave him a devious smirk, making him a bit uncomfortable. "But as a forewarning, if we ever end of having a match against each other, I won't go easy on you as I do in tennis."
The man in green gulped. "Oh, boy..." he mumbled under his breath.
"What was that?"
"U-Uh, nothing!" his cheeks turned red.
Mario patted his back to calm him down before turning to Daisy. "Come on! We're not here to stand around. Let's enjoy the party!"
Everyone liked the sound of that. From there, Pauline, wearing her fabulous red dress, walked up onto a stage that the Toads built for her band to perform. The Super Mario Players had their instruments ready as they waited for the mayor to give them the signal. Turning back at them and giving them a nod, the drummer started off while the bassist, guitarist, pianist, and trumpeter went on board with the melody.
Many of the guests began to jump and cheer while others began to dance. Luigi offered a hand to Daisy, to which she gladly accepted. As for Mario, he glanced at Peach shyly. She blushed as she looked back at him. Before Pauline began singing, Mario saw her out of the corner of his eyes. Her face was encouraging, mentally telling him to make a move. The red plumber let out a small cough before he regained his composure.
"Peach, would you like to dance with me?" he extended his hand towards her.
The princess smiled. "I would be happy to."
Mario returned the expression as they swayed and twirled to the beat. It all led up to Pauline singing the first few verses until the chorus popped in. Cappy and Tiara laughed as they did a backflip in midair. Yoshi showed his enthusiasm with his flutter jumps while DK and Diddy clapped their hands above their heads. Rosalina casually danced with Luma as the star-like creature made cute noises while bouncing around her. Luigi, Daisy, Mario, and Peach boogied on the dance floor as they exchanged smiles and laughs with one another, especially the latter two. All of the guests adored Pauline's voice as she continued to sing with spirit. By the time her song ended, she and the band were given a big round of applause. They remained onstage to perform more music while the partygoers enjoyed the festivities. (1)
It had been a half-hour since the party started, and Pauline told everyone that she and the band were going to take a short break. Everyone didn't mind as they decided to engage in conversations. At one of the tables, Mario and Luigi were sitting down with Cappy and Tiara floating across from them.
"This sure is a wonderful party!" Tiara beamed.
"I think so, too!" Cappy agreed. "Pauline and the band were amazing, the food is great, and everyone's having a great time!"
"If I ever get to see the competitions, I'll be rooting for Peach and Daisy especially!"
"I'll be cheering for Daisy as well," Luigi had a small smile. "As long as I'm not fighting against her."
"Do you think she meant it when she said she won't go easy on you?"
"I don't know, Cappy. But whatever happens, I'll always play fair, and I'll try not to hurt her."
"You'll be fine, Weegie," Mario rubbed his shoulder. "Daisy will know it's just a competition. No hard feelings or anything like that."
"Yeah, you're right, Mario. Anyway, how did things go with Peach last night?"
"It was good."
Luigi wasn't sure if he was lying or being truthful. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," he reassured genuinely. "It was kind of awkward at first. But after I exposed my feelings and the reason why I stayed away from her, she completely understood. We talked for a while, and we made up. Our friendship is back to normal."
"That's wonderful to hear!" clapped Tiara.
"What about the ring? Did you propose to her?" Cappy wondered.
"I did."
"And?" Luigi asked.
Mario sheepishly pulled something out of his pocket. He revealed the ring inside the jewelry box.
"Wait. Does that mean-"
Mario shook his head. "No. We're not engaged. It wasn't the right time in the right place. We both felt bad for each other, and we didn't want to make things more complicated than how it was earlier. So, I'm not going to spend time with Peach as a couple, but I'm also not going to run away from her. For now, we decided that we'll be together as friends like from the very beginning. And we're okay with that."
"If that's what makes both of you happy, then I think that was the right decision," extolled Cappy.
"I'm just happy that things are alright between you two," Tiara spun around.
"As am I. And I totally understand your decision, for you and Peach."
"Thanks for supporting me, guys. I'm glad to have friends like you."
"And we'll always be friends, whether if we go on another grand adventure, or if we're miles apart!" chuckled Cappy.
"Big Brother, can we get some more ice cream?"
"Sure! But let's not try to get another brain freeze, alright?"
"Don't worry! I won't eat too fast this time!"
"We'll talk to you later!" Cappy said to the brothers before they left.
Mario looked around as he saw his other friends enjoying their small talk. Soon, she saw Pauline emerge from the bathroom. "Hey, Luigi, do you mind if I get up?"
"Oh, not at all! If you want to talk to someone else, that's okay with me. I was hoping to spend some more time with Daisy anyway."
"You're the best, fratello. I'll see you later."
Luigi gave him a wave before he got up from the table. Mario started walking over to the tall brunette.
"Hi, Pauline."
"Oh, hi, Mario! How's the party going for you?"
"Pretty good. What about you?"
"The band and I love it. I have to thank Princess Peach for letting us provide some of the entertainment."
"Yeah. You were fantastic on stage. Your singing never fails to impress me."
"Thank you! I always appreciate your compliments. Not to mention, I always feel like I'm in a great mood whenever you're around. Speaking of, if you ever have the time again, you're always welcome in New Donk City."
"I would love to go back there someday. The city life is always fascinating to me."
The two stood for a while without saying anything as they watched everyone else having fun. The band was back on stage as they were orchestrating the Super Mario Bros. theme.
"Mario?"
"Yes, Pauline?"
"Did you happen to resolve your issue with the princess?"
He gave her a small nod. "I did."
Pauline smiled. "That's wonderful to hear! I'm truly glad for both of you."
"Thanks, Pauline. I wouldn't have been confident if I hadn't talked to you. Or Luigi and Cappy. Trying to keep my feelings inside was killing me for the past year, and I couldn't bear to hold it in any longer."
"I can surely say that you have plenty of friends who are willing to listen to you. After all, you've had your share of listening to others and helping them with their favors. For it to be the other way around, think of it as paying it forward. Albeit, we'll always be kind to you, Mario."
"I really appreciate it."
"Oh, by the way, I saw your hat friends over there talking to each other. I thought I heard something about your proposal last night." She then frowned. "So, it didn't work out, I presume?"
Mario shook his head, but he showed a sheepish smile below his mustache. "We don't want to complicate things between us since we both wanted to start anew. To be honest, we still have some strong feelings for each other. We're just not sure if our love is true or not. Maybe we're not meant to be, or it's too early to think about it. For now, we're friends. But I'm happy with that, and Peach is, too."
"I see. If that's the path you want to take, then there's nothing stopping you. I can understand if you have to take things slow – to move on from the drama and to see if you and Peach will be together for the rest of your lives. I'm sure that the former will pan out just fine."
"I think so, too."
"And who knows? If you do get married to her, make sure you invite me to the wedding. I'm sure it'll be much better than Bowser's."
Mario snickered. "If that does happen, I'll ask you to come, no doubt about it."
"Psst! Mayor!" one of the band members got her attention, waving her to return onstage.
"I have to get back with the band. Don't want to keep these guests bored."
"Okay, Pauline. It's great to talk to you again. And thanks for everything."
"No problem, Mario." She was about to walk away, but not before she leaned forward and planted a peck on his left cheek. Mario was flushed, placing a hand on the spot. The brunette winked at him before she left.
"Mamma Mia," he sighed.
His eyes were soon drawn to everyone else in the lobby. He saw Luigi chatting with Daisy, the latter having a huge smile on her face as she enjoyed her party. She gave him a hug, to which he accepted. He had to smile at that.
To his discontent, however, he couldn't find the one he was looking for. That is until he turned around to see Peach at the top of the stairs. Her arm was wrapped around one of the poles as she was talking to Toadsworth. After the old steward left to see Toad and Toadette, his eyes met hers. Peach gave him a smile. Mario kindly tipped his hat at her. Then, she motioned her hand. When he got the message, he walked up the steps and stood next to her. They took in the sight of the party as Pauline and her band resumed their performance.
"I saw Daisy earlier," Peach broke the silence. "She really appreciates the party."
"Yeah, I noticed that as well. I'm glad everything went well."
"And I'm glad we've set aside all of our problems last night."
"Same. But looking back, I wish I did something. Because all I did was show up for the event. I didn't do any work."
"If we throw another party soon, you'll get the chance to redeem yourself. For today though, you're forgiven," she reached out for his hand.
He complied and held her with a firm squeeze. He couldn't help but smile at the princess. "That's what I like about you – putting others before yourself."
"Well, I'm not the only one. I would consider you as selfless, too. You've done so much for me and everyone else, ranging from the Mushroom Kingdom to every other realm in the world."
"Thanks. It's just that... I always feel motivated whenever you are part of my life. Whether you're in trouble halfway across the globe or if you're safe at the castle, I vow to stay close to you as my best friend. I don't want to be distant like I was before. If you need my help, I'll come for you. And if I need to vent, I'll be more open to you."
"Vice versa. I can always rely on you, Mario, and I'll be there when you need me."
"Ti amo, Peach."
"I love you, too."
She gently kissed him on the forehead while leaning into him for an embrace. They held each other tightly for a short while. When they were done, they decided to rejoin their friends.
"Hey, you two!" Daisy waved at them. "Thanks again for the party. I'm just so psyched to be in the next tournament."
"I can't wait to see how you'll all do! The Bonneters and I will be watching at home to cheer you all on, especially you, Big Bro!" Tiara spun in circles.
"Heh heh," Cappy chuckled. "I'll do my best, Sis!"
"I just hope nothing scary will happen again," Luigi fretted. "Last time, we almost fell to Tabuu."
"Don't worry, Weege. I'm sure it'll be alright. But if not, we'll make sure to take care of it with the rest of our Smash friends!"
"That's right! Although, I don't know if you could include Bowser and the others," said Peach.
Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the entire castle. Pauline and the band stopped while everyone looked around, wondering what caused the vibration. Yoshi and Donkey Kong seemed to notice something outside, so everyone ran out the front. With Mario leading the way, he stopped in the middle of the front courtyard and looked up in the sky. An airship cast a shadow from above. Emerging from the deck was the Koopa King. He jumped down in front of Mario and the gang.
"BWAHAHAHA! Am I too late to crash the party? I hope not!" roared Bowser.
"Bowser?! What the heck are you doing here?!" Daisy glared.
"I thought you didn't want to be at the party," Mario raised an eyebrow.
"I still can't believe we gave him an invitation," Luigi mumbled.
"Exactly! I didn't come here for the party! I'm just here for another kidnapping scheme!"
"Again?!" Tiara shrieked.
"Don't you have better things to do?" groaned Cappy.
"Shut up! I'm not leaving unless the princess is with me! Where is she?!"
What everyone didn't expect was Peach walking forward, standing in between the crowd and Bowser.
"Peach..." Mario whispered.
"GWAHAHA! Ah, there you are! I see you're following my intentions! Now then, why don't we just-"
As Bowser reached a claw out to grab her, she shocked everyone once again. "HA-CHA!" With her Peach Bomber attack, she lunged forward, hitting Bowser in the chest and sent him ten feet back. A vast majority of the crowd had their jaws to the ground. Mario, who shook his head to refocus, walked up to her.
"Peach, that was incredible!"
"Way to go, Peach!" Daisy shook her shoulders excitedly.
"Did you mean to do that?"
"Yeah," she faced Mario and the others. "I wanted to make a statement that I'm not a bystander nor a damsel in distress for life. I have to prove that I'm capable of taking on anything, including Bowser."
"I think it's safe to say that we're all impressed. But we kind of knew that from before."
"You did?"
"Of course!" Everyone else showed that they agree.
Peach smiled. "Thanks, everyone."
"GRRR!" The gang looked over to where Bowser was. He managed to get up, grunting from the pain as he held a claw over his torso. "I'll admit; I didn't see that coming. But I'm not going to whine about it nor am I going to surrender! Jr.! Koopalings! Get over here!"
From the airship, the young Koopas jumped down to join the king. They all scowled, eager to start a fight.
That caused a light bulb to flash over Mario and Peach's heads. The two glanced at each other.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Mario.
"I believe so," Peach grinned. "Say, Bowser?"
"What?"
"How about we settle this in Smash?"
"Wait, what?" Luigi wondered if he heard the princess correctly.
"What are you talking about? That tournament isn't for another month."
"True, but how about we have a battle like we usually do, except we only use our main moves like in the competitions?" Mario persuaded.
"Hmph, I'm not into fun and games. But if that's what you're asking for, then you'll get it!"
"Come on, everyone! Let's fight!"
"And we'll do it together!" Peach shouted.
Luigi, Daisy, Cappy, Yoshi, Rosalina, Luma, DK, and Diddy emphasized with battle cries as they charged forward at the Koopa Klan. Tiara, the Toads, and the party guests all cheered from the castle bridge.
"Um, Mayor Pauline?" the bassist got her attention.
"Yes?"
"What should we do?"
Pauline hummed, thinking for a second. She soon snapped her fingers. "Let's get some action music rolling. Start 'Break Free' for me." (2)
"You got it!"
The drummer switched from his usual instrument to the electric guitar and began the first few bars of the song. The rest of the band jammed out as the others watched their friends clash against Bowser, Jr., and the Koopalings.
Cappy took control of Mario's hat, and the plumber tossed him to hit Bowser a couple of times. (3) Luigi had his Poltergust and grabbed Bowser Jr., slamming him into the ground and followed up with a combination of punches and kicks which ended with a nasty, powerful uppercut. Peach and Daisy collaborated by bashing Roy and Wendy with their Bomber moves and parasols. Yoshi, DK, and Diddy focused on Roy, Lemmy, and Iggy. The dinosaur took advantage of his egg throws and tongue while the large ape used his large hands to slap the Koopalings. And whenever one of them was caught off guard, the red-capped chimp slapped with his tail and shot peanuts at them. Rosalina and Luma utilized their magic and star power to outwit Larry and Ludwig. Mario's team was dominating Bowser's team, but the Koopas were putting up some decent competition. It was a sight to see for both the heroes and the rest of the party.
From afar, two other spectators watched the scene below. They were hiding in a couple of green warp pipes.
"Look at them. They're having a fight at the castle," a yellow-capped man said to his partner.
"Eh, I couldn't care less about them," the other man, entirely dressed in purple, grumbled.
"What's the matter with you, Waluigi?"
A groan escaped the tall guy's lips. "Did you have to ask that, Wario?"
"I was a little curious."
"Why did I agree to come with you? I thought you said didn't want to go to the party."
"Right, but I wanted to steal some cake."
Waluigi rolled his eyes. "This stinks. For the third straight time, I get invited to the tournaments, only to be an assistant to the main fighters. When's my time to shine?! When's Waluigi going to get the praise and respect he deserves?" he complained in third-person.
"Hey, it could've been worse. For all I know, they could've invited a plant instead."
"Pfft. That'll happen until the day I die. And one more thing-" His statement was short when he felt something sharp. "OW! What was that?!"
"What?"
"Something just bit my tush!"
"Who calls their butt a 'tush'?"
"Oh, shut up! Something bit me regardless!"
Waluigi looked down in the pipe he was hiding in. Suddenly, a Piranha Plant emerged from below with his sharp teeth, snapping at his... Oh, god.
"WAH!" he jumped in the air and fell out of the pipe. He started to fall down the hill below him.
Wario had a bead of sweat drip from his forehead. He slowly looked over at the Piranha Plant who lunged at him.
"YAH! I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE!" Wario sped like a Bullet Bill.
The Piranha Plant chomped its teeth several times until the two mischief makers were gone. Once he was alone, he flashed a smug grin. (4)
END OF STORY
Post-Chapter Notes:
(1): As you might have guessed, 'Jump Up, Super Star' is played during this scene. But I did not include the lyrics because it's not allowed in Fanfiction. The last time I added song lyrics was in Hidden Bravery, but I re-edited those chapters to take out the songs.
(2): 'Break Free (Lead the Way)' is another song sung by Pauline that is played during the final level of Mario Odyssey.
(3): Before Smash Ultimate was released, I thought Cappy would be a part of Mario's move set. But sadly, he's only shown for one of his taunts and whenever you play in his Builder or Wedding outfits. He's also a Support Spirit. Cappy doesn't have any effect as a partner or a special move, and I thought it was a missed opportunity. That's why I integrated him into the fight.
(4): Yeah, I went there.
Albeit this is a short story, I'm happy that I managed to finish it. Now that the conclusion is over, I'll be going over my thoughts on the fanfic and your responses. (It's very long, but you don't have to read it.)
First and foremost, when I thought of the idea around October, weeks before the one-year anniversary of Super Mario Odyssey, I honestly didn't believe that I was going to satisfy everyone's expectations. I figured that some people would like the story, some might be indifferent, and others would be disappointed. After reading each and every review, the results were what I predicted.
Yes, I did not pair Mario with Peach or Pauline, and several reviewers were unhappy about the latter. The thing is, I never planned to have a true pairing for this fanfic. Overall, I'm not one of those people who likes to 'ship' characters, and I'm NOT great at writing romance. I usually stick with what is 'canon', so to speak, whether I like the characters or not. This may not sound justifiable to you, but that's my input. Nothing more, nothing less.
Sure, there was a little bit of romance involved, but it's nothing too serious. A couple of reviews thought that Mario and Peach's kiss at the end of Ch. 6 was not appropriate if they're not going forward in a relationship. Frankly, I can see why those people felt that way. In my mind though, I wanted to add a scene to accentuate the bond they had shared prior to the moon incident. Despite this, the important part was that their friendship has been restored. It just doesn't end with them getting married.
In Pauline's case, someone mentioned that she was only in this story to play as a shrink – or psychiatrist – to help Mario, which was 'disappointing'. To admit, that was the only main reason why I added her into the cast. While it sounds trivial, I thought it'd be interesting to include her into this situation given how she was inferred to be Mario's first love interest before he met Peach. In this case, she is here to let the audience know that she likes him as a friend and is willing to help him with his problem. I apologize to damper your hopes on her role.
Regardless, I respect the constructive criticism because most of it was candid rather than demanding about your views. I know some of you wanted to see Mario and Pauline get together, but it's not the case for this fanfic. If I could make a suggestion, there's a short story called 'Used' by Anonymous Girl Gamer. Give that a read if you have the chance. I am not against the idea of making a story that focuses on these two. But I can't guarantee anything. I would need time to brainstorm a plot and then write it out. If you would like that, I can try to give it a shot. Key word, try. To reiterate, I'm NOT an expert at romantic themes.
As for all the positive reviews, I also appreciate your comments since the day I first published this fanfic. With more than 30 followers and favorites, 5,000+ hits, and over 100 reviews, I do not regret developing Distance whatsoever. You all motivated me to continue, especially when I was hitting a breaking point earlier. Once I had the patience and courage to move on, this was one of the few things I wanted to continue because of you guys. Thanks for sticking around with this story. It wouldn't be as captivating without your support. Until then, I'll see you next time, whether it's for New Brotherhood, Revengeful Resistance, or a brand-new project! This is TheGameNguyener (TGN), signing off.