(As Long as We're Together) Everything's Gonna Be Okay

It's Been Too Long Since Blood Was Boiled. Let's Fix That.

"Wario." Nastasia greets him, then flashes her glasses, releasing Bowser from her hypnotism. "Bowser."

"Should I be nervous about facing Mario again, since I did all that under your control?" Wario asks.

"Don't worry about that." Bowser says immediately. "Much as I hate to admit it, Nastasia's alterations to my original plan have left behind more solid evidence to make my proposal more enticing. Long as no one looks too closely at those fake invoices."

Wario's eyes widen. "How does he know about that?"

"Because I told him." Nastasia replies, bored. "Thought he should be well informed on what he's going to be walking into when he asks the princess to marry him. You know, on the off chance you mess something up and we have to speed things along."
"You're willing to throw the whole plan out the window in favor of going in by force?" Wario demands.

"All you care about is the money." Bowser growls. "And trust me, what you'll be getting is chump change compared to my end of the bargain, after Peach and Mario are in my clutches."

"I have no idea how I'm supposed to face Wario without trying to attack him." Mario tells Peach to go over the upcoming hearing.

"Let everyone else speak for you." Peach advises. "A case based on fake invoices is useless against years of testimony. And once everyone sees how paper thin their case really is, they'll back down. They have to."

"Here's hoping you're right." Mario replies dejectedly.

"Are you sure about going into this unhypnotized?" Wario asks Nastasia as Bowser lightly dozes, to sleep off the side effects.

"It's going to make it look convincing." Nastasia assures him. "Which is the only real card you have to play right now."

"He knows about the fake invoices, what's stopping him from exposing us?"

"He loses his chance with the princess." Nastasia says easily. "Trust me, when he approaches Peach, he's already got his part of the plan in spades."

"And I happen to know how the hearing is going to go down." Bowser says, sitting up suddenly. "Everyone is going to vouch for him, so the more you don't remember what Nastasia made you do, the better. And if you think about it, you got the easy part."

"I think it's time you made your way there, mkay?" Nastasia snaps her fingers, and suddenly, Wario is teleported away.

"I still can't wrap my head around what Wario almost got away with." Mario says now. "Every second he spent in this castle, with our money, was for his own gain. I never stole anything! I was the one on him 24/7 to stop him from stealing!"

"Which means he probably knows you're open to doing anything to make this all go away." Peach points out. "Even if it means selling everything you own."

"Then he's an idiot." Mario says confidently. "If I do that, I'd be admitting guilt, and the Toads will never trust me again."

"You're right." Peach agrees. "We have to rely on what the Toads already know about you. Wario is a gold digger, and proving it shouldn't be difficult at all."

"I still feel like the biggest idiot." Mario says. "One con I wasn't looking for, and now the whole kingdom might have to pay for my mistake."

"No it won't." Peach promises.

"But it might." Mario insists. "This might be the push over the edge the Toads need to decide they don't want me protecting them anymore."

"Mario, look at me." When he does, Peach says directly to him. "We are going to deny everything right to the ground, and Wario's case is going right out the window."