Dark Lands, Bowser's Castle
The great demon king sat upon her oversized throne, now with enough space to curl her extended tail around her hip casually without touching the sides of the chair. The armrests which had been within easy reach earlier could now barely be touched with bent arms, in fact she could probably sit on the arms as easily as Junior had sat earlier today. "Junior." Bowser mused aloud, still unnerved by the silky feminine voice that had replaced his kingly rumble. "This is going to be awkward to explain to him." The sudden reappearance of Kamek made her jump and cover her exposed body with her hands. Embarrassment at being nude was something she was going to have to adjust to, it seemed.
"I can't find anything about a crown right now, but I have several koopa pouring over books in the library-" Kamek paused. Where the lord of the Dark Lands normally sat was now a nude, blonde humanoid, awkwardly hiding her nakedness. "Well, I guess we know what the crown does now, huh? Maybe we should have tested-"
"Silence!" Bowser yelled, though it had lost a lot of its former power. A blush bloomed on her pale cheeks. "I… Shut up. You're right but I don't need this right now. Sorry I snapped." Kamek nearly fainted out of the air. Lord Bowser never apologized! Nor was she really required to, but still. And admission of being wrong at that. A strange change indeed. "Take this to wherever you and Kammy do things, and figure out how it works. I want a full report asap." She handed the crown to Kamek, who handled it gingerly for multiple reasons.
"Don't you think we should take care of something else first?" Kamek gestured to Bowser's bare form.
"Ack!" Having momentarily forgotten, Bowser hastily covered herself up with her arms again. "Yeah let's do something about this first." Kamek teleported Bowser to his room to avoid any awkward encounters, opting not to go along. Seeing Bowser as a naked human was making him uncomfortable. The koopa king- ahem, koopa queen, on the other hand was starting to feel weirdly comfortable in her new skin. She felt lighter, her movements were more fluid, she could feel the air on her skin as she walked around the room. The less obvious change she became aware of was her mentality. On some level she knew she would normally be raging now. Mad at being out of control, mad at Shadow Guy, and though she wouldn't have admitted it before- mad at herself.
"Ooh hoo hoo, you have Kamek flustered something fantastic!" Kammy cackled as she entered Bowser's room. "He wouldn't even- Oh! I see. Well, let's get you some modesty then." She summon a measuring tape from her sleeve and began taking Bowser's sizes. "I could have told you what that crown is, but no one asks old Kammy Koopa."
"Consider yourself asked." Bowser replied dryly, tucking a sheet around her body while Kammy knitted dark clothing, seemingly from thin air. She wondered why Kammy had to take measurements or bother knitting if she could produce material, but that's how magic is. It operated on its own rules.
"The crown is an old family heirloom that has existed as long as the royal toadstool family. Though it may in fact predate them, if such legends are true. Its origins are a mystery so far as I know, though I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't something about it stashed in the castle somewhere." She handed Bowser a couple dark items.
"What do I need this for?" Bowser asked in confusion, in regards to the bra.
"Trust me, you'll want this." Kammy replied, chinching the support garment tightly behind Bowser's back, causing her to gasp quietly.
"Anyway, the toads are a skittish people that don't care much for change. They've always been sheep. And so a queen many generations ago use the crown to copy her beauty and her knowledge as a ruler, and passing the crown to her daughter she gained her mother's good looks and world knowledge, and so on and so forth. The daughter copies were similar, but never exact. Close enough to keep the toads happy, but maintaining their original personalities, albeit it-" She paused, looking at Bowser.
"What?"
"Well, aspects of the former princess was merged with their personalities. To keep things streamlined." She handed off a strapless black dress that, when pulled on, came down to about mid-thigh on her. Kammy fussed over her smoothing wrinkles and adjusting the dress around Bowser's assets. Bowser suspected she was avoiding some bad news.
"Unfortunately…" Bowser prodded her.
"Unfortunately it was designed for humans. Not koopa. That's why the transformation only partially worked. As such I'm not sure if it can be reversed easily, if at all." She was now making herself busy styling some footwear out of leather and rubber.
"About that-" Bowser started thoughtfully. "I'm not sure I want to go back. Bowser is a loser with a long record of failures. Is this my legacy to Junior? He deserves then this. Better then…. Me. I could start over now. I can be someone better!" Bowser was speaking faster now as she warmed up to the idea. A train of thought that had bloomed up seemingly from nowhere, but once it \had she latched onto it eagerly. "I can remake myself. But first I have to kill myself…"
"Beg pardon. Lord Bowser?" She finished the footwear, a thick soled pair of leather boots that came up her calves, and were covered with silver spikes and buckle straps.
Bowser shook her head. "Not Bowser anymore. I am reborn. Call me… Bowsette."
Mushroom Kingdom, Peach's Castle
Sunlight filtered in through high windows, illuminating Peach's simple bedroom. The toad boss maid was surprised to see the princess still in bed, with the sun this high already. "Princess?" She said quietly, stepping into the room.
"Nnngh." Peach replied, making no move to get out of the bed. The maid waited a moment, but when Peach opted not to elaborate on her comment the maid dared to venture to the bedside. The princess had a flushed face, her forehead was hot and sweaty to the touch. "Head hurts." She mumbled, coming at least part way awake, even though her eyes didn't open.
The maid pulled out her communicator that linked all the castle staff together, calling one of the undermaids. "We have a code eleven. Bring to the princesses quarters a cold cloth, some Megavitamins, and a bottle of Banana Juice." She carefully adjusted the blankets around Peach's body.
"Aye boss, on my way." The under maid chirped on the screen. The boss maid wasn't too worried. The princess had been under some stress lately and had probably just overdone it. Bad news however, loves company, and it was at this time that the castle warning siren went off, indicating something bad was happening.
"Bowser." Peach feverishly murmured as the boss maid frowned.
Mushroom Kingdom (still), Mario and Luigi's house
Luigi was restringing his tennis racket in anticipation of the sporting season. He may not have been as well-known for heroics, as his famous bro, but he was an absolute demon at certain sports. Most especially at tennis. It was with some dismay that he received the kingdom wide email alert on his communicator. 'Mama mia. What a time for this.' Luigi thought to himself.
Bowser was apparently at it again, and Mario was dealing with something far away in Sarasaland. No one had expected Bowser to mak a move this soon after his last failure. He usually took a break for several months, formulated some new plan or crashed a few sports tournaments. There was a rhythm to these things. Almost a dance,an with any dance there were rehearsed steps. Better suited to this dance or not, preferable hero or not, Luigi was a knight of the kingdom and would have to answer the call. "Here we go." He told himself, pulling down his green cap.
The toad army took their dutiful place in front of the castle, most armed with spears to compensate for the height difference, others manning the Bill Blaster cannons. Secret bunkers installed underground opened, and prepared to launch Bullet Biff missiles at the coming airships. In the distance could be seen the steady march of an army of Dry Bones. 'This isn't just a simple kidnapping' Luigi realized. 'This is a full on invasion from the Dark Land'. The Dry Bones foot soldiers would be immune to fire attacks, spears, and jump attacks. 'If only I had a Super Star' but those were increasingly rare these days. Regardless of this Luigi took his place at the head of the line, armed only with his fists and a strong sense of duty. No one, however, was prepared for what was soon to happen.
"Fire!" Luigi yelled to the Blaster cannon operators. Entire columns of Dry Bones were shattered apart, but left many more intact. Even some of the broken soldiers would soon reconstitute themselves. Before he could give the order to charge an explosion rocked the sky above, a ball of fire ripping through the side of Bowser's flag airship. Luigi thought they had fired upon the ship, but quickly realized the damage had come from inside. Something was wrong and the ship was self-destructing.
The Dry Bones continued to march, seemingly unaware of what was happening above them, the majority being crushed by the flaming wreckage from the sky. Luigi quickly reorganized his crew into a firefighting troop, everyone being rearmed with mini-Fluud packs. The fire raged for hours but was prevented from spreading, and eventually extinguished without incident. The remaining Dry Bones were easily apprehended and sent to the dungeon until the princess decided what to do with them, the biggest surprise was still to come however. Laying blackened and broken in the ashes were the skeletal remains of Bowser.
-Peach's Castle, Peach's quarters-
"Dead? Are you positive?" Princess Peach was sitting up in bed and eating a bowl of Spicy Soup. Her headache was gone but she still felt a bit fluish. "He's been dropped in lava before and survived falling pretty far."
Luigi just shrugged. "It looks like his skull and big to be another koopa we know."
"There will have to be an investigation." Peach replied after another big sip. "If it is him then there could be backlash from the Dark Lands, even if his death is his own fault. Don't let anyone contaminate the scene. I'll call in an investigator."
"Ummmm" He shuffled his feet uncomfortably.
"They've already contaminated the scene, haven't they?"
"Selfies with the skull." Luigi confirmed.
"Can you see to it that no one else messes with the scene?"
"Yes Princess." Luigi bowed and left the room awkwardly, nearly tripping over his own shoes in the process. The princess didn't notice. She obviously had other things on her mind.
Dark Lands
"Are you sure this is truly the best course of action?" Kammy asked. She and Bowsette were standing beside one of the Dark Land's few warp pipes "Junior will be hurt."
"No more hurt then what I've done so far. I haven't just ruined my life, I've ruined his future. I'm doing this for him."
"And you won't just let me take you wherever?" Kammy replied.
"I can't be seen with a high level Bowser associate this early. I have to make a completely fresh entrance. And I have to make peace with this choice. For that I need some space." Bowsette took a look around her. "Things are changing when I get back."
"So, Rogueport then?"
"It's as good a getaway place as any." Bowsette briefly grasped Kammy's hand. "Take care of Junior til I get back." With that she disappeared down the warp pipe.
Elsewhere
There wasn't actually a warp all the way to Rogueport, but it did go to a ship port where she soon caught a ride. The captain, a pianta, wasn't thrilled to take her there, even with the promise of extra pay. "Lady, that isn't no nice place. Let me take you to sunny Isle Delfino or Banana Lagoon. I dunno what you're running from but those are places a pretty face like you could settle, find an easy job, make a new life for yourself."
"That's the idea." Bowsette said with a resigned smile. The captain just sighed, shaking his head to himself but giving up trying to change her mind.
"Your funeral lady."
