Chapter 14: Light Sentence

"Is he going to be okay?" Bowsette asked Peach after the courthouse was temporarily adjourned.

"I managed to heal Bowser, Jr., right after the injuries were made, so I'm sure he'll be fine," Peach assured.

Bowsette looked away.

"What's wrong?" Peach asked.

"I've never hurt him before," Bowsette muttered. "Even by accident."

"We all make mistakes sometimes," Peach assured. "It's just part of being human."

"If you had kids of your own, you would think differently," Bowsette replied. "He's the one thing I care about more than you, and so I'm naturally protective of him. That's why I didn't want anyone to hurt him, even if he was responsible for the Koopa attacks here in Sarasaland. But in the end, the one who hurt him…was me."

Then Bowsette stormed off, forcing Mario and Luigi to follow her.

"You two had better go with them," Peach said to Toad and Peachette. "I'll check up on Bowser, Jr., in the hospital and then speak to the judges about his sentence."

"What are you going to try to do?" Toad asked. "The judges declared the whole thing a mistrial, meaning his sentence is up in the air."

"Though given that the civilians of Sarasaland aren't too happy with Bowser, Jr., right now, they might just determine his sentence without him," Peachette figured.

"And that's why I want to speak to the judges," Peach affirmed. "Now go with Toad back to Daisy's castle. I'll see you guys later."

So reluctantly, Peachette followed Toad as they tried to catch up with Bowsette and the Mario Brothers. Meanwhile, Peach went back into the courthouse and found Daisy. Together, they went to the hospital where Bowser, Jr., had been taken to after Peach healed him.

###

"What?" Bowser, Jr., exclaimed, jumping out of his hospital bed. "I'm being sentenced to live in your castle for an indefinite amount of time?"

"That's right," Peach nodded. "I talked things over with the judges and that is the lightest sentence they could agree on."

"But why not banish me?" Bowser, Jr., asked. "Wouldn't that have been easier?"

"Princess Peach feared that banishing you would merely cause you to attack other kingdoms, including her own," Daisy explained. "So for everyone's safety, she's agreed to keep a close eye on you in her castle."

Folding his arms, Bowser, Jr., said, "All right. Can I have my Magic Paintbrush and Junior Clown Car back?"

"'Your' Magic Paintbrush technically belongs to Professor E. Gadd," Peach pointed out. "So it's being confiscated until its rightful owner can pick it up."

"And your vehicle is impounded for illegal trespassing," Daisy added. "Unless you're willing to pay me 500 Gold Coins."

With his mouth agape, Bowser, Jr., didn't speak.

"That's what I thought," Daisy frowned and turned to Peach. "Though I'm still not sure if this is a good idea, Peach."

"I know what I'm doing, Daisy," Peach assured. "This is my way of…making things up."

After Bowser, Jr., was released from the hospital, the Mario Brothers escorted him to the Warp Pipe leading back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Alongside them walked Peach Daisy Peachette Bowsette and Toad.

"You don't have to stay with me while I'm keeping an eye on Bowser, Jr., you know," Peach said to Daisy. "The Mario Brothers will protect me."

"Maybe if it was just Bowser, Jr., but I still don't trust Bowsette," Daisy said, lifting her orange dress a little to make the walking easier. "And I'm not sure about Peachette either."

"Why? She's my sister," Peach claimed.

"But if she truly was kidnapped like you said back at dinner a few nights ago, then why did she decide to show up now of all times?" Peach wondered. "And how come your parents never brought her up when—

"Hey, Auntie!" Bowser, Jr., called to Bowsette who was walking slightly ahead.

Surprised by this, Bowsette looked back. "Auntie?"

"You're my Papa's sister, right? So that makes you my Auntie," Bowser, Jr., clarified.

"Right," Bowsette realized. "But what made you believe me?"

"When you got mad in the courtroom," Bowser, Jr., replied. Seeing Bowsette's concerned look, he said, "But it's okay. I forgive you for that. In fact, I got you mad on purpose to see how you would react."

"Are you serious?" Bowsette's eyes widened.

"Yeah, and since you reacted the way my Papa would I believe you're related to him," Bowser, Jr., confirmed. "Though I'm still baffled over why you called me 'Son.'"

"Oh, that was…a slip-up on my part," Bowsette lied, looking away.

Meanwhile, Peachette approached Toad from behind. "Is there something bothering you?"

"N-No," Toad muttered. "Why do you say that?"

"Because you avoided me yesterday," Peachette explained. "Did I do something wrong?"

"It's not you, Princess Peachette," Toad claimed. "I tried to look for your former home of Porcini Valley while I was traveling with Princess Daisy, and couldn't find any signs of it. I even checked out the library in Daisy's castle and found nothing."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Peachette said, trying to be sympathetic. "It's not an easy place to find."

"Then can you tell me where it is?" Toad asked.

Peachette's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

Unsure of what to say, Peachette pointed to Bowser, Jr., while he wasn't looking causing Toad to look up at Peachette and seemingly nod in understanding.

###

Upon arriving back at Peach's castle, it was decided that Bowser, Jr., would stay in Bowsette's room despite her objections and Daisy would be in her own room like before.

"You know, living in Peach's castle might not be such a bad idea after all," Bowser, Jr., remarked. "I could learn all of its secrets from the inside, and maybe use its resources to find my Papa."

"Sure, whatever works for you," Bowsette replied as she was changing behind a screen into her nightgown, which had been re-sewn to fit her cleavage better and dyed black on her request. "Just so long as you don't plan any escape attempts."

"Do you know where my Papa could be?" Bowser, Jr., asked.

"Um, no," Bowsette lied. "In fact, I came to this castle to look for him myself."

"Then maybe we should look for him together," Bowser, Jr., suggested. "I mean, two heads are better than one, right?"

"Y-Yeah," Bowsette said, putting on a fake smile as she emerged from behind the screen wearing the nightgown.

She tucked Bowser, Jr., into his own bed, which was set up parallel to hers, before tucking in and trying to sleep despite the troubled thoughts on her mind.

To be continued…