This one is a pretty decent one, I want to believe so. The one in which the confrontation begins as Bowser expected, but doesn't end in the way he'd like.

Let's see why.


In all honesty, no one knew how today was going to progress from this moment forward. Though within the minds of Bowser and Rosalina, this was the day they didn't expect but didn't deny that they might want. They've been on each other's mind for a pretty long time, and now that they were actually seeing each other face-to-face, without engaging in any fighting. And everyone would agree that it would be Bowser who's more likely to start a fight. Though fortunately for everyone involved, he didn't look like he was here for a fight.. Instead, like he said, he was here to talk. And Rosalina was here to do the same. Since their interests align, the chances of a conflict arising were significantly lowered.

Still Polari and Kamek weren't very assured. In fact, they were the most unsure of the bunch.

This is a bad idea...a VERY bad idea... Both of them mentally worried, with the latter having sweat sliding down his head as he held on tightly to his wand. He could clearly sense the immense power that Rosalina was generating so casually, so calmly, and so gracefully. It left him shivering in fear, no matter how kind she was said to me. he really hoped that Bowser wouldn't do anything rash to incur her wrath, such as harming the Lumas. He didn't want to be caught in the middle of a possibly destructive battle. He praised Bowser for his fearlessness. Then again, Bowser has stared down such figures before without flinching. Here, he was doing it again. Oh how I wished I could possess half of your courage, your Fearlessness...

Polari was on the other side, alongside Rosalina. He was currently shivering just as much as Kamek was. The sight of Bowser's intimidating and monstrous stature and aura was enough to fill him with terror. Polari was highly impressed with Rosalina's calmness. He knew very well how strong she was. but he was still quite nervous. Having just talked about how dangerous Bowser was and how powerful he was, and how he's been such a persistent menace to the Mushroom Kingdom time and time again. Having him literally show u at his doorstep was not something he was comfortable with, not one bit. Though he was willing to trust that Rosalina knew what she was doing, that didn't stop him from being afraid. Lady Rosalina, please...be careful. I don't like where this is going at all...

Bowser's suspicious gaze locked onto Rosalina, while the latter's gaze towards him was calm and collected. After a few more moments of silence, said silence got to Bowser, and he unfolded his arms while stomping the ground. "Well? Are we gonna do this or what?! You'd better not be stalling! I already told you I wasn't leaving without the answers that I wanted!"

"Of course, Bowser. I wouldn't think of wasting your time. Especially since I wished to speak with you as well." Rosalina replied easily, which made Bowser huff slightly. "Would you mind me inviting you inside? And do calm yourself quite a bit. The Lumas around seem quite anxious about you showing up here out of the blue. They haven't been properly prepared for something like that, you see."

Bowser raised an eyebrow. "Now why would they be anxious around me?"

"They've heard of you."

"...Oh. Ohoho! You've got a cheeky side to ya, huh?!"

"I don't know what you mean. Please, come inside." Rosalina smiled softly as she turned around and made her way back into the observatory. Bowser grumbled as he stomped his way inside, many Lumas scurrying further into their hiding spot. Polari and Kamek briefly looked at one another with equal amounts of nervousness, before sighing to themselves and following their charges into the observatory. The Lumas that were observing from afar partially peeked from their hiding places, their concern fro their mother growing exponentially the more time she spent with the big scary lizard. Though their mother seemed to know what she was doing, so they kept themselves from actually getting involved.

Bowser managed to get a good look around as they made their way into the place they were most likely to have their discussion, which honestly did surprise him. Not the location in which they were speaking, but the locations themselves. Rosalina has shown him a few places such as the Kitchen-he wondered if she knew how to could, it smells absolutely amazing in there-a Garden, and a Library. It was highly surprising for him. This was just a few of them on the entire Observatory, and yet the various insides of it were much larger than they appear on the outside. Though he was also quite confused by how some of these rooms were very far away from each other, even though they were still easily accessible via stars. It just didn't seem right to the large Koopa. Who would have a setup like this and be perfectly okay with it? He'd much rather have all of his rooms as close to one another as possible, without the semi-ridiculous distances and heights from one another.

...Then again, he has a large movie theater, as well as a just as large arcade and gift shop. All three were pretty close to one another, and yet they were sometimes extremely dangerous for visitors to get to. With all the Chain Chomps...Bullet Bills...and the lava...Bowser took it back. He really wasn't one to talk when it came to home improvement. Though there was absolutely no way he was going to say that aloud to Rosalina, nor was he going to admit it to his men. As far as they knew, his remodeling and architecture skills were fantastic. And he really wasn't bad at those things, either. It's just that...breaking things was so much easier. And much more fun.

Bowser's impulsive, but not idiotic.

He was beginning to get a bit impatient though, and so he was glad that she eventually choice a location, which was definitely the Library. The place felt somber and melancholy...yet it also felt quite comfy. Bowser admitted that the place seemed like a suitable place to have a conversation, as it was definitely where she told he stories. Still...he would have liked to speak together in the Kitchen. He could really go for some grub...he shook his head. No time for food, no matter how much I want it...gotta focus. First things first. Need to get to the serious subjects, and she tries to stall this any more. Though he felt that she wasn't at all trying to stall him. She was simply being patient and waiting for him to initiate the conversation, since he was the one that came here to her home, uninvited.

That was...actually pretty fair. No way was he going to admit it, though.

"Alright, Space Princess. Spill it." Bowser commanded, folding his arms with a stern glare. Once again, Rosalina was slightly amused by his arrogance once again, inwardly smiling. Nevertheless, she figured that it was indeed time to provide him the information she could. Bowser watched as she slowly sets herself in one of the chairs. After a few moments of silence, he was about to push her to speak again, though there was no need to. She eventually began speaking as she looked straight into his eyes.

"You wish to know as much as you can about me. That is why you came here for this...ahem, 'visit', is it not?" Rosalina began quietly. Bowser nodded roughly. Kamek and Polari were still looking quite nervous, and they've respectively kept their distance while making sure they were alright. She nodded back to him. "If you truly wish to know about your connection to me, them let me explain from our first true meeting...from the previous cycle."

Bowser blinked owlishly. "Previous cy...what are you babblin' about?"

"I assume that you are not someone who enjoys extended stories, so I'll do what I can to summarize it to an amount bearable for you." Rosalina nodded as she gently gazed out towards the window, into the cosmos. "You see, Bowser...my connection with Mario goes much deeper than what you believe it is. I did not just create my connections with him and hi friends from out of thin air. We've met each other before, and we've worked together before. We've worked together in order to save the cosmos from it's biggest and most prominent threat at the time...you."

Bowser looked taken aback by this, as he unfolded his arms in surprise. He became a threat to the cosmos? when did this happen? he did agree that being a conqueror was a pretty promising aspect, but he didn't remember going for the entire universe itself. "The biggest threat to the universe...was me...?"

"That is correct. You've landed a surprise attack on the Comet Observatory before, scattering it's Power Stars and Grand Stars, and making sure that I couldn't fully assist Mario and his friends at first. I could only give him guidance, while also making sure that I was looking after the Lumas still aboard. After he collected all of them, I was able to fly the Comet Observatory to the center of the universe, where you and Mario had your final battle. You were defeated...but the after-effects were more costly than he anticipated. The sun you've created with your machine turned into a black hole. Everything aside from Mario and myself were completely pulled into it. The Lumas sacrificed themselves to stop it, and they've succeeded in lessening the damage and making it safe for the Galaxy to be reborn.

Bowser blinked a bit as he processed what she just said. He then narrowed his eyes and stomped up to her, his eyes glowing red and smoke coming from his nostrils and mouth. "What did you just say? Are you saying that after Mario defeated me, my galaxy's sun turned into a black hole and destroyed everything? Everything aside from you and Mario was just GONE? You've better be pulling on my tail, or so help me-"

"I have no reason to deceive you, Bowser. I was there alongside Mario. I comforted him as the universe was eventually reborn, as it always does." Rosalina replied calmly, unflinching at Bowser's enraged gaze. "I suppose you are taking offense at how I described the events. I am simply telling you of my experience with you, as you requested. We have met before...but it was from the universe before this one. You could say that this universe has replaced the one that came before it. Everyone and everything was destroyed...and then it was all reborn again. Aside from Mario and myself."

Bowser didn't see any deceit in her eyes. As she said, she had no reason to lie to Bowser, it wouldn't personally benefit her in any way to lie to him. Bowser growled as he stepped away from her, his paws running down his face. Polari and Kamek nearly fainted from how tense those few seconds became. And after Bowser backed off, Polari managed to recover, while Kamek sighed with relief, but was now more worried about Rosalina than ever. Rosalina could clearly sense the distress emitting off of Bowser at this point, and it was somewhat understandable. Bowser's actions have instigated something rather cataclysmic, and it was greatly bothering him. He wanted to rule the galaxy, not destroy it. And that's basically what happened. It must have been quite difficult to take in all at once. This was definitely not something he expected to hear from her.

Then again, that's what he wanted. Complaining about it wouldn't help matters.

He sighed as he took his paws away from his face. "So...my scheme pretty much caused the destruction of the universe...and you and Mario were the only survivors of it failing in the worst possible way?" Rosalina nodded. He shook his head and placed his face back into his paws. "Well...I can at least take pride that it takes the end of the universe to keep me down for good...and yet Mario managed to survive even that. That's just unfair, and stupid. Really, really, REALLY stupid!" Bowser stomped childishly. Though he soon regained his composure as he gazed at Rosalina with a solemn expression. "So...this universe we're in now...it's just a reset of the previous one?"

"A reset isn't a proper word for it...but you're thinking is at least close." Rosalina nodded. "That was not the end, simply the beginning. The universe has been reborn, but not everything remains the same. The differences are subtle, but they are most certainly there. It might be why you only have fragments of memory regarding me. You may remember me after all, but it is not perfect. It might also be why the others do not have much memory of the previous universe, even in fragments. Mario and I are the only ones that remember everything from the previous universe. I must say, I find it rather surprising you remember even fragments of the previous one...especially memories of me. We didn't interact much aside from attacking the Observatory."

Bowser took all of this in, shaking his head a bit. In the back of his mind, he hoped that the Space Princess was just toying with him...but she was right. She has no reason to lie to him, she didn't sound like the type of person who would do that kind of thing. She was being completely truthful to him. "...So...the previous universe was destroyed...and this is the new one. Where most things are relatively the same, yet there are some subtle differences on the side to set them apart..."

"This is the cycle of life. The universe begins anew every time it seemingly ends. It will always repeat, but never perfectly. Your plans simply initiated the new cycle prematurely. But nothing else seems to have gone wrong, even with that realization."

Kamek and Polari were both listening closely, both of them being shocked to hear all of this information. it was shared shock, but for different reasons. Kamek was shocked to hear that one of Bowser's plans was actually grand and dangerous enough to endanger the whole universe, and even succeeded in destroying it...something that Bowser NEVER wants. If everything is destroyed, then he has absolutely nothing to rule. That is certainly not how Bowser operates, and it must be tearing him apart inside learning all of this. Then again, he was the one who asked for Rosalina's importance. While Polari was surprised that he had sacrificed himself alongside most of the Lumas to stop a black hole and he doesn't remember one bit of it. Rosalina must not have thought of it as something important since everything eventually worked out, and didn't want the Lumas to worry.

Princess...you kept that knowledge to yourself for our own sake...? Goodness, you're always taking on such burdens alone...

Bowser seemed to be bitterly accepting that what Rosalina was saying was true. "...So...us meeting has been completely undone since that universe was completely wiped out. Our first official, true meeting was when you helped Mario and the others rescue the Sprixies. That was the first time you directly opposed me ever since that event."

"That is correct."

"And...neither of you bothered telling anyone about this? The universe ending seems like a pretty big deal."

"There was no need to. All of the damage was undone, and everyone was ultimately alright in the end. So neither me or Mario felt any need to inform anyone of what happened." Rosalina nodded. "If you still somewhat doubt my words, you can ask Mario. I know despite your hostility, he will not lie to you."

"N...no. I believe you. I believe you." Bowser sighed as he ran his paw through his red hair. "It's just a lot to take in. All this stuff seriously happened...though I really wish it weren't so..."

"Yes. I agree it must be quite a lot to take in." Rosalina admitted. "I'm just puzzled with how much you were willing to risk simply for Peach, even though pursuing her is more detrimental to you than beneficial."

Bowser slowly turned towards her with a raised eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean...?"

"I'm simply saying from the standpoint that I could observe from. It seemed that you were very close to actually succeeding in your conquest. You actually had most of it planned out to near-perfection, and you were so close to victory without Mario ever catching onto it." Rosalina explained. "The only reason he succeeded in stopping you is because you left some time to capture Peach, which brought his undivided attention on you, with enough time to thwart your plans. It's a rather strange pattern. The less you focus on Peach, the closer you actually get to achieving the conquest part of your ambitions. It seems that your persistent pursuit of her is your main weakness."

"WHAT?!"

I KNEW this was a bad idea! Kamek panicked inwardly. His Majesty is going to go berserk at any moment! The last thing we need right now is a confrontation!

Rosalina noted Bowser's growing irritation, but he did not say anything more at the moment. So she calmly continued. "I seem to have offended you again. I am truly sorry. It is just that...you seem so determined to win Peach's affection despite your actions having the opposite effect. Not enough to force her to cut her ties with you, but certainly enough to keep you at arm's length when you don't behave yourself. You pursue her even at the extreme detriment of your goals, or even your health. Worse yet, the wellbeing of those around you. I know that your heart isn't dark enough to not care about your subordinates and your children, yet you put them in peril in order to have something that you may never possess."

Bowser clenched his fists as more smoke began leaving his nostrils and mouth, which began glowing with the preparation of a fireball. How dare she?! She believed she could say these things about him so calmly and expect him to keep a level head?! He'll have her know that his men and children are very supportive of him and his ambitions, so it isn't like they didn't know what they were getting into. So there have been many times that his plans got a little bit too extreme, when have they ever not been extreme? He was dead-serious about conquering the world and taking Peach. This woman can't simply deconstruct that because of something that technically never happened. Having his plans go as far as the whole universe, and only failed because he received Mario's attention by kidnapping Peach once again. His defeat ending in the universe being destroyed. Which resulted in all of his work being destroyed, and an immeasurable amount of people dying. Toads, Koopas, Peach...

Junior.

The instant his son's name came to mind, his fists unclenched, and the smoke stopped emitting from his nostrils. The glowing within his jaws vanished and his eyes widened in shock.

...I went too far.

Rosalina noticed Bowser's expression take a turn for the melancholy. She grew concerned, standing from her chair and gently placing a hand on his arm. "Bowser...do you perhaps...regret hearing what you heard?"

"...No. I don't. I don't like what I'm hearing, but I kinda got what I wanted." Bowser groaned, face palming and snarling at himself. "I...I just...grah! Kamek! We're done here! We're going home!" Bowser didn't want to be here any longer. He became highly uncomfortable with his discovery, but he didn't regret coming here. He almost preferred for the truth to be an elaborate joke...almost. At least he confirmed that he did indeed come in contact with Rosalina before.

"Oh thank goodness-I mean of course, your Impatientness!~" Kamek stuttered as he flew after the now gravely irritated Bowser. Polari sighed as well, returning to Rosalina's side. But before he could voice his thoughts, she spoke up again.

"Bowser...if you would like to speak to me again...I will be here." Rosalina offered, clasping her hands in front of her with a gentle nod. "Of course you've shown to be capable of making it here on your own...but at least let me know ahead of time? I do not receive many guests, so I would like to prepare ahead of time for when I actually do have other company."

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Bowser nonchalantly waved as he left the Library and made his way towards his airship. He might have discovered more than he wished. But he can't and won't take back his decision. Though he had to admit, meeting the Space Princess has been...interesting. She wasn't afraid to tell him exactly how far his plans went and how damaging they truly were. And then she just wasn't afraid of him in general. Peach and Daisy tend to oppose him, if only though slight hesitance due to how powerful and intimidating he really was. But Rosalina? Not even a flinch. He was honestly very impressed by her. But right now, he didn't dwell on that.

The Koopa King needed some time to fully absorb this new information...but he was definitely going to hold Rosalina to her offer.

He wasn't done with her. Not yet.


Bowser and Rosalina's first official one on one meeting...Bowser leaves furious and frustrated. Rosalina stays, calm and composed, yet genuinely concerned. Not a great start, is it? Though he asked for information, and he got some of it. He leaves for now so he can process all of it, while Rosalina patiently awaits his inevitable return.

Until their next official meeting...