"Ow!" Bowser grunted in pain, "Damnit! What the hell was that?!"

Bowser had been messing around with a few power-ups, trying to see if he could combine them or power them up in some way, or perhaps even make them permanent, when something had gone wrong and caused an explosion that ended up knocking him off his feet.

"Your Highness?!" Came Kamek's worried shout.

"I'm fine Kamek, just a little singed." Bowser rumbled, slightly offended at the idea that something like that would be enough to do him in.

Bowser coughed a couple of times before waving the smoke away. Once the smoke was cleared he saw Kamek staring at him worriedly, only for his expression to morph into one of shock.

"Y-Your Highness?"

"What?"

"Y-You're-" He managed to stutter out.

"I'm what? Spit it out!"

"You- You've turned into a woman, sire."

"I WHAT?!" Bowser roared before his hands flew to his throat as he realized for the first time that his voice was now as loud or deep as he was used to. To make matters worse his hands were met with soft pliable flesh instead of the hard inflexible scales he had been expecting.

"Mirror." He croaked, trying to keep his cool.

Kamek used his magic to poof in a mirror and Bowser forced himself into a standing position to get a better look at himself, er, herself. Once he- she managed to stabilize him- herself, she looked into the mirror at her new form.

If Bowser didn't know she was looking at herself then she'd have been drooling over the absolute bombshell standing in the mirror. She was several heads shorter than her koopa form, however she was still about a head taller than Princess Peach by her calculations.

She was also extremely curvy in all the right places and her dark skin bulged out just enough to show the powerful muscles that lie beneath. All of that was accentuated by her flowing black dress that looked like someone took Princess Peach's dress and dyed it.

She also kept some features of her koopa form, such as her fiery hair, her blood red eyes, her koopa shell, and a tail that was growing out her lower back. She looked like some strange mix between Bowser and Peach that had the best of both worlds.

It was then that she noticed the strange crown sat atop her head, one that she definitely was not wearing before all this. One that she distinctly remembers being among the power-ups that she had been messing around with when this whole mess had happened.

She reached up and grasped at it, trying to pull it off, but it was like it was glued to her. No matter how hard she pulled it wouldn't come off. She sighed in frustration as she gave up on getting rid of it with brute force.

"Stupid crown." She grumbled, before turning to address Kamek, "It's probably this stupid crown's fault. Get the research team to start looking into a way to get it removed."

"Of course Your Majesty. I just hope that we can find a cure before your coronation. It's quite the unfortunate timing."

"Coronation?" Bowser questioned, unsure as to what Kamek was referring to.

"Why of course! Your coronation as the ruler of the Koopa Kingdom!"

"My WHAT?!"

Okay so apparently the power-ups had done a little more than turn her into a woman. Apparently they had also flung her into the distant past before she had wrested control of the Koopa Kingdom and declared war on the Mushroom Kingdom.

Somehow Kamek had managed to convince the idiots that attended her coronation that everything was under control and that this sudden change was all part of her plans. Apparently her citizens were all idiots, the lot of them.

Right now she was sat upon her throne, trying to think of what her next move should be while she waited for a way to reverse the effects of the powerup that was currently affecting her, however Kamek had informed her that it would likely be at least a few months.

Apparently the researchers weren't as whipped into shape as they were in her own time, she forgot just how much work she had done to get her kingdom to a manageable level before. It's actually quite funny thinking about it, considering most of the developments and breakthroughs they had made had come from her desire to finally defeat that mustachioed-

Like a lightning bolt a brilliant idea suddenly made its way into her mind. It was truly an awful, brilliant, idea. She had this new body so she should make use of it right? And she was also back before Peach, or Mario, or any of those other pesky do-gooders even knew about her.

Indeed, this seemed like the perfect chance to get rid of that thorn-in-her-side once and for all! She would use this new form and Mario's lack of knowledge to get close to him, seduce him, and then, once he let his guard down, stab him in the back and end him once and for all!

Bowser felt a bubble of mirth rise inside herself as she started chuckling, only for that to dissolve into mad cackling, which soon turned into full blown riotous maniacal laughter. This was probably the single best plan she'd ever had in her entire time ruling!

As her cackling petered off she pushed herself up off her throne and made her way towards the exit.

"Where are you going, Your Majesty?" Kamek questioned.

"I'm just going to go take care of a certain pesky plumber. Don't worry about it." She told him, waving him off, "You're in charge while I'm out."

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Mario startled at being addressed, turning to face the owner of the pleasantly husky voice. The owner was just as pleasing to the eye as her voice was to the ear, being a rather gorgeous dark skinned woman with fiery hair.

The way she pressed her bosom against her arms as she leaned on his fence helped to accentuate her very bountiful assets, and her slightly bulging biceps told him that she was more than just a pretty face.

"Mamma mia." He whispered to himself reverently.

She must have heard him, however, because her smirk turned into a grin, allowing Mario to get a flash of sharp canines.

Mario could only think of two reasons for such a gorgeous woman to be talking to him, and that was either so she could make fun of him, or to hire him. He'd prefer the latter, as it would give him reason to spend more time with her, but he'd take what he could get.

Putting on his best 'customer face' he greeted her, "How can I-a help you, Miss?"

"You can help me by going on a date with me." She told him, startling him with her bluntness.

"Excuse-a me?" He questioned, not sure if he was hearing things.

"You're excused." She told him, sporting a cheeky grin.

"Is this-a joke?" That was the only reason he could think of for such a beautiful woman to ask someone like him on a date.

"Nope. No jokes here."

"Why-a me?"

"Because I like you, obviously." She stated, looking at him as though he were an idiot.

"Why though?" He questioned her, "I don't even know your name."

"The name's Bowsette, and I'll be picking you up at seven, so wear something nice!"

With that the woman turned around and sauntered off, leaving Mario with more questions than answers.

"She asked you on a date?"

"I don't-a get it either Luigi."

"Do you think this is a trick?" His brother asked him, "I mean, it's you after all."

Mario frowned at the implication.

"You don't-a have to sound so rude about it."

"Sorry Bro." Luigi apologized, "It's just that, well, you know what happened last time. And the time before that. And the time before that. And the time before that. And the time-"

"Alright, I-a get it!" Mario cut him off.

"All I'm trying to say is that I'm worried about you Bro."

"I-a know Luigi. But I have to at-a least give it-a shot."

"Speaking of which, when's she supposed to be here again"

"She-a said seven, so it shouldn't-a be too much longer."

"That's if she doesn't stand you up."

Right on cue there's loud banging at the door, causing Mario and Luigi to startle. They looked at one another and moved to their entryway where Mario opened the door to find Bowsette standing there, leaning against the doorway with a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face.

"Wow." Mario sighed breathlessly.

Bowsette hadn't actually done much to change up her appearance from when he had first encountered her earlier on in the day, however what few changes she had made changed everything.

Her hair, which had been allowed to freely spill out behind her, was now tied up in a simple, but stylish, ponytail that left her nape exposed. She was also wearing the most stunning shade of emerald eyeliner that helped to accentuate her gorgeous ruby eyes.

Her nails, which had been bare, were now painted black to fit her aesthetic, and, if his eyes weren't deceiving him, she had even put on lipstick!

All in all, she was even more beautiful than she had been when she had asked him out, and he was eternally grateful for the fact that his suit still fit him, he wouldn't want to ruin her beauty any more than he already would by standing next to her.

"Well, well, well, don't you clean up nicely?"

Mario was knocked out of his reverie by her comment, and realized that he had been staring at her. Thankfully she seemed to take amusement in it more than anything, and didn't seem to think that he was being rude.

"Thanks." He thanked her, swallowing his nervousness, "You look beautiful."

"I know." She told him, her signature grin on her face.

Despite saying that, Mario could swear he could see a light dusting of red across her cheeks. Before he could think too heavily on that she grabbed him and started hauling him off.

"C'mon loverboy, we've got a reservation to make!"

The date was absolutely wonderful, better than anything Mario could have expected. And so was the one after that, and the one after that, and the one after that. For some reason she kept coming back again, to the point where Mario was starting to believe that she might actually like him.

And yet… Despite how happy he was, he still couldn't entirely shake the feeling that something wasn't right. That he didn't quite have the entire story. That feeling only grew stronger every time Bowsette reacted guiltily at times, as though she had something she wanted to tell him, but feared his reaction.

That's why he confronted her, inviting her out on a picnic date so that they'd be able to have some privacy while they talked. It was there that Mario learned many, many, things about Bowsette.

He learned that she was once known as Bowser, that she had come from the future, that they had once been mortal enemies, that she had planned on getting close to him so she could get rid of him before he could become a problem for her.

And most importantly of all he learned about how she had fallen in love with him, about how she had gone in planning to steal his heart, and had her own stolen instead, about how she regretted everything, about how guilt tore her apart as she spent time with him.

Bowsette, too, also learned about Mario. About how kind he was, about how easily he forgave her, about how he looked past her past and at who she was now, and, most importantly, about how he loved her back.

Bowsette found herself sobbing into Mario's chest from a mix of relief and happiness as he soothingly stroked her back. The two stayed like that until her tears dried up and her crying tapered off, and even for a few minutes after.

Eventually Bowsette managed to find the strength to list herself up and face Mario.

"I love you." Was all she uttered before laying a chaste kiss against his lips.

"I love-a you too."

-

"Princess, an envoy from Koopa Kingdom has arrived with a missive for you!"

"Let him in Toadsworth."

For Princess Peach, this was probably the most interesting thing to happen to her all week. Honestly sometimes it got so boring here that she wished someone would just kidnap her for a change of pace.

"Of course Your Highness."

With that the toad guards opened the throne room doors to allow a well-dressed? Koopa into the room. The koopa followed all the proper etiquette, stopping at the right distance, and bowing in the right way for the right amount of time, showing that he was very well trained.

"Speak." She told him, giving him permission to relay his message.

"Yes, Your Highness. I have come on behalf of the Koopa Kingdom to formally invite you to the wedding of the Queen of the Koopas Bowsette, and her Prince Consort Mario. The wedding is scheduled to take place one month from now."

"I'd be happy to attend!" Peach exclaimed in joy. It wasn't often that royal weddings happened, and Peach wouldn't pass up such a chance, even if she had never personally met with the Queen of the Koopas yet.

"Excellent! I shall relay word of your attendance to my liege at once."

Peach smiled as she dismissed him, leaving her alone with her thoughts. For some reason one question stood out in her mind above all others.

Who's Mario?