Author's Note:
The following chapter is a series of flashbacks. It doesn't forward the immediate plot of Bowser and Junior's journey home. Instead, it sheds some light on events that happened prior to this story. You can skip this chapter if you really want to get back on the road with the Koopas right away, but you might be confused why certain characters think and act the way they do in a later chapter without getting this context first. Also, this chapter gives us a better look at a certain character we know little about thus far so I tried to make it worth your time! I hope you enjoy!
The rain continued to pour for far longer than anyone in the Koopa Kingdom anticipated that day. But a little water was no excuse to postpone training, much to the dismay of the royal guard's soldiers. The war was looming regardless of the weather, and the day of departure to the frontlines was rapidly approaching. The troops had to be ready by then no matter what.
In the training yard of the castle grounds, Bowser threw yet another desperate punch towards his opponent, who evaded with ease, grabbed him, and sent him tumbling into the mud with an effortless toss. The Koopa Prince found it more and more difficult to stand up with each failed attempt; his spirit collapsing. He wiped the mud off of his face and accepted his sparring partner's hand, who offered to help him up. Bowser's determination sunk to new depths however, when he saw the disappointed glare of his father, King Morton Koopa Sr., who had been watching from the upper tower.
"Hey, don't look so down, Sir," the sparring partner comforted. "You almost had me that time. I think you're just having an off-day, that's all!"
"Thanks…," Bowser replied gloomily. "But it's not your judgement I'm worried about, Frederick." Bowser removed his helmet as he exited the grounds. The Koopa took off the rest of his armor and dried himself with a towel when someone approached him in the hallway.
"What do you think you're doing? Today's training isn't over yet!" exclaimed King Morton.
"It is for me," Bowser replied. "Dad, I'm not cut out for this. I can't…be a solider."
"This isn't about whether you think you're meant to be a soldier or not," Morton argued. "We are at war, and you're the future heir to the throne. Your kingdom is counting on you to stand up and lead the defenses!"
"Well, I can't do that!" Bowser exclaimed.
"You will do it!" Morton roared.
"No, I-!" Furious, the king smacked Bowser across the face, sending him tumbling to the floor.
"You'll never be worthy of the throne unless you can stop feeling sorry for yourself and toughen up!" Morton stormed off, leaving his son on the cold, hard tile. Bowser picked himself up, ignoring his mother-who had watched this scene unfold-and her attempts to help.
"Honey, I know you're worried," she spoke. "But I have faith in you. The whole kingdom does. We've seen how hard you've been training and the things you can do." She placed her claws on her son's shoulders. "I believe you'll come back to us. But you need to believe in yourself too." Bowser shrugged her hands off.
"It doesn't matter, Mom," Bowser argued. "I could go out there and single-handedly end this stupid war myself. Dad's feelings won't change. They never will. I'll never be good enough for him…," Bowser left his mother's side as he grabbed a scroll resting on a table nearby. "I'm gonna be reviewing the troop formations again in my room tonight. Just have my dinner sent up there. Other than that, no disturbances, please," he requested. The Koopa prince coldly exited the room.
The Koopa royal army gathered at dawn at the gates of the castle on the fated day. Families wept for their husbands and sons who were going off to war, some to never return. Bowser was the last to arrive. He couldn't bring himself to give any more of a heartfelt goodbye than a hug for his mother. She understood of course, since her son had been groomed from a young age to not be too affectionate. After all, he had too many important obligations as the prince to simply make a name for himself as "Momma's little Koopaling."
But unlike with his mother, Bowser didn't even glance at his cold-hearted father as he strolled past him on his way over to the army. Somehow Prince Bowser was sure that regardless of whether he came back from the war or not, it wouldn't be good enough for the king unless he was doing so as a hero. If the prince did not exceed his expectations, he was a failure in his father's eyes. The tough love parenting style may have toughened Bowser up for the better in terms of combat, but it made it difficult for the Koopa prince to connect with anyone on a genuine level.
Prince Bowser sprinted across the war-torn land dividing his kingdom with that of the enemy. He had to be on his guard constantly. The enemy had proven to be crafty and ruthless above all else. One small mistake out here could've very well been his last. These odd, non-Koopa creatures would stop at nothing until they had conquered all the land as far as the eye could see. It was the job of Bowser's army to put them in their place in the name of King Morton.
Frederick's words seemed to ring true as Prince Bowser found the majority of his opponents to be inferior to him in battle. Any of his earlier blunders in training were most likely as a result of pressure from his father. Out here alone in the heat of battle, Bowser was living up to his own standards. Most of his opponents went down with a single punch and hardly any of them were skilled enough with a sword or an axe to leave as much as a dent in the Koopa's armor. Bowser left many soldiers dead in his wake. But one soldier in particular would change everything.
Bowser narrowly avoided an enemy soldier's spear, which had been lunged at him when the user leaped at him out of nowhere. He tried to finish the fight in one punch, but the enemy was too quick. However, the attacker underestimated Bowser's sheer strength. The Koopa Prince snatched the soldier's spear with one hand and snapped it in two effortlessly.
Fighting empty-handed didn't seem to slow down this specific soldier one bit, to Bowser's surprise. He launched a straight kick clear across Bowser's face, jumped behind him, and tackled the Koopa to the ground. He then bound Bowser's arms and legs together with rope to ensure that this fight was over.
"Not bad, big fella. Just…not good enough," the soldier taunted.
"It's not over unless you kill me!" Bowser retorted.
"Bloodshed is pointless here. We want no part in this conflict. Just call off your troops and tell your king to back off."
"And if I refuse?" The soldier kneeled down to Bowser's level on the ground and removed his helmet. Bowser's eyes widened. "Hold on a second…you're a girl!?"
"Don't be one of those idiots," the woman warned. "Male, female, who cares what I am? It doesn't change the fact that I bested you in a serious fight just now."
"Alright, fine. You caught me. Big deal. But if you're not going to kill me, what're you gonna do with me then?" Bowser asked.
"I'm the commander of this army, and I've gathered that you're the leader of your's. Instead of killing each other, there's no reason we can't settle this dispute like adults," the woman described. "You…are an adult, right?" She noticed that Bowser looked incredibly young to be the commander of an army. Even for a non-human, Bowser appeared to be closer to a teenager in his species compared to other Koopas in the army.
"Close enough," Bowser responded. "But Koopas age much slower and live much longer than you humans do. Listen, if you're really here to settle things peacefully, how about you untie me first instead of treating me like cattle?"
"And let you attempt to come at me for round two? I don't think so," she answered.
"You said your people wanted no part in this conflict. Well, I can assure you that we don't want to fight you either. It's our paranoid king who's convinced that violence is the only way to settle this little property dispute. If you're serious about ending this peacefully, you could start by showing me an ounce of respect," Bowser explained. The woman placed a finger to her chin. "In exchange, I promise no back-stabbing or double-crossing. No tricks. I'd expect the same from you."
"Fair enough," the woman replied. She untied Bowser's binds and helped him up. "What's your name?" she inquired.
"I'm Prince Bowser Koopa; 64th heir to the royal Koopa throne," he introduced. "And you are?"
"I'm Princess Celia of the Rose Kingdom." The two shook hands and it wasn't until that particular moment that Bowser stopped and witnessed Celia's sheer beauty. Her long, silky red hair was a compliment to her slender figure and emerald eyes, which were casually observing him with calm composure.
"I've never heard of a princess who actually comes out to do the fighting herself," Bowser commented.
"Neither have my parents," Celia replied. "I couldn't let my people fight unless I was at their side." The woman went on to explain how she disguised herself as a soldier; training in secret and prepping herself for combat due to her belief that a true leader is one who fights with its followers; not one sitting back and just giving orders.
Taking a seat on a set of rocks, Bowser and Celia talked for hours. They exchanged stories about their cultures and found common interests in music and cuisine; but they also spoke of their upbringings, vented about their difficult home lives, and discovered a shared disbelief in the validity of this war. Celia admitted that she had been raised to believe that Koopas were nothing more than savage monsters who only understood power and murder. Bowser assured her that under King Morton's rule, this belief was practically true.
"But, it probably wouldn't be fair of me to assume you're the same way," said Celia.
"Sure it would," Bowser argued. "Do you know how many of your friends I probably killed today before I met you?"
"They knew what they were getting themselves into when they were drafted. We all did. Besides, if killing was all there was to you, then how have we been sitting here talking for this long, and you haven't once had the urge to attack me?"
"Heh…how do you know I'm not just biding my time?" Bowser teased in a playfully menacing manner as he raised a single claw to her chin. Celia crushed Bowser's claw painfully in her grip.
"Because you know I'd kick your shell again if you tried it!" she retorted. The two shared a hardy laugh with one another. Neither one had expected to share such a pleasant conversation, and with the enemy leader no less! Bowser expressed how this had been the first time he had genuinely connected with someone, and he wasn't sure if he was supposed to be ashamed or not that it was with someone outside of his race.
"It's only wrong if you think it is," said Celia.
"I…I don't think it is," Bowser replied. "But I do think this whole thing is wrong…"
"What is?"
"You know…the war." Celia followed Bowser's gaze to the ground. "Why are we doing this? We've got no beef with each other. Here we are joking about killing one another…but we aren't actually doing it," he explained.
"It's our parents," Celia answered. "Mine want everyone living on these lands to be associated with the Rose Kingdom. In their eyes, anyone else is an abomination and needs to be wiped from the earth." She looked up at Bowser who refused to make eye contact. "B-but….But I don't feel that way!" she stammered. "I don't think Koopas are an abomination at all. I don't….especially not you." The princess failed to notice her hand in time as it accidentally brushed Bowser's massive claw. She tried to sweep the small physical encounter under the rug by forcing herself to keep talking. "And it sounds like your parents want the same thing: for Koopas to be the dominant race and for all others to pack up and leave or die."
"Yeah but, that doesn't mean it's what I want," Bowser corrected. "It's just part of my dad's old world mentality because that's how my grandfather raised him. The royal family has been brought up generation after generation on this stone-cold, tough love attitude," Bowser explained. "I'm so sick of it…"
"Then…why don't we try to change all of this?" Celia suggested. Bowser raised his eyebrows as he looked at her.
"What do you mean?" By now, he had realized that Celia's thin, tender fingers were resting on his. He didn't do a thing to stop her.
"They can't make us fight, Bowser," Celia explained. "We can put a stop to this, and no one else has to die. I know you want to be done with all of this, and I think you could use a boost in confidence," Celia advised. "Let me help you. But first, you have to help me." Bowser chuckled.
"So…what, are you going to bring me home to meet your folks for dinner?" the Koopa Prince joked. Celia laughed at that as well.
"Maybe. But I might need to tie you up, stick an apple in your mouth, and tell them that you are the dinner first." Time was running short and allies from each side were bound to discover the pair eventually. Bowser and Celia made plans to meet again the following day and devise a strategy to take the matter of their kingdoms' futures into their own hands.