Bowser blinked his eyes rapidly as he gradually awoke to the dazzling morning sunlight. The Koopa King sat up, holding his head in his hand. It took him a moment to realize he was now sitting in grass. Startled, Bowser jerked his body left and right as he attempted to take in his new surroundings.

Huh?...What!? What the….What…happened? Bowser pondered. Where am I? He relaxed slightly and smiled when he found Junior, who was fast asleep under an apple tree nearby. Bowser climbed to his feet and walked over to the spring. The water was so clean and pure. It was refreshing to drink and felt soothing for the Koopa King to splash on his face and run through his hair. He was relieved to find that this wasn't just a mirage. It was real…but how? What had happened to this wasteland? When did it become so full of life?

At that moment, Bowser also realized…all of his injuries were gone! All of them; the burns on his hands, the scrapes and cuts from the lances, the bruises from his battle with Mario, and the burning and aches in his back. This was all too good to be true. Was he still dreaming somehow?

Fully rested, Junior slowly awoke soon after as well. He jumped to his feet in excitement when he saw his father over by the spring.

"Dad!" he shouted as he ran over. Bowser turned but was tackled by his son before he could see him coming. "You're awake!" Bowser smiled and embraced his child's hug.

"So are you," he commented with a smile. "Want some water?" he offered. Junior nodded his head enthusiastically. Bowser scooped a sample up in his hand and offered it to his son to drink. With their injuries gone, Bowser and Junior weren't in quite as much of a hurry to get on the road again. So they decided to stick around in their newfound paradise on such a beautiful day just a little bit longer; dipping their feet in the water to cool off and relax.

"So you think we can make it home now since we aren't hurt anymore?" Junior asked.

"Probably," Bowser answered. "By the way, you mind filling me in on what I missed after I blacked out?" Bowser asked. "What happened around here?" Junior told his father about Eldstar's arrival as well as the power star that was imprisoned by the golems.

"I even got to make a wish!" Junior concluded happily. Bowser's eyes widened upon hearing that. He had a strange, almost horrified expression in them.

"You did? What….did you wish for, Junior?"

"Well…I wished for you to be healed. That's what the water did." Bowser grabbed Junior's shoulders violently and shook him a little.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST WISH FOR HIM TO SEND US HOME!?" Bowser exclaimed. Junior was frightened by his father's sudden outburst and uncomfortable grip on him.

"W-well, I tried! Honest," Junior panicked. "B-but he couldn't do that…,"

"Why not!?"

"He said he couldn't grant a wish that powerful cuz of all the bad stuff we do," Junior answered. "He said the stars don't really trust us that much or…something like that." Bowser released his son, slapped his palm to his face and sighed heavily. "What's…wrong?" the little Koopa asked worriedly.

"Junior, Junior, Junior…," Bowser started. "You don't just back down when one of those wimpy stars tell you 'no!' You're supposed to demand they grant your wish!"

"But Dad-!"

"But nothing! We're Koopas, Junior. We're the rightful rulers of this land! Anything we want, we take. Come on, brat! I've been trying to teach you this since day one!" A guilty expression washed over Junior's face. He'd hoped his father would've been a little more grateful and appreciative of his wish. He didn't like this scolding one bit.

"Dad you don't understand!" Junior argued.

"The only thing I don't understand here is how you could've messed up an opportunity like this!" Junior could practically feel his heart break a little after hearing that.

"You should be thanking me!" the little Koopa objected aggressively. "It's cuz of me that you're not in pain anymore!"

"Well, that doesn't do us much good when I still don't know where we are or how to get us home!" Bowser exclaimed. "You had one chance to get us out of this mess altogether and you completely screwed it up!" Junior couldn't believe what he was hearing. His dad was reverting back to his old ways. It was just like yesterday. Here the two of them were, arguing again. Junior stood up. He tried to say something more but couldn't find the words. So he resolved to turn and run away. "Where are you going!?" Bowser asked angrily after him.

"I'm gonna find my own way home! I don't need you! If you get hurt again, you can just help yourself!" The little Koopa took off down the dirt road in frustration. Bowser sat by and did nothing.

"Fine! We'll see how far you get without me!" Bowser shouted. "Don't come crawling back…because I won't be here for you!" The Koopa King aggressively splashed the water in frustration. He wasn't willing to chase after his son. He was convinced that Junior would have to learn for himself the sheer gravity of his mistake by not forcing the old star to bring them home. They were stuck here now and it was all his fault.

Bowser felt so betrayed just thinking about it. They may have been facing some hardships recently, but Bowser had not forgotten who he was for one second through all of it. He was loud, combative, and assertive. He had to be in order to get to where he was today. That's what it meant to be a king. Somewhere along the way, Bowser must've failed to teach that to his child.

How could Junior ever be an effective successor one day if he didn't have the same drive to take what he wanted no matter what? Who would ever follow a leader who takes "no" for an answer so easily? How was the son of the mighty and feared King Bowser growing up to be so soft? The Koopa King was convinced that if there was one good thing to come out of these horrible circumstances, it was that they would potentially toughen Junior up and turn him into a son that Bowser could be proud of….right?

The air grew cooler as the sun began to set over the rolling hills of green. Without the intense heat, evening was the ideal time to travel as far as Bowser was concerned. As he splashed the spring's water on his face one final time and scarfed down his last apple, Bowser prepared to depart from his mini paradise and embark on the open road ahead under moonlight. The land was a lot more pleasant and peaceful to wander through now that it was full of life. On top of that, Bowser was able to appreciate taking in the surroundings now that he didn't feel a constant burning sensation in his back. He was in much better shape for traveling now….and he had Junior to thank for that.

Immediately Bowser tried to think of something else; anything else. He didn't want to feel sorry for his actions again. Not this time. He did the right thing by scolding Junior this time…right? Kammy wasn't here to suggest otherwise. Nor was Bowser's wife intruding on his thoughts from beyond the grave to make him feel guilty. Kids made mistakes. So it was up to their parents to tell them right from wrong. Bowser was certain this was the case.

Junior made a mistake by not wishing the two of them home. So Bowser made sure he realized it. But it wasn't his fault that his child couldn't handle the truth and ran off, was it? The harder Bowser thought about all of this, the unhappier it made him. Still…a part of him couldn't help but wonder where Junior had run off to. He had to focus on something else; anything else.

The Koopa King got his wish when he reached the end of the road. Now, a towering mountain stood in his way. The gigantic structure covered the landscape for miles in both directions so going around it wasn't an option. Had his son come through this way? He had to. The only way forward was to go through the mountain somehow. But where could he have gone from here? After some searching, Bowser found an entrance to a cave.

There has to be a way to the top through here, Bowser thought. I'll have a better look at the land from up there. The Koopa King tore a thick branch off of a nearby tree, lit it gently with his flame breath to create a torch, and entered the dark abyss. There's no way Junior would've been brave enough to come in here alone without a light, Bowser commented. But if he wouldn't have been able to bring himself to go inside, why hadn't Bowser seen him huddled outside the cave crying or something? Just where did the little Koopa go? Bowser was starting to get worried about him, despite his earnest attempts to ignore it.

The cave started off as cramped and linear as could be, then opened up in scale far beyond anything Bowser had anticipated. The cave had become a tower-like structure with blue, luminescent crystals embedded into the walls from all sides. The largest one fixated in the dead center of the ceiling was bright enough to shine all the way down and illuminate the bottom level where the Koopa King was standing. From what he could observe, he would have to follow the winding slope all the way to the top to reach the exit he could just barely make out with his eyes. Simple enough.

However, the slope did not extend all the way down to the bottom floor where Bowser was. Instead, it cut off at a certain height as if a piece had been removed. Upon closer inspection, Bowser found a pile of rocks and rubble at the base of the wall. A small piece of burned wood was buried in there as well. Somehow a piece of the slope had broken off, and now Bowser would have to climb the rock wall up to the slope's new beginning before he could walk the rest of the way. The Koopa King was confident that this wouldn't be a problem. He had completed his fair share of rock climbing many times in his training days.

Bowser stomped out the fire on his torch, hopped up onto the wall, and dug his claws into the rough terrain to hold his place. There were small rocks protruding out all around, which Bowser planned to use to keep his footing as he climbed. The Koopa King was about halfway up the wall when one of the rocks under his foot gave out. Bowser panicked for a moment before finding another rock to rest his foot on. A few more rocks broke off as Bowser climbed. But the Koopa King was persistent. Finally, Bowser reached the top of the wall. He hoisted himself up onto the slope.

Suddenly, the fallen rocks danced around on the bottom level as the entire cave began to quake and tremor violently. Pieces from the ceiling began to break off. Between the quaking and the raining rocks, Bowser found it difficult to keep his balance on the curling stone incline. He witnessed the ground beneath him crack and eventually break. The Koopa King fell back down to the bottom of the cave. He sat up but before he could react, the rest of the rock slope broke apart and came crashing down from above. Bowser tried to crawl out of harm's way, but a giant stone falling from directly above was the last thing he saw before his entire world went black.