Bowser dug his claws deep into the ground. He coughed at the dust that was stirring in the air with all of his aggressive struggling. His efforts seemed to be in vain, but Bowser was too stubborn to give up. The harder he pushed himself, the harder the tremendous weight of rocks squeezed his shell. The Koopa King tugged with all of his might, but he just couldn't break free. He was buried under too much weight; outclassed in strength without question. Still, he refused to accept reality.
Bowser was stuck under the rocks and he just couldn't pull himself out. His claws may have been free and pulling, but the rest of him just wasn't coming. He couldn't rotate himself around from underneath in order to push the rock up and escape either. His shell was sandwiched between a large boulder in the ground. If he disrupted the distribution of weight in any way, he risked getting crushed even further as more rocks shifted and fell in reaction.
Sand poured down from the rubble above. It sprinkled in his messy orange hair, rolled down his face and stung his eyes to the point of spawning tears. Bowser was glad that he could've easily used the sting of the sand as an excuse to hide the fact that for the first time in many years, Bowser was crying. The pain he was in was greater than anything he had ever experienced before; even more than on this journey alone. His breathing was gradually getting weaker as his lungs were crushed and filling up with dust. But the Koopa King was no stranger to pain. This wasn't the reason he was crying. It was the thoughts that were swirling in his mind that were destroying him.
Bowser was trapped in this mountain and was probably going to die here. No one was coming for him. Who would after all he's done? He was never going to make it back to the Mushroom Kingdom; he was never going to see home again. The Koopa Kingdom would soon be without a king and none of his subjects would ever know how it happened. Could it all still go on without him? Would the empire that his family had built up for generations soon become extinct? Would the Mushroom Kingdom remain forever out of his grasp?
Images stirred in Bowser's head; ones of the Mushroom Kingdom denizens celebrating the fact that Bowser was gone forever; mocking his failure. The cheerful grins of Mario and Luigi were the most infuriating of all. After all this time; after countless battles, their most recent match was ultimately their last. Mario had won. When it came to confronting the plumber, Bowser was an utter failure. He'd lost so many times that many spirits would've been broken long ago. Now his was breaking too.
From the bottom of the mountain, Bowser would never see Princess Peach again. He would never get to gaze upon her sheer beauty; her sparkling baby blue eyes; her long, golden silk strands of hair. He would never again hear the laughter in her innocent voice that made birds chirp and hearts flutter. Now, she would only exist as a memory within Bowser's delusional fantasy. She would never be his. Celia was and always would be Bowser's ultimate love. But he'd only pursued Peach so much because he was thinking about his kingdom, not himself. Now, the Koopa Kingdom would never have a queen. The void left by Celia would forever remain. Junior would never have someone to call Mom.
Junior…..that was the most painful realization of all.
Bowser's child was still out there somewhere; lost and all alone. How was he ever going to find his way home? Was he already buried somewhere too in this hell of a place? The tears flowed as Bowser thought of him. His heart was breaking more and more with every whimper. The fate of Bowser Jr would probably go down in history as Bowser's greatest regret. That child deserved better; so much better. All of the awful things Bowser had ever told Junior came flooding back at once to bear down on his memory, just as the rocks did to his body. All of the yelling and emotional abuse from the days before this nightmare began; his cowardly hesitation to save Junior back on that platform all because Bowser was too stubborn to accept the fact that Mario had won and wasn't worth pursuing.
Then of course, there was how he ended up all alone now. Bowser yelled at him for saving his life. Why? Why….why….why? Why was Bowser so blind and ignorant? How could he have been so stupid? It was Junior who was given the wish, not Bowser. What right did he have to yell at his son for whatever the little Koopa wished for? Junior even tried to explain why he couldn't just wish for the stars to return them home. Why couldn't Bowser have just let him finish? Why couldn't he have at least tried to understand?
Junior could've made a selfish wish after that. He could've wished for something stupid like a mountain of cookies or video games. But he didn't. Junior wished for Bowser to be healed because he loved his miserable excuse for a father that much and he needed him. How did Bowser repay such a selfless act? By yelling at him yet again for not being a despicable tyrant. Now Junior hated him again, probably forever this time.
He had broken his promise to Celia. He could never protect and care for Junior now. The little Koopa probably wouldn't want him to. Bowser really was a failure after all. The one thing his beloved urged him to do with the last of her life, he'd failed to do it. There was no changing that. Bowser's entire life had been for nothing, Junior's life would probably amount to no better, and the Koopa King would die alone in the darkness to be quickly forgotten.
I hope you're happy now… a voice echoed in the cave. Bowser injected his neck with whatever adrenaline he had left to look up. A ghostly blue manifestation stood over him. He couldn't believe it.
"….Dad…?" Bowser spoke in a low, gruff, broken voice. It was indeed the spirit of the late King Morton Koopa Sr. whom was standing in his presence.
You got what you wanted, right? The fairy tale ending? Morton asked. This is everything you'd hoped for, isn't it? Bowser didn't answer right away. What could he possibly say? You betrayed your own family, fell in love with that vile human girl, and now my kingdom is on the verge of collapse under your weak, pathetic rule.
"I tried, Dad…," Bowser replied as he continued to cry.
You always were a failure, said Morton. I knew from the day you were born that you would never amount to anything. You had too much purity in your eyes. You never had the drive to achieve any real strength, the king described.
"I wanted to be good enough…"
You were just as bad as your mother. Your emotions were always too important to you. They stood in the way of any potential you could've ever had. You never understood what the life of a Koopa was truly about.
"I wanted to make you proud…," Bowser argued as he whimpered. "….With my own power…"
I asked you to fight, and you ran. I commanded you to stand your ground, and you crumbled. I urged you to roar, and you cried. Why were you born a Koopa at all?
"I needed you…to understand, Papa…." Bowser defended. "I needed you…..to love me….."
I could never love a son who couldn't amount to anything. I did everything I could to toughen you up, but there was just nothing inside you; no fire at all….
"Papa….please…..," Bowser begged.
This is how you repaid me? You stabbed me in the back. Our kingdom became soft…a shell of its former self. I told you those damn humans were no good. But you refused to listen to me. So you ran off with one of them. Now look where that got you. She abandoned you.
"That's….not…..true….."
Isn't it? She blinded you. She made you forget what true strength is. Now our homeland's army is pathetically weak. I've been watching all this time, you know. I've seen what you've done. Morton described. You can't kill that one, single human. You know who I'm talking about. If you were half the son I wanted you to be, this Mario character would've died by your claw ages ago. Bowser coughed and tried to speak up, but no words came out. But now you're a laughing stock. Our ancestors mock you. But this is what you achieved with your own strength, isn't it? Are you proud to drag our family's name through the dirt?
"….S-stop…."
It's too late to act tough, Bowser. It's been too late for so many years. You've tried to act vile and mean and threatening to those mushroom cowards, but it doesn't change anything.
"….Stop….." Bowser spoke a little louder this time.
If there's anything you did right, anything at all, it's how you handled my grandson. Bowser's eyes widened and he clenched his fists. At least you got the message through to him that there's no place in our family for weakness.
"…Shut up….."
You were right about one thing. We Koopas take what we want, no matter what. You were right to believe that Junior should've forced that stupid star to grant the wish you wanted. But my grandson failed, just like his father. Bowser gritted his teeth. You were right to let him run off. Maybe, by some miracle, this cruel world will make him grow up through suffering. It'll make him into the Koopa I needed you to be. Maybe there's still hope for the Koopa Kingdom after all.
"I said…..shut…UP!" Bowser exclaimed.
You thought you were so much better than me with your pathetic idea of strength. Morton smirked devilishly at Bowser. But in the end, you proved that you're just as cruel as me after all. I guess you deserve some credit for that. Furious, Bowser blew a stream of fire out towards the apparition. It dissipated without having any real effect. Thankfully though, it appeared to be gone.
Bowser entered a dreadful coughing fit. That one fire breath depleted an immense amount of oxygen from his lungs. He was running low again. It was only getting harder to breathe from under the rocks. But at least now, Bowser was alone.
Bowser's castle had grown into a somber, lonely place in the past two days. The morale was at its lowest. The air was filled with a dreadful, unspoken mourning. Training rooms were empty as the Koopatrols and Hammer Bros were too distraught over their missing king to practice. The Magikoopas struggled to find ways to pass the time, polishing their wands in solitude. The Paratroopas and Lakitus moped at their perches instead of flying through the sky.
Larry Koopa wandered the halls aimlessly. His tall, blue hair drooped, and his eyes monitored his feet, which were landing on the rug in rhythmic steps. Larry passed Junior's empty room for the umpteenth time that evening. He tried to resist the urge, but quickly gave in. Larry wandered inside even though he knew the little Koopa wasn't there. Somehow deep down, he was hoping he'd be wrong. Larry wanted to believe he could turn the knob, open the door, and be surprised to find the little rascal inside playing with one of his toys as if he'd suddenly returned home somehow without anyone noticing. But he was wrong.
His baby brother wasn't here.
The room was a mess, as any seven year-old boy's room was. Toys were scattered across the floor like a minefield for the feet of the unsuspecting. The bed's blankets were in shambles despite King Bowser repeatedly telling him to make his bed when he gets up in the morning. The room was freezing since the window was open all day and the cool air from outside was running rampant. The blue-haired Koopaling noticed a pile of broken pieces of something over in the corner. He wasn't sure what that originally was, when it had broken, or how. Larry sighed.
Why did I let him go off on his own? Larry asked himself. I should've stopped him. Maybe then he'd still be here. But the reality was that he wasn't. Junior was missing, as was King Bowser. The castle had grown bleak and depressing without the two of them. It was bad enough that their leader was gone. But with his successor missing too, there was no one to take the throne. The Koopa Kingdom was defenseless and lost without a leader.
Larry returned to the main hall of the castle and nearly bumped into Roy.
"Hey, watch it, Larry!" Roy warned. He was carrying a large box.
"What's going on, Roy?" Larry asked.
"Haven't you heard? We gotta get the new king settled in!" Roy explained. Larry stared at him, confused.
"New king…? What're you talking about?" His eyes widened and he gasped. "Wait…did Junior come back!? Where's King Bowser!?" Larry jerked his head around as he searched around the room aimlessly.
"I suggest you make yourself useful and grab one of the boxes from the other room," a voice instructed from behind. Larry turned to see it was Ludwig, wearing an eerily composed smirk on his face.
"Ludwig? What's happening here?"
"We're moving on," Ludwig answered. "That's what's happening." Larry continued to stare at Ludwig, dumbfounded. The latter sighed as he realized he would have to elaborate. "King Bowser is gone. He has been for two days now. It should be clear to you by now as it is to everyone else, that he is never coming back," Ludwig explained. "We can't just sit here twiddling our claws in the meantime. The people of the Koopa Kingdom need a leader, and that is exactly what I intend to give them."
"You…?" Larry repeated. "Ludwig, you're not the king. Bowser's explained that a dozen times already," he argued. "We don't know that Bowser's never coming back. But even if he isn't, Junior would still be king before any of us since he's Bowser's actual son."
"True, but do you see young Prince Junior frolicking around these halls anywhere?" Ludwig contested. "I don't. Kammy reported that both Lord Bowser and Prince Junior fell to their fiery doom. The royal bloodline has ended," he explained. "Since we're Second-in-command, one of us is needed to rise to the occasion. Honestly, it just makes sense for me to be the one to be king out of all of us. I'm the only one around here with any real common sense." Larry glared at him. "As your new king, I suggest you cease your childish moping, grab a box, and make yourself productive like everyone else before I make that suggestion an order." Larry let his anger go. Ludwig wasn't worth it. Not yet anyway. Feeling defeated, Larry turned and began to walk away.
"Larry, you stop right there, child!" another voice exclaimed. Kammy Koopa entered the room. She pointed her wand at Ludwig. "Ludwig, I've heard more than enough of your nonsense! You are not the king yet and I will turn you into a Goomba if you keep spreading such lies!"
"But…Kammy…," Ludwig defended sheepishly.
"Silence! I am appointed Second-in-command in Lord Bowser's absence. Not you. That was established years ago and you know that well, child." She raised her wand into the air as it began to glow. "All of you drop what you're doing and listen well!" she commanded. All of the Koopalings froze and looked at the elderly Koopa witch. "Lord Bowser and Prince Junior may have been gone for two days now, but they are still your superiors and you will treat them with respect! It was established in the Koopa monarchy centuries ago that in the event of the king or queen's absence, the successor cannot seize the throne until the king or queen has been absent for a minimum of ten days, or has been confirmed to be dead," Kammy explained.
"But…," Ludwig interrupted again. Kammy aimed her wand at him once more.
"I'm not finished yet!" she roared. "You are Lord Bowser's elite commanding generals. You will serve him until we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he has permanently left us. Your service to him does not end in his immediate absence!" she described. "Now I want all of you to drop what you're doing, ready a battle ship, and prepare for departure. We will use the remaining eight days to search for Bowser and Junior, and we will not abandon our search until either our time is up, or they are found and officially pronounced dead! Do I make myself clear!?" She held her wand like a cane and stomped the end of it to the ground in an assertive gesture.
"Yes, ma'am!" the Koopalings responded in unison. They scrambled out of the hall to prepare the supplies for their trip. Larry was about to follow suit, but stopped when he saw Kammy standing alone in the room, looking distraught.
"Do you really think they're still alive?" Larry asked. She turned and faced him.
"I don't know, Larry," Kammy confessed. "But Lord Bowser is no stranger to lava. That's never been enough to put him down for good in the past. I won't believe he's dead until we find his body. Besides, Prince Junior is still a child and I miss the poor dear terribly. If there's even the slightest chance to end his suffering and bring him home, I will take it for the sake of honoring his mother's wishes." Larry nodded in understanding.
Somehow, she could tell that Larry missed Junior just as much, even if he didn't say it. She'd always seen how Larry bonded with Junior as if they were brothers, even though they technically weren't. The little Koopa needed someone in his life to watch over him after his mother passed away. Bowser meant well, but he was cold and distant at times. Kammy knew that Junior needed someone he felt more immediately at home with, and she was grateful that Larry had instinctively stepped up to that role over the years.
"I think he's still out there somewhere," said Larry. "And I don't wanna give up until I know what really happened to them." Kammy smiled and placed a hand on Larry's shoulder.
"Neither do I, dear," Kammy agreed. She motioned for the two of them to get going as they had preparations to tend to before they could depart. But she stopped Larry just before he left her sight. "Between you and me," she spoke. Larry looked back at Kammy. "I think you would make for the most fitting successor to Prince Junior someday. You have the same amount of love in your heart." Larry smiled at the sentiment, then turned to walk away.