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.

This is the final Memories chapter. It's the longest one by far, but it was probably my favorite to write! I hope you enjoy it!

Bowser stared blankly at Celia as his mind tried to process what she had just told him. Celia frowned.

"Uhh…Bowser? Did you hear what I said...?" she inquired. The Koopa King quickly changed his expression when he noticed the concern on his wife's face.

"Yeah!...That's great!" Bowser responded. "Uhh…that is a good thing…right?" Celia's expression grew more puzzled at this.

"Yes, of course it is," Celia confirmed. "You do know what 'pregnant' means, don't you?"

"Uhh…let's pretend that I don't," Bowser suggested awkwardly. He reached over to the table nearby, picked up his glass of water, and took a sip to distract himself. Celia was feeling a bit put off by her husband all of a sudden. She hadn't seen Bowser act like this in a while.

"It means I'm going to have a baby," she explained. Bowser spat out his water.

"REALLY!?" he exclaimed in shock. Celia nodded calmly.

"What did you think it meant?"

"Nothing…we Koopas don't really call it that," Bowser clarified.

"What do you call it then?"

"Just…having a baby…" Celia folded her hands in her lap and looked away.

"What's wrong?" Bowser asked with concern.

"I just thought you'd be more excited about this…," Celia replied with a hint of disappointment in her voice. Bowser wrapped his claws around her hands.

"Oh, sweetie…I am!" the Koopa King corrected. "It's just…I know we've been talking about having a baby for a while now. But I didn't think we'd actually be having one this soon. I mean…how did this even happen!? I-,"

"Don't worry about that. But, why do you sound like you're just being 'fake excited' for me?" Celia inquired. "Tell me what's really bothering you." Bowser sighed. He couldn't hold it back anymore.

"Look, this is really embarrassing. But you're my wife. I trust you more than anyone else so…don't laugh." Celia promised not to, but she was growing more concerned with every response she got. "I'm…scared about having a baby," he confessed. Celia chuckled at that. "Hey, you promised!"

"Sorry," she apologized. "But you know that I'm the one who's actually having it. You get the easy part of just waiting for it to show up."

"I know…"

"So why have you been sweating bullets ever since I first said the word 'baby' then?"

"It's just…I've only ever heard about what a baby is like from my mom when I asked her about them the other day. She told me what I was like as a baby," Bowser explained.

"And?"

"Well, babies are so…weird! All they do is cry and poop and spit up and make weird noises and…" Bowser rambled. Celia laughed pretty hard upon hearing this. "It's not funny! This kid is coming into our lives and I don't know the first thing about raising it!" Celia smiled and held Bowser's hands.

"Honey, you're not supposed to know everything right away!"

"I'm not?"

"No! Raising a child is a learning experience," Celia explained. "There are plenty of things we'll need to know how to do by the time it comes, sure. But we won't know everything. Every child is unique, and we won't know exactly what our's will be like until it gets here. That's when we learn as we go."

"Oh…," Bowser replied, blushing. "But aren't you scared too?"

"Sure, maybe a little bit," Celia answered. "But I know it'll all work out because we'll be doing this together." Bowser smiled as he felt more reassured.

"But are you sure we'll be able to learn everything we need to ahead of time?" he asked. "When's this baby supposed to get here?" Celia laughed at her husband's continuous childlike naivety. She never expected this from someone like Bowser.

"Not for a while. We have plenty of time to get ready, trust me." She placed her hands on the rim of Bowser's shell and kissed his cheek. "Relax, I know you're gonna be a great dad."

The king and queen of the Rose Kingdom were surprised one day when they came to visit Bowser and Celia, and found their daughter's husband sprawled out on a sofa and snoring loudly; fast asleep with a book over his eyes. Celia walked in, carrying a tray of tea cups.

"Is…Bowser alright?" Celia's mother asked.

"Oh, he's fine," Celia answered calmly. "He's just a little tired. Bowser's been studying a lot these past few months to get ready for the baby. Honestly, I think he's overdoing it," she explained.

"I'd say so if his studies have pushed him to the point of exhaustion in the middle of the day," the queen agreed playfully.

"I'll say. He's acting like our baby's going to be this super judgmental, alien general or something!" Celia described with a laugh. "He might know how to warm a bottle now, but somehow I don't think Bowser fully understands what a baby is actually like yet."

"Well, regardless," Celia's father interjected. "I hope you two have been studying more than just baby care."

"What do you mean, Dad?"

"Well, our grandchild is not going to be an infant forever. Bowser may have his stronger qualities, but he still leaves others to be desired," the king described. "All I'm saying is that I hope you and Bowser will be prepared to take care of your child long after the baby has grown out of the first stage of its life."

"How much more do you think we need to know?" Celia asked with slight concern. Truth be told, she hadn't even thought about what to do after their child grew up a little. What would she need to know by then? Celia knew she couldn't admit to her parents that she and Bowser were clueless about that and had given it next to no thought.

"The essentials of course," Celia's father elaborated. "What if something happens and the child is injured. Will you or Bowser know how to tend to it?"

"Well…"

"What if the child is struggling with homework when it's old enough to attend school? Will either of you know how to answer your child's questions?"

"Umm…"

"What kind of activities will our granddaughter want to partake in?" the queen inserted.

"We don't know that it's going to be a girl, Mom," Celia clarified. "We won't know what it is until it gets here in a couple weeks."

"Well, I do hope it's a girl," the queen replied. "I have all of these cute little dresses for her to wear when she gets older!"

"If it's a boy, then…I guess he'll need to learn how to be a king when he's old enough," Celia thought aloud. "But Bowser will probably be a better teacher at that."

"We aren't trying to scare you, dear," Celia's father assured. "We just want to make sure you two will be able to do what's best for your child. It will be responsible for carrying the future, after all."

"I know, Dad," said Celia. She placed a hand to her large abdomen. "I just want our baby to feel loved. I want to always be there for it, no matter what it needs. I want to be the mother it deserves…" Celia's parents each placed a hand on her own.

"We know you'll do wonderful, darling," said Delia's mother.

Bowser paced back and forth in the waiting room for the umpteenth time early one morning. He couldn't sit down and relax like Celia's parents were insisting he do. How could he? The anticipation was killing him. The door opened when the Koopa King's back was turned and a doctor emerged.

"King Bowser?" the doctor spoke. Bowser spun around at the calling of his name. He was motioned to follow the medical professional inside. The patient's room was practically silent with only the sound of a small baby crying remaining. A single light fixture penetrated the otherwise pitch black environment. Bowser searched through the darkness as his heart raced.

"Bowser," a familiar voice beckoned to him. It was Celia, resting comfortably in the hospital bed. She was cradling their newborn child in her arms. Although it was wrapped in a blanket, so the new father couldn't see his child's face. "The baby's here. Are you ready?" she asked. Celia sounded exhausted, yet content. The Koopa King gulped, then nodded.

"As I'll ever be," he replied. "….Which is it?" Celia looked down at the baby, smiled, and then returned her view to her husband.

"It's a boy," she answered. The doctors motioned for Bowser to step forward. Celia extended her arms out to him as he approached the bedside. With his claws trembling, Bowser carefully took the baby, brought it close to his chest, and slowly removed the blanket from around its head. His eyes widened as he gasped.

"He looks just like…me…," Bowser commented aloud. The baby was a tiny Koopa with beady, black eyes the size of marbles. He had small bumps on the sides of his heads where horns were sure to sprout from one day. The tired little infant opened his eyes long enough to see Bowser and stare blankly in pure curiosity. "Hey there, pal," Bowser whispered tenderly. "I'm your new daddy." The baby Koopa released a tiny chuckle and gave Bowser a toothless grin. He kicked his miniscule legs in excitement. Bowser was startled by this and quickly handed him back to Celia.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I…didn't think he could move that much yet," Bowser explained. "I'll let you hold on to him for now." Celia was both slightly concerned and amused by Bowser's timid response to the baby. He had passed their child off like it was a bomb on the verge of exploding.

"He's a baby, not a glass vase," Celia joked. "You're not gonna break him that easily, trust me."

"What's his name?" Bowser asked when finally calmed down.

"I was just going to ask you that," said Celia. "Since the day we got married, I've wanted to have this baby. But I know how scared that made you," she described. Bowser put his hands behind his shell. His tail curled in embarrassment. "I still remember how white you turned when I first told you I was pregnant!" she recollected with a laugh. "Looking back, it wasn't fair of me to only be thinking about what I wanted. I didn't think enough about your feelings."

"Celia…," said Bowser.

"Darling, I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me that you're here sharing this moment with me." Celia looked down at the baby Koopa in her lap. His tiny hand was gripping onto her index finger. She smiled when the infant looked up at her. "I want our son to mean just as much to you as he does to me. That's why…I think we should name him after you." Bowser stared at her.

"You mean…you want to name him Bowser too?"

"Well, maybe add something to it. Just so I can tell you two apart," she clarified.

"Okay then. What about…Bowser II?" The baby Koopa squeezed Celia's finger playfully and chuckled.

"No, that sounds too proper. I think our little boy is too rambunctious for that," she explained. "How about…Bowser Jr.?"

"Bowser….Jr…," he repeated. "I like it." The pair exchanged smiles. The Koopa King stepped closer and put his arm across Celia's shoulders. They both observed their child, who was now smiling playfully at his new parents from his mother's arms. In Bowser's eyes, his family was now complete.

Celia settled into bed for the night and was wrapped up in a good book under the humble glow of the lamp on her night stand. Bowser trudged into the room a moment later. His eye lids drooped low and he climbed into bed with a heavy sigh.

"Everything okay?" Celia asked calmly without taking her eyes off her book.

"Yeah," Bowser answered. "Junior's out like a light….and I'm about to be too." He pulled his half of the blankets over his shoulder, shut his eyes, and relaxed. Less than a minute later however, a small wailing sound could be heard from down the hall. Bowser groaned loudly when it reached him. He knew exactly what that sound was.

"Out like a light, huh?" Celia teased. She set her book aside and prepared to climb out of bed, but Bowser stopped her.

"No, you stay. I got it," said Bowser.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Don't worry," Bowser assured. He left the bedroom and returned a few minutes later.

"What was wrong?" Celia asked.

"He just needed changing….again…" Bowser answered as he made a beeline directly for the bed. "I'll say it again, Celia. You're feeding him too much. This kid's going through diapers way too fast."

"He's just a growing boy with an appetite," she defended playfully. "I think he takes after his father." Bowser didn't respond. He was trying to fall asleep as quickly as possible. A few minutes later, Junior started crying again. Bowser shifted in the bed, but Celia grabbed his arm.

"No, it's my turn this time. You get some rest," she ordered. Celia returned a moment later.

"What was it?" Bowser asked without opening his eyes.

"I forgot to turn on his night light," Celia answered. The pattern repeated several more times as the night progressed. Bowser and Celia alternated tending to their child's needs. They gradually became more and more exhausted with every trip. On one particular occurrence, Bowser entered the room while wiping off his chest with a towel.

"What happened this time?" Celia asked sleepily.

"I thought he had gas so I tried to burp him. He threw up instead," Bowser explained nonchalantly. Celia's turn came not long after.

"He dropped his teddy bear," said Celia. Junior's crying summoned Bowser once again.

"He wanted his bottle," said Bowser.

"He was shivering so I gave him another blanket."

"He was too hot so I opened his window."

"I had to sing him another lullaby."

"He was bored so I hit myself over the head with his rattle again. Pretty sure this bump's gonna be permanent soon."

"I read him another bedtime story."

"He wanted his pacifier."

Eventually, the problem wore out Celia completely. Junior was crying once again in the early hours of the morning, but she didn't even budge in response. The baby Koopa was persistent. Bowser tried to convince himself that their child would eventually just cry himself to sleep if he was ignored long enough, but this wasn't the case.

"Celia….," Bowser moaned. "Celia…..kid's crying again…." He shook her back firmly, but she was still fast asleep. "Come on, it's your turn to check…." Finally, Bowser just couldn't take it anymore. He stumbled down the hall and into Junior's bedroom. The infant was wailing as loud as he could, but he immediately stopped when he saw Bowser come in and turn on the light. By this point, Bowser was too fatigued to think logically.

He kneeled down until he was eye-level with Junior, gripped the bars of the crib, and glared at the child. Junior sat quietly and stared at him from the other side of the bars.

"Alright, listen up, kiddo," Bowser began. "I know you're a baby…and you can't do the whole 'talking' thing yet…." The Koopa King's speech was incredibly slurred as if he were intoxicated. "But I've done just about everything I can think of for you…so I'm gonna need you to just….open your mouth….and tell me what's wrong, m'kay?" Junior stared blankly at Bowser. An idea crept into his developing mind. The baby Koopa crawled over towards Bowser, reached up, and tugged on Bowser's hair while giggling playfully. The pain jolted Bowser fully awake.

"Are you serious!?" Bowser exclaimed. "No! No more of this!" he declared. His harsh tone silenced Junior's laughter immediately. He stomped over to the doorway and prepared to leave. "If you need anything else, it's waiting until morning! I'm not getting up again, got it!?" The Koopa King barely entered the hallway when Junior started crying again. He sighed and rubbed his eyes. Bowser's mind had reached an impasse.

On one hand, he was exhausted and wanted to sleep more than anything else. But at the same time, his fatherly instinct wouldn't allow him to just straight up ignore his crying son. He caved and re-entered Junior's room. To his surprise, the child stopped crying almost immediately upon seeing him again. Catching on to this, Bowser walked over to the rocking chair across from the crib, sat down, and stared at Junior, who was eagerly staring back.

"Alright, how about I just stay in here with you until you fall asleep. Will that work?" Bowser asked rhetorically. Junior sat up in his crib; sucking his thumb and silently staring at Bowser. As long as he wasn't crying, this was progress as far as Bowser was concerned. Several minutes later, Junior's energy gave out as he collapsed and finally fell asleep. By this point, Bowser had already settled into the rocking chair; his head tilted back while he was snoring loudly and drooling a bit.

Celia found her husband resting peacefully in the same chair the following morning. She carried Junior out of the room to get him ready for the day, but resolved not to wake Bowser. As far as she was concerned, he deserved to sleep in that morning. He was the one who cracked the code and figured out that all their baby wanted was for his daddy to sleep with him.

The Koopa family lived happily together, but Bowser was beginning to see signs of something troubling around the time of Junior's third birthday. Celia expressed to him that she was experiencing recurring pains in her chest. Not only that, but she started to sleep for much longer than usual and she didn't have as much energy throughout the day as she usually did. The mother did her best to spend time with Junior as often as she could, but it grew more and more difficult for her to do so as time went on. It was then up to Bowser and Celia's parents to fill in for her in order to keep the little Koopa occupied. Bowser's fears proved to have merit when he eventually decided to take his wife in to see a doctor about her symptoms.

"What….is it?" Celia asked with concern. The doctor returned with her test results, but the look on his face didn't inspire much confidence.

"I'm very sorry to have to tell you this Mrs. Koopa…," the doctor began. "But I'm afraid you tested positive for consifirrus." Bowser gripped Celia's hand.

"What does that mean? What is that?" she asked.

"It's a rare disease that sometimes surfaces in females who give birth to a child of…another species." Bowser and Celia's eyes each widened in horror.

"You mean…," she began.

"I'm afraid so. Bowser Jr.'s genetic structure is almost entirely Koopa-based. He inherited very few traits from you. The ones he did are hardly noticeable at all," the doctor explained.

"What does this mean!?" Celia panicked. "…My baby! W-what's going to happen to him!? I-is…is he sick!?"

"No, our medical records for your son don't show anything out of the ordinary. He's perfectly healthy," the doctor assured. The parents took a collective sigh of relief.

"It's to be expected. This illness rarely ever affects the child. However, I wish I could say that the same applied to you."

"What are you talking about!?" Bowser roared. "What's wrong with Celia!?"

"Your body most likely experienced certain complications during your pregnancy due to the radically different genetic structure of your baby. These complications grew over time into consifirrus. The pains in your chest and the recurring exhaustion are symptoms of it."

"What's gonna happen to her then?" Bowser asked.

"Consifirrus is incredibly deadly. Unfortunately, it's as rare as it is fatal so we haven't yet found a cure. I'm afraid it has already spread and caused severe damage throughout Celia's system." He looked Celia straight in the eyes. "At the rate it's spreading, I'd estimate that…you only have about two weeks to live. I'm very sorry." Bowser released Celia's hand and backed away slowly until his shell hit the wall. At which point, Bowser collapsed to the ground.

"Bowser…," Celia began.

"I did this…," said Bowser. "I….did this." Tears formed in his eyes as he held his head in his hands.

"No…Bowser…you didn't-"

"THIS IS ALL MY FAULT!" he exclaimed. "WE SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THIS! THIS WAS ALL A MISTAKE!" Bowser rambled hysterically. "IF I HAD NEVER EVEN MET YOU, NONE OF THIS WOULD BE HAPPENING TO YOU RIGHT-" Celia slapped Bowser across the face. She grabbed him by the spiked collar around his neck and forced him to look at her.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT!" she screamed. "DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT!" She tried to hold back the tears as best she could, but it was no use. Still, that didn't stop her from speaking her mind. "BOWSER KOOPA, I CHOSE YOU OVER THE HALF A DOZEN GUYS MY PARENTS WANTED ME TO MARRY! I DID IT BECAUSE I LOVED YOU FOR WHO YOU WERE! THE FACT THAT YOU WERE A KOOPA DIDN'T MATTER TO ME! YOU PROVED TO ME WHY IT SHOULDN'T!" Celia sobbed but she pressed on. "I LOVED YOU AND YOU LOVED ME BACK! YOU KILLED YOUR OWN FATHER TO EARN YOUR RIGHT TO BE WITH ME! AND I WILL NEVER ALLOW YOU TO STAND THERE AND TRY TO TELL ME THAT OUR CHILD WAS A MISTAKE!" Celia tried to shout more, but she was incredibly short of breath to the point where she was hyperventilating. Bowser and the doctor helped her sit down. The Koopa King held her as she wept.

He wasn't exactly sure when or why, but everything started to change in Junior's eyes when he grew old enough to become more self-aware. He was disappointed that he never saw his mother much anymore. She never seemed to be ready to play with him like she did when he was little. She was always sleeping or sitting down to rest. Even his father, whom he used to be closer with in the past, was growing more distant as well. He always seemed too busy tending to his mother's needs.

Junior always looked forward to spending time with his grandparents, as he was always the center of attention in their company. He just wished they wouldn't argue so much with his father whenever all the grown-ups were in the same house together. Why was everyone so upset all of a sudden? Why did they all hate each other when they used to be nice? Sure, they were all nice to Junior, but he noticed the way they always yelled and cried when talking to each other; assuming that the little Koopa either wasn't around or was too young to notice.

Bowser brought Junior over to visit Celia's parents in the Rose Kingdom one day for a visit. Celia slept longer than she ever had before that morning and Bowser wanted to get his mind off of his worries over this. But he'd soon realize that this visit wouldn't make things much better. Dianne was there to welcome them. She fondly remembered holding Junior a few days after he was born, but the little Koopa didn't remember at all. Explaining to him that she was a friend of his mother was reasoning enough for him to run off and play with her.

"Look, whatever you have to say, just say it already," Bowser instructed coldly as he sat in the tea room with the Rose King and Queen. Celia's parents glared at him for several minutes before one of them finally decided to say something.

"How could you have not known?" the queen asked. "How could you have not known that this would happen to her?"

"Because it's a rare disease," Bowser answered. "It doesn't even affect all the women who do what we did. Besides, for a while it seemed like Celia was going to be one of those lucky ones who didn't get it. She was feeling just fine when we first brought Junior home. Heck, she didn't start getting sick until the kid turned three!"

"Why didn't you take her for regular check-ups!?" the king exclaimed. "Maybe then they would've caught it sooner!"

"Well excuse me for letting my wife enjoy her new child and family at home instead of keeping her quarantined in a hospital room every day! Even if she had done that, what would they have caught it with? I told you before, there's no cure," Bowser explained. "Once you have it….that's it."

"I should've known nothing good would come from this," said the king. The day you barged into our kingdom as a prince, I had a feeling something wasn't right. I regret not acting on that feeling! If I had, this would never have happened! OUR LITTLE GIRL WOULDN'T BE ON HER DEATHBED!"

"Kicking yourself about it now won't change anything," said Bowser.

"And just what are you doing about it, hmm?" the queen prodded. Bowser looked out the window.

"Trying to make her as comfy as possible with the time she has left…"

"Have you at least told Junior?" Bowser looked back at the queen.

"No, I haven't."

"He's your son. He deserves to know the truth about his mother."

"Junior's only three years old!" Bowser argued. "I'm not going to straight up tell him his mom is dying!"

"Oh, and I suppose it would be better for him to wait around after the fact and wonder where his mother is when she's gone!?" the queen exclaimed. Bowser fell silent.

"Her time is running out, Bowser," the king declared. "You need to tell Junior the truth about what's happening to her before he loses her for good. If you don't, it'll ruin him for the rest of his life," he warned. Bowser stood up and walked over to exit the room. He looked back at them one last time.

"I already ruined his life by bringing him into this world. I ruined all of our lives."

Junior held Bowser's hand the entire way home. The cloudy skies were getting darker and the air smelled like rain. This was a bad omen if Bowser had ever seen one.

"Papa….how come we gotta go home early?" Junior asked. Bowser remained silent as he pondered how to word his response.

"Because….Mama is probably going to wake up from her nap soon and….I didn't tell her where we were going," said Bowser. "I don't want her to worry when she can't find us."

"Oh…okay…," Junior replied.

The two didn't say anything more until they reached home. Junior released his father's hand and ran around the castle's grass courtyard excitedly as he always liked to do when he came home from somewhere. Bowser walked past him slowly and reached the castle entrance before he stopped.

"Papa, can I stay out here and play?" Junior asked. It was now or never. Bowser walked over to him.

"Sure, kiddo. But before you run off…there's something I have to tell you. Sit down," Bowser instructed. Bowser took a seat in the grass. Junior insisted on sitting in his father's lap as he listened.

"What is it, Papa?" the little Koopa asked.

"Junior….you know how Mama always seems tired and sleeps a lot?" Junior nodded. "Well, the reason she's like that is because…she's very sick."

"...Does she have a tummy ache?"

"No, kiddo. It's a little more serious than that. Mama has a sickness where she's just…always tired."

"Can't we take her to a doctor?" The worry in Junior's eyes was growing, much to Bowser's dismay.

"We can't. They…can't make her better. So Mama's getting ready…to take a big nap. I'm trying to help her get ready for it." Bowser could feel a pain in his chest. He couldn't bear to say anything more.

"Can I help Mama get ready for her nap too?" Junior asked. It took everything Bowser had not to break down in front of him. "Yeah, you know what? Do that. I want you to…look around here and see if you can pick a flower for Mama," Bowser instructed.

"A flower?" Junior repeated.

"Yeah, the prettiest one you can find. Just, don't wander off too far, okay? When you find the best one…bring it inside for her."

"Okay!" Junior agreed as he scampered off to search.

Bowser ran into the castle and composed himself as quickly as he could. One of the guards approached him just as he was presentable again.

"What is it?" Bowser asked.

"The queen is awake, sire," said the guard. "She's looking for you." Bowser went directly to Celia's bedroom. She looked awful. Her entire skin had gone pale and it clearly hurt for her to even try sitting up in bed.

"How are you doing, honey?" Bowser asked. The pain in her eyes spoke volumes for how miserable she was. But Celia's smile said otherwise.

"Just…glad I could see you one last time…" Bowser firmly gripped her hand in between his claws as he sat at her bedside.

"Aww, come on Celia. Don't say that." Deep down Bowser knew it was pointless, but he couldn't admit it to himself. "You've still got plenty of time left. You-"

"Bowser…," she stopped him. "There's something I need to ask you."

"What is it?"

"Do you regret falling in love with me?" Bowser could feel his eyes watering again. "I never wanted to do this to you or Junior."

"This is not your fault, sweetie. We didn't know this would happen."

"I can't tell you how much I hate sitting here and…feeling so useless," Celia described. "I hate seeing you give up your happiness for me. I hate watching Junior grow up, and not being able to even get up to hold him while he's still young." Bowser didn't know what to say. What could he say? Nothing would change what was happening.

"Everything's okay," he lied. "Junior's doing just fine and…."

"Please don't lie to me," Celia stopped him. "You were never good at that."

"Heh…I guess you're right," he agreed with a small, forced laugh.

"Just…answer my question…..please…" Bowser took a deep breath.

"Celia, I don't regret any of this," said Bowser. "Not one bit. You shouldn't either. What we have is real, and it was always worth it. My family is the best thing that ever happened to me. This doesn't change any of that." Celia smiled.

"Then…I'm glad," she replied. "There's one other thing I need you to do for me."

"Anything," said Bowser.

"Make me a promise." She placed her free hand on top of Bowser's claws. "Promise me that you'll take care of Junior, and that you'll protect him no matter what." Bowser was silent. "If you can do that…then I can go without any regrets," she explained. "I can move on…knowing you'll be okay because…you'll have each other." Bowser broke down into tears.

"Celia…," he whispered. His claws were trembling.

"Bowser...promise me." He looked straight into her eyes through the tears.

"I promise….I swear that I will…." Celia smiled.

"Thank you…"

"Mama…?" Junior spoke from behind. He stood in the doorway holding a red rose in his tiny claw. He approached the bedside and handed the rose to his mother.

"Sweetheart…," she spoke softly.

"Here, Mama. This is for you," Junior explained. "Papa says this'll help you get ready for your big nap." Celia's eyes watered, but she did her best not to show it in front of Junior. Without any warning, Bowser hoisted the little Koopa up onto the bed so Celia could hug him.

"It's lovely, darling….thank you…" It was hurting Celia to speak up when she was so weak, but she knew she absolutely had to force herself. She couldn't go without saying goodbye to her baby. "Junior…...I love you…...so much…" she sobbed quietly.

"I love you too, Mama," Junior replied.

"I will always love you…...no matter what. Please…...never…...forget…...that….."

After a kiss and a hug that she wished would last forever, Celia released Junior and laid back in her bed; gripping Bowser's hand tightly. She didn't take her eyes off Bowser and Junior. Not once. She felt her eyelids growing heavy. But she fought them for as long as she could. Celia knew that as soon as they closed, they would never open again. Before much longer, she gave in and her vision was swallowed up in complete darkness.

Bowser felt her hand go limp, and he knew then, that Celia was gone.

"Papa…?"

"Yes, Junior?"

"When Mama wakes up from her nap…can she play with me?" Bowser couldn't even try to hold back the tears in front of his son. "How come you're crying, Papa?"

"Mama…can't wake up, Junior…," Bowser confessed. "She'll never wake up again." The little Koopa gasped as he started to tear up.

"H-how come…?" he stammered.

"That's just how it has to be, kiddo…," said Bowser. He hugged his son tightly. "But don't you worry. It's just gonna be you and me from now on but…...everything's gonna be okay. You'll see…"

You'll see…

After Queen Celia's passing, the Koopa Kingdom entered an era of great change. Bowser lost all his sense of kindness and love without Celia. He blamed himself for giving her the disease that took her life. Every time he looked at Junior, he was not only reminded of her love, but also of his greatest regret. But he could never let Junior know that. Bowser became bitter, selfish, and angry. He never wanted to be as vulnerable and scared as he was after losing Celia ever again. He would do anything to keep people away.

Junior, being his impressionable son, took note of his father's behavior and followed in his footsteps. He acted spoiled, arrogant, and violent because he now believed that this was where true strength came from. The denizens of the Koopa Kingdom took notice of their king's behavior. The castle fell into disarray; the moat and the lakes dried up; and the citizens began to starve to death as their crops withered. They tried to leave. Some were successful and never returned. Those who were not, were forced to enlist in Bowser's new army. They were terrible soldiers, and in time the Koopa army was a shell of its former self. Many of the Koopas who served during Bowser's earlier years on the throne either defected to other lands or died in battle. Mentioning Celia was forbidden in the castle. Those who did were promptly executed. In time, her name and memory were forgotten by all except Bowser.

The Koopa King severed all ties with the Rose Kingdom and its people. In Bowser's eyes, they were just ghosts from his past. The King and Queen never forgave Bowser for essentially killing their daughter. As such, they were happy to distance themselves from him, especially after they saw the monster he became in Celia's absence. They refused to acknowledge their grandson's existence as well. He was a walking reminder of the daughter they lost as well as the cause of her death; so they resented Junior for it in secret. Dianne held out hope for the Bowser she knew to return someday, but her hopes were short-lived and soon she too moved on in time.

Celia's death was perceived by Bowser to be his time of ultimate weakness and regret. He never wanted the world to remember this time ever again. The Koopa King built up a reputation for controlling people with fear and threats as he clawed his way to power. He wanted to become strong beyond challenge, question, or belief. No one was to ever know of his past. Only of his present, and his drive to conquer all he could see in the future. In time, Kammy Koopa and the seven Koopalings were recruited to lead his armies as they worked tirelessly to take the world in the name of their tyrannical leader.

Junior became so engulfed in his new behavior that he subconsciously shoved away what little memory he had of Celia. In time, he could no longer remember her name, her face, or even her voice as he grew older. Just like his father, Junior believed that thinking about his mother made him weak. So he vowed to never do so again if he could help it. He had to become strong no matter what. To that end, he had to be willing to face anyone who challenged him or questioned his power.

Despite all of the changes, Junior stood as the last persistent reminder to Bowser of the love he left behind. Junior was still a child and he needed a mother. The Koopa King turned his sights towards a new neighboring kingdom that had been prospering in recent years: the Mushroom Kingdom. When he first laid eyes on Princess Peach, Bowser knew he would do whatever it took to make her his bride. The future of the Koopa Kingdom depended on it.