Bowsette: A New Life

Chapter 55
The Search Begins

Mario and Bowsette started with stopping at the town to pick up supplies. Supplies were getting low due to the town being cut off, but they still had some to spare. A few mushrooms and 1ups would have to do, and they could find more during their search. Mario and Bowsette made their way to the blockade so they could head to World 1-1.

As the two passed the barricade and were about to leave, someone called out to them. "Queen Bowsette! Where are you going?" The Toad kid waved at the two from the blockade. The boy knew better than to leave the blockade to follow after Bowsette, so Bowsette stopped and turned back.

"I'll be a second." Bowsette said and left Mario where he was. She had to say goodbye at least. Bowsette hopped up onto the barricade to join the boy. "Hey kid. I'm going to be heading out to find Peach and bring her home." A sentence Bowsette never expected to utter. 'Yeah, I'll bring her back and that'll be the end of it. I'll leave her alone after this.' Bowsette decided.

"When will you be back?" The boy asked. "Are you going to come back?" The Toad sounded worried.

"I don't know, it might be a while. I'll definitely be back though. I've got Mario with me too." Bowsette gestured to Mario, and he waved. "Good news! Your mom isn't sick anymore. You'll be s..." Bowsette spotted someone approaching the barricade. "Well, speak of the Koopa Queen, that's her right now."

The boy turned where Bowsette was looking. Bowsette herself turned away knowing a very personal and mushy scene was about to happen. Bowsette didn't bother looking back as she leaped off the barricade to rejoin Mario. "See you kid!" Bowsette called back.

"That was a good thing you-a did Bowsette." Mario interjected. He had watched everything unfold including the boy and his mother's tearful reunion. It made Mario proud that Bowsette had managed to do some good, whatever her motivations.

"Ah, shut up Pasta Freak." Bowsette snapped back embarrassed. "As you would say, let's-a go. The sooner we find and cure Peach the sooner we can get back here." Bowsette noted. The two made their way down the path to World 1-1.

As soon as they got far enough from Toad Town the enemy started to appear, several Remnant Goombas were walking leisurely along, their furious eyes looking left and right for prey. "Mario, come on." Bowsette hops up on top of a line of brick blocks. "Let's see if these badges work."

Mario was about to question how, when Bowsette went to the edge of the blocks and yelled. "Hey! Up here dumb dumbs!" Bowsette waved as the 4 goombas looked up at them. "I'm ready to see the truth now!" Bowsette pulled Mario forward. "This guy too. Come on, show us!" Bowsette turned away and smacked her butt.

The absurdity of what Bowsette was doing was only matched by the increased fury on the faces of the Remnant Goombas. They began gathering up sparks to ready the pink lightning. 4 bolts of lightning shot out and instantly hit the duo… only for nothing to happen. Mario looked down at himself, his clothing wasn't even singed. "Heh heh heh heh!" Bowsette laughed wickedly. "You guys are slipping, aren't you? Well, now that your instant 'I win' button doesn't work…"

Bowsette leaped down and slammed her fist into the ground as she landed, creating a small shockwave that wiped out the 4 Goombas. "Heheheheh…" Bowsette chuckled. Bowsette was free of the transformation issues, was no longer restricted by the anti-magic wards, didn't have to worry about being infected, and she could wreak all the havoc she pleased out here. She got started on the next group of Remnant Goombas, easily evading them, and striking them down without hardly trying. "Come on! Gimme a challenge here!" Bowsette mocked the creatures as she effortlessly dealt with them.

Mario followed and let Bowsette have her fun, but he felt irritated. Peach had been changed, his brother was kidnapped and probably also changed, and here Bowsette is screwing around. It was nice to find out the badges actually worked but really? "Can't she-a take this seriously?" Mario grumbled under his breath. "Bowsette, we-a need to find Luigi and the Princess fast. We don't-a have time for this." Little did either notice that Mario's badge was starting to faintly pulse with a slight pinkish glow...

-

Bowsette stopped messing around and dispatched the enemy more efficiently. With the threat of infection gone, the two could afford to thoroughly annihilate the enemy as they made their way to World 4-1, where the first of the auxiliary castles was. All the better to not to have to deal with later. The forts and castles on the way were cleaned out easily, these Remnant copies weren't any harder than their original counterparts.

Bowsette was hit with lightning bolts a few times. "PFFFFTTT!" Bowsette mocked the Remnant Koopa that was the latest to hit her. "Doesn't even tickle!" A fireball blast turned the creature to ashes. "If these things are just like my forces, it's no wonder you constantly blow past them! They're pathetic!"

Mario for his part flung fireballs and hammered enemies that got past Bowsette but for the most part she ended up doing most of the work. Not because Mario didn't try to do his fair share but because the Koopa Queen was so zealous in crushing the Remnants. Mario took a couple more lightning bolts as they traveled. "BOWSETTE! Knock it off!" Mario thundered irritably.

The Koopa Queen defeated her latest prey and turned back to Mario. "Geeze Pasta Freak. Cool it will you? I'm just having a bit of fun. Where's that goofy smile you're always wearing while tearing through my forces?" Mario was wearing a scowl instead of his usual grin. "Alright alright… we're almost to the first one anyway." Bowsette conceded.

-

Bowsette and Mario passed through and cleared out the castle before 4-1 with ease, but now things would get more difficult. Mario and Bowsette had seen the occasional Infected as they had traversed but decided to avoid them. It would take too much time and work to cure each of them using just the badge method so there wasn't much point right now. After this point they would cross into the Koopa Kingdom and Bowsette's forces would be far more numerous, and thus the infected.

"Alright, this way." About halfway to the fort where the two had their date before all this started, Bowsette turned and walked down a path into a forest. The first Auxiliary Castle was underground in the center of the forest, the entrance hidden inside a large old tree. Mario hadn't been to this one before, but Bowsette didn't hesitate to open the door and show him in.

Calling up a bit of magic, with a wave of her hand Bowsette deactivated the traps and activated the bridges over the lava. "My Queen?" A pair of Goombas were quick to greet them. "What're you doing with HIM?" One of them asked.

Bowsette shook her head. "Don't mind Mario. Report." Bowsette demanded. This scene would probably repeat at any of the castles that were secure. As for the ones that weren't…

"Uh… Yeah, all is quiet my Queen. We've kept the place sealed tight and the anti-magic wards have been set. The enemy hasn't noticed us we think, though we've seen them moving around outside sometimes." The first Goomba said.

Bowsette nodded. "Good to hear. Any sign of Princess Peach or Green Stache?" The Goombas shook their heads. "Oh well… reactivate the traps. Let's go to the next one Mario." This was going to be tedious, but it wasn't like Mario or Bowsette had any better ideas. There were over 2 dozen castles to look through and it would probably take days.

Bowsette and Mario made their way to another castle at 4-1, and then on to 4-2, there was only 1 castle there. None in 4-3, but there were 2 more in 4-4. It was the same story. Mario and Bowsette would clear out the Remnants they could on each world, check the castle only to find it was secure, then continue to the next one. Bowsette's forces were mostly hunkered down in the various forts in the anti-magic wards holding off the enemy as best they could. Without the risk of infection due to the wards they were doing a much better job of holding their positions and defeating the Remnants.

It wasn't until they got to World 5-2 that their efforts were rewarded.