Bowsette: A New Life

Chapter 28
Two ships passing

As irritated as she was by the plumber's antics Bowsette knew better than to bust her way into the locked bathroom, so she decided to plop down on the couch and watch some TV while waiting. After a few minutes of being bored watching the news Bowsette's thoughts drifted to the plumber. Unwittingly Bowsette slipped her hand underneath her dress before she realized what she was doing. "Gah!" Bowsette pulled her hand out like she had stuck it into an electrical socket. Not that she minded the act, she had done her fair share of exploring the new body not long after she got it, what really disturbed her was why she did it.

"That… that Pasta Freak!" Bowsette grumbled. "Am I really…?" Bowsette shook her head. No, it couldn't be. She couldn't possibly be attracted to that fat tub of ravioli! Bowsette rapidly changed the channels in a panicked frenzy. Bowsette did her best to focus on something, anything to get her mind off of these weird feelings.

Eventually, Mario finished his bath and came out. He wrapped a towel around himself and made his way to his bedroom to change before bed. Bowsette tried hard to avoid looking at him in such a state, but she did steal a few glances his direction. As the plumber entered his bedroom Bowsette all but sprinted into the bathroom, closed, and locked the door behind her.

Slowly Bowsette slipped naked and stepped up to the bathtub. "Am I actually… afraid of that fat Italian… dish…?" Bowsette said to herself as she filled the tub. Even at full heat it was less than nothing to the Koopa, so she breathed fire into the water to make it even hotter. Stepping into the tub she sighed contentedly. 'I wonder if he's thinking about me right now…' Bowsette tried to dismiss the thought, but it was a losing battle. "Oh the hell with it!" Bowsette finally gave up the fight and let her thoughts run wild along with her hands. Bowsette's frustration had been mounting for a while and she decided to let the tension out.

-

Incidentally, Mario was lying on the couch actually thinking about Bowsette, but not like that, at least for the time being. 'Is she-a really such a bad person? Maybe I misjudged her.' Mario thought back to the countless fights that the two had. Bowsette never did any real damage in invasions, and she was hospitable enough to Peach when she kidnapped the Princess. It seemed more like a game to her than anything else.

Mario had to admit that he didn't know Bowsette, not really. The last few hours were probably the most time the two had spent together, outside of the occasional team-up against a greater evil, and then they'd been a bit too preoccupied to really interact much. Otherwise they spend at most a couple minutes fighting, Mario would win, and Bowsette would escape. It wasn't exactly all that enlightening as to her character, or his to her for that matter.

That was when Mario recalled the anguish on Bowsette's face he had caught in a glance just as he asked Peach to marry him back on the moon. Peach's rejection made it difficult for Mario to focus on anything at the time, but he could almost swear Bowsette's look had changed to triumph as she fled. 'She-a wanted me then.' Mario realized. 'Maybe she always did.'

Something occurred to Mario at that moment. "Was the kidnapping… was that her-a twisted way of getting me-a to go on a date?" Mario asked himself. "God, that-a Koopa woman is so weird." Mario scoffed, looking at the bathroom door wondering about his guest. "She couldn't just ask-a me out, she had to fight me." Mario chuckled at the absurdity. "What, she too prideful to go-a on a normal date with a commoner like-a me?"

Something was different about Bowsette though, Mario could tell but couldn't put a finger on exactly what. She was much fouler mouthed than he remembered, less restrained and elegant in her mannerisms. In fact, restrained and elegant was the last thing Mario could think about her. It wasn't just the fight against those… things or Kamek getting hurt either, it's almost like the two had just met for the first time and yet she was still familiar in her own way.

"Ugh." Mario had too many questions and not a lot of time to answer them. Mario and Bowsette had to knuckle down tomorrow and find Peach, they wasted the whole day just getting Bowsette some clothes and getting dinner. Slowly Mario nodded off on the couch, but his last thought was 'Who knows what-a the other Mario was doing with Peach right now.'

***

The first thing Peach recalled hearing was a steady dripping noise. Plink… Plink… Plink… The princess' head swam and everything looked blurry as she opened her eyes. Wherever she was, it was dimly lit and dead quiet except for the sound of something dripping somewhere near continuously. "Ew!" Peach sat up and held her nose, something wreaked horribly. Getting to her feet Peach felt ahead of her towards some light she could see as her eyes adjusted and touched something metal. "Huh?" Peach felt around, it was metal bars, some sort of prison cell?

Peach sighed. 'Kidnapped again…' She really needed to get off her butt and try to do something about that. Then Peach remembered what had happened as her vision cleared. "Daisy! Luigi! Are you there?" Only her own echo answered her. "Anybody?" The princess could only say meekly as she realized she was entirely alone. The last thing she could remember was Luigi being hurt by some… creature taking Mario's form.

Suddenly pink electricity jolted through the Princess' body, and not from the bars she was now gripping involuntarily. "ARGH!" Peach could only scream in anguish. 'Not right. This is not how it's supposed to be…' A voice that sounded like her own thoughts yet weren't spoke in her head. Images of an unknown yet somehow familiar Koopa dragon creature wearing a spiked shell shot through her mind.

Finally, the electricity stopped, leaving Peach struggling to catch her breath. "Not real… none of this is real…" It was like the voice had taken over and ripped those words out of her throat. "All fake… it's all fake… no I don't…" Peach shook her head trying to clear it. "What in the name of mushrooms is going on?" Peach finally managed to take good look around.

The area Peach could see around her cell was old and grimy, the ceiling lined with old rusty piping. The smell was putrid and vile, Peach had to try to take her mind off of it and breathe in shallow breaths or she would feel sick. Even the bars Peach was clutching had some sort of goop on them, Peach pulled her hands away upon realizing this. "I can't believe I'm missing the rooms Bowsette kept me prisoner in. I didn't know how good I had it being held by Bowsette…" Peach lamented.

The clomping of hard shoes drew Peach's attention. "Hello? Who's there?" Peach asked warily. Pink eyes looked back at her, the being wearing a darkened mockery of Mario's outfit. "Who are you? What do you want from me?!" Peach yelled at the fake Mario holding her prisoner. It seemed like it wouldn't respond for a moment, then a different voice drifted into her mind. 'The Truth.' The Mario fake pointed at the Princess and pink lightning jumped out of it's finger.

'Accept the truth.' Peach could only writhe in pain as the creature electrocuted her for a few seconds… stopping briefly… and then more lightning shot out. "AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGG…!" The woman's screams echoed where no one would ever hear her.