Bowsette: A New Life
Chapter 34
…Before it gets better
Mario sighed, watching Bowsette act out something in her cell Mario couldn't see and thinking on how the last 3 days had gone. Things had not improved as time went on, in fact it was only getting worse and worse. Peach had apparently hit her peak in strength and couldn't break out, but that was the best news they had lately. Meanwhile, Bowsette spent the night in agony shifting constantly with only brief times she would stay in one form, an hour at the most. Most of the time the pain drove her into unconsciousness, but sometimes when she was staying in one form she would wake up, often being incoherent.
Mario had stayed by Bowsette's side as long as he could while she was in the infirmary. Bowsette had been in a confused and panicked daze, frantically calling for help from Kamek or her son. She was constantly begging for the pain to stop the first time she woke up when the shifting stopped with her in her turtle dragon form. Unfortunately, she had to settle for her greatest rival trying to comfort her and Mario wasn't sure if he was what she needed. Mario held her hand which was awkward in her, or his, large hands. Apparently Bowsette's other form was male somehow. After a while she seemed to focus and look at Mario holding her hand. "Ya really are a hero ain't ya Pasta Freak?" Bowsette said pained in her other form's deep voice… before she started spasming again and Mario had to let go before he got his hand crushed.
Bowsette was tough and prideful, so did her best to hold out Mario knew, but there's only so much anyone can take. The changes on the first day were particularly bad, and by the second day of near constant agony, something in Bowsette seemed to break. When she was conscious Bowsette started sitting on her bed or wandering around the infirmary barely able to walk, sometimes walking into things or people, all the while talking to herself or someone she seemed to think was there in a far away singsong manner.
Mario overheard her speaking of something to Kamek sometimes even though the Magikoopa was still in a coma, but most of the time he could swear she was talking to Bowser Junior, but none of it made any sense to him. On the night of the second day Mario and the healers had to guide her down the rarely used Peach Castle dungeons and lock Bowsette up after she nearly walked out an open window 5 stories up before the healers stopped her. Not that the fall would've been too damaging to Bowsette, she'd survived far worse, but after that particular episode Mario had insisted upon it.
The Chancellor and Toadworth were distraught at the Princess' compromised state, but took up ruling as they always did when Peach was out of the action. Mario called for Luigi to watch Peach during the nights, with Bowsette in the state she was in the two of them were the only ones who had any chance against Peach if she got loose. "You think she'll be okay bro?" Luigi asked just recently. "I'm sure they'll find some way to help Peach Luigi." The healers had fixed Luigi's broken arm with healing magic already though it was still sore. Luigi rotated his arm to try to make it more comfortable.
Luigi grunted. "Yeah, I hope so, but that's not-a who I'm talking about Bro." Luigi said pointedly. "Bowsette? She's a tough old Koopa, whatever is-a happening she'll pull through." Mario said. He didn't know whether he believed it or was just trying to convince himself. "Bro, I know-a you're worried about Bowsette. You don't-a have to put up a front with me." Mario didn't know whether to thank Luigi for his insight or throttle him. "I've seen-a her for myself Bro. She's… it's-a the most horrible thing I've ever seen Bro."
"I-a know Luigi, I know." Mario sighed. Belatedly Mario headed back down to the dungeons for the 20th time. Mario knew he was putting himself through torture doing this, unable to do anything to help either of the 2 women, all he could do was watch over them as they both were deteriorating in their own way. Mario knew he could just go home, but just going back to his life would be cowardly of him, and it's not like his mind wouldn't conjure up something far worse.
-
"…want more tea?" Bowsette was no longer lucid at all anymore. Mario shook off his musings and watched. Bowsette was a woman again, hallucinating some sort of tea party from what Mario could gather from the brief delirious words he could catch. Bowsette seemed to look right at Mario and waved him closer. "Come on. Come over here." Bowsette said distantly. Mario realized Bowsette was still hallucinating and probably thought Mario was someone else but he couldn't stop himself. Mario opened the cell, closed it behind him, and approached. As soon as Mario got close to her though, before he could react Bowsette reached over and tenderly wrapped Mario in a hug.
"I love you too Junior." Bowsette was squeezing Mario very gently. "I'll always be there for you, anytime anywhere. And I know you'll always be there for me too, you make even the worst times better." Bowsette stopped talking and then moved Mario away from herself to stare at him for a moment. Mario saw her red unfocused eyes looking at him and wondered not to the first time what she was seeing. "Okay okay my boy, if it'll make you happy I'll see if Mario and I can work." Mario couldn't help but blush at what Bowsette was imagining.
Bowsette smirked. "Of course he'll have to work for it! I'm the great Koopa Queen Bowsette after all!" Bowsette then scoffed at something Mario… or rather Junior had said. "I'm not Peach, I'll actually be appreciative, but Mario is going to have to do more than save me. Besides, I never need saving! I can kick anyone's a… butt and don't you forget it!" Bowsette looked away from Mario as though she was contemplating something. "Though it would be nice to see someone who would actually care enough to risk life and limb for me..."
Mario saw Bowsette blushing and then she looked right at Mario and smiled warmly. "Of course you would Junior! I know that better than anyone. I meant besides you… and the minions don't count. Okay, maybe him Junior." Bowsette's eyes widened. "Ugh! Junior! That's disgusting! I know you're kidding but that's just… sick! He's practically my Dad!" Bowsette had this grumpy look on her face. "Yeah yeah laugh it up."
"Hack! Hack!" A loud coughing drew Mario's attention and who he saw surprised him. "Kamek!" The old Magikoopa was standing at the entrance to the cell nearly coughing up a lung. "Sir! Kamek sir!" One of the healers was helping hold him up. "You've broken every bone in your body and most of them haven't healed yet! You need to get back to bed." She tried to coax Kamek as best she could, but he was having none of it.
"I will not! I didn't drag myself down here to give up now. My queen needs my help and I'll be damned if I'm going to let something as insignificant as a few broken bones… Hack! stop me." Kamek growled back. Mario pulled away from Bowsette and made his way to the door. Bowsette weakly tried to reach over and draw Mario back. "Junior! Junior come back! I need you… Don't leave me…" Bowsette started crying. That struck Mario's heart like a Bullet Bill but he kept going. "Kamek!" Mario opened the cell door. "She's not-a doing well." Mario looked at the healer. "Get him a wheelchair or-a something please."
Mario took over supporting Kamek for the healer as she left. "Careful now." Mario said. "Don't patronize me plumber! I've taken worse… HACK worse beatings from you. This is nothing." Mario could see where Bowsette's pride came from. "Now those healers told me something was seriously wrong with Queen Bowsette? I swear if any of it is your fault…" At that point Bowsette screamed once more, spasming constantly. Kamek nearly fell over trying to rush to her side, but Mario held him up. "She's-a been…" Bowsette started shifting again. "changing somehow. We don't-a know what's causing it but some kind of magic is-a turning her back and forth all the time. It's not-a pleasant." Bowsette shifts, swells up, and soon is in her Turtle Dragon form again.
-
Kamek looked at Bowsette shifting in horror. He recognized the form as that of a male Koopa royalty from portraits in the old vaults and it didn't take a genius to guess what was going on. The transformation looked incredibly painful, it even sounded like bones were expanding and contracting, breaking, rearranging, and healing themselves only to go breaking again as she shifted back once more. Bowsette roared in pain and shifted back to herself… before shifting back again. "She's been-a doing that for a few days now." Mario said. "Just transforming back-a and forth, sometimes settling for a while but then it happens again."
After a few minutes the changes stopped with it settling on her female form again and Bowsette looked at something in front of her. "Of course we can have another party Junior! You know how much I love spending time with you." She said and started pouring some imaginary tea again. "How's your day been? Have you been practicing your fire breath?" Bowsette smiled despite how drained she looked. "I don't-a know what's worse. The painful changes or the-a fact that all the pain seems to have made her-a lose her mind." Mario lamented.
Kamek was just as horrified as Mario, but didn't let it show. "First, get me that wheelchair." Kamek raised a hand and summoned his wand. Incidentally the healer returned right then with the wheelchair and the two helped Kamek get into it. 'This is my fault. I've got to make it right.' Kamek though. It had to be the Super Crown magic in Bowsette's body going haywire. He didn't have his tools and he doubted the pathetic excuses for mages they had in the Mushroom Kingdom had the equipment he needed to really reverse this, but he would make do.
Kamek took a moment to analyze the Queen as best he could with just his wand on hand. "Mario." Kamek said. "I need to set up some magic dampening wards. It won't stop the changes but it should lessen them significantly." Naturally Kamek didn't trust the plumber, but he saw no alternative. "I'll need you to get a few things for me. They should be available somewhere in Toad Town." Kamek wrote down a list and handed it to Mario who was off immediately.