Bowsette: A New Life
Chapter 35
Lessening the pain
Mario rushed off into Toad Town as fast as his legs would carry him, letting out the pent up frustration of the past few days. Kamek's list was mostly common alchemical ingredients and equipment, though there were a few that would take some work to find. Mario didn't care how much effort it would take though; he was just glad to finally be able to do something of use. First Mario went straight home and got his stash of savings. The royals would reimburse him later, and he didn't want to waste time.
As Mario ran and stopped at the various shops for supplies, worries from the past few days he'd been trying not to think about flooded his mind. What if the changes didn't stop and Bowsette died in agony? What if Bowsette's mind had snapped completely, even if she was cured? What if she was cured but was stuck half transformed? What if… More scenarios ran through Mario's head.
Mario grabbed the last of the ingredients he needed when a thought struck him. "Why am I only worried about Bowsette?" Mario asked himself. Peach was in dire straits too and yet his thoughts kept focusing on the Koopa Queen. As he walked back to the castle lugging the load of supplies behind him, Mario couldn't stop thinking about how he held Bowsette lying helpless and in pain in the sewers. Her red reptilian eyes opened and looked at him half lidded like a dying ember struggling to stay lit, so different from the raging fires that were normally there.
Seeing Bowsette so vulnerable had brought out a feeling in the plumber, something he had felt often enough before, but hadn't felt the last time he had rescued Peach from Bowsette's clutches. Mario couldn't describe the feeling, it was more than the simple need to help someone who was in trouble. Mario wouldn't hesitate to help anyone that needed it, just because it was the right thing to do. This felt different. Mario shook his head as he reached the castle gate and tried to dispense the thoughts. 'Yeah… just me-a and my heroic instincts flaring up again.' Mario told himself.
***
"What's taking that plumber so long?" Kamek grumbled as he did what he could to set up in the meantime. Bowsette sometimes got in the way, but Kamek was patient and guided her out of the way. Bowsette was awake and active again but was still taking sanctuary in her own mind. A tea party with Junior from what Kamek could figure out, he couldn't tell if it was a memory she was reenacting or something she made up. Bowsette always loved those tea parties with Junior, it was one of the only things she had in common with the Queen Bowsette Kamek knew, one other being the odd infatuation she had with Mario. Something either Bowsette would do anything to deny but which this one seemed particularly stubborn to admit to, which is why Kamek conspired to get the two together before.
It took several hours for Mario to get back. "Sorry, it-a took a while to find all this stuff." Mario admitted. "Never mind, bring it here." Kamek grunted at the plumber for wasting his time. Kamek rummaged through the sack. "Li'l Onik's blood, a low-quality ruby, a star bit…" Kamek listed it all. "…and that's everything. Good work plumber." Mario's eyes widened. "I never-a thought you'd praise me." Mario admitted. "Of course, I'm never been one to be unappreciative of the efforts of minions." Kamek smirked and Mario's brows narrowed.
"Keep the Queen from getting in the way." Kamek said. He took a few minutes to mix the various ingredients together in a pot he had requested while Mario was out. Kamek completed the ritual markings he had been laying around the cell and then retraced them all using the concoction, which took some time in his state. He waited for Bowsette's latest shifting fit to pass and she settled down to female form again. "Now stand back." Kamek commanded and Mario obeyed. "God of all Koopas lend us your power…" Magical power formed around the gem on Kamek's wand. "IN MAGISTERIUM!" Kamek yelled and the markings glowed.
Bowsette suddenly screamed again but didn't shift. She fainted on the spot while Mario was holding her still and collapsed in his arms. The markings glowed brighter and brighter… and gradually faded, the markings now burned into the floor of the cell. "Did that-a do it?" Mario asked. "I can't say for sure, but any magic inside this cell should be suppressed. However, even these wards can't suppress magic completely if it's powerful enough, nor remove the actual affliction. Queen Bowsette will continue changing, but it should be much less often." Kamek explained.
"The bigger problem is, is her-a going to-a be okay?" Mario asked. Bowsette's eyes opened and looked at Mario. "Junior! What happened? I felt so dizzy…" Bowsette said in a distant voice. "Bowsette? You're not-a with Junior, you're in-a the Mushroom Kingdom. You're in-a Peach's Castle." Mario said. "Yes yes back to the party." Bowsette said, stood up, and headed back to the chair. "We should probably get back to your lessons too." Bowsette was silent for a moment. "I know boy, I didn't like them either when I was your age, but it has to be done." Bowsette cleared her throat. "Right! So, in order to correctly grow Piranha Plants you have to…" Mario sighed. "I don't-a think she can hear me."
Kamek was saddened by the news. Fixing his Majesty's affliction could be done in time, especially if he had the resources in his lab, but fixing her mind was something else entirely. Kamek thought back to the years he had spent with her, teaching her, helping her be a strong and wise ruler, as her father had entrusted to Kamek as the old King grew more and more frail. Though it was losing Bowsette's mother that had really done him in. King Draco requested the magical bindings that kept the Koopa royalty alive even through the worst injuries be dissolved in his last days so he could finally die. King Draco chose to join his wife in the Underwhere before Bowsette was old enough to remember him.
This Bowsette had a different upbringing, though not too much different from what little his Queen had told him of it. She didn't seem to want to dwell on her past life as Bowser much, though it had obviously shaped her quite a bit differently. Kamek tried to think of something, tried to talk to her, but he didn't really know her that well, despite what similarities she might have.
Kamek sighed and cursed his uselessness, when an old memory surfaced. He couldn't say for sure if it would work, even if the other Kamek had done it too, but he was willing to do anything. Mario watched as the old Magikoopa suddenly started singing, it was an old Koopa language that Mario recognized, but he didn't understand and he didn't think anyone really spoke it anymore.
Koopas potens et superbus unus duo tres ... unum duo tres...
Virginem in manibus capit Koopa quattuor quinque sex... quattuor quinque sex…
Virgo ostendit virtutem suam septem octo novem ... septem octo novem...
Feliciter semper post decem et iterum decem et iterum...
"Uh… what're you-a doing?" Mario asked, scratching his head in confusion. Kamek shrugged. "An old nursery rhyme, though it doesn't actually rhyme in either language." Kamek looked back at Bowsette and repeated it.
Koopas potens et superbus unus duo tres ... unum duo tres...
Virginem in manibus capit Koopa quattuor quinque sex... quattuor quinque sex…
Kamek shrugged. "It was worth a shot." Kamek looked away when Bowsette closed her eyes and suddenly continued the rhyme.
Virgo ostendit virtutem suam septem octo novem ... septem octo novem...
Feliciter semper post decem et iterum decem et iterum...
"My Queen?" Kamek said. "What's it-a mean?" Mario asked. Kamek translated for the plumber.
"Koopas powerful and proud one two three... one two three..."
"The Koopa takes a maiden in his hands four five six... four five six..."
"The maiden sees his strength seven eight nine... seven eight nine..."
Bowsette beat Kamek to the punch however.
"Happily ever after... happily ever after… ten and again... ten and again..."
Bowsette put her hands to her temples and rubbed. "Ugh… My head feels like Bom-bombs are going off inside." She lamented. Bowsette's eyes shifted and focused wearily on the two. "Okay, first, where the fuck am I, and why is Kamek singing?" Bowsette's eyes widened. "KAMEK!" Bowsette grabbed her most loyal minion and squeezed. "Milady! Careful! My bones are still broken!" Bowsette squeezed more gently but didn't let go. "You're awake… I thought I was going to lose you." Bowsette started to tear up.
At that point Bowsette noticed the third wheel standing there. "Hey there Pasta Freak, mind explaining what you're doing in my royal presence?" Mario smirked. "Being-a Kamek's gofer apparently." Yep, she was back to normal. Then Bowsette spasmed and dropped Kamek. "Dammit dammit FUCK THAT HURTS!" The spasms stopped… and everyone waited, but they didn't start up again.
"Master Mario!" Toadsworth interrupted the moment, standing there in the now opened cell door. 'What is-a wrong now?' Mario thought. "Yes Toadsworth?" Mario said turning to the old Toad. "I say, those… things are attacking the castle again! There's even more of them this time!" Bowsette stood. "Hey, nobody attacks the Mushroom Kingdom but me! Let me at em!" Bowsette ran to the cell door before Kamek could stop her. "No my Queen! You can't…" As soon as Bowsette exits the cell, she starts convulsing. "ARGH! NO! NOT GONNA LET… FUCK!" Bowsette screamed. "Help-a me put her back in!" Mario said and as soon as Mario and Toadsworth pulled Bowsette back into her cell, the spasms stopped.
Mario helped Bowsette into her chair and sighed. "You should rest. I'll-a handle this." Mario said. He didn't give Bowsette a chance to argue and left her with Kamek, locking the cell behind him. "Show me where the-a enemy is." Mario said to Toadsworth. "These evil Toadlike things have surrounded the castle trying to break in. I say, the defenses won't last long." Mario and Toadsworth went up the stairs to the main floor.
That's when they heard a large explosion coming from above. "The Princess!" Mario realized there was a good chance her former room was where it had come from. "Go on Master Mario! We will hold the line against those ruffians you can be sure!" Mario nodded and ran up the stairs to Peach's cell.
Author's note: I'll be reducing the amount of chapters released per week to one again. Of the chapters I've written ahead I think I'm getting close to the end of the story, more or less. We'll see. When I do end up writing the ending I'll just release the rest of the chapters at once.