Bowsette: A New Life
Chapter 40
Preparations
"No, the symbols have to face directly towards the north pole or they won't work!" Kamek said exasperated. Kamek had insisted on staying close to Bowsette and so had been down in the Peach castle dungeons spending the last few hours trying to show the Toad mages how to make the dampener wards, but it was going slowly. The supplies the chancellor had scrounged up were sufficient to ward the whole town, but it would take several days to put them all down. Just warding the castle itself would take several hours. 'Or several weeks at this rate.' He privately grumbled.
"Wouldn't a simple barrier suffice and keep them out completely?" One of the mages asked. "Where did you learn magic, from a cookbook? Barriers that large take absurd amounts of energy to maintain! Even personal barriers can't be held for more than a couple minutes without aid." Kamek growled. "The dampening wards are simply a manipulation of free-flowing natural forces and thus will remain in place once they are set and can be turned on and off at will by the creator once outside them! The wards will degrade eventually, but they will last several weeks."
It was beyond irritating trying to teach these basic things to what this kingdom called mages. Still, Kamek knew he couldn't possibly do all the work himself even if he wasn't injured. Kamek knew he needed all the help he could get. Even the healers were here trying to learn how to make the wards, one of which was always attending to Kamek himself. "No no no the pigs blood must be exactly 1.2 liters! Put in too little and it's wasted! Put in too much and the mixture will explode!" Kamek continued, it was like teaching first year Magikoopa trainees, except those actually knew they were ignorant!
***
Bowser Junior looked on in horror from the throne room balcony. The creatures had breached the castle walls and were marching inside with Bowsette's army barely being able to even slow them down. The things flowed in by the hundreds relentless crushing the army as though they didn't exist. Junior had to do something, but they were already starting to breach the inner doors to the castle.
"Mama?" Junior looked up questioningly as a Koopa Copter approached. 'Mama will turn this around! She can beat anybody!' Junior thought, only for his optimism to be crushed as the copter got closer and he got a good look at it. Bullet Bills fired out of the purplish copter as it approached forcing Junior to take cover, and without a weapon Junior could do little but spit ineffectual fireballs back at it.
Dark Bowser laughed evilly as it approached, the perspective shifting to look out through it's eyes. It leapt out of the Copter and landed right on the balcony as Junior scrambled out of the way to avoid being crushed underfoot. It was in vain however, as it charged forward and grabbed Junior in its large clawed hand. "My Mama will make you pay for this you hear me!" Bowser Junior yelled defiantly. "But I'll beat you first!"
Junior beat his hands upon Dark Bowser's hands and tried to burn them to no avail. Letting the child try fruitlessly for a moment, it chuckled in malice and then the creature squeezed and cracked Junior's shell until most of it fell off with the ease of cracking an egg. It started to squeeze harder…
Junior cried desperately in pain as the merciless thing slowly crushed him.
"Mama… mama help me…"
-
"Junior…" Bowser's eyes shot open. "JUNIOR!" He launched forward before realizing where he was. Bowser was in his cell trying to get some sleep while he could, he had been in unbearable pain for 3 days straight and his only "rest" had been pain induced bouts of unconsciousness. However, whenever Bowser did manage to sleep, he was plagued by the same nightmare over and over.
The dream would have the same events, time and time again. Sometimes Bowser would be just a passive observer, watching it all unfold. Sometimes Bowser would see the dream as though he was Junior. What horrified Bowser most however, was far more frequently Bowser would see through his doppleganger's eyes, unable to do anything but rage in his own head as he saw the terror on his own son's face as Bowser crushed him.
The occasional painful spasms didn't help but his worries were what kept shocking him awake. Bowser knew Junior would do a competent job of running the Koopa Kingdom's defense, but he still couldn't stop worrying. "If something happens to him I…" Bowser started to cry at the thought but held back his tears. He was the Koopa King right now, and Koopa Kings don't cry. Maybe later when he changed, he would let it all out.
Bowser turned over and tried to get back to sleep, but visions of his dark self kept intruding onto his mind. The horror of the dream still clung to him, especially the look of terror on Junior's face as it slowly crushed him. Bowser couldn't get that look out of his mind. As Bowser or Bowsette, Junior had NEVER looked at them like that, even when they were fuming mad at their son. Even their minions sometimes looked at them terrified when they had their trademark rages. 'Does everybody look at me like that?' He wondered. Even as Bowsette with Mario at her side the Toads did everything they could to avoid her as they had walked around Toad Town the other day. Bowsette was so used to everybody not one of her minions just screaming and running at the sight of them that it had barely registered.
"Your majesty, are you asleep?" Kamek's voice shook Bowser out of their thoughts. "What is it Kamek?" Kamek opened the cell and approached. "The dampening wards are ready to be activated, though it was like herding Fuzzies to get them actually set them let me tell you…" Kamek grumbled. "Well, that's good news." Bowser quickly said to cut Kamek off before he started ranting. "Right. By your command Mistre… my Lord." Kamek quickly corrected himself.
Bowser considered. "What's the situation so far?" He asked. "There have been no further attacks, but I fear it is only a matter of time." Kamek explained. "The residents of Toad Town have taken shelter in the castle in preparation for the wards to protect them until they can be expanded to all of town." Bowser tilted his head. "All of them are here?" He asked curiously. "Um… yes, your Majesty. Why?" Kamek was confused at Bowser's interest in that. He had expected Bowser to dismiss them as irrelevant.
The gears shifted in Bowser's head, and he made a decision. "First thing's first." Getting up from the floor where he slept, the bed in the cell couldn't possibly hold him, he steeled himself and walked toward the cell door. "I've got to make some changes." Bowser stepped outside the cell and immediately began convulsing. "ARGH! AAAGHHHH!" Bowser screamed as he began to shift. "Your majesty what are you doing?!" Kamek rushed forward as fast as his wheels would carry him. "STAY… UGHHH BACK!" Bowser fought to remain standing and awake as he changed to she.
Kamek did as ordered, though he was entirely unsure as to why Bowser was doing this. Bowser shifted, his hair grew longer, his scales grew smaller and softer… Bowser, or rather Bowsette, managed to stay awake as the changes completed. Quickly Bowsette turned around and ran into the cell just in case she started shifting again. "A lady… has to look… presentable." Bowsette gasped out. Staying as Bowser would only make what she had to do next much more difficult.
Bowsette sat to catch her breath and turned to Kamek. "Activate the wards, and if the Chancellor will do it get everyone together wherever it can be managed." Bowsette ordered. Kamek nodded, he wondered if she had some sort of plan. "As ordered Mistress." As Kamek left, Bowsette did her best to fix her hair and look as good as she could considering the circumstances. Her dress, which she still hadn't been able to change since having been in the sewers, was badly torn in several places and she was sweating constantly from the pain during the changes. "Ugh… I need to take a shower when I get done with this…" Bowsette noted.