Bowsette: A New Life
Chapter 46
A restless Koopa
After a long day, Bowsette plopped down on her bed in an empty Toad House she had taken over for herself, it's not like anyone was going to argue. "Blech. Is this the kind of thing Mario deals with all. the. time?!" Bowsette had been spending the entire day running from one side of Toad Town to the other. The enemy was thinning out a bit by the evening even during the storms, so Bowsette decided to get some sleep. 'How does the man keep his sanity through all this?' Bowsette thought.
"Help me help me." Bowsette sneered mockingly. A scream for help here, a Toad in peril there… it seemed like it wasn't any end to it. At least the people by the barricades were willing and able to defend themselves and trying to do what they could, but Bowsette knew that during her invasions and other conquests people tended to just stand around waiting for Mario or someone to save them rather than trying to do anything themselves. Bowsette got a taste of how annoying helping people could get and couldn't imagine how Mario put up with it.
Bowsette rolled over and tried to get some sleep, but despite being worn down by the day's events, Bowsette simply couldn't keep her mind from racing. She couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened starting with the woman at the first barricade. That woman had been the only one who thanked Bowsette for what she had been doing the whole day. The rest didn't talk much and for some there was barely concealed contempt. Contempt Bowsette could handle, it seemed like the residents were not all that scared of her anymore and that made Bowsette feel better.
'THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!' The changed woman's shriek also haunted Bowsette. Kamek had no proof, but he had already told Bowsette that these things probably came from the Super Crown accident. Bowsette privately agreed, it was too much of a coincidence especially after the fake Mario's attack caused her transforming fits. "So what?" Bowsette told herself. "It's not like I can actually do anything about it." Bowsette had been doing everything she could to protect the Toads, but trying to fix what she'd done wasn't what was bothering her the most.
'You-a really ARE completely awful!' Bowsette kept envisioning what Mario was going to do or say when he found out. 'To think I was starting to like-a you!' Inevitably Mario would then find out that the Turtle Dragon form was her true self. Bowsette wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she was starting to like being a woman, more or less. Having to spend hours just to make herself look good was still something that irritated her, but otherwise she could see the benefits of it.
However, if Mario realized that Bowsette was actually a guy much less that she was responsible for everything that happened, he probably wouldn't even look at her again. Maybe he'd even be so enraged by all of it he's just attack her outright. Even as Bowser Bowsette had always loved fighting Mario, but the thought of getting into another real life or death fight with the Pasta Freak now seemed to fill Bowsette with dread. Bowsette wasn't entirely sure why though, it would just mean things would go back to normal.
'Normal…' Bowsette didn't know what that word meant anymore. Ever since the accident Bowsette's whole world had literally been warped. First she was a woman, then the world changed to fit, then she found herself kissing her greatest rival, then going on a date with him, then these creatures showed up, then she kind of went on a date with Mario again, then they had to go find Peach and she had been changed, and then the transforming fits, and finally she was here. The last several months had been a complete train wreck and Bowsette wasn't sure if things could ever go back to the way they were. It was one of the reasons she decided to stay Bowsette.
"Shit." Bowsette got up and walked out of the Toad House, maybe a walk would clear her head. She was out of the house and heading toward the town square when she noticed a little Toad boy standing in the square. 'Not that brat again.' All day the kid just kept showing up no matter how many times the guards kept taking him back to his home.
The boy would follow Bowsette around town, but then just stand there staring at Bowsette, not getting anywhere near her and would leave if she would approach. Bowsette knew the boy didn't understand what had done to his mom. As far as he could tell Bowsette had just beaten her up, tied her up, and put her in a sack. Bowsette decided she wasn't going to let this kid bother her anymore and approached.
The boy spotted her coming and tried to walk away, but Bowsette walked fast and blocked him. "So." Bowsette began but the boy tried to walk away only to be blocked off again. "What do you want?" The boy asked. "That's the question I should be asking you. That and why you don't stay home." Bowsette replied gruffly. "Why are you always following me around?" Bowsette said in a tone that made it clear she wasn't going to leave without an answer.
The boy stood there for a moment and scratched the back of his head. "Um… because you're really cool?" The boy said awkwardly throwing Bowsette through a loop. She had expected the boy to curse Bowsette for what she had done or even try to hurt her, fruitlessly of course. "What? Don't you hate me?" Bowsette said startled. "I did. Then the big guard told me Mama wasn't doing good. I tried to let Mama out then Mama…" Bowsette hadn't noticed before, but the boy was covering up a bandage on his arm with his hand. "She bit me before the guards took her away. Why did she do that?"
Bowsette let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Your Mama loves you, she's just not herself." Bowsette tried to explain. "She's very sick and the guards took her to where she can get better." Bowsette sat down on a nearby bench. She didn't give any sign she wanted it, but the boy sat next to her.
"Is Mama going to be okay?" The boy asked. Something about this kid reminded her of someone. "I bet your mom will be fine." Bowsette said. She knew nothing of the sort, but she felt the need to comfort the kid for some reason. "You're just saying that." The boy replied. "Smart kid." Bowsette admitted. "I don't know what's wrong with your Mama, but I'll do everything I can to help her." Bowsette struggled to keep her voice neutral. "Princess Peach is sick too. Your Mama could help the Princess get better." Bowsette had managed to capture a couple other infected during the day, the shades themselves were difficult to actually catch alive and she hadn't managed to get one yet.
"That's good. Princess Peach is so nice." Bowsette looked at the boy as he said this. "You know the Princess personally?" Bowsette asked. "Mama would take me to the castle sometimes. The Princess would come and talk to the kids that were there sometimes." A daycare room in the castle Bowsette guessed. "What did she talk about?" Bowsette asked. "She would talk about a lot of things. Sometimes she would give us schoolwork." The kid shivered as he said that. 'No kid like schoolwork…' Bowsette smirked.
"Ms. Peach would talk about Mr. Mario a lot. She said Mr. Mario is a hero, and we should all be just like him." The boy continued. "She would tell us about his adventures and the evil Bowsette." The kid said in the casual unfiltered 'this is what happened' manner that kids do. "Oh really? And what did Peach say about me?" Bowsette asked curious about it. "The Princess said you were really really evil. A big fire breathing monster that destroyed kingdoms and stuff."
Bowsette felt a familiar feeling of pride at hearing that which was quickly replaced by uncertainty. "Well, she's right you know." Bowsette said. "I do wreck a lot of stuff all the time. It's fun to watch everybody run away from the great and powerful Bowsette." Bowsette said without much enthusiasm. "Conquering kingdoms is what I do. Just as my father did, and my father before that, and my father before that, and my father before… actually I can't remember if any Kings didn't do that." The Koopa Kingdom had a long history of war against other lands. Most of the considerable size of the Koopa Kingdom had come from conquering other lands over the centuries, which had finally ground to a halt with Bowser's own attempts.
"Why?" The boy asked. "Well… uh…" Bowsette thought about it for a minute. Bowsette couldn't even remember why as Bowser he had wanted to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom the first time. What he was sure of was that his love for Peach motivated him to keep trying, but he wasn't sure why he ever started. Though… Bowsette admitted that he had been trying to long before he felt an attraction to Peach. Bowser had been trying to conquer the kingdom and been thwarted by the Mario Bros. all the way back when he was in preschool.
Bowsette remembered the battles against the Snoobs. Eventually he did end up realizing that the large evil Koopa he had met back then was actually the time traveling much older version of himself, though didn't really click until after he had grown and been on the other side to see that adventure to its conclusion. That adventure was one of the few times Bowser had worked with Mario, Bowsette wondered for a minute what kind of relationship the brothers had with the other Bowsette back then. Of course, she realized that ultimately said Bowsette never actually existed, the very idea that she ever had existed being just a product of the alterations of the Super Crown.
"Hey lady?" The boy broke into her thoughts. "Um… yeah?" Bowsette tried to pay attention. "How'd you get so strong?" He asked. Bowsette had noticed the boy watching her fight to defend the barricades all day. "Well, I'm Koopa royalty. We're always strong and tough when we're grown. We can get stronger though with enough work." The boy looked at Bowsette curiously. "So… if you work hard, you can get really strong?" He asked.
Bowsette scoffed. "If you're thinking about getting as strong as me kid, dream on." Bowsette said. "Fact of life kid, as strong as you might get, a Toad couldn't hope to come close to my strength." Bowsette looked at the Toad boy who seemed disappointed. "That's okay though." Bowsette clarified. "Some people are just more naturally gifted than others. Like Mario." Bowsette tried to cheer the boy up. "He's strong too, and tough and determined and kind and so… handsome…" Bowsette let the last word slip without noticing as she let her mind drift off from her surroundings.
Bowsette wondered what Mario was doing right now. Mario would have probably gotten to her castle a couple days ago if he was on foot, especially if he took the faster route. Kamek had told her that he had sent Mario off to get the remains of the old Super Crown that should be the key to curing her, and she knew he'd take out anything in his way. Was Mario thinking of her? Was he hurt? Was he… one of them?
Of all the questions that ran through Bowsette's mind, this last one was the worst. Bowsette couldn't even imagine what the infection could do to Mario. The change in Peach already horrified Bowsette, everything she had ever liked about the woman was gone, replaced by a creature without a shred of mercy. If all this was really her fault as Kamek supposed, Bowsette's biggest regret was what the accident her scheme had brought about had ended up turning Peach into. Bowsette could only hope that Kamek could find a way to reverse the changes because Bowsette wouldn't kill Peach no matter what, and she knew Mario felt the same.
"Hmm… Well, I guess I'm going home." The boy said. "Oh… um… goodnight." Bowsette had been too lost in thought to pay any further attention to the boy. "Goodnight Ms. Bowsette!" The boy said. "Hey! That's Queen Bowsette to you! To everybody!" Bowsette retorted. "Okay Queen Bowsette! And um…" The boy seemed like he was going to say something else. "Go on." Bowsette gestured. "Peach was wrong. You're not evil. You're a nice lady. Goodbye!" The boy said as he left.
Bowsette just stared slack jawed at the boy as he left. 'Did he really just say that?' Bowsette felt… odd at hearing that. Normally she'd be enraged when anyone questioned how evil she was. Bowsette was proud of being the scourge of the world, wasn't she? However, she felt a warm fuzzy feeling inside as the boy left. 'Meh, it's probably just gas.' Bowsette thought as she went back to the Toad House. This time she managed to fall into a deep sleep.