Bowsette: A New Life
Chapter 49
Homeward bound
Finally, with the skies around the Koopa Keep clear and the enemy routed, Mario could leave the castle and head back to Toad Town. He grabbed an extra bag just in case, found the supplies Kamek wanted where Mario had left them, and headed down to leave through the front gate. The castle seemed a lot more… comfortable than it had been when he would raid it. 'Is this-a what it's like most of the time?' Mario wondered.
"It's Mario!" A green shelled koopa (Mario would have trouble telling the difference between them) said as he got to the castle courtyard. "Everybody come on!" Suddenly Mario found dozens of Bowsette's troops approaching, surrounding the plumber. Out of habit Mario dropped into a defensive stance, when this sort of thing happened with the Queen's troops it had always been to attack. However, Mario restrained himself and let himself relax. They wouldn't dare to oppose Mario from helping their Queen, and nearly everyone had seen Mario fighting to defend the castle earlier.
"Alright guys! All together now!" The koopa said. "Three cheers for Mario! Hip Hip!"
"Hooray!" The rest of the troops joined in. "Hip Hip!"
"Hooray!" One last… "Hip Hip!"
"HOORAY!" Everybody put their best effort into the last cheer.
Well, this was a surprise to say the least. Mario figured they were only begrudgingly tolerating his presence. "Alright alright!" Kammy yelled from a window several floors above the door Mario had come out of. "Get back to work you layabouts!" Kammy screeched. "Get going plumber! The Queen will have your head if you keep sticking around!" Kammy huffed and closed the window.
"Right. Coming-a through." Mario hoisted the bag back over his shoulder and Bowsette's minions stood aside to allow him to pass through the front gate. It was surreal seeing those that had hands saluting Mario as he passed. "You know…" Someone Mario couldn't see said from far enough behind that they probably thought Mario couldn't hear them, but he just managed to catch it. "If the Queen and that plumber get hitched, maybe it won't be so bad." They spoke. A shh and a response Mario couldn't hear followed.
Mario blushed as he walked out the front gate and started heading for home. Mario considered the idea while he was still in the safe area around Bowsette's Castle. Just a few months ago he would have been opposed just to going anywhere near Bowsette if he didn't have to. If she had tried some ploy to force him to marry her, he would've been violently opposed… after he got over the sheer disbelief that Bowsette would even want to.
Now though… things were different. Mario couldn't say exactly when things had changed between them, but he and Bowsette were… something. Considering the chaos lately with the creatures and then Bowsette's transforming fits the two hadn't really had a chance to discuss much of anything. It wasn't like the two were boyfriend and girlfriend, but they could at least be amicable to each other without an undercurrent that they were only just barely tolerating each other, as had been the case the last times they had been forced into joining forces against some threat or another.
Mario thought back to Bowsette "date" and how they ended up throwing lasagna at each other. Was then when they weren't competing to outdo each other, but starting to enjoy each other's company? After, it felt like it was easier to talk to the woman, though he still didn't understand her one bit.
In fact, Mario understood Bowsette even less than he had thought he did before he had rescued Peach from her last time. Even the veneer of nobility Mario would expect from a princess or a queen, which Bowsette had at least put up as a front wasn't there. Bowsette's language was rude and crude most of the time, she didn't care much about cleanliness, and she was far more aggressive in her manner than she was before. Mario could swear something had fundamentally changed about her, but he couldn't even guess what had caused it.
Though… Mario didn't really mind the changes despite how confused he was about them. Peach had been all of those things Mario would expect of a princess. Kind, graceful, gentle, polite, sophisticated… with a perpetually untarnished appearance that made Mario feel inadequate in her presence. Mario was commoner born and despite all the notoriety he had gotten over the years Mario constantly worried if he might do or say something to show how low class he was.
With Bowsette it was different though, and different recently at that. Mario didn't feel the need to tiptoe around Bowsette, at least when it came to etiquette. Though he definitely felt the need to keep himself from rousing her temper, she had that much in abundance. Mario didn't like that Bowsette would casually insult him like they were old school chums or something rather than bitter enemies for decades, but there was rarely any actual malice behind it. Still, Mario swore if she called him a Pasta Freak one more time… actually, she used that insult more often than any other by far. At least Mario felt comfortable enough to be himself around the She-Koopa, Bowsette had that much in her favor.
Mario shook those thoughts off as he was getting further away from the castle. He had to pay attention since he would be coming across the creatures soon.
-
Just like before, Mario did his best to avoid the creatures and travel underground whenever he could. In World 8 Bowsette's forces were rallying after the Magikoopa were dispersed to place up Anti-Magic wards around the various forts, so Mario didn't have too much trouble getting to the pipe near the World 7 castle that would take him back to World 4.
Unfortunately, that's where the trip back stopped being so easy. When he got back to 4-2 the density of the creatures was much greater than they were the first time around. Mario had to fight his way through several dozen of the pink eyed monsters to get through to the 4-1 castle and then back underground, but he managed it without getting struck by pink lightning, though he did take a few hits from the occasional other attack.
It was odd actually now that Mario thought about it. The creatures were far more numerous than they were before, and no less aggressive, but they seemed to be going somewhere. Somewhere not towards Bowsette's Castle or towards Toad Town but somewhere north. However, Mario didn't have the time nor the inclination to go following them right now. He needed to get the sack of supplies back to Bowsette and Kamek as fast as possible.
Mario could only hope Toad Town was faring well in his absence.
***
"Ragh!" Bowsette yelled as she swiped another one of the Toad creatures with her claws. The attacks had been lessening lately, but they were still happening. Swarms of those shade things kept appearing and trying to drag any Toad they could out of the Anti-Magic Wards so they could change them. Bowsette was still heading from gate to gate trying to keep them out as best she could.
Thankfully her little helper was keeping the pep in her step by passing supplies. Bowsette still didn't know the boy's name, he was just "kid" or "child" to her. He might have told her before but as had been usual lately Bowsette had been having trouble paying attention to much other than crushing the creatures left and right.
It was getting monotonous even though Bowsette couldn't afford to let her attention wander while battling creatures left and right. Bowsette would never have thought she'd think fighting was boring, but these things were far too easy for her. Of course, all she was fighting was Toads, so it was to be expected. The only challenge was managing to get to each barricade before more Toad guards were dragged off.
However, there was a question that haunted Bowsette as she worked. 'Okay, now that I admit I like him, what do I do?' Bowsette's thoughts kept coming back to that. 'Mario has to be mine! I won't accept anything less! But how? How how how?!' Bowsette puzzled. 'I could kidnap him!' Bowsette's first thought arose. Of course, Bowsette quickly threw that one out. 'Kidnapping didn't work with Peach and it wouldn't work with Mario either. It would be a massive pain just to TRY to kidnap him anyway. Kidnapping Peach was a cakewalk, Mario would fight back.'
Bowsette needed a plan, and not her usual one. Mario would marry her, that much Bowsette was certain of. She spent what time she had not fighting the creatures thinking of something to do, something that could make Mario like her. Bowser was never that smart, but he was able to come up with a good plan every so often. 'Wait… how could I forget? I'm the woman here. I just need to entice him enough and Mario will be the one pursuing ME.' Bowsette turned her thoughts to coming up with ways to do that.
Finally, one day the monotony was broken. "Hey Queen Bowsette?" The boy asked as the two reached the top of another barricade. "Who is that?" The boy pointed out away from the town down the road. The barricade didn't have many of the creatures at it for the moment, but Bowsette could see a spot in the distance coming clo…
"Oh Koopa Shells!" Bowsette exclaimed. The red cap, blue overalls… Bowsette would recognize those anywhere. Mario was coming this way. Bowsette felt a jolt of fear looked down at herself and noticed… 'Oh fuck my dress is a mess and I'm all dirty and my hair is a mess and I haven't taken a bath in days and I probably smell horrible and I… I…' Bowsette's thoughts raced as she panicked over what to do.
'Okay, remember the plan… remember the plan…' Bowsette looked at the boy and smiled, trying to keep her voice steady. "That's Mario kid. Stay here and greet him. Tell him I'll be back in a bit." Bowsette decided maybe the boy would stall the plumber for a while. She leaped back down off the barricade and rushed back to the Toad House she'd been living in to make herself presentable.
Slamming the door behind her, Bowsette tried to focus. "Okay, change my dress first." Bowsette mused as she changed her clothing to the red dress she'd set aside for this. "No time for a bath or shower so I'll have to make do with just wearing the perfume." Bowsette picked up a bottle she'd slipped away to grab from one of the shops during some downtime. Mushroom Delight was the brand according to the shopkeeper that Peach wore. Of course, if the shopkeeper had been lying to her Bowsette would roast… "No no, don't think like that. Be kind. Be polite. Be gentle." Bowsette scolded herself. "Just think 'what would Peach do? What would Peach do?' Mario likes her." Bowsette chanted. 'Yeah, Mario likes Peach, so if I want him to like me, I must be like her.'
Bowsette dabbed some makeup to try to cover up her more obvious scales, she'd look more human that way, not that she could do anything about the horns, teeth, and tail, but every little bit helped. Still, Bowsette couldn't dilly dally, or Mario might get impatient and leave. She took a minute to adjust her hair a bit and smooth out any wrinkles on her dress. 'Alright, Operation Royalty is a go.' Bowsette thought. "Fuck don't screw this up…" Bowsette said under her breath.