Dark City Grand Central Market Plaza, One Month Later
Young Bowser spent the day shopping at outlet stores with his mother, Kylie Koopa. School was starting back in only a month and Bowser would be starting seventh grade. Only one year to go until the crucial high school entrance exams.
The exams were there to determine if students entered college preparatory classes for their core subjects or took general classes. Such tests were administered in the eighth grade, so Bowser had plenty of time to prepare...not that he cared, being something of a lazy student. All that was required to be admitted to high school was a passing grade point average in their last middle school year.
Kylie, however, was more ambitious for her son. She wanted him to be the best, most well-rounded Koopa, he could be. She thought of all the disadvantaged Bob-ombs, Goombas, and other minority species in Darklands. Bowser, a Koopa—and a royal Koopa at that, had no right to take it easy when so many other beings who worked harder less of a chance of making it.
"C'mon, Mom," Bowser moaned, "This is only seventh grade. Exams are a year away!"
"It's never too early to start preparing," as she pulled a thick notebook labeled Student's Guide to the DSEAT (Darklands Secondary Education Assessment Test) out of her paper shopping bag.
Bowser heaved his shoulders, slouched, and moaned.
Kylie put the textbook back in the bag, noting the pens, pencils, and notebooks.
"Ok, I think we have enough school supplies. How 'bout some ice cream?"
Bowser's eyes lit up and he straightened himself.
"Can we?" he begged.
"Of course," she smiled.
They walked to a vendor at the outdoor food court, a Koopa Troopa standing behind a concession booth counter. The booth itself was pink with the words "Ice Cream" in blue letters at the top. Behind the vendor, on a white placard were a list of all the flavors and combos available.
"Two vanilla fudge sundaes, please," Kylie said as she handed the paper bag with the school supplies to Bowser and took her wallet out of her shell.
Bowser walked carrying the bag of supplies to a booth several feet away from the vendor, sat down, and waited for his mother to join him with his reward for the boring shopping excursion.
He saw her exchange Koopa coins with the vendor and approach Bowser with their treat.
As she approached, Bowser noticed a shadow looming over him. He turned his head to see a gray shelled Hammer Bro carrying an iron mallet with spikes attached to the two prongs on the back.
"Are you Prince Bowser or merely someone who resembles him?" The Hammer Bro's voice was deep and throaty, but Bowser had heard scarier in the movies.
"Yeah, so?"
Kylie sat down, drawing the Hammer Bro's attention.
"What do you want with my son?" She demanded.
The Hammer Bro grimaced his face and pointe to her shouting, "You cannot order me, ex-princess!"
"I'm a concerned mother!" she shot back just as fiercely. "When it comes to my children I can order anyone!"
Bowser got up and walked behind Kylie who also rose from her seat.
The Hammer Bro jumped on to the table and swung his hammer, twisting it at the last moment for the spikes to do their deadly work.
Bowser froze in pale terror as his mother's body tumbled backward crushing him beneath her and making his world go dark.
Darklands Royal Palace, Bowser's Room
"Mom!"
Bowser, head throbbing, shot up from the bed in his room at his grandmother's palace.
"Bowser!" Kamek said, relieved, rushing to hug the young Koopa.
Bowser was confused. The last thing he remembered was his mom getting hit on the head and falling on top of him...and...and...Bowser dreaded to complete the thought.
He noticed Kamek's glasses were fogged and tears were streaming down the Magikoopa's cheeks.
"Kamek?" Bowser asked nervously, feeling a lump form in his throat, "What happened to Mom?"
Kamek just tightened his grip around Bowser, a lump forming in his own throat. Kamek's heart and mind raced to answer the question "How do you tell a child the worst news possible?"
He gently patted Bowser's head and said, "I'm sorry, Bowser."
Bowser's own tears began to spill, but it was reflexive. He wasn't sad. He wasn't anything. He was numb. He wasn't supposed to be numb—he was supposed to be sad! He had just lost the most important person in his life!
He pushed Kamek away, causing the wizard to fall on his tail bone as the prince loosed fiery breath from his mouth, igniting the wooden bed posts and the sheets causing the fire alarm to begin beeping.
Kamek, ignoring the pain in his backside, pulled himself back up and shouted to the young prince, "Bowser, we've got to get out of this room!"
His anger vented; the prince's numbness returned.
"What do I care? She's gone." Yes, it would be better if he joined his mother than continued in this life without her. He had no one else who came close.
"Think of your brother!" Kamek shouted, snapping Bowser out of his stupor.
"He has also lost his mother! He's the one who persuaded your grandmother to let me come see you? Do you want him to be alone with your father and Kammy?"
No, Bowser certainly did not.
Just at that moment, Terrorpins—spear-wielding Koopa Troopas armored with spiked shells and helmets burst through the door. The second one into the room unloaded the foam contents of a fire extinguisher onto the conflagration, snuffing out the flames.
Their leader began talking into a transceiver in his helmet. "Situation contained. Fire extinguished. No casualties."
Bowser, chest heaving, panted heavily as it dawned on him that he could have easily just killed Kamek and himself. He looked to the Magikoopa who, even now, was answering the Terrorpins' interrogation about what had caused the fire.
When they looked at Prince Bowser Kamek merely said, "The prince is trying to process today's terrible events. Stay close on the other side of the door but let me talk to him."
Bowser looked into Kamek's eyes. Even now, after he had almost killed him, his mentor still wanted to help. Now shame burned within Bowser. How could he so easily nearly kill his friend and be so powerless against the crazed Hammer Bro who'd killed his mom? Bowser looked down at the floor.
"Why, Kamek?"
"'Why' what, Bowser?" The Magikoopa could see many possible avenues down which this conversation could lead and thought he should know where the Koopaling was headed before responding.
"Why did I endanger you, a friend, with my breath, and did nothing to stop the guy who killed Mom?"
Kamek knew how to proceed. Taking a seat on the bed, he put a finger under Bowser's chin and lifted it, gently guiding the prince to look at him.
"Because you were angry right now. You weren't trying to hurt me. You just lashed out without thinking. But you were too scared to lash out at the Hammer Bro."
"But if I had, Mom might still be here."
Now, for the first time, the numbness faded uncovering what really was a deep reservoir of sadness. Bowser turned his face away from Kamek and let a single tear slide down his cheek as he closed his eyes.
Kamek felt worry grow in his chest.
"Bowser, no good ever came from pondering 'what if's.'"
"Still, I should've done something!" Bowser said angrily as he violently threw his hands upward.
"She could breathe fire too, you know. It was her job to protect you, not the other way around," Kamek patted Bowser's shoulder, "and considering you are still here, she succeeded."
Bowser shook his head. "We could both still be here if had acted!" Then he looked at Kamek, almost pleading. "He wanted mom because she was involved in a scandal. So were Dad and Kammy, but I don't care about them. But if something happened to you or Ludwig," Bowser violently shook his head. He opened his eyes and looked at Kamek. "I never want to be powerless again!"
"Are you saying you want me to train you in magic?" Kamek asked, trying to steer the conversation in a more positive direction.
"I don't care what form power takes as long as I have it. I just never want to lose anyone ever again."
Prince Morton's Private Residence
Kammy turned the television off, set the control beside it, and fell backward onto the bed, as if pushed off her feet by the weight of some invisible force. This force had a name: responsibility. The news report had spelled it out plainly—a deranged royalist Hammer Bro had assassinated former Princess Kylie and had tried to assassinate Prince Bowser. His alleged reason was the shame Kylie had brought to the House of Koopa—except...Kylie hadn't brought shame to the house of Koopa.
That had been Kammy. Well to be fair, it had been Morton who had left his wife for the single Kammy—but the royal never got blamed in marriages in Darklands. Furthermore, it really had been Kammy who'd been nudging him in that direction for years.
Now, Kylie was dead...because of their affair.
Kammy had a murder on her conscious.
Kammy was not exactly the nicest Koopa in the world—just ask Kamek. His clumsy, bumbling nature brought great embarrassment to the family and Kammy tried to save the family's face by being cruel to her embarrassment of a brother, just to show the family didn't approve of him. However, there was a line between insulting someone and causing their death.
Kammy had crossed it.
She gasped, feeling the weight of responsibility crush her lungs.
Morton put one arm behind her, to support her, and one around her, to protect her.
"Kammy, what is it?" Morton asked tenderly.
Kammy looked at her husband of one month in the face and turned away, panting. Running her fingers through her black hair, she touched the ends of her rose-tinted glasses and stared out the bedroom window.
"This is our fault," she said with an uncharacteristic hollowness.
"You mean Kylie?" Morton knitted his eyebrows. He could be so dense at times—a quality she normally found endearing, but not at this moment.
"Of course. Kylie!" She snapped, glaring at Morton as lightning struck.
"Kammy, you're being ridiculous," Morton reached out to pat her shoulder only for her to bat his hand away and huff.
"You heard the reporter! The assassin thought she violated the honor of the royal family, but she didn't! We did!" She screeched, emphasizing the first-person pronoun, pointing a finger at Morton while simultaneously cupping her other hand over her own heart.
A cold terror entered Kammy's brain and heart.
She dreaded to speak it, but finally made the accusation.
"Did you do this!?"
Morton's jaw fell open.
"K-K-Kammy,,,," he stuttered. "How could you think that?"
"Just answer!" she snapped.
Morton saw how disturbed his wife was.
He needed to be honest with her.
"Kammy, on our love itself...no," he said gently.
She did have valid points for thinking, Morton realized.
He had cheated on his ex-wife with his current one throughout their marriage, but it had been a sham marriage
He only married Kylie because she was a full-blooded Dragon Koopa.
It had nothing to do with love for him.
His mother, another full Dragon Koopa, had insisted on it.
Frankly, he found his mother a hypocrite.
She had married a full-blooded commoner Koopa Troopa.
Morton's father surname, Koopa, was the most common at least royal name in the Koopa language.
Mom could marry for love—so why couldn't he?
But he never blamed Kylie.
She was a much a victim as he was.
"I never loved Kylie, but I also never hated her," He said softly, surprising Kammy.
"There were two Koopas trapped in a loveless marriage, not one." He gulped.
"I wanted her to be free to have the life she wanted." Now his voice was breaking.
The witch stared at the prince, too ashamed of her earlier accusation to speak.
"Morton," she said gently, touching his shoulder as, at last, his tears began to spill.
She threw both her arms around his shoulders.
"I didn't arrange for her to get killed, but by everything we set in motion..." A lump formed in Morton's throat.
"My Stars! What have I done?" He said panicked.
Kammy patted Morton's right cheek and kissed his left.
"Ow!" he said, rubbing his temple, "What was that for?"
"Talk to Ludwig, comfort him. I'll talk to Kamek. Bowser hates you and loves him. You'll have to go through my brother to comfort your son."
Kammy did not wait for Morton's reaction. She looked out the window at the night sky.
Stars, forgive us. We know not what we have unleashed.
On Crocodile Isle
A contented monarch drifted off to a pleasant sleep with the simple thought, One down. Two to go.