What was left of the walls and ceiling that covered the throne room and its surroundings was no more.
The crimson bolts raged wildly though the veil of dark clouds. The Shadow Queen's body was reigning supreme as she towered with might in what was left of the throne room. Bowsette, however, was far from being in perfect shape.
Her beautiful dress was cut and shred at many places and lost its elegant luster, her hair was undone and messy, her crown had fallen somewhere in the rumbles of the destroyed room, but her body, while her arms were embedded with fire and fighting spirit, carried numerous bleeding scars and bruises from battling the powerful entity.
The fought battle seemed more like a massacre. Princess Bowsette was powerful and mighty. And yet, she was being annihilated by the Shadow Queen. I feared that she would not last long against the threat.
"This is.. exquisite!" The Shadow Queen exhaled with ecstasy. "Who would have thought that my future vessel would be this resistant! I'm going to enjoy wreaking havoc in it!"
"Like Hell you will!" Bowsette shouted. Her right hand blasted a ray of fire towards her enemy. But with ease, the Shadow Queen deflected it as if it was a fly.
"Please... keep on entertaining me!!"
The evil monster raised a finger to point it at Bowsette. From it, a laser of pure darkened energy shot at her. She evaded the attack, but another beam was already coming at her. She evaded this one as well, but not without being slightly burned by it. The feeling was strange to her. The attack had a burning purpose and it was rare for her to be burnt due to her immunity to fire. But it stung incredibly. And the mad queen of darkness was far from done.
She started shooting at a more rapid pace. Bowsette dodged a lot among them, but many left marks on her. Her speed and reflexes diminished as she kept "dancing" in the Shadow Queen's palm for her life. She was losing an important amount of blood; her dress became a shredded mess and her body started to take the resemblance of the scratching post for a wild tiger.
One beam struck Bowsette's left leg. "AAARGH!" She fell sliding on the rumbles.
The Shadow Queen did not lose time. Her large hand hovered over Bowsette. This one pushed it back with a screaming fire breath. The fiery breath was imposing, mighty and resonating, but the Shadow Queen's hand stayed its position, unfazed by the fire.
Her hand rushed forward and grabbed the Koopa princess, cancelling her flames.
"Your resistance is futile," a wicked grin appeared on the Shadow Queen's face, something that could be defined as devilish. "But please, keep fighting back. I enjoy your anguish!"
She squeezed Bowsette's body. She screamed with uttered agony. She tried to wiggle herself out of the torturous hold, but her strength would not answer her plea to help. The tightening increased around her body, so as her painful scream. Some bones started to break, not helping in her relief.
"Giving up already?" The Shadow Queen said. "Too bad, I was having soooo much fun!"
The battered princess forced herself to form a bloody grin. "Is... that all you got?" She spat blood on her hand. "Pathetic...!"
"Cocky, I see," the enemy replied.
The Shadow Queen released the hold that she had on Bowsette's bruised body. As she fell towards the crushed floor, an enormous fist of darkness came crushing her with untold pain. The impact resonated throughout the entire kingdom like a bolt of thunder striking the earth.
Bowsette's body was an unmovable mess of broken bones that bled more than humanly possible. And yet, despite her paralysis, she forced her eyes filled with hatred towards the towering mass of evil that the Shadow Queen was.
"This... is... ASTONISHING!" The evil queen said. "Who would have thought that Bowser's experience was such a success!"
"Wh... what...?" she said barely, but her enemy ignored her words.
"Don't worry, my child. As soon as I possess your body, all will be fine."
The Shadow Queen levitated Bowsette's body in midair as her evil grin drew her victory. Thick strings of her shady flesh wrapped around the Koopa princess. Very slowly, Bowsette's skin color was changing to a darkened purplish tone. As the progress continued, newfound pain erupted through Bowsette's voice, feeling the dark entity entering her body. She was stubborn; she resisted. Her body was broken, but her spirit still had fangs to bite with.
But how long would her spirit last, I wondered.
While entering her body, the Shadow Queen saw glimpses of Bowsette's life. Among the memories, she stumbled on recent ones; the good moments spent with Master Mario. Since he had become her roommate, things had been nothing short of a blessing in her life. It was not said enough, but this man had done a great deal for her and she recognized that. As the memory of her recent speech flashed towards the evil queen's gaze, she read Bowsette's heart like an open book. The nature of her true feelings was revealed on that moment. This memory was one of utmost importance.
But more than anything, these memories with Mario occupied a vast place in Bowsette's heart. One would say that they gave the princess strength to resist the Shadow Queen.
"Awww, the sweetness!" the Shadow Queen's distorted voice said with sarcasm.
"Get... out! Get out of my head!"
"But wait!" she continued reading her heart with a wicked smile. "You want to tell him, but you don't find yourself worthy of him. You believe that you're a monster that is unwanted. Boo hoo!"
"SHUT UP!"
"You know something?" The Shadow Queen enormous head loomed over Bowsette's body. "You're right. You are unwanted."
"W-what?"
"I mean, seriously! Look at you: you're a freak experiment created by your father. How can anyone love that? The sole purpose of your existence was for my own; to be my vessel. He and I had something in common; we love destruction and chaos. And so, he had this idea to craft you. I mean sure, I could do it in my current form, but... infused in a unique body as yours, my power would be supreme.
"Of course, once done and after a long time, there would have been a dispute on who gets to rule, and I would have probably killed him on the long run. But you know... that idea of the perfect vessel was too appealing to pass! Of course, he and his brats had to die before you grew to adulthood. And that day when I saw you unleash that power... truly majestic!
"And here we are... your body finally mine! As it was meant to be!"
Bowsette did her best to resist, but her body was becoming more and more tainted by the Shadow Queen's hold. The lower half of her body was conquered already. Her resistance was lowering as she found it more difficult to resist her enemy's power.
But the Shadow Queen's words weighted heavy in her heart. And the holding darkness upon her was not helping her. Unwanted, vessel, freak experiment, monster; those words were breaking her spirit. Despite the good times that she had spent with Mario and her new friends from the Mushroom Kingdom, there was a part of her that believed that she did not deserved such happiness. That negative part was growing thick. Perhaps it was meant to be like this, she believed. She did not want to give reason to the devilish force that preyed on her, but being powerless and at her mercy, she found no further reasons to show resistance anymore.
Her only remaining wish was to see Mario one last time.
A bolt of pure light suddenly crashed onto the battle.
The shadowy chains that held Bowsette dissolved into nothingness to let her body fall, free from the Shadow Queen's grasp. The forceful light drove the darkness fiend back, screaming in pain.
Bowsette fell, but not crashing onto the ground. She was welcomed in arms that radiated a holy warmth. A light started embracing her body. Her injuries that were so severe a moment ago healed as if they had never happened. Within a single minute, Bowsette's body was completely restored to full health, minus her elegant dress.
The Koopa princess slowly opened her eyes. Wonder filled her eyes at what she stared at.
An aura of pure light embedded her hero. His eyes dropped into hers accompanied with a warm, gentle and caring smile. Confusion, anger, surprise, relief, and more; there was a blend of all these feelings in her heart as she looked at him. But truth be told, even if she would never scream it on the top of roofs, it was easily concluded that there was one way she felt about seeing him.
She was happy.
Mario let her down on her feet.
"I had it under control." She said moody. "You didn't have to interfere."
"Of-a course I didn't." Mario replied smiling, surprising Bowsette. "But you could have invited me. You know how much I love a party."
Slowly, she smiled too. After the experience that nearly claimed her life, she was happy to see something positive in front her. But more than that, something precious.
After the Shadow Queen had nearly broken her spirit, she could not help but wrap her arms around Master Mario and hold him tightly, as if to be certain that this was reality and not an illusion. Sensing the emergency in her action, Mario did not question the act. He simply replied by holding her in his arms.
"It's really you, isn't it?" she whispered. "It is, right?"
"It's-a me, I assure you."
"Good... just wanted to be sure." Sobbing embedded her voice. Before Mario could turn around, Bowsette wiped the few tears she dropped. "By the way, what's with the glowing?"
"Oh, I—"
The Shadow Queen shouted a scream of pure horror. Her gigantic hands balled to fist Mario and Bowsette. They both dodged, then landed to ready a counter attack.
"Long story short," Mario said. "Kamek gave-a me the Crystal Stars and I absorbed them to have enough strength to go against her!"
"Kamek!" Bowsette growled heavily the name. "Wait until we're done, I'm gonna make him go through Hell and back!"
"We're gonna have to survive-a that first!"
"Count on it!"
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Mario said.
Bowsette sounded infuriated. Of course, it was not against Mario.
The princess suddenly pulsed with power. A wild, fiery and pinkish aura swirled around her as she let out a war cry. Power coming from her rushed out of her like a tornado. The power, rejuvenated by Mario's star-like aura, made her grew phenomenally in size. The little helpless princess that was an inch away from death was no more. Now facing the Shadow Queen was a plumbing warrior hailed by the Mushroom Kingdom and the proud crown of the Koopa realm now the same size of the demonic adversary.
"Is that 'okay' enough for you?" Bowsette grinned her fangs out, sparks of fire coming from her throat.
"That, and so much more!" Mario floated next to her, equally pulsing with power.
"Husband and wife; how cute!" the Shadow Queen snickered, "You may have the power of the Crystal Stars, but how long will your body hold it? It took seven warriors to wield one star each the last time I rose on this earth! You'll die before you can bring me to my knees!"
Bowsette pulled her head back as her throat glowed with a golden light. Master Mario's hand shone and gathered a massive fireball. At the same moment, both unleashed a devastating wave of firepower towards the Shadow Queen. This one raised a magical barrier, but she was still pushed out of the castle to be airborne.
The duo chased her in the sky. In a quick instant, Bowsette was above and punched brutally the Shadow Queen, piercing through her shield and successfully punched her face. The power behind her fist propelled the dark entity crashing down on a deserted ground far from the castle. A massive crater was formed like a meteorite fell. The monster tried standing, but Master Mario's boots found target onto her stomach. Infused with light, the assault twisted the Shadow Queen with pain. And Mario was not going halting as he continued relentlessly circling around her with repeated attacks. As Bowsette landed, she joined in the assault.
If Mario was not attacking her, Bowsette was. If she was not, then he was. The Shadow Queen had virtually no opening to rest nor see an opening through this barrage of kicks, fists, fire breaths and rays of light.
The restless storm of assault that trapped the Shadow Queen was effective to a point that she was slowly losing her gigantic stature. A few minutes passed to see her shrinking to the size of an adult elephant. Compared to her usual size, it was a significant change in her formidable power, now almost diminished.
The Shadow Queen breathed harshly. She could not endure such assault for a long time. Despite the advantage of heroic duo, Mario and Bowsette showed signs of fatigue as well. Bowsette slowly reverted to her usual size. As for Mario, the vibrant glow that he had lost a lot of its luster. He was still ready to do battle, but his body was slowly trembling. Such detail did not escape Bowsette's sight.
"Are you okay?" she asked, exhausted. "You don't look so good."
"I'm-a fine, no worries." Mario said with a drained voice. He did not sound convincing. "One last run, and she's history!"
"Right!" Bowsette agreed.
Bowsette gathered gigantic fireballs in her hands ready to be fired. Mario readied himself to do the exact same act. The Shadow Queen was not long from being annihilated for good.
Alas, Bowsette's observation was proven right when Mario's power suddenly went extinct. As he fell, the seven crystal stars were released from his body and floated back in midair.
"Mario!" Bowsette cancelled her fiery attack and attended to him.
"Damn it..." Mario said weakly. "I reached my limit."
"Fool..." the devilish grin that she had lost returned to the Shadow Queen's face.
She did not lose time to take advantage of this small opening. Her right hand extended in haste towards Mario's weakened body to trap him in her fist. Bowsette shouted for Mario and retaliated with a ray of fire towards the enemy. She dodged it and extended her left arm towards the Koopa princess. She attempted a new fiery attack. It was not fast enough as she was quickly trapped in the Shadow Queen's tightening grasp, save her right arm. She tried firing more fiery assaults with her free arm.
"Enough of this playtime!" The Shadow Queen announced. "Your body will be mine!"
"Over my dead body!" Bowsette countered, trying to fight her enemy's possessing as her skin slowly turned darker once again.
"Working on it!" She squeezed harder and made Bowsette scream out of ruthless pain.
"Let her go!" Mario's shouted with anger and ferocious eyes.
The Shadow Queen pulled her hand that held Mario captive. Despite being a prisoner, he held her face with a threatening gaze.
"You..." she said. "Those seven crystal stars were an incredible pain as you treated me like your personal punching bag. Maybe I should squeeze the life out of you in front of your girlfriend!"
Her fist suddenly summoned black lightning and shocked Mario torturously.
"NO!!" Bowsette shouted. "Let him go!!"
"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this!" she kept on shocking Mario without any intent to stop.
"MARIO, NO!!"
Genuine fear and sadness dressed her facial expression. In the past, such a scene would have made her laugh with all the evil intent in the world. Those days were behind her. She cared for Mario. And now, this precious person was closed to death, and she was powerless to help as her body was continuing to be possessed by the Shadow Queen's essence. Soon she would die alongside with Mario.
Her willpower refused to let it end like that. Her mind was set to go over all limits to save him, but options were nowhere to be found as beads of water started forming in her eyes.
Actually... one option remained.
Her eyes rose to the sky. Floating in midair were the seven crystal stars, still intact and beaming with power; a power that could vanquish the Shadow Queen for good.
Bowsette stretched her free arm towards the gathered stars, pleading and calling with all of her remaining might, but they remained floating in the air, ignoring her call.
The squeeze around Bowsette's body became tighter. She was almost fully covered in the darkened shade of the Shadow Queen's essence.
"You're pathetic," she said stopping Mario's electrocution. His body had stopped moving. "The crystals were meant to be wielded by pure-heart individuals. I know your reputation, Bowsette! I know for too many facts that you don't fit such worthy description!"
"Mario..." Bowsette whispered as she saw his immobile body, fearful and not knowing whether he was unconscious or dead.
"At the end, all of this was for nothing." There was a diabolically victory in her tone. "And as soon as your body is fully tainted, all will be over. So don't worry. All will be fine at last."
The dark shade was overcoming the remainder of her body at a more rapid rate. Despite her urge to resist the overwhelming entity, she knew that death awaited her after this.
...
There were many things that she wanted to experience with him: going out on more dates, getting married, founding a family, growing old and being surrounded by loved ones, etc. Whatever awaited her after death, her only wish was to meet the one and only man she had ever loved. Perhaps fate could give her that, at least.
Fate decided otherwise.
A few instants before complete absorption from the Shadow Queen, a group of voices spoke to Bowsette in unison. Those voices resonated through her heart.
Child, we hear your plea and we are listening, they said.
"Wh-who is this?"
We are the Seven Of One. Eons ago, we and the Shadow Queen were deities of the same clan, watching over this world. But her ambitions grew with lust and greed to a point that she desired our powers to design her own dominion over all creation. A bitter war on the celestial plane was waged and lasted for countless centuries. Then one day, we had finally locked her away with our own essences carried by these seven crystals.
"Is Mario okay?"
The young hero named Mario was worthy of our power due to the purity of his heart. Yet he could not exploit the entirety of our combined power because of his composition. Alas, he is a breath away from death.
"Please... save him!"
We have heard your plea and we are listening, child. Unlike him, your body was made to harness greater power; a power like ours. But...
"But...?"
Such combined power like ours... No matter the robustness of your body, to vanquish the Shadow Queen once and for all, you would have to use all of our might. Such action could, regrettably, end your life...
Bowsette never saw herself as a hero, but at the moment, she was the one and only last line of defense against a rising era of darkness and chaos. She could not care less about such heroic responsibilities or deeds or even about the entire globe. At this moment, she wanted to be a hero.
Not for the world, just for one person.
"I'll do it." Her voice echoed with hardened resolve.
Child, the gods said, before our power is bestowed to you, reveal to us your heart's purity with this one question.
"My heart's purity?" Bowsette was surprised to know that she had a pure heart.
Why do you desire to save him?
While unable to gaze at her own self, she knew too well that she smiled to the question. Hence this was the proof of her heart's purity. It was the one and only element that was genuine and true in her heart.
"Because..." she said, "Because I love him."
...
Bowsette's body exploded in divine light.
The burst of holy power was so strong that it annihilated the Shadow Queen's hand. This one shrieked in extreme pain forcing her to let go of Mario's body. She was certain to have finally assimilated the Koopa princess's body, but the running pain that she bore was telling otherwise.
She gazed at the new and celestial phenomenon that princess Bowsette had become. The Shadow Queen trembled in fear and anger, familiar of such threat. Even with Bowsette's divine glow and her new eyes of gold, she recognized the auras pulsing through her person.
The Seven of One.
"Shadow Queen," Bowsette's voice echoed along with the seven deities.
"YOU BACKSTABBING, TRAITOROUS BASTARDS!!" a raw wrath erupted for her voice. "HOW DARE YOU!!"
"Sister," the eight voices resonated, "we always hoped for you to see reason and wisdom to turn away from your evil path in your imprisonment. Alas, we realize the eons that passed only nourished your hatred and greed. You leave us no choice..."
"YOU WANT HATRED? I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU! YOU ARE ALL BENEATH ME, YOU WEAKLINGS!!"
Like a little fire being nourished by a generous wind, the Shadow Queen grew enormously in size and regained the form that she possessed before. Flying upwardly with an eon-aged fury fueling her, her hands gathered a massive sphere of negative magic shaped as a sun made with dark fire. There was no doubt that such assault would destroy the entire world.
And yet, Bowsette's expression remained still. One emotion, nevertheless, was slightly seen on her face: pity. The Seven of One was forced to act to save all existence. And that, it seemed, at the cost of their sibling corrupted and lost in evil.
"So be it."
Bowsette rose to the sky as eight majestic wings sprouted from her back, turning her into an outstanding goddess-like figure. Seven luminous and tall blades were instantly summoned around her. As she dashed towards the Shadow Queen, these blades merged into one colossal sword of holiness.
In a devilish scream, the Shadow Queen launched her monumental dark sun towards the divine Bowsette.
"YOU WILL ALL DIE FOR GOOD THIS TIME!!! DIIIIIE!!!!"
Unfazed by her threatening words, Goddess Bowsette flew faster towards the crushing menace. In a speed as fast and blinding as lightning, she passed through the dark sphere and annihilated it swiftly as it dissolved harmlessly.
Utter shock paralyzed the Shadow Queen. She just stood there in the air, seeing the hasting Grim Reaper in the godly Bowsette readying the swing of her sword towards her. If such dominance and powerfulness had topped her deadliest assault in her arsenal, what else could she hope to accomplish against such a foe?
Bowsette cut through the Shadow Queen as if she cut through water. The Shadow Queen lashed a loud scream and exploded in a million sparks of light. Finally! She was vanquished, and for good!
Goddess Bowsette landed back on the ground as she observed those sparks being scattered throughout the empty landscape and the Koopa Kingdom, on ground and air. A blessing rained the land and the sky. The ground grew luxurious greenery throughout the entire territory, giving birth to grass, flowers of all colors and majestic maple trees. The black curtain of thunderous clouds that had always ruled this land dissipated and let the countless stars of the universe shine their stellar lights upon it.
It was a miracle!
"Bowsette?" a voice called her. "Is-a... that you?"
Her divine self turned around to see Master Mario. Though his clothing was torn at various places, he had been rejuvenated anew by the deities's divine aura. He was happy to see her well, but his current curiosity was aimed at the goddess that stood in front of him.
She approached him. As she set her eyes on him, she welcomed him with warmth and kindness in her eyes of gold. The godlike entity laid her hand on Mario's cheek. Mario did not understand the gesture, but he welcomed it with a smile of his own as he laid his hand on hers.
"Thank you," the eight voices said in unison.
A sudden column of light erupted from Bowsette and shot upward to the night sky, carrying the Seven of One to their heavenly realm. The light died down and the godhood that she carried was gone. Bowsette had returned to her normal self.
To Mario's surprise, the young lady fell exhausted. Mario caught her just in time. Other than her wine-red dress, she looked perfectly fine, but none could know the toll that harvesting seven gods could take on a body. Mario called her name a few times in worry. She slowly, but finally, opened her blue eyes.
"Are you all right?" Mario asked.
"I'm sorry, Mario..." she said with a softened voice.
"What-a for?"
"Your princess is in another castle." She smiled in a hazy way.
Mario hummed a laugh of relief to her joke. "Actually... she is right here in my arms."
Bowsette's expression changed to surprise, then to a serene joy that was expressed by her smile and a single tear from her left eye. It was not an exaggeration to say that she had wanted to hear those words for some time. Perhaps she had waited all of her life. And it finally happened. Her wish came true; someone loved her. That was all that she desired.
Her hand found Mario's cheek. There was a weakness in her gesture. "I... I wish I had... more time..."
"More time?" Mario questioned.
He did not understand those words. But before he could ask for their meaning, her eyes delicately shut to leave a serene smile as her hand cherishing his face fell.
Mario called her, but no answer. He thought that the battle fought had brought her great fatigue; if only it was such matter. Mario kept calling her, but Bowsette did not answer. Her body felt colder, her skin tone was paler and her heart barely audible.
He broke in panicking tears holding his beloved in his arms as he shouted her name in despair and fear of losing her.