Bowser awoke from a dream, and as he always did these days, immediately began looking around at his body to make sure that it was still they way it was.

Sometimes he hoped, even prayed to the Star Spirits, that he would wake up and everything would be back to the way it was, and he would be Bowsette once again. He had squandered his time ruling over a country he didn’t want to rule, living a life he didn’t care to win, all because he thought that conquering the Mushroom Kingdom would make him happy.

Obviously, it did not, and now just as his opportunity was gone for good he realized that the Super Crown may have been what made him happy after all, if only for a brief time.

The tank he inhabited was currently returning still to Lava Land, where it would emerge at Bowser’s Castle and probably force him into a big parade with a hero’s welcome and force the adoring populace on him, the thought of which made him queasy.

“Hey Kammy,” he asked. “Is there any way we could skip the formalities and maybe... just go through a back entrance to the castle or something? No celebrations or anything, please.”

Kammy chuckled. “You know, we thought you were dead,” she said. “When our spies reported that the villa on Vibe Island had exploded, we assumed that there was some accident and you were incinerated in the blast. Then come to find out you were that devious Peach lookalike all along! Genius, I do say so myself.”

“Yeah, it... was a good plan.”

“Even so...”

The tank suddenly got a whole lot bumpier. They seemed to be ascending towards the surface again.

“Even so?” Bowser asked.

“You should have stayed dead, my Lord,” Kammy said. “The new Emperor isn’t going to have a good purpose for you, you know.”

“What?”

The tank emerged at the surface and stopped. Everyone got out, and a thousand troops stood before them, with one person at the center.

The new leader of Dark Land.

“Oh my Brighton,” Bowser exclaimed. It couldn’t be.