Merlon was gone. Bowsette had absolutely no idea where he went, but there was a charred marking on the ground where he had previously stood.

And now the Mushroom Soul floated in front of all of them.

Toadette had fainted. Goombella and Captain Toad each were cowering behind Luigi, who was cowering behind a tree. Only Mario, Peach, and Bowsette could stand before it and keep themselves strong.

Though Bowsette had to admit she was very worried about this.

"Is it... doing anything?" Peach asked.

Mario separated his feet as if he was going to lunge at it in a sudden attack. Don't jump, man! Don't...

It seemed like it was staring at Bowsette directly. It did not have eyes, but its gaze was still piercing and sharp.

It stuck a hand over Mario's head, and a surge of electric energy zapped around in, flashing in a nearly-blinding brightness. But when it stopped, nothing had changed. Mario had no innate magic inside of him, so this was to be expected. He was a human from another world, one where magic did not exist.

Peach however, was a pure-blooded Toadstool Royal, and the Mushroom Soul was sticking its hand towards her now.

Bowsette realized what was going on and pushed Peach out of the way. She spread both her arms wide. "Mushroom! Take me instead! I have come to bargain with you!"

It seemed to accept this, and placed both its hands on top of Bowsette's head. The Super Crown atop it lost its glow and fell off her head, but she did not immediately transform back into the Koopa she was on the inside. Instead, she began to glow herself, and then--

---

Bowsette found herself in an ethereal realm, glowing with an infinite array of colors swirling about like the inside of a rainbow star.

She could not see herself. Her entire physical form had been erased. Instead, she saw several bodies floating around above her. Her body as Bowser, regal and posed like a true King Koopa sitting at a throne. Her body as a half-human, with a long black gown and one that modestly covered up the cleavage she usually let hang out for her own amusement. There was also Giga Bowser, a form she had not utilized in a long time due to the strain on her body it usually took. There was herself as a baby, pouting and insufferable like she had always been, and herself as Dry Bowser, a husk of bones and pure, refined fury. And then hailing above them all was a mighty dragon, as if Bowsette had somehow been turned into an animalistic beast and was roaring down at its enemies.

And then Merlon appeared. But he did not acts as Merlon would, not gaping or sneering or grimacing. He simply stood in place with no expression on his face.

"You are the being who is referred to as Bowsette," Merlon said. "I am the Mushroom Soul."

"Merlon, what's happened to you? What's happened to... me?"

"I am the Mushroom Soul. This host was absorbed for study," Merlon...'s body said. "Magic in all its forms has many different types, many different uses. This host has seen much."

"So we're... dead?"

"I have absorbed you of your own request. However, you are not useful to me. You have nothing inside of you."

"What are you talking about? I am the Lordess Bowser, King of the Koopas, the White Knight of the Books-"

"You do not have a soul of magic to study," it said. "Your power is ancestral. It lies within your blood. It is not useful and I cannot interact with it."

"But... But... at the castle, you sealed my magic power!" If she had a form here, she would be pointing up to the various versions of herself circling above, pleading for it to look at them and realize.

"I did no such thing. The magic I took when I was first brought together as one was very minimal; it was a Star Shard fragment used as the essence on a weapon, and it was a transformation spell in the form of a minor power-up. I studied them but I did not need to."

Bowsette was confused.

"I'm confused."

"Your magic is not something that is relevant to my study," it explained. "Your power is a part of your being and not an essence of soul. Its only limits are your own self, and that is not a useful endeavor for what I wish to learn."

So... her magic WASN'T sealed?

It was... herself all along? She was inhibiting herself? What a cliche that was!

"Well then, dammit, let me out of here! And give us back Merlon, too!"

"I cannot do that, being known as Bowsette," it said. "The Merlon soul is powerful and I desire it. I will give it back when I am done."

"What about me then?"

"You accepted giving yourself up to me. I appreciated the gesture and took it."

"Well, that was before I knew... come on, soul guy!"

Merlon's body faded, and so did the forms floating above. Now there was nothing in her field of vision except for this massive sphere of color. "Very well. I will consider Merlon as the piece of offering to give you back what I took from you. It will be a bargain, that way, then."

"So you're..."

"Giving you back the Super Crown and Star Shard energies. And letting you go. Nothing more than that. I have no desire to grant anything further."

Bowsette didn't like Merlon, but she really didn't think it was exactly fair that he was suddenly some sort of bargaining chip. But her conscience was overruled by the logic that she was dealing with a being of entirely different rules than her morality system, and let it go.

"I accept," Bowsette said. "Thank you."

"I do not understand what that means."

And then--

---

Bowsette appeared again, but in full lizard form, now once again eight feet tall and with her mannish scaly face. The Mushroom Soul floated away as quickly as it came, but now Bowsette was here... as Bowser.

She noticed the dazed expressions of the faces of the six others looking at her, and froze up. She didn't like the looks on their faces. She didn't like looking like this. But... there were two objects in her hands; a Star Shard, and a Super Crown, both glowing and ready for use.

As quickly as she could, she grabbed the Super Crown and placed it on her head, transforming back into the princess-esque form she held so dearly to herself.

The Star Shard was useless so she tossed it aside,

"What happened?" asked Peach. "You were there, and then suddenly..."

"Kakakaka," Bowsette laughed. "Kakakaka! Kakakakakakakaka!"

From the shell on her back suddenly sprouted two large wings, black as night and matching perfectly the color of her dress. As she continued to cackle, she took off into the sky, flying around in the air and spinning in circles.

She was back! She was Bowsette, King Koopa, Lordess of the Mushroom Kingdom, Supreme Commander of the Koopa Troop, the Molten Mistress- who cared what kind of stupid title she had? She was BACK!

"Kakakakaka!" Bowsette aimed her head upwards and a jet of fire burst forth, singing the trees below from the sheer intensity of the heat.

From up here she could see the world before her. Shroom City to the east. Mt. Rugged to the south. Jewelry Land to the north. And out to the west, far enough that her eyesight could barely reach the distance, she saw the mountainous edge of Dark Land. Her home.

The home she would take back.

She let her wings draw back into her shell and fell to the ground, floating gently with the Super Crown's gravity-defying dress.

When she landed, the six allies who had helped her stared in complete non-comprehension.

She didn't explain. Instead she stomped right up to Princess Peach, grabbed her by both cheeks, and pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips met and weaved into each other, and Peach put her arms around Bowsette's neck to keep her close. Bowsette warmed up her lips just a smidge, making each moment of this kiss burn with the fiery passion she felt on the inside.

But after only a few seconds, Peach broke away and slapped Bowsette across the cheek yet again. Ow!

"What happened, Bowsette? Please explain," she commanded.

"Well, I-" Bowsette felt her lips and realized there was pink lipstick on them. "I bargained with the Mushroom Soul. I got my powers back."

"And Merlon?"

"He... didn't make it."

She wasn't going to tell her that her powers had been all just a mental block all along, that Merlon was the bargaining chip she had used to gain back her own life. Nor would she explain that the Mushroom Soul was on some sort of quest for knowledge and that leaving it to roam was one of the most dangerous things they could ever do.

Instead, she would let all of them focus on the task at hand. Which was mourning a lost ally, even if he was a creep.

"I'm sorry," Bowsette added.

"Well, at least you're back," Luigi said. "That means we can... er... you can search for help!" Of course Luigi was going to back out of this as soon as he was able. He was like Boom Boom in that regard.

"No, I will certainly need your help," Bowsette said. "I need my Generals back, but I have not been able to find any word of King Boo. Given your-"

Bowsette fell to the ground and passed out.