The Conqueror’s forces had been decimated.

They had held out as long as they could, but nearly every single soldier of theirs had been destroyed. They were confined to a single fort, one that had only held together this long because the Koopa Troop army had suddenly broken off.

Lemmy laid on the floor, injured badly from the fight and barely conscious. Ludwig stood over him and tried to make him feel comfortable. For if they didn’t have a medic...

Wait.

The Conqueror looked through his binoculars out the window and saw... some sort of army advancing. It did not fly the Morton Koopa insignia on its flag. In fact, it had no flag at all.

As they got closer, he realized he distinctly recognized a few faces there.

That was... Bowsette! The Lordess herself had returned! Oh, what a day! What a day!

Soon, the armies had merged, the Grand Unity Army as it was called, and the Conqueror’s dwindling soldiers, numbering only thirty-five... counting his brothers.

Bowsette took one look at him and ran up to him, crouching down and hugging him around the neck. This was a great relief, but... it was awfully familiar of her.

She then saw her brothers, each of them wounded in various areas, and most especially Lemmy, and embraced each of them as well. A medic quickly came and took Lemmy with them, but the rest were left to deal with their wounds on their own.

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“Lordess Bowsette, sir,” the Conqueror said. “We are so glad you are here. Morton...”

“My boys... I’m so sorry it took so long. I’m... so sorry.” She burst into tears and held her hands against her face.

Her... boys?

Then, when another female approached and put her hand on Bowsette’s shoulder, it hit the Conqueror like a Bob-omb to the face.

That woman there was Princess Peach, dressed up in pink battle armor and her hair cut short.

And Bowsette... her horns, her tail, her demeanor... It all made sense now.

“Wendy! Is that you?” he asked. “Are you Bowsette? Why are you working with Peach?”

“Wh... What?” Bowsette asked. “I-- wait. Koopalings, I... I need to explain to you something very important. This is a bad time, because we need to keep advancing as fast as possible.”

Bowser Jr. spoke up. “Are you my mama? Are you Papa’s wife?”

She shed a few tears and smiled. “Your father Bowser never left you. In fact, he’s... here. Bowser is... me. I’m... This is my body now. The way I want to present myself. And I know you may not be able to process this right now, but I want really much to be there for you as a moth-- as a parent. Because... Because... I love you!”

She broke down in tears. It... suddenly made perfect sense. Bowser hadn’t died. Bowser... had become Bowsette. She was so protective, so demanding because... that was her job as a mother. Wow.

Each of the Koopalings here-- Morton Jr., Bowser Jr., Ludwig, and the Conqueror approached her and hugged her in a circle.

“We love you, Mama,” Bowser Jr. said.

“I love you too...”

Peach kneeled down and added to the hug, trying to comfort her. “And your wife loves you too...”

The Koopalings stopped in shock. “Wait, what?”