A.N - This was inspired by a roleplay that I had with a friend. This is also my first fanfic on my new account, because I just wanted to start off fresh. Anyway, hope you guys like this, and if you wish to criticize this, please do so constructively.

It is a starry night in the Mushroom World. Stars twinkle faintly, with the moon shining above all.

But despite the weather, this story is one of gloom.

There once existed a small village, not very far from the fabled Mushroom Kingdom. This village contains of 3 buildings of wood, with around a dozen innocent Toads within. All does not seem energetic. All seems calm. Some speak to one another, others simply rest.
Elsewhere, a large, familiar figure trudges through the area. It is Bowser, the king of Koopas, and mass arsonist and kidnapper. He had seemed...livid this night. And with his rage comes destructive nature. He had to destroy something...but what? He suddenly sees the village, and not long after, a grin slowly grows on the king's maw. Attempting to keep himself in the shadows, he begins to slowly approach the village.

Not a single resident in the villages catch wind of the great king...but not before long, a stream of bright orange strikes the cabins, with said cabins very quickly catching fire afterwards. Immediately, the Toads start to panic, screaming in horror and running in desperation. The buildings' foundations fail shortly after - starting to collapse. Portions of burning wood land onto the majority of the innocents, crushing and burning the poor souls simultaneously.
However, the Koopa King did not feel satisfied. He simply fires another stream of orange flames at the cabins; in an attempt to speed his crime's progress. Thus, by this point, one building had fully collapsed, still burning bright. All inhabitants in said cabin had died. Shortly does another one collapse - only to have the same results. Now, only one stands. With a growl, the king spews one final stream of fire to destroy the final cabin - and in short time does it do so. The king had completed another arson - and there were no survivors on top of it.
Standing over the burning splinters and planks, the king just chuckles at the mess he had made, and begins to walk away from the scene.

However...somebody had watched this all. Somebody had wanted to follow the king, and was downright horrified by this crime. He hides behind a tree, in an ever so desparate attempt to hide. Unfortunately, the great king could already sense his presence...although he could recognize it. He begins to try and find the figure, looking around for him. When the king's back is turned, the figure does not hesitate in trying to slowly walk away, but not before looking at the burning village one final time...he could only wonder if anyone had survived.
Before the small figure could ponder more, the king sees a glimpse of the figure. A tuft of red. He begins to approach the figure slowly, but surely. However, the figure quickly notices this, and with a fearful gasp, he tries to flee and hide. But it was futile - the king had already got a grip on him. The figure yelps, quickly throwing his small paws to his mouth. Bowser lets out a huff of frustration. Suddenly, his red eyes widen when he realizes who the small figure is. Bowser Jr..
"...Jr.?" He asks, rather confused.

Jr. just whimpers, slowly looking up at his father. He knew he would be punished for this. But he couldn't help but just show...concern. Concern for the horrifying arson that happened before his beady eyes. The Koopa King speaks up again. "...What're you doing here? You should be at home..." The king just sighs out. Shivering, Jr. tries to speak, but his voice seems shaky. "I-I was going-I mean-I w-was at home and-b-but-!" The small child looks at the burning village again, with absolute horror showing in his eyes. Bowser quickly notices this, and tries to comfort Jr.. "Um-T-That's nothing, Jr., i-it'll be fine-!" Bowser says, clearly out of desperation.

However, Jr. could not help but just...stare at this crime. "...B-But-you did that...I-Is that normal-?!" He whimpers out. "-Well, when you're angry-!" The Koopa father replies, a bit worried. The boy blinks, surprised with this response. He had known that the Koopa species do not get well with Toads, but this? He did not expect this. "B-But-Papa, you h-hurt people! You didn't say we had to do that-!" The child says, still rather frightened. The king blinks, before speaking up once more. "-Y-You don't! It's just how I do it!" Bowser tries to answer.

"...W-Why?!" The boy asks, becoming progressively more scared. "-Because I was angry, Jr.!" The Koopa King answers. "But you hurt them-! Really super bad-!" The heir states the obvious, before continuing his sentence. "-A-And they were really scared...!" The Koopa prince also states. "-I know, but it's what I do when I'm in a bad mood! A really bad one-! I can't just keep it in, Jr., I had to-take it out on somebody...!" The arsonist king says, still worried over his child. "-But you hurt them really, really bad!" He tries to counter Bowser. "-I know...!" Bowser answers again.

Suddenly, the heir looks at the village again, trying to see where the poor victims are. However, he couldn't spot anything. "...W-What did you do t-to them...?" Jr. whimpers out. Bowser just sighs, petting the young boy's head. "...Well...here's the thing...they ran away, Jr.. They're okay..." The king lies to Jr., still stroking the child's head. However, this confuses the young one. "...I-I didn't see them...!" He says, worried. "...Well, they did." The king tries to explain this obvious lie to Jr.. "-B-But I didn't see them-!" The boy repeats, sounding more fearful in tone. "-Well, they did!" Bowser also repeats.

However, the young one doesn't respond. He just stares at the village again, still very concerned that something is indeed very, very wrong. The Koopa King reacts by embracing his child. "...It's okay, Jr.." The prince freezes, but soon, his body relaxes. The king nuzzles the boy's face softly, who cautiously wraps his small arms around his father's shoulders. "...Will they be okay?" He asks one more time. "...Sure, they will..." Bowser responds, in a gentle tone of voice. "...Promise...?" The little one asks for confirmation. "...Promise." The king responds, sighing. Jr. tries to block out the fires, simply resting his chin on Bowser's large shoulder. The king sighs, still holding his son close.

Despite trying to avoid looking at this arson, the child could still sense it in the background. The heat from close swift by his face, and the musty, burning scent enters his nostrils. However, Jr. keeps his head turned, starting to whimper again. "...Papa...I wanna go home..." He begs softly. Bowser nuzzles Jr. as a response, before replying. "...Alright...we're going, okay...?" The boy sighs quietly. "...Okay..." And with that, the king begins to walk away from this scene, but the heir takes one final look at the burnt down area. Despite what he had been told, he still could only wonder where the Toads would flee. He simply looks down at the ground, trying not to think of what he had just seen.

Not long after, rain had suddenly appeared, falling to the skies, and beginning to extinguish the flames dancing about on the destroyed village. Flinching from this sudden change of weather, Jr. whimpers and shivers, trying to keep close to Bowser for warmth. The king hushes the child lightly, before placing the heir's head onto his own large chest, just sighing again. Oh, how he had regretted doing such a crime. He had feared that at least one family member of his would catch him doing such a thing, whether it be in the midst of the arson, or in a report of sorts. And the moment he had dreaded had become a reality. He had no idea if he would commit this crime again...

end

"And that's that for this story. It may be short or something, but I hope that it isn't-I seem to have a problem where I can't write good stories above a few hundred words. Anyway, hope you liked this, and once more, if you are here to criticize, please do be constructive.