Disclaimer: The characters of the Marioverse are copyright Nintendo. They own the whole lot of them. The names of Bowser's parents were taken from the Super Mario Wiki.
Off: So I've decided to give this a shot. I only discovered this website a few days ago. I've always wanted to write a story circulating around Bowser, but lacked the motivation. But after reading several hilarious one-shots, very cute BowserxPeach stories, and the particularly exciting Super Koopas trilogy by Walkazo, I felt inspired to take a stab at it. So, enjoy!
Fiction rating: T (cartoon violence, mild coarse language, some mature material)
Super Bowser Adventure
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**Morton's Castle, Dark Land; 40 years ago**
"Kamella, when's all 'da wain gonna end? I wanna go owt and pway! I'm tired of weading all dese stupid books!" The young toddler, Prince Bowser Koopa, looked up at the Magikoopa with pleading eyes, but she refused to acknowledge his complaint.
"Even if it wasn't storming, child, I would never even think of letting you outside. You have fallen incredibly far behind in your studies, Prince Bowser. Your father will have my neck if you don't finish the assignments he's left for you." She responded as she kept her stone cold eyes transfixed on the young Koopa Prince.
"Why should I cawe what daddy wants? I don't even know what he 'wooks like! Daddy only cawes abowt his stupid peewce talks! Kamek told me dat his pawanoia is gonna be da end of him." Bowser scowled. He snorted out a puff of smoke to reiterate his disgust.
Kamella glared at the young prince. She rarely lost her temper, anybody in Dark Land could attest to this verity. But nothing irked the Magikoopa more than when somebody began to badmouth her superior, King Morton Koopa. After all, Kamella had been serving in the Koopa Troop since the days of Prince Bowser's grandparents.
For all her years of dedication, she was given the honor of being the caretaker of the heiress to the throne, Clawdia Koopa. Clawdia's parents died when she was 5 years of age and Kamella was saddled with the 13 year-long task of preparing the princess for her ascension to the throne. Two months before her coronation, she fell for a young, adventurous Morton Koopa.
Clawdia considered the days spent courting the current Koopa King some of the best of her life. So she was not at all surprised when Morton popped the question the day before the coronation ceremony. Clawdia handled it in a manner she saw best fit: she held both ceremonies on the same day. Clawdia relinquished most of her powers as the heiress to the Koopa throne to Morton. In return, Morton had named Kamella as his Chief Advisor and allowed her two children, Kammy and Kamek Koopa, to enter the Koopa Troop as Kamella's assistants.
Kamella was disheartened to hear the prince stating Kamek's negative opinion on Morton's approach to politics in recent months. Morton came to the throne in the midst of troublesome times for the Koopa Kingdom. Dark Land's army was in a state of disarray. The neighboring kingdoms took advantage of this weakness and began expanding their borders, intending to erase the Koopa Kingdom from the map. In the initial months of his rule, Morton suffered several humiliating losses that resulted in Dark Land losing nearly 60% of its existing territory.
But the loses only fueled Morton's desire to leave his mark upon both the world and the history books. His goal was to put Dark Land back on the map. Morton would then begin his imperialistic dominance by restructuring the entire army, under Kamella's guidance. He also commissioned the creation of new war machines such as Bill Blasters and Bomb-Omb Cannons. He then established alliances with the rather small Kremling and Boo populaces. Both tiny factions jumped at the opportunity to acquire new territory and boost morale amongst their people.
With their assistance he launched his first military strike and steamrolled through the Mushroomian, BeanBean, and Sarasaland armies to take back all the territory Morton had lost before reaching a ceasefire. This first campaign saw Morton frequently outnumbered, lacking in supplies, and poorly positioned for launching attacks. But using brilliant tactical maneuvers, Morton made his foes cringe in fear and flee with their tails between their legs.
Morton returned home ten years later and was hailed as one of the greatest heroes in Koopian history. After two years of inactivity, Morton launched his second campaign. This second, 15-year campaign nearly doubled the size of Dark Land. Morton stretched the kingdom from the southern Koopihari Desert on the border with the BeanBean Kingdom to the northern Koopfar Mountains bordering Sarasaland to the eastern city of Rogueport bordering the Mushroom Kingdom. He also acquired a few of the islands in Dinosaur Land.
He returned home to his wife and castle once more. His intention was to stay for only one week and then promptly leave for an expedition into the Waffle Kingdom. But on the day he was set to leave, his wife informed him that she was pregnant. Morton called off the expedition and stayed with his wife to offer morale support. Despite his intentions to stay with his wife and raise the child to the best of his abilities, Morton was heartbroken when Kamella informed him that the Waffle, BeanBean, and Mushroom Kingdoms had joined with Sarasaland and the Yoshi Tribe to launch an all out attack on Dark Land.
The bloody skirmish lasted two grueling months. During that time, Clawdia laid Bowser's egg and fell deathly ill due to complications with the pregnancy. Morton had somehow managed to hold Dark Land's ground, but the massive amounts of carnage had transformed the once iron-nerved king. The leaders of Morton's rival nations were bitter and bloodthirsty as a result of their losses. Morton feared for the safety of his castle, his wife, and his unborn son.
Morton returned to the castle once more. But he was unable to shake the thoughts of another all-out attack from his mind. The horrors of his nightmares drove him into a state of constant paranoia. Morton began arresting government officials left and right; he accused them of being spies for Morton's rivals. Clawdia, having been cured of her ailments, recommended that Morton call for peace talks. But the Koopa King refused to unless Clawdia accompanied him. The Koopa Queen was resilient, fearing Bowser would hatch while she was away. But when the arrests persisted, she gave in.
Their first stop was the Mushroom Kingdom, due to its location perilously close to Dark Land's capital, Koopa Memorial City, and Morton's Castle. But the seven Mushroom Kings and King Toadstool proved to be stubborn negotiators. And the days turned into weeks and then into months. Clawdia demanded that Morton allow her to return home and send Kamella, Kammy, or Kamek in her stead. Morton refused, saying that he needed Clawdia and her incredible healing powers in case Toadstool sent an assassin after him.
Bowser's egg hatched when the third month of negotiations began. Kammy Koopa begged the royal Koopas to return, saying that it wouldn't be long before Bowser began speaking and asking about his parents. Morton ordered Kamella to began an incredibly strict and rigorous training regiment with the infant prince to distract him from the thought of his parents. Clawdia was outraged by Morton's rash actions.
As the third month of negotiations wore on, Bowser proved to be a prodigy as far as mutilated Koopas went. He was already walking, speaking, creating shockwaves, and billowing smoke. To make matters worse, Kammy's prediction came true. The prince began asking about his parents; the Magikoopa trio could do nothing but dodge the prince's questions. But Bowser only became more persistent, thinking up abstract methods by which to worm the truth out of the Magikoopas.
In order to ease the prince, Kamek provided him with a small, framed photo of his parents from their courtship days. However it only further aroused the prince's curiosity. He started throwing temper tantrums, tearing up parts of the castle, and harassing members of the Koopa Troop. Kamek tried to assure the prince that his parents were only doing what they were doing because they loved him. But there was little anybody could do to soothe the prince.
At the conclusion of the month, the negotiations broke so that both sides could consider the peace options on the table. The royal Koopas were sped home, eager with anticipation to see their little prince. But when they reached the castle they found King K. Rool, the Kremling leader, angrily storming around the castle, demanding that Morton and Clawdia renew the terms of their alliance. He shooed them away to his castle before they could even get so much as a glance at their son.
By the time they had renewed the alliance, they were do back at Toadstool's castle. Morton told Kamella to up Bowser's training by giving him texts to read. Kamella followed the king's orders, but Prince Bowser was only getting more restless. The trio of Magikoopas was forced to dodge questions for another grueling three months. Morton continued to add more to Prince Bowser's already stunning workload, and Kamella continued to strictly oversee all aspects of Bowser's life.
Kamella knew that her superiors would be returning to the castle in a few hours. However, Morton and Clawdia would only be stopping by to collect Kammy and Kamek. The plan was to have them come in through the castle's secret entrance so as to remain undetected by the prince. They would meet up with the Magikoopa siblings, and then set out once again. Clawdia and Kamek would be bound for Sarasaland to begin peace talks there while Morton and Kammy would return to Toadstool's castle…
"HEY, KAMEWA! I'M TALKIN' TO YA OVAH HEWE, SO LISTEN!" The prince shouted, interrupting her chain of thought.
"What do you want now?" Kamella asked, through gritted teeth.
"I said, I'm hungwy! Go get me sometin' to eat wight now!" Bowser ordered.
"Not until you finish the chapter I assigned." She responded. Bowser's eyes widened and face creased into a glare.
"No." He smirked as he refuted the Chief Advisor's order. "I've been weading for howahs, Kamewa! It's almost suppah time, and I'm HUNGWY!" The prince growled. "So what awe you waiting for? Get me some food!" Now it was Kamella's turn to glare at the prince.
"Excuse me, I gave you an order! You are to finish this chapter or you will go hungry tonight, young man! Are we clear?"
"No, I don't wanna!" The prince spat back.
"Then you can have a big, fat helping of nothing for dinner! And you'll remain in your room for the rest of the night while you think about your behav–"
"MOTHER!" Kamella whirled around to see her son, Kamek in the doorway. "You're working the poor prince to death! King Morton wouldn't want to see his own flesh and blood being worked like a race Yoshi!"
"His Royal Koopaness gave me a direct order, Kamek. Unless you want to join the prince for his timeout I suggest you leave right now."
"Why do you have to be so stubborn and old-fashioned all the time? Can't you see the kid is miserable right now? At least let him get a little bit of light!" Kamella couldn't believe her own son was saying this to her. Kamek walked over to the prince and took his hand. "Come, young prince, we're going to go for a nice little walk."
"Fine." Snorted Bowser. "As long as it gets me away fwom dis annoying old hag!" He sticks his tongue out at Kamella.
"OLD HAG? I'll have you know that I am a beautiful young thing and I'm in the prime of my youth right now!" Kamella retorted.
"Mother, you just turned 346 a couple of days ago." Kamek pointed out as he led the prince out of the room.
"Kamek, where are your manners? You're never supposed to talk about a woman's age, let alone your own mother's! When I was your age, my mother would give me fifty lashing for speaking out of turn like that. Then your grandfather would force me to recite the most difficult incantations he could think of until they were to his satisfaction. After that I would have to–" As the Chief Advisor continued to ramble on, both Kamek and the prince tuned her out and began ascending the nearby staircase.
"Come, my prince, we will find you something to eat."
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"Oh, my king and queen, you must believe me! The situation has gone from bad to worse." Kammy Koopa stared into her crystal ball. On the other end of the line were her superiors. "Our medical staff report that 20 Koopa Troopas were sent to the medical ward with severe facial burns… and that was just yesterday."
"It's not a problem. I'll just provide more material for–" Morton began but was instantly cut off by his mate.
"Morton, get your head out of the clouds! You've tried to contemplate for our absence by saddling our own son with a truckload of work. And you've had Kamella watching over him like a hawk." Clawdia hissed. "Morton, I know you think you have all of our best interests in mind… but you've crossed the line at leaving our son alone for MONTHS while you've chased after these so-called 'nightmares!'"
"I'm afraid I must agree with her highness." Kammy interjected. "Morton, your approval rating is at the lowest it's been since your string of defeats when you first claimed the throne. Without the war time economy situation we've been in for the last 25 years, we've been forced to cut tens of thousands of jobs. My liege, I'm afraid that we can't continue these negotiations without driving our nation into the ground."
"Sometimes sacrifices need to be made. Once we've made peace with these beans and humans we can establish trade relations and all those lost jobs will be right back with their original owners!"
"Morton, sweetie, you're being thick-shelled." Clawdia exclaimed. "You've let this paranoia cloud your judgment."
"It's not paranoia!" Morton roared in protest. "I'm the Koopa King! I'm acting in my nation's best interest. I cannot safely conquer the world like I've dreamed of. These last campaigns have done nothing but create more enemies. We cannot continue on this path. There must be peace! There must be peace so that our son can come to the throne and usher in an age of prosperity for our kingdom!"
"Whatever happened to the courageous and strong Koopa that I married? The same Koopa that used to take me inside volcanoes and exploring streams of acid… did he die with all those Koopa Troopas in the Great War? Or is he hiding from all these 'nightmares?'" Morton looked over and saw tears forming in his mate's eyes.
"C-C-Clawdia. Please…"
"Your greatness, Kammy the Wise! Requesting entrance immediately!" A voice called into the Magikoopa's room. Kammy turned to the crystal ball.
"King Morton… the entire army is extremely concerned about your present condition. As such, Kamek and myself have collaborated with our chief engineer to design new defense mechanisms that will surely lift your spirits. Wait until you see the schematics, sir!" As Kammy finished speaking, a pink warthog garbed in a military uniform marched up to the crystal ball. He had two sets of blueprints rolled up under his arm. He immediately saluted the two monarchs. "I'll let him take over from here."
"Good evening, your royal highnesses." The warthog spoke in a loud, booming, and very official manner. "I took the liberty of conducting a census survey this past week. The topic was the biggest flaw in our standing army. According to the official results, 90% of the Koopa Troop feels that our lack of speed is our biggest weakness. What we need is an efficient method to transport our armies across the map. And so I present to you… the Doomship!" The pig unraveled the first set of blueprints. He held them up to the crystal ball for the Koopa King and Queen to gaze at in awe.
"Wow, Midbus, these schematics are impressive." The engineer blushed slightly at the Koopa Queen's compliment. Morton had no comments.
"I'm glad you like them, my queen. As you can see, the Doomship can be customized to hold numerous firearms. We could fill these Doomships to capacity with Bill Blasters, Bomb-Omb Launchers, and Fireball Launchers. Not only that, but we have the technology at our disposal to create built-in cloaking devices. We could prowl the skies of our enemies and they wouldn't even be able to pick us up on radar!" Midbus beamed with excitement.
"Not only that, my lieges, but their would be sufficient space to store large amounts of troops. And since our enemies lack flying machines, we'd have them at our knees. It's brilliant! Mweh heh heh!" Kammy cackled as she further praised the engineer's schematics.
"But how would these ships be able to move about without being too slow and hulking? I mean, it sounds like we're going to be severely weighed down by all these weapons!" Morton was clearly skeptical.
"Morton, why are you being so pessimistic? Midbus spent a lot of time on this!" Clawdia hissed.
"It is alright, my queen. His highness brings up a valid point. My plan is to use Rocket Engines. They would be powered by lava extracted from the nearby volcanoes. We'd always have plenty in stock and we could string together multiple Rocket Engines for extra propulsion. In addition, there would be propellers to help stabilize the propulsion system established by the Rocket Engines. I've been in contact with numerous factories and my fellow mechanics and I've been assured that we have sufficient materials for an entire fleet."
"Think about it, Morton, that would be just what we need to get the economy going again. We could reopen several of the factories that we'd shut down." Clawdia interjected. Morton began to stroke his chin.
"It could work. But let me first here about this other device of yours, Midbus." Morton grumbled.
Midbus responded with another salute. "This is a personal device specifically for you, my liege." The statement caught Morton's attention.
"I'm listening." He said.
"Well, I understand that you are under the mindset that somebody is waiting to assassinate you?"
"That doesn't leave this room!" Morton hissed, catching everyone by surprise. Midbus maintained his collective composure and continued.
"I have the perfect solution to your problem. Behold, your own personal means of transportation… the headgear!" Midbus unveiled the second set of blueprints. Morton cocked an eyebrow in response to the schematics.
"Wait, I'm supposed to wear that on my head? That thing's hideous! And it'll give me helmet hair… that's a major turn-off, right Clawdia?" A slapping sound could be heard.
"Morton, now's not the time to be thinking about something like that!" Despite the statement, she couldn't help but let out a quick laugh.
"Yes, I understand the design is… clunky, to say the least. But the benefits far outweigh the only con I can think of."
"Would that be a ticket from the fashion police?" Morton quipped.
"No, sir. The only issue would be the engines backfiring. It's a minor technical bug, but I'm sure that I could fix it for subsequent models." Morton cocked his eyebrow again. "Ah, I see I've caught your attention once more. Yes, I've already constructed a beta version of the device. I'll let you take a look at it."
With that, Midbus pulled the device out of hammer-space. It consisted of a small chamber attached to a square-shaped part on top. Midbus pushed a button and the device whirred to life. Morton was astonished to see two digital eyes appear in the square part on top. They blinked a few times, before looking around the room.
"Is this some sort of magic trick? What's with the creepy eyes?" Morton stammered.
"I've programmed the headgear with its own computerized memory bank. It possesses several unique abilities. It has built in radar, night vision goggles, an energy blaster, and rocket attachments." Midbus presses another button. Two miniature jet engines pop out the side of the headgear. Midbus attaches the device to his head. The engines fire up and Morton watches as Midbus is easily lifted into the air.
"You'll be much more agile in the air with this headgear than you would be slowly trotting along the ground. You'll be able to sore over your enemies and easily dodge attacks." Midbus concluded. "So, what do you think, my liege?"
"Despite its tackiness, I appreciate the thought you've put into it. Why don't you deliver it to me in the throne room this evening when we return." With that, Morton turned to Kammy. "Kammy, I expect Bowser to be in bed and asleep before we return. I also want you, Kamek, and Kamella in the throne room tonight. And that's an order!" Morton demanded. Kammy and Midbus both nodded.
"We will have much to discuss, and little time to do it." Clawdia added. "And I would at least like to see our son before we take off." Morton's gritted his teeth. "Don't even think about saying anything, Morton!" The Koopa Queen added.
"I'll leave you two alone." Kammy quickly exclaimed as she ended the flow of magic into the crystal ball. She turned back to Midbus. "I think that went well." She exclaimed. Midbus shook his head.
"You're giving our king too much credit. He is very rough around the edges. It will take more than my designs to drag him away from these foolish fantasies of his." Midbus scowled. "I feel it is a step in the right direction, Kammy the Wise, but there is much more to this uphill battle. If his own wife can't snap him out of this funk, do you honestly think a few technological experiments will?"
"You're being pessimistic, Midbus. Of course, we've come to expect that now, haven't we?" Kammy teased.
"Laugh if you must, Kammy, but you cannot doubt the validity of my points." He sternly observed.
"The problem with you is that you're too serious all the time, Midbus! Mweh heh heh!" Kammy cackled.
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**Later that night**
"So, my prince, did we enjoy our dinner?" Kamek had tucked the young Bowser into bed. His question was answered by a rather loud, obnoxious snoring noise. Kamek smirked to himself. He knew that warm milk and cookies would knock the prince out, he just never suspected it'd work this quickly.
Well, for once he's actually asleep. Which means… Kamek quickly tip toed out of the room and closed the door behind him. After pressing his head to the door and hearing another snore, Kamek hopped on his broom and flew up the stairs. I hope I'm not too late. His impatientness would be most displaced.
Once the sounds of Kamek's broom had ceased echoing through the halls of the castle, Prince Bowser's eyes shot open. "So, mommy and daddy awe here in da castle? Dats just gweat; I'm finawy gonna get some ansawhs out of dem!" The young Koopa rolled out of bed and snuck out of his room. After checking to make sure no Koopatrols were approaching he sprinted up the staircase. Adrenaline was pumping through his body at the thought of getting to see his parents for the first time.
As he approached the door to the throne room he paused. The door was ajar. The young prince pulled out the framed photo of his parents and stared at it. He soon heard voices emanating from the room. He peered inside through the small opening. He could see Kammy, Kamek and Kamella standing next to that creepy engineer guy, Midbus. He could also see two large shadows towering over the foursome. He crept closer to the door.
"Alright, let's wrap these up quickly. We have to be setting out before dawn." Bowser knew it was his father speaking. He sounded tired and restless.
"Morton you can't!" A female voice pleaded. It was Bowser's mother. "You haven't slept in nearly a week! I haven't slept in days. There's no way I can go before foreign royalty looking like this. It would be a disgrace to our lineage and our pride."
"You can rest once you've arrived there!" Morton roared.
"Your angriness, please quiet down." Kamek pleaded. "I just put the prince to sleep. If you want to slip in and out undetected then I suggest you quiet down." Morton snorted in response to Kamek's suggestion.
"Do not speak out of turn to his greatness, Kamek." Kamella ordered. She turned to Morton. "Please continue, your highness." Kamek rolled his eyes, spurning an icy glare from his mother.
"Thank you, Kamella." The Koopa King grunted. "Actually, this concerns you and your children." The three Magikoopas immediately stood at attention. "Kamella, I've been receiving," He paused to take a deep breath, "complaints for the last several months."
"Complaints, sir?"
"A majority of the Troop has had less than stellar things to say about your treatment of their fellow soldiers." Clawdia exclaimed. "On top of that, we understand that you've been mistreating our son." She directed her cold gaze toward the eldest Magikoopa.
"Mistreatment? I'm following your own husband's direct orders!" She barked in response.
"No, I told you to give him an appropriate training schedule, not work him to death like a pack mule!" Morton retorted. "Kamella, we appreciate everything you've done for the royal family. But your politics are quickly becoming old fashioned." He exclaimed.
"That's a lie. Who do you think has been guiding the country in your absences? And doing a splendid job at that?" She asked. Clawdia shook her head.
"Kamella, I think it's time we got to the point. It's time for you to resign from your post. We need a new Chief Advisor more akin to our current mindset. You still think that we're out to dominate the world. But we're in the midst of major peace negotiations. So all of these militaristic policies are counterintuitive to our goals."
"Do you really think that after everything I've given for the sake of the royal family that I'm just going to waltz on out of here like everything is all clouds and candy?!" She hissed. "You need me, both of you!"
"Let me make something clear to you, Kamella." Morton shouted in a loud, booming voice. "We weren't asking you if you wanted to retire. We were telling you." He smiled, showing of his rows of sharp fangs to the Magikoopa. "As such, you will accompany Clawdia in Kamek's place. After the peace talks have concluded, you will retire to a nice beach-side house we've constructed for you." The king now turned to face Kamella's children. "Kamek, as of this moment you are now the 52nd Chief Advisor to the royal Koopa family. You will stay behind and oversee the care of our son."
"I-I-I-It's an honor, sir!" Kamek stuttered and saluted Morton. Kamella's face had turned white as a sheet. Kamek instantly wore a new, confident grin and winked at his mother.
"Kammy, you are to be our son's ward in the unlikely event that something were to happen to us." Clawdia added, patting the female Magikoopa on the shoulder. Kamella's face now turned from ghostly white to an odd pale color. She looked like she was about to faint.
"Then, as the caretaker for your son, I urge you to send Kamek in your place, Queen Clawdia." Kammy finally spoke up. "I am worried about the psychological state of your son. He feels terribly neglected, and he's resorting to violent means to take out his anger. His condition gets worse as the days come and go. In a few months there won't be a Koopa Troop because your son will have scorched them all to bits!"
"Wait, my son can breathe fire already? That's incredible!" Morton beamed with pride.
"Morton, you're missing the point! Do you want to give the throne to a bitter, short-tempered, enraged child? He'd undo everything you're practically killing yourself to accomplish. Just let me stay home this time around. Our son needs at least one of us to be his guiding light in this world. You can't expect Kammy and Kamek to be sufficient replacements for the genuine article… us." Clawdia appeared to be choking up. Morton placed a reassuring hand on Clawdia's shoulder.
"How about I make a promise to you?" Clawdia glared at Morton. "Four months," He exclaimed. "Tomorrow we leave for the peace talks. We stay away from the castle for four more months. And no matter what happens, once we return back, I promise not to engage in any more peace talks until we've raised our son to the best of our ability."
"FOUR MONTHS?" Kamek gasped. "Are you crazy, your highnesses? Prince Bowser will tear the castle down in that time!"
"Four months. No less than that. That is my offer. Kamek, just continue to tell Bowser that we are working hard so that we can come home and see him at last." Kamek bit his lip, but acknowledged the king's idea with a slight nod. "Very good, Kamek. You are dismissed. You may return to Bowser's room and…"
CRASH!
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOW!" Midbus suddenly lurched to the side and grabbed his rib cage in pain. "What just hit me?" He cried.
Morton pulled out his scepter and begins scanning the room. "Alright, whoever you are! Come out and show yourself! I'll take you on: Koopa-to-Koopa!" He pointed the scepter at the now open door to the throne room.
"Midbus, you're bleeding!" Clawdia gasped. She seized Morton's scepter and immediately began to tend to the engineer's injury. Kammy walked over to assist when something caught her eye. She looked over next to Midbus and Clawdia and spotted a picture frame. She picked it up. The glass had been shattered, but she could still make out the picture. Her eyes widened.
"Oh my, it appears the prince was eavesdropping on our conversation." She inferred out loud. Morton's eyes widened and he turned to Kamek.
"You said he was sleeping!" Morton growled.
"Well, he was. When I left him to come to the meeting. What makes you so sure you didn't wake him?" Kamek stuttered. Morton snorted out a puff of smoke.
"This meeting is over." He hissed. "Midbus, leave the headgear on the throne and come with me." He ordered as he marched toward the door and slammed it open. He prepared to charge down the stairs when Clawdia blocked his path.
"Morton, what are you doing?" She commanded.
"I'm heading down to our son's room. You said that I should at least see him before I leave. So I figured I'd go give him a piece of my mind!" He bellowed in response. He tried to shove Clawdia out of the way, but she remained rooted to the spot.
"Morton, can't you see it? Our son is crying out for help! He misses us. Are you really prepared to miss our son's childhood to achieve your own selfish goals?" She glared at Morton. The Koopa King, not wanting to prolong the argument any further, grabbed Clawdia by the arm and dragged her back into the throne room.
"Alright, that's enough. We've obviously overstayed our welcome." He spat.
"What are you saying? This is our house, you blind idiot! And that's our son down there!" She cried. Morton quickly shoved her toward the castle's secret entrance.
"We're leaving… NOW!" He roared. Kamella and Kammy quickly opened the secret doorway and Morton yanked his sobbing wife out the door. The two female Magikoopas quickly followed, but not before Kammy tossed the shattered photo to Kamek. Kamek closed the door and hurried out of the throne room, muttering to himself. Midbus stood there dazed for a moment. He then collected the headgear and used it to vacuum up some of the broken glass.
------
Prince Bowser stormed into his bedroom bawling his eyes out. As soon as he heard Morton mention another four months away from the castle, his patience snapped and a reservoir of anger came pouring out. He hurled the framed photo of his parent into the room as hard as he could. His intention was to bean his father, but his throw was off course. He immediately took off down the stairs do avoid being spotted by Morton. In the process, he's run into and scorched about 30 different Koopatrols and Hammer Bros.
But not of that mattered to him. He now lay on his bed pounding his pillow as hard he could. Kammy had taught him to do that when he was angry, but it seemed to only make him angrier. "Stupid daddy! Why is he so mean to me all da time?" The prince sobbed as he landed another blow against his pillow. "All he cawes abowt is himself! He's da worst daddy in da world! I bet I could be ten time a bettaw daddy dan him! And I could lead da country bettaw dan him too!" He grabbed his pillow and tore it in half as if it were nothing but a piece of paper.
"I…" The prince choked back another round of tears, "I wish somebody would juwst kill my stupid daddy. Dan I could be da king and show him how stupid he is!" As he roared this last statement a huge flash of lightning lit up the room, followed by a monstrous thunderclap. As soon as it dissipated, Kamek flew into the room on his broom.
"My prince! Are you alright?"
"Go away, Kamek! I'm twying to sleep hewe!" The prince hissed. He buried his face into his torn pillow and feigned sleeping.
"Is something troubling you, Prince Bowser?" Kamek asked.
"Kamek, I'm sleeping wight now!" The prince answered.
"Very well, my prince. But if you need somebody to talk to, just come find me in my room." With that, Kamek turned the broom around and flew out toward his room.
Prince Bowser soon fell into a light, troubled sleep. His dreams were plagued with the image of a newborn star, a Luma. It was black with blood red eyes. The prince could sense the anger and malice emanating from the star. He cringed in his sleep, unaware of the tragedy that was soon about to strike.
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**Mushroom Castle, Toad Town; 2 weeks later**
"I just got off the crystal ball with Kamek." Kammy entered the guest room assigned to King Morton. "He says that the prince has been unusually quiet and reserved these last few weeks. He says that Bowser has refused to leave his room and has done nothing but read since you've left." Morton was fidgeting with his scepter.
"Good, maybe that argument with Clawdia shocked him to his senses." He grunted. He was too tired to say anything else. King Toadstool was being incredibly stubborn; refusing every offer Morton had thrown at him. The situation was looking completely hopeless for the idea of a Mushroom-Koopa peace plan. The king sighed. "Thank you, Kammy. You are dismissed." Kammy nodded and left the room. Morton returned to looking over some paperwork that Kamek had sent him. They were bills that needed the king's final approval.
Morton would much rather have been at his castle buried under mounds of paperwork than having to suffer through this nuisance. It was as he was preparing to sign the first bill on the table, that a small, black star flew into his vision. "What the–?" He jumped out of his seat in surprise. The little star looked at him. Morton could tell it was a Luma, a baby star. Judging by its size, it had only just recently been born in Star Haven.
"You are King Morton Koopa, correct?" The Luma had a surprisingly deep voice for its age.
"Yes, what do you want?" Morton grumbled in response.
"As you can see, I come from the stars. We have been watching your predicament and are… saddened to say the least. We wish to offer you help." Morton cocked an eyebrow. "You are doubting me. I am prepared to convince the Star Spirits to oversee the peace negotiations for both here and Sarasaland. Think about it… you will have achieved your goals and you could return home to your son. Your wife could return as well. And at long last your troubled mind would be at ease."
"Let me guess," Morton grunted in response, "I need to give you something in return."
"Not quite, per se. I simply have a request. As you can see, I am a Luma at the moment. When Lumas are born on Star Haven, they are created to grant a certain wish. When they succeed in granting the wish, they become Power Stars. As it so happens, someone living in your castle made the wish that created me. All I ask is that you permit me to return to your castle so that I may grant the wish."
"When will you be returning?" Morton eyed the Luma suspiciously.
"I am unsure." It answered.
"And you're sure you can put an end to these negotiations?" The Luma nodded. Morton thought to himself for a moment. "Very well. I grant you safe access to my castle. Now I expect you to uphold your end of the bargain."
The Luma nodded again. "It shall be so." The Luma prepared to leave when Morton called out to him.
"Hold on, what's your name, little star?" Morton inquired.
"You may call me… Ztar, your majesty."
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Ztar had stayed true to his word. The Star Spirits presided over the peace negotiations the next week. And sure enough, Morton and Toadstool finally reached an agreement. The Star Spirits then took off for Sarasaland with Morton in tow. By the end of the fourth week, the two Koopa monarchs were returning home to their castle.
They arrived just before the break of dawn. They came in through the secret entrance and arrived in the throne room, exhausted. Kammy followed close behind them and sealed the door. Morton gave his wife a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm incredibly proud of you, my sweet." Morton whispered.
"I shall go wake up Kamek and the prince! They'll be overjoyed!" Kammy delightfully exclaimed as she walked out of the throne room. Morton took a deep breath.
"Yes, go do that. It's time for me to stop hiding and see my son." His voice cracked briefly as he finished his sentence. Clawdia chuckled at this.
"Hello again, King Morton. I see that you have returned home rather quickly." Morton whirled around to see Ztar floating in front of him. His red eyes glowed in the dimly lit throne room.
"Honey, what is that?" Clawdia gulped as she gestured to the black Luma.
"Ah, I totally forgot. Clawdia, this is Ztar. He was the one who helped to orchestrate the speedy ends to our peace talks."
"The honor is mine, Queen Koopa." Ztar's eyes flickered. "I apologize for barging in on what is sure to be a touching family reunion, however the time has come for you to uphold your end of our deal."
"Oh, of course!" Morton chuckled. "I almost forgot about that. Would you like me to send a guard to help you navigate through the castle?"
Ztar's eyes flashed again. Clawdia's eyes widened as she saw a black aura surrounding the small Luma. He began to speak, his voice was much more sinister. "That won't be necessary, King Morton, I have everything I need right in front of me."
"What do you mean?" The king stammered, noticing the sudden change in Ztar's behavior.
"I am talking… about THIS!" Ztar's eyes flashed for a third time. Clawdia's eyes widened as she realized what was about to happen. She dove toward Morton and knocked him out of the way of a burst of black lightning. Clawdia screamed in pain as the lightning struck her chest and electrified her entire body. An instant later, she collapsed on the ground. Ztar's eyes narrowed in anger.
"What the… what the hell did you do to my wife?" Morton drew his scepter and pointed it accusingly at Ztar. "Tell me right now or I'll blast you into a million–" Ztar's eyes flashed once more. Another black bolt launched itself at Morton. This time, the attack hit its mark. Morton's body was burned form the attack and he instantly collapsed on top of his wife. His scepter rolled out of his hand and he wheezed in pain.
"How c…. could you?" He rasped. Ztar cackled to himself as he began his transformation, but not into a Power Star. His edges became pointed and a transparent, chrome dome surrounded him. Ztar was soon surrounded by wires and computerized parts until only the center of his original form could be seen. A dozen chrome spikes grew out of the back of the dome, crackling with lightning energy.
"Muh huh huh huh! Behold! I have reached full power! Now I shall take over Star Haven and rain chaos and destruction upon the world. All will bow down before the mighty power of ZTAR!" He shouted in triumph. He floated over to the king's wand and immediately tampered with it to make it look like it had backfired. As soon as he finished, he heard the door opening and quickly hid behind Morton's throne.
"Your highnesses!" Midbus practically fainted when he saw the motionless bodies of the ruling Koopas. He ran over to them and noticed the sparking, burnt scepter. "N-N-No. The wand… it must have backfired! This is horrible. I need to get help right away!" Midbus turned to leave the room when Kammy, Kamek, and Prince Bowser appeared in the doorway. Midbus skidded to a stop. Kamek looked at him, then at the dead monarchs, and then at the destroyed wand. He dropped both his wand, and the prince's framed photo in shock.
"D-Daddy? M-Mommy?" Prince Bowser slowly walked up to his parents. "Kammy, awe day sleeping? Pwease tell me dey're sleeping!" Kammy bit her lip. "Daddy! Mommy! Pwease wake up! It's me, Pwince Bowsah!" The prince looked like he was about to cry. Kamek continued to stare at Midbus in shock.
"It's not what you think! I can explain!" The engineer blurted out in desperation.
"Yes, I'm sure you can. And you'll have your chance once we drag you into court!" Kamek picked up his wand and pointed it at Midbus accusingly.
"I swear I didn't kill them! I found them this way! There's no proof that I cause the wand to backfire!"
"Oh, the wand backfired? And how would you be able to know that if you claim to have not been in the room when they died?" Kamek shouted.
"Look at this thing! It's pretty obvious. Besides, I crafted the scepter from metals and jewels from the Mushroom Kingdom and Sarasaland. How do you know it wasn't them? They could have bewitched the alloy!"
"Don't be ridiculous! For all we know, you could be a hired assassin for King Floral or King Toadstool!"
While Midbus and Kamek continued their shouting match, Kammy was knelt beside the young Koopa prince. He lay on the ground in hysterics and disbelief. "My prince, please compose yourself! Everything is going to be okay! I've already summoned the medical staff! Your parents are going to be fine." She cried.
"No! You're just saying dat! Dey're dead! You heawd Kamek, dey're gone!" He started crying even harder.
"S… son…" Morton coughed. Bowser looked up. His tears blurred his vision, but he could see his father's burned face staring at him.
"DADDY!" Bowser cried. He tried to run over and hug his father, but Kammy restrained him.
"My prince, give your father some space!" She pleaded.
"Bowser… please listen to me. Th… there isn't much time." He rasped. "The… the stars. Bowser, the stars… do not ever trust them. You m… must head this advice, son. Please don't make the same mistake… I did. You must be st… strong. For the sake of our… your kingdom, you must… be strong." The Koopa King gave one last wheeze before his eyes rolled back in his head and his upper body collapsed once more.
"NO! DADDY!" Bowser finally ripped himself free of Kammy's grip and wrapped his father's unmoving head in a massive hug. Soon fresh tears were streaming down the Koopa Prince's face.
Kamek had been watching the scene unfold and was frozen in place. Midbus seized at the opportunity and smacked the Magikoopa with the broken scepter. Kamek doubled over and Midbus sprinted toward Morton's secret entrance. He pulled out his headgear and activated it. He quickly attached it to his head and activated the jet engines. When Kamek had come to, he could see Midbus taking off into the air. His eyes widened.
"The killer is escaping! He's making a break for the airways!" Kamek shouted. The Koopatrols watching through the doorway all began running around in a mess of confusion. "Sound the alarms! Get the Magikoopas on their broomsticks right away!
"He must not be allowed to escape! Justice must be served!" These were the last words Midbus heard as he flew off into the night. He knew he wouldn't be able to return to Dark Land. The only option left was to flee underground.
It took three hours for everyone to filter out of the throne room. Once they did, Ztar reappeared from his hiding spot. He floated over to the neglect photograph of the now late king and queen. "I think I'll just hang on to this for awhile." He sneered.
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**Toad Town Sewers; present day**
"That is what is being written. I have most sureness that this is the diary of secretiveness that was belonging to Ztar. I was of the stumbling upon this in the sewers of stinkyness in the town which is Rogueport." Two figures stood perched over the tattered old diary. The first was a scruffy, filthy Midbus who was now sporting a goatee and an Australian accent. The second was a small, bespectacled bean in a tattered red cloak. He had a large item bag with him; it was filled to the brim with badges.
"So what's the significance of this? I doubt we could use this to convince that moron Bowser that I didn't kill his parents. All of Dark Land is still fuming… they still think that I was working for King Toadstool at the time of the murder. This stupid 'Stab in the Back' legend has been Bowser's motivation behind his invasions and kidnappings. Frankly, it's a load of BS." Midbus snorted angrily.
"Furururururu! Perhaps you are not seeing through the lenses which are the same as those that are Fawful's." The bean, Fawful exclaimed. "Ztar was of the killing the Koopa named Morton for power. He was of the wanting to conquer the haven of many stars. But he was of the not succeeding and the stars of pointyness were making with the imprisoning of him in a place which is underground rururu…
"I have been a merchant of many badges and have been earning many beans. But since I was of the discovering this diary Fawful has been of the devising a plan of the world-conquering variety! Now that I am of the selling a badge which totals a number one greater than one million, I am possessing funding which is being sufficient to put a start to my plan of win." Fawful's toothy grin widened as he continued to ramble on. "But Fawful is realizing his plan is like a delicious sandwich of meat which is lacking in mustard! Fawful is needing such mustard so that he may enjoy his delicious sandwich of badness." He turns to Midbus. "You are of the desiring the sweet, mustardy revenge against the Koopas of stupidness, no? So to is Fawful craving revenge like he craves a sandwich with spicy mustard! I am asking you: be the mustard in Fawful's sandwich of evil."
"Well, I suppose I don't have anything to lose. And I've been craving 'sweet, mustardy revenge' for quite awhile. After all, Bowser's stupid advisor ruined my life."
"So you are having decidedness, like a contestant who is of the participating in a show of games rururu…?" Fawful's grin widened even further.
"Yeah, whatever. I'll play along." Midbus shrugged.
"Excellent! I AM HAVING HAPPINESS!" Fawful pulls Midbus's old headgear out of his item bag. "Come, we are of the running errands of boringness." A claw extended out of the headgear and grabbed Midbus.
"We shall toss a salad of destruction over the world, topped with a dressing of revenge. Furururururu!" Fawful laughed as the villainous duo flew out of he sewers.
Off: Well, this turned out long. Hopefully nobody got too confused. I'll update whenever I can. Later!
