Hello again, Mario readers! Or, perhaps, Bowser readers? It is 8-4, after all, and that's Bowser Day!

Did you know that, once upon a time, Bowser had a possible brother character? That was many years ago, with a game called Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (aka Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan). I'm not sure if there was a mistake in information, which is why the character of a Bowser imposter was referred to as his brother long ago. That little bit of lore was scrapped and shuttered away.

But, what if it wasn't totally lost, or it was utilized again years later?

Obviously, there would have to be a good reason for Nintendo to use/reuse/create the character. But as a fanfic writer, my only motivation to do so would be for fun! And I like expanding established characters through new and less common relationships, so I think it could be cute.

At the very least, this may put the idea out there, if nothing else. Enjoy!

... ... ...

Under the hazy sky in the Koopa Kingdom territory, Bowser strolled through his castle halls and entered his throne room. Koopatrol guards saluted as he walked through, waving them off as he approached the black and red seat on the furthest end. His faithful retainer, Kamek, brushed his robes as he waited on the king's approach.

"Greetings, sire," the Magikoopa murmured as he bowed. "Everything is going according to plan. Princess Peach is in the dungeon cell, and we shall prepare her for you soon." He straightened up as he adjusted his spectacles. "Once again, we are on our way to controlling the Mushroom Kingdom."

"Sounds well and good, but is my arena prepared to deal with Mario?" Bowser folded his arms. "We both know he'll inevitably be here in record times, same as always." Snorting, he lifted his fist and gripped it tightly. "That little pest rival of mine is all too pleased to foil my greatest plans, time and again!"

"To be fair, he is trying to aid the Mushroom Kingdom itself, which, under Peach's reign, doesn't favor your…efforts," pointed out Kamek.

"So?!" Bowser stomped his foot. "We work really hard on all of these plans! I fight for them myself!" He slouched as he growled. "The least he could do is lose, for once."

"That's…counterintuitive to what he's more or less obligated to do for Peach," elucidated Kamek. "…Come to think of it, isn't she as much an enemy to you as he?"

"Please." Bowser swatted at the air. "Peach just needs to give into my charm and I'll make her mine well and good enough. I'm irresistible, after all!"

"More like irritable," muttered Kamek.

"What was that?!"

"Most irresistible, sir!" Kamek was much clearer that time.

"Thought so." Bowser shrugged. "Once she gets away from all of those Toads telling her that I'm no good, for long enough, she'll understand. And then once I make her officially mine, the Mushroom Kingdom will belong to me!" He tightened his fists. "Then it becomes the Grand Koopa Kingdom entirely!"

"Right, no one would ever object to that," deadpanned Kamek.

"You're sounding more beleaguered and less enthusiastic by the second," complained Bowser. "Look, I get we go through this a lot—"

"A whole lot—"

"But this time is different!" Bowser confidently lifted a fist. "This time, I'm sure the Koopa Troop will prevail!"

"Because this time, we moved quicker than usual, and our defenses are…likely not well prepared from moving so fast," observed Kamek. "Certainly, Mario won't be able to react fast enough, right?"

"Kamek, come on." Bowser folded his arms. "Look, we get Peach married to me, and it all works fine. Did you go with a hypnotic spell this time, or something else?"

"I didn't even bother yet, because we should wait until Mario is defeated first," insisted the Magikoopa. "For once, couldn't you just live life a little differently? Enjoy something else besides the usual?" He tugged into his robes and withdrew an envelope. "For example, you've got a letter."

"We shouldn't wait, and I don't need…hold on, letter?" Bowser blinked. "From who?"

"Uh…a…sorry, the name is…Ah…bert?" Kamek adjusted his glasses. "Did I read this right?"

"Him?!" Bowser's eyes widened. "What did he want?!"

"…Do you know him?" Kamek scratched his head beneath his cap. "Because I've been a longtime retainer to your family, and I can't quite recall—"

"His brother?"

Bowser paled and Kamek jumped, as the two twisted around to face the main doors. The two Koopatrol near it had lifted their spears, but two Koopalings, Larry and Lemmy Koopa, stood between them and the large guest. Entering behind them, a large Koopa beamed as he strode across the carpet toward the throne. Similar in size to Bowser, this Koopa also had hair of a fiery red, but with a few magenta hairs mixed in. Along with that difference were scales and a shell that were blue in color instead, a slightly brighter plastron and muzzle, but eyes as red as Bowser's. He placed a hand on his hip as he stood across from the Koopa King that gritted his teeth, leaving Kamek to look between the two.

"Brother?" Kamek shook his head. "That can't be right. He hasn't been seen around these parts since—"

"The very initial campaigns to overtake the Mushroom Kingdom." Though his voice was deep like Bowser's, it was somewhat softer, almost more melodic and soothing to hear. He shook his head, though still smiled. "I'm not surprised you don't remember me very well. It's been too many years. Though, I wouldn't forget my big brother's lifelong retainer!" He sighed. "You make me miss mine plenty though; Stars watch her soul…"

"Big brother?" Kamek blinked and turned to Bowser. "I thought you got along well with your family."

"Well enough, but we don't really get in touch that much," mumbled Bowser. He cleared his throat and glared at the blue Koopa. "What are you even doing here anyway?"

"Mom and Dad aren't doing anything fun for the Royal Family Day," brought up Bowser's brother. "And isn't your son's birthday also coming up soon? I missed him last year, and I swore his Uncle Aubert would be around this year." He smiled proudly. "I may not always deliver, but for him, I'll keep my promises!"

"Ha, as if." Bowser rolled his eyes. "His halfwit uncle who has no conquering prowess to speak of, and sits alone at the edge of the kingdom's borders on some forgettable territory?" He raised an eyebrow. "How is Cliffside, anyway?"

"Exactly as you aptly described, forgettable," admitted Aubert. He slouched a bit and glanced away. "If there were invading kingdoms by sea, we'd find more excitement out there, perhaps, but since Princess Peach doesn't quite have such enemies, we don't get them coming over." He paused and rubbed at his chin. "Come to think of it, I'm not sure if we are technically in her territories."

"You're from the Koopa Kingdom!"

"Right, right, but that's under the Mushroom Kingdom—"

"Not for long!"

"Scheming as always," murmured Aubert.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"I just feel that there are better ways to getting more respect from the greater Mushroom Kingdom than conquest," insisted Aubert. "You know, something that might require a little more civility."

"Oh please…"

"You're just like Dad, never taking the calmer and quieter routes," the younger Koopa complained.

"Um." Everyone turned as Larry approached. "Uh, Mister…Bowser…Brother? Sir?" He scratched near the star on his head. "How…do you pronounce your name?"

"Actually, I was wondering that as well," put in Kamek. "I was trying to pick up on it between you two talking."

"Seriously?" Bowser lowered his eyes.

"The easy way would be to sound it out like 'aw' and then 'bear,'" instructed Aubert. "Just make sure to put them together, of course."

"It is Aubert Koopa, right?" Lemmy tilted his head, to which Aubert nodded.

"Of course! Then again, you seven have the same surname, so perhaps not surprising." He scratched his cheek a bit. "Though, I suppose the same applies to numerous Koopa across the kingdoms, since that's the most common Koopa surname, naturally."

"Why are we even carrying on about this?!" Bowser swiped at the air. "In case you can't tell, I'm in the middle of trying to take over the Mushroom Kingdom!"

"Again?"

"Again!" Bowser blinked and puffed out his cheek as Aubert smugly lowered his eyes and smirked. "Shut up."

"Aren't there better ways to waste your time?" Aubert rolled his eyes up and stared at the ceiling. "Don't you already participate in the kingdom sporting events and the like? Surely that helps raise money and morale, no?"

"The best way to secure all of those would be to control the whole kingdom!" Bowser rubbed his hands together. "All I have to do is defeat Mario, and Peach will be all mine…"

"Ah, and you're still obsessed with your silly little crush."

"Silly?!" Bowser's face dipped a pink hue as Aubert chuckled. "It isn't silly! It's practical and useful! That's how I rule: marry the princess, and make her kingdom mine!"

"You do realize it's a bit more involved than just marrying her, right?" Aubert folded his arms. "In fact, marrying her might make it easier for her to subject your territories for the Koopa Kingdom under her reign, rather than the inverse."

"No it wouldn't! …Would it?"

"Bowser, we're not in the dark ages," pointed out Aubert. "Just because you'd be her husband doesn't mean you'd be in charge."

"Well, it'd be easier!"

"It wouldn't."

"Yes it would!"

"No it wouldn't."

"Yes times two!"

"No times infinity."

"That's not fair, you can't just skip right to the end—"

"Too late." Aubert shrugged. "Honestly, I thought that you were plotting some kind of more fun and elaborate gambit for Mario by this point."

"Huh?"

"Isn't he your, ah, 'archnemesis' or something?"

"Absolutely!" Bowser folded his arms. "There's no one better and no one stronger out there! I couldn't live right if I didn't have Mario to battle all of the time. Dueling and battling him, for the highest stakes and with everything that we've got…it's the endless thrill that keeps me going!" He lifted one fist and slammed it into his palm. "He's a pain, threatening to foil my plans all of the time, but dealing with him in the end? It makes us both stronger!"

"…Right…proving my point."

"What?"

"Ah, forget it for now." Aubert looked around. "Where's Junior? Shouldn't he be scurrying around nearby?"

"He's either training or snacking," determined Bowser.

"Oh, I can't wait to see him again." He grinned and cupped his cheeks. "He's so adorable, the little scamp!" Aubert lowered his eyes. "If you didn't hate me so much for failing you years ago, I'd spoil him silly all of the time."

"I don't hate you."

"But you don't like me."

"Whatever. And I spoil Junior plenty!" Bowser placed his fists on his hips. "That's my job as his dad anyway."

"His relatives can do just as much. Especially his favorite uncle!"

"Do you think he has more than one?" Lemmy whispered to Larry.

"Kind of afraid to ask them," mumbled Larry back.

"Doesn't matter, Junior can be spoiled by the world for all I care," decided Bowser. "I'm still the most important figure in his life. And I'm about to be more important once I finally finish my kingdom takeover!"

"How often do you bring that up?"

"Every day!"

"Is that exhausting?"

"Extremely!"

"Kamek must have a lot of patience keeping up with you, huh?" Aubert turned to the Magikoopa retainer and smirked while cocking an eyebrow.

"…You have no idea," mumbled Kamek, to which Aubert cackled.

"Hey, what?" Bowser stomped at the floor. "Kamek, you better not be agreeing with him under your breath!"

"No, he's just reminding himself of more chores to do for you," teased Aubert.

"He has plenty, so that makes sense…" Bowser blinked and then lowered his eyes. "Wait, you're making fun of me again, aren't you?"

"Never, dear brother, not at all."

"I like him."

"Shut up, Kamek."

"At any rate, where is Princess Peach, since you're keeping her locked away in here?" Aubert searched around the throne room. "I can't imagine she'd be too far from here, right?"

"Shows what you know," taunted Bowser. "You may have some brains in there, but you don't even know the first thing to kidnapping and conquest!" Bowser lifted his finger and wagged it at his brother. "Never keep your prized targets in sight until the very end."

"Well, that explains it."

"Explains what?"

"That your latest efforts are finished, Bowser!"

Bowser jolted up and growled, as Aubert tilted his head and spun around. The doors slammed open, knocking the Koopatrol aside and down to the ground. Two figures jumped through the opening and tumbled forward.

"Of course he's here now," complained Bowser. "Mario…!"

Lifting his fist as the hero rose up from the ground, Bowser glared ahead and locked his eyes against Mario's. Behind him stood his brother, Luigi, as the pair assessed their targets ahead of them.

"Another Bowser…?" Mario raised his fists. "That's unusual."

"They look a lot alike," noted Luigi. "Maybe they're brothers?"

"A brother?" Mario glanced at Luigi with a lifted eyebrow. "I know a lot about Bowser's forces, but I can't remember one…"

"With all of those fake Bowser soldiers we've fought over the years, I've gotten confused too," admitted Luigi. "This one could be fake too, but…"

"Not a surprise neither of them remembers me," lamented Aubert. "Considering I haven't been invited around for the most part." He shook his head.

"Who cares?!" Bowser pointed his finger ahead. "Mario! And…Mario's brother!"

"Luigi."

"Whatever!" Rolling his eyes, Bowser jabbed a thumb down. "Today, you two fall here. At long last, Peach and the Mushroom Kingdom will be all mine!"

"Not today, and not ever, Bowser!" Mario slid his foot forward, preparing to run or jump at Bowser and his allies. "We'll rescue her and save the kingdom from any of your nefarious plots!"

"That's a little dramatic and theatric," murmured Luigi.

"Hush."

"There's no way you'll win, wimp," taunted Bowser as he folded his arms. "When it comes to you against me, going by raw might alone, I've got you beat every day of the week."

"We'll see about that…"

"Wow, you two are so passionate with each other," observed Aubert. "I almost feel like I'm intruding!"

"Seriously?!" Bowser twisted around and glared at his brother. "Are you here to do anything useful, or are you just trying to embarrass me in front of my eternal rival?"

"Are you serious? 'Eternal rival?'" Aubert snorted. "You just…call him that, all of the time?"

"…Just every now and again—"

"Oh, excuse me, then," teased Aubert as he defensively raised his hands. "I'm sure you've got plenty of other names for him, huh?"

"…Why does that matter?" Bowser pointed at Mario, who lost concentration and shot the Koopa brothers confused looks. "He's here to fight, and that's what I'll give him."

"Right, right, and all of the showboating and prattling threats, that's definitely not excessive," joked Aubert. He stuck his tongue out. "Not that it means anything, of course."

"It…it doesn't!" Bowser's cheeks tinted a bright pink again. "Will you please cut that out? This is very serious and important!"

"Consider it revenge for years that you teased me and got me into trouble with mom all of the time," fired Aubert.

"Couldn't your evil side be directed at them and not me?"

"No."

"This is why I don't let you hang out with me."

"As if." Aubert rolled his eyes. "You're just embarrassed by your kid brother, same as always and forever."

"Wait, so that is his brother?" Mario blinked and shook his head. "Another Koopa like Bowser himself…?"

"Does that get you nervous or excited?" Aubert winked and giggled. "I can tell Mario's only interested in battling you, hothead, but maybe Luigi there will play with me."

"Huh, he got my name right on the first try," noticed Luigi. "That's…new."

"Mario's not only interested in me," snapped Bowser.

"Oh no?" Aubert pointed at Kamek, Larry, and Lemmy. "Besides taking down the Koopatrol guards you stationed here, he's totally ignored these three."

"Ah, he noticed," muttered Kamek.

"But I was enjoying the chaos from this," whined Lemmy.

"I like seeing more younger brother representation," piped up Larry. Lemmy and Kamek shot him confused faces. "…I mean, oh no, we were remembered."

"None of that matters," insisted Mario.

"Proving my point," joked Aubert with a grin. "Eyes only for Bowser, just like his eyes are only for Mario."

"Uh…when you put it that way…?"

"Don't listen to him, Mario," warned Bowser. "He just wants attention, and he's always been that way."

"Yet you never give me any." Aubert huffed and turned his head away. "Maybe if I grow a cute mustache and wear a red head, you'll pay more attention."

"Why are you putting it like that?!" Bowser threw up his arms. "Just leave us to our big fight, will you?!"

"Leave us to our big fight, nyeh nyeh," mocked Aubert.

"You are so immature!"

"Takes one to know one."

"Shut up!"

"What's the point of this anyway?"

"The point is that we're here to rescue Peach and be done with this," intervened Mario. He lifted his hand out. "If you'd rather argue with each other and make it easy on us, then we'll just take her and be on our way."

"Ha! That'll be the day."

"Actually, she doesn't need rescuing at all," downplayed Aubert, as Bowser shot him a dirty look. "At least, not for today."

"…What are you going on about?"

"Princess Peach isn't even here anymore," he revealed. "She escaped on her own, and I saw her on my way over here."

Everyone blinked as Mario narrowed his eyes and slowly opened his mouth. Conversely, Bowser's jaw dropped open as his eyes widened.

"…Wait, she did wha—?"

"She did WHAT?!" Bowser gripped his horns and tugged on them.

"Yeah, that's why I was wondering if you had even checked on her earlier," recalled Aubert. "When you mentioned that you hadn't, I realized that's how she escaped." He folded his arms behind his head. "And then I was on my way over, so of course when she saw me, the princess immediately panicked, thinking that I was you. Cleared that up promptly, confused her with my general existence, and then let her go on her merry way." He shrugged as he lowered his arms. "She's not bad, but I feel like you're missing out on better options, Bowser."

"You're telling me that you knew, all of this time, that she escaped, and you just…you just let her?!"

"By the time she came across me, she was already at the border out," carried on the unfazed Aubert. "Getting into a fight with her there would probably only get me into trouble, either from her people or even yours, since I'm so oft forgotten."

"This is exactly why you're not invited here," roared Bowser as he threw his hands up. "You've got to be the worst Koopa of the family when it comes to any kind of conquest potential!"

"Probably could do well with diplomacy, in that case," suggested Aubert. "Then again, you are the one invited out for sports and fun, so maybe you're better at it."

"My key to the kingdom, and you just let her walk!"

"That warrants its own discussion," decided Aubert. "Of all the women out there, you go after a non-Koopa, just because you want to control her kingdom."

"And she's pretty!"

"Sure, but haven't you encountered that space lady?" Aubert folded his arms. "She gets invited to sports a lot too…Rosalina, wasn't it?"

"What about her?"

"Isn't she basically a cosmic princess?" As Aubert rolled a claw through his hair, Bowser jerked his head back. "Her domain is literally somewhere in space, from the reports that they go over on the sports channels, and she's debatably prettier than Peach, or at the least, on her same level." He pointed accusingly at Bowser. "You mock me for having zero skill in kidnapping and conquering, which is accurate, yet you're wasting your time on a princess of a lower level and equal beauty standards to someone much higher along, no?"

"But, uh…she…" Bowser's cheeks reddened a bit. "I'm not—"

"Come to think of it, you could even try smaller kingdoms to build up control, like that Saraland with the plucky princess," suggested Aubert. "Daisy, right?"

"No, not her," insisted Bowser as he hugged himself together. "She's…scary."

"…Do I want to know how you know that?"

"Party punch out."

"That makes zero sense to me."

"It's Sarasaland," corrected Luigi. Aubert turned to him and tilted his head. "Um. Daisy's kingdom, if you want to get it right. It's…Sarasaland."

"See, he's kind of cute too, gentle corrections and all," pointed out Aubert, earning a blush from Luigi. "I'm sure you could make a fun damsel out of him, no?"

"Why would I want to?" Bowser winced as Luigi deflated. "He's just Mario's brother."

"You take that back! That's so rude," snapped Mario. "Luigi's more than just my brother. He's a great hero in his own right!"

"Mario, come on…" Luigi tugged his cap down. "You're going to embarrass me…"

"What? I'm right, and you are!"

"Stars forbid you defend me like that," complained Aubert.

"Like you've earned it?"

"Mario's right, you are rude." Aubert snapped his fingers. "Speaking of, though, maybe you've got your priorities all wrong. Why fight the big hero when you could seduce him instead?"

"When I could what?!"

"Come on, it's a great way to take out your competition, by making him fall for you."

"In what world?!"

"Any of them." Aubert shrugged. "With your persistent fixation on one another, I'm surprised neither of you considered trying that before. Hasn't Princess Peach blown you both off on more than one occasion?" Bowser and Mario exchanged nervous glances while Aubert chuckled. "Thought I heard that right. Not to mention that you probably think you're entitled to her for some arbitrary reason, Bowser." He watched as Bowser's mouth opened, but nothing intelligible came out. "Meanwhile, with Mario, you two have such heavy amount of tension with one another." He rubbed below his chin and nodded. "Maybe the best way to start solving your troubles is by resolving the drama between you."

"Peach is the drama!"

"Only if you let her be," persisted Aubert. He snapped his fingers again. "Hey, that could be a cute idea, though! Instead of fighting, we could try a double date. Big brothers square off, and little brothers scamper away." He beamed as he set his sights on Luigi. "How about it, handsome?"

"Ew, don't flirt with him!"

"Why? You just downplayed your interest for him." Aubert lowered his eyes. "Unless you want him deep down, and you'll let me have Mario all to myself."

"Absolutely not!" Bowser's face flushed a darker red as Aubert's lips curved into a smirk. "I—I mean, that doesn't matter! Shut up!"

"Pretty princesses, or pesky plumbers," mocked Aubert. "Knowing how greedy you are, you'd want them all for yourself."

"It's not like that at all!" He growled and placed a hand on his hip. "But I bet that's what you'd like. …Wait." Blinking after his brother nodded, Bowser roared and clawed through his hair. "Oh, you're so impossible to deal with at all!"

"And you're all too easy to rile up." Aubert cackled. "Now I really get why you don't want me around."

"You get nothing!"

"Should we cut in?" Larry leaned close to Lemmy as Bowser and Aubert's bickering carried on.

"No way, this is awesome!" Lemmy lightly clapped his hands together. "If I wasn't enjoying it so much, I'd go get the others."

"This couldn't possibly get more carried away," mumbled Kamek, but then he sighed as another figure appeared in the doorway.

"Papa, is everything ok? I heard Mario and Luigi—" Bowser Junior paused as he looked over at the other Koopa beside his father. "Wait, wait! Is that Uncle Aubert?!"

"Finally remembered!" Aubert spread his arms open. "Junior, my boy! I missed you, kiddo!"

"Aw, this is so cool!" The young Koopa prince rushed past Mario and knocked Luigi for a loop. Diving into his uncle's arms, they embraced tightly. "Did you come by for my birthday next week?"

"Wouldn't miss it two years in a row," insisted Aubert, as he shot a smug wink to Bowser, who silently seethed.

"Woohoo! Papa, isn't that so cool?"

"Yeah. Cool."

"Just learn to live life outside of trying to take over the world…or rather, the kingdom," mitigated Aubert. "Come on, we should be planning something fun with your son. And your troops, for that matter."

"Why?"

"To boost morale, for starters." Aubert patted Junior and waved to the Mario brothers. "Nice seeing you two again! We should catch up!" He winked at them. "Maybe even think about my offer, won't you?"

"Please just get out of here," begged Bowser.

"No."

"I was talking to them, not you!"

"Blah, blah, blah…"

"Quit that!"

"Never!"

"We should probably go," whispered Luigi to Mario, who nodded and followed his brother away.

The Mario brothers left the Koopa brothers to bicker while their subjects watched, and departed the castle entirely. Some soldiers gave them confused looks as Mario and Luigi simply ambled on out of the castle. Luigi scratched his head while Mario rubbed his cheek.

"Well, that was a complete waste of time," decided Mario.

"I mean, it was kind of nice seeing Bowser doing something besides kidnapping Peach," admitted Luigi. "Besides, his brother actually didn't seem all that bad."

"Please don't tell me you're considering his double date offer."

"I'm not, uh, not considering it."

"Mama mia…" Mario shook his head.

"You know, you didn't quite tell him off about you dating Bowser, when that came up," pointed out Luigi.

"There wasn't a need to." Mario shrugged, turning to hide his reddened cheeks. "Bowser and I would never work together."

"Haven't you literally teamed up before?"

"Luigi, that's different, and you know it."

"Ha, yeah." Luigi rubbed below his nose. "Still, that was a fun respite from the usual nonsense."

"Mm…yeah, I'll give you that." Mario rolled his shoulders. "Guess we'll just go make sure Peach is ok, and then do something else today."

"Sounds like a plan!"

The two wrapped an arm around the other's shoulder and chuckled as they chattered along the way home.

Back from Bowser's Castle throne room, Bowser gazed out the window overlooking the heroes and frowned at their closeness and joy. He turned back and watched his brother, who laughed at his nephew's excited energy as he regaled tales to Aubert. Glancing down at the floor, Bowser trudged back in toward the others and folded his arms.

"So, what, you're staying here for a while?"

"If that's not the bother you've made it out to be," spat Aubert.

"What? It's not!" Junior turned to his father. "Come on, tell him, Dad!"

Contorting his face for a moment, Bowser shrugged. "Well, you are already here, and we've officially got nothing better to do." Aubert gawked as Kamek let out a dramatic gasp. "Oh, quit it. Even I can cut back once in a while." Bowser lowered his eyes. "A long, long, long while. Just once in those whiles too. Got it?"

"Blessed stars, he has a heart after all," mocked Aubert.

"Just for that, you get a dingy guest room."

"You would've given that to me anyway."

"Would not!"

"Would too."

"Not!"

"Too."

"Ugh, will you ever grow up?!"

"You first." Aubert laughed. "You're the older brother, after all."

"Hmph…" Bowser deflated and looked away. "Yeah, I am, huh?"

"Oh, don't tell me you're thinking now too," teased Aubert. "What's next? You'll actually take my advice on life and love?"

Opening his mouth for a retort, Bowser exhaled it away and smirked. Enjoying his brother's baffled expression for a moment, Bowser patted Junior's head as he joined his family's conversation.

And maybe, just maybe, he might finally enjoy his time differently.

... ... ...

A little effort beyond just creating Bowser a brother character, because I gave it a whirl.

To be totally honest, I wasn't even planning on writing a story for this year's second Mario holiday. But, I found it hard to resist, scrambled time last minute, and figured that maybe someone might want something silly or fun from me. (And a little Bowser/Mario crammed in there too, for good measure.)

Perhaps it's a bit odd to celebrate a day for Bowser by making a new one entirely, but I justify that in expanding Bowser's life in some capacity, and that makes his character even more interesting. And, if nothing else, I'm sure tons of other people have their own little Bowser OCs out there, so, heck with it, me too, lol.

The name choice, Aubert, was from me kind of scrolling the Wiki page for Bowser's name really fast, clicking on possible related surnames (I think?), and then I stumbled upon this one and another called "Beausire," which might've been funnier, but I felt like it was a little too close to Bowser's name. Plus, the name has something to do with noble families, so royalty vibes kind of fit the bill. And, I specifically wanted a name that started with the letter "A," just to parallel how Luigi's name comes just before Mario's in the alphabet, and did the same with Bowser and his brother. It seemed cute to me, idk.

For his characterization, I guess I wanted to play opposites with Bowser. He's somewhat nicer, sillier, perhaps not as strong (or not motivated to seize power), smarter, and thinks about bigger pictures. They're both family kind of guys though, in one way or another, and would spoil Junior endlessly.

Naturally, I wanted to include Mario and Luigi to play off of them as well. They get along better than the Koopa Bros., because of course they would, but Bowser kind of started to learn from them in the end. Maybe.

Anyway, that's all for this one. Hopefully it was an endearing idea, or at the very least, provided a little entertainment. Thank you for reading! Take care.