Chapter 1
A dysfunctional family
Everyone from all corners of the kingdom came to see the new princess, except for one large, spike-shelled koopa named Bowser. Bowser was the king's step-brother (King Toadstool's mother died when he was young so his father married a female koopa who already had a son) and would have been next in line to rule the Mushroom Kingdom if Princess Peach had never been born.
Bowser was sulking in a cave not too far from the castle. He spotted a small rodent crawling across the floor. He picked it up and started to torture it. He was about to chat it with his fire breath when all of a sudden, Toad barged in and asked, "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?"
"I wasn't going to eat it, I just wanted to torture it for awhile," Bowser explained. "What are you doing here anyway?" he asked as the rodent escaped.
"I'm here to announce that King Toadstool is coming and he's really ticked off," Toad explained, "so you'd better have a good reason for missing the ceremony today!"
Bowser was starting to get very annoyed with Toad, so he grabbed him and pinned him to the wall.
"Drop him, Morton!" ordered King Toadstool as he dismounted his yoshi.
"Impeccable timing, your majesty!" Toad exclaimed as Bowser released him.
"Haven't I told you how much I hate it when you call me by my real name?" snapped Bowser as he turned to face the king. "Call me 'Bowser' from now on, ok?"
"I'll try," King Toadstool said very sarcastically. In a much more serious tone, he added, "Why didn't I see you at the presentation of Peach?"
"That was today?" Bowser gasped while trying really hard to sound shocked, "Oh, I feel just awful!" he added, sharpening his claws on the cave wall. "It must have slipped my mind."
"Well, as slippery as your mind is, then perhaps I should remind you that as the king's brother you should have been first in line!" Toad scolded. Bowser growled at him.
"Well, I was first in line," Bowser said coolly, "until the queen gave birth to that royal pain in the..."
"WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!" King Toadstool growled, "Peach is my daughter and the future queen!"
"Oh, then I should go practice my curtsey." Bowser replied with EXTREME sarcasm as he turned around and started to walk away.
"Don't you turn your back on ME, Morton!" King Toadstool barked.
"Oh, no, no, no," Bowser replied, "maybe it's YOU who shouldn't turn your back on ME."
King Toadstool leaped towards Bowser, with his hand grasping the hilt of his sword, and roared, "IS THAT A CHALLENGE?"
"Temper, temper," Bowser calmly replied, "I wouldn't DREAM of challenging you."
"Why not?" Toad asked, hiding behind a rock.
"Because as far as brains go, I received the lion's share, but when it comes to brute strength, I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the dream pool." Bowser explained and then turned and walked away.
Toad came out of his hiding spot and stood next to the king as he watched his brother leave. Toad sighed and said, "There's one in every family, sire. Two in mine, actually. And they always seem to mess up special occasions."
"What am I going to do about him?" King Toadstool asked.
Toad smiled and said, "He'd make a very handsome throw rug."
"Toad!" the king groaned.
"And just think," Toad continued, "whenever he gets dirty you can take him out and beat him!" This joke made King Toadstool feel much better.
That night, Toadsworth returned to his home in the Tree of Life. Being the Mushroom Kingdom's wise guy, he was responsible for keeping records for the royal family. He found a bare spot on the tree, and made a very primitive drawing of a little girl in a pink dress. He then put a mark on her forehead, just like he had done with the real Princess Peach, and stood back and smiled.
A dysfunctional family
Everyone from all corners of the kingdom came to see the new princess, except for one large, spike-shelled koopa named Bowser. Bowser was the king's step-brother (King Toadstool's mother died when he was young so his father married a female koopa who already had a son) and would have been next in line to rule the Mushroom Kingdom if Princess Peach had never been born.
Bowser was sulking in a cave not too far from the castle. He spotted a small rodent crawling across the floor. He picked it up and started to torture it. He was about to chat it with his fire breath when all of a sudden, Toad barged in and asked, "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with your food?"
"I wasn't going to eat it, I just wanted to torture it for awhile," Bowser explained. "What are you doing here anyway?" he asked as the rodent escaped.
"I'm here to announce that King Toadstool is coming and he's really ticked off," Toad explained, "so you'd better have a good reason for missing the ceremony today!"
Bowser was starting to get very annoyed with Toad, so he grabbed him and pinned him to the wall.
"Drop him, Morton!" ordered King Toadstool as he dismounted his yoshi.
"Impeccable timing, your majesty!" Toad exclaimed as Bowser released him.
"Haven't I told you how much I hate it when you call me by my real name?" snapped Bowser as he turned to face the king. "Call me 'Bowser' from now on, ok?"
"I'll try," King Toadstool said very sarcastically. In a much more serious tone, he added, "Why didn't I see you at the presentation of Peach?"
"That was today?" Bowser gasped while trying really hard to sound shocked, "Oh, I feel just awful!" he added, sharpening his claws on the cave wall. "It must have slipped my mind."
"Well, as slippery as your mind is, then perhaps I should remind you that as the king's brother you should have been first in line!" Toad scolded. Bowser growled at him.
"Well, I was first in line," Bowser said coolly, "until the queen gave birth to that royal pain in the..."
"WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE!" King Toadstool growled, "Peach is my daughter and the future queen!"
"Oh, then I should go practice my curtsey." Bowser replied with EXTREME sarcasm as he turned around and started to walk away.
"Don't you turn your back on ME, Morton!" King Toadstool barked.
"Oh, no, no, no," Bowser replied, "maybe it's YOU who shouldn't turn your back on ME."
King Toadstool leaped towards Bowser, with his hand grasping the hilt of his sword, and roared, "IS THAT A CHALLENGE?"
"Temper, temper," Bowser calmly replied, "I wouldn't DREAM of challenging you."
"Why not?" Toad asked, hiding behind a rock.
"Because as far as brains go, I received the lion's share, but when it comes to brute strength, I'm afraid I'm at the shallow end of the dream pool." Bowser explained and then turned and walked away.
Toad came out of his hiding spot and stood next to the king as he watched his brother leave. Toad sighed and said, "There's one in every family, sire. Two in mine, actually. And they always seem to mess up special occasions."
"What am I going to do about him?" King Toadstool asked.
Toad smiled and said, "He'd make a very handsome throw rug."
"Toad!" the king groaned.
"And just think," Toad continued, "whenever he gets dirty you can take him out and beat him!" This joke made King Toadstool feel much better.
That night, Toadsworth returned to his home in the Tree of Life. Being the Mushroom Kingdom's wise guy, he was responsible for keeping records for the royal family. He found a bare spot on the tree, and made a very primitive drawing of a little girl in a pink dress. He then put a mark on her forehead, just like he had done with the real Princess Peach, and stood back and smiled.