This is the tragic reuniting with Bowser and his brother, Brank, long thought deseased. How far will he go to get his kingdom?

Queen B of Randomness 016: I like turning tables...watchin em spin is fun!

G.I.R.'s shadow: Yer quickly becoming one of my favorite people simply because you have cool reviews. Long ones are the best because it gives me more fun shtuff to read. Thanks for reviewing and being sweet the way you are! (And yes I played MaL: Partners in Time and quickly realized that my story is a bit off. But...who the hell cares, right?)

Sailor Taichichi Vegeta: Holy fudge is the best kind

"Bowser!" Brank cried out. "You need to stop!" His young brother grinned wickedly, the fires of the remaining Giga burning in his eyes.

"Brank, you must be mistaken." He replied. Brank was surprised that he didn't acknowledge his reappearance. The last time he even saw his younger brother, Brank was seven years old, running around the West Woods those many years ago. Yet Bowser didn't seem to care that his brother, supposedly dead, was now alive, standing before him.

He had determination in his heart. Love ceased to exist.

"I am doing this for us!" Bowser cried out. "For you! For mistreated Koopas everywhere! I'm not doing this for my benefit alone!" He softened his voice and spoke to Brank reasonably. "Brank…I can save Koopa-Kind from extinction. This is my destiny, to be King of all Koopas. Just trust me Brank…try to trust me just this once."

The older Koopa narrowed his eyes and lowered his brow. "But, Bowser, you have to listen to me," he stated coldly. "I understand what you intended to do, but what you're doing now is wicked. Evil. You aren't an evil person, Bowser. You are good. So please, try to reconsider…"

"NO!" Bowser screamed, slashing at his brother. Brank moved back before the razor-sharp claws could strike his scales. His jaw dropped open slightly as his eyes widened with sadness and fear. His brother had changed, and not just physically. He was no longer the innocent Koopaling who ran freely through the woods, exploring unknown regions. He was now a ruthless dictator, ruling over lands and showing no mercy towards those weaker than him. He had, indeed, become evil.

"Bowser, you're insane!" Brank insisted, backing away quickly. "Just calm down and come back to the keep. Brilette and I can help you!"

"Brilette is dead!" Bowser sneered, making Brank gasp in horror. "She betrayed me, just as you did! You two just…you just can't accept change for the better! This is not a wicked thing I'm doing, I am changing the world!"

He roared and spewed a breath of white-hot embers from his throat. Brank cringed and starred in awe and horror. His brother had transformed. He was out for blood. Brank couldn't think about the tragedy anymore. He needed to get away. Far away from this…monstrosity.

His brother had different plans. He whipped his tail and hit Brank hard in the cheek. Blood spew from his mouth as he flew into the air and landed hard on his stomach. What could he do? He couldn't fight his own brother…

'NO,' Brank thought as he wiped the blood from his lips. 'This creature is no longer my brother. He's…a monster. I must fight him!' He reached for his father's War Hammer, which hung from his belt, and said softly, "Bowser, I do not wish to do this to you…but your power has blinded you. You don't even see me as your brother. You see me as an enemy." He narrowed his eyes. "So be it!"

And he charged, with as much fury as he possibly could muster. He knew that he needed to kill Bowser, but deep down inside, he knew he was fighting his brother. It was a hard thing to deal with.

Bowser, however, didn't hold anything back. He finally had what he wanted: He had strength, he had rights, he had respect, he had an army who would die for him. But, most importantly, he had power. Raw, pure, undeniable power that he could do anything with. He wasn't about to hold back now.

His mighty claws slashed fast as Brank evaded the attack. Bowser may be powerful, but Brank was still much faster and had an advantage. He hit Bowser hard with the hammer, but his brother's rough skin barely felt the blow. Bowser grabbed Brank and threw him up in the air, finishing the attack off with a blow of rock-melting fire consuming his brother's body.

Burnt and tired, Brank landed hard once again on the rocky ledge of the King's castle. He needed to think. Bowser was attacking aimlessly, only wanting to kill. Brank needed a different strategy to finish this tyrant off. He jumped up as high as a Koopa possibly could and slammed his hammer down hard on Bowser's head.

Bowser's head pounded as he staggered around the roof of the castle. He struggled to stay upright, but managed to slash Brank's face before he fell over.

Cringing in pain, Brank flew backwards, holding his blood-covered face. His vision was tinted with red, blurry and hazy. He accidentally tripped backwards and fell hard on his shell, grunting. He just wanted to lie there for a moment and think about everything…all the horrible events that were unfolding before him. Bowser's transformation: was it real? Was he really, truly evil? Or was he blinded by his strength? Brank didn't know, but couldn't care. Suddenly, pain shot through his skull, and his vision disappeared. Everything turned dark and silent. Soon, light appeared suddenly.

Brank knew what was going on: his life was flashing before his eyes.

He saw his parents, whom he could hardly remember; his father, tall and built, War Hammer hanging from his belt; his mother, wearing a long, raggedy dress stained with mud; that horrible day the KooPost delivered the Death Certificates of them both to his cottage. He saw the day Brilette's egg hatched, then Bowser's. He saw them grow up quickly. He saw the terrible day he and Brilette were taken into slavery. He saw himself escape the execution and run far away from the kingdom, meeting up with a female Koopa, Krystal. He saw every special moment he had with her flash in an instant. He saw their marriage and her pregnancy and…was that it? Was that all his life had to offer him?

Was that all he accepted from Life?

In that tragic moment, Brank died, and the mountains of Keep Canyons erupted, lava spewing out in a brilliant flash.

Bowser took a look at the crushed…no, shattered skull that he had stepped on. He saw the twisted remains of his brother's face, blood dripping, tiny pieces of bone flowing with it. It took little more than the sight of his dead brother to snap him out of the remaining Giga.

For a moment he just starred, in total shock, that his brother was, in fact, alive. Was. He had killed him. He hadn't even realized it and he had killed Brank. He finally had a chance to make amends with him, to let him join the rebellion, to offer him a seat next to him and new king of Mushroom Kingdom.

But he had killed.

He began to cry…but not as hard as he thought he should've. He had entered a state of shock and horror that nobody had ever experienced before. He seriously felt like he had died along with Brank.

He noticed a gold band around one of Brank's claws. A wedding ring. He had a wife…probably a family…a family of Koopas.

A family he had destroyed by killing his own brother.

He couldn't bear it any longer. Brank deserved a proper burial, to be seen by the ones who loved him. He took Brank's hot, yet strangely cold, body back to Keep Canyon. Back to where he was born. Back where he…and his kind…belonged.

A tearful Koopa greeted Bowser outside of a small cottage, even smaller than his own, and wept immensely over her husband's horrid body. She begged that Bowser take her seven eggs to take care of. She said that she wouldn't be able to live with the death of her husband.

She was too distraught to care just how Brank died. Like Bowser would've told her the truth.

The Koopa King took the eight small Koopa eggs and felt a tear gathering up in his eye. These were Brank's eggs…how much was he going to steal from him? First his freedom, then his safety, then his very life…now his children? Was his wife going to kill herself over his horrible deed? Bowser left very quickly to avoid talking to Krystal any longer. He couldn't believe himself.

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