Hello dear readers! I hope you enjoy this story, inspired by one of my all time favorite movies: MEGAMIND! It is an idea I've had floating around in my head for a while, and I'm so happy to finally write it! I'm really taking my time with this one, so updates will just be whenever I finish a chapter.

All characters belong to Nintendo, and any story elements paralleling to DreamWorks' Megamind belong to DreamWorks. This story, however, is my own original writing, so please ask for permission if you want to share or use it!
Your Support and Reviews mean the world to me! I am in desperate need of constructive criticism.

Prologue

Bowser had a fairly standard childhood. Sure, he wasn't raised by his parents (both of whom he'd lost during his infancy), nor was he close to his siblings (both of whom had run away from home, having no interest in the throne), but he'd grown up just the same.

Kamek made a fine mentor and advisor. He'd always tell young Bowser about his glorious destiny to rule the Darklands and lead the Koopas to a brighter future, and Bowser never got tired of hearing it. The Koopa Prince would cling to those thoughts as he endured the intense physical and mental training that was demanded of him (as Kamek said, pain was the best teacher). The old Magikoopa ensured that he knew everything he would possibly ever need to be a good king: dark magic, fireball techniques, spiny shell defense, and over a hundred-and-one ways to defeat an opponent in close combat were just a few.

Bowser's prowess and cunning grew at a rapid pace. Even before he was old enough to officially claim the throne, his subjects quickly learned to fear their ruler. His immense strength, coupled with his knack for strategy (and his tendency to rely on his rather intense emotions) made for an intimidating combination.

Naturally, therefore, Bowser didn't grow up with many (any) friends. It was a fact that he neither acknowledged nor cared about. He was heir to the most powerful kingdom in the eight worlds, lavished with tremendous wealth, and surrounded by loyal subjects and a massive army; he found he didn't even need to worry about his legacy, as his six nephews and singular niece were more than enough insurance that his bloodline would live on. What more could he possibly need?

Well, there was just one little problem– namely, that the other kingdoms didn't like to see things the way he did. Apparently, his style of ruling was "tyrannical" and his refusal to make any alliances was "hostile." It did sting, just a little bit, when they called him a "monster," but he always quickly shook the feeling off. It wasn't his fault that they were weak, spineless nobodies with nothing to offer! He just loved being mean, and if that was a problem in their eyes, then they didn't deserve to be allies; they deserved to be conquered by someone who knew how to properly rule with an iron fist!

And that was precisely what he intended to do. His first official act as King of the Darklands was to begin his campaign across the eight worlds, starting with the Mushroom Kingdom.

The fungus-filled land was his first choice for two simple reasons: their weak defense system and their invaluable power-ups. Even if a lot of their magical mushrooms and flowers couldn't be used by Koopas themselves, they were still a precious commodity and would aid the army for the rest of the campaign. He and Kamek worked together to make an elaborate plan, and even concocted a new spell that would turn the pathetic little Toads into stone (there was no point in spilling blood if that meant he'd end up king over nobody). Bowser was certain their scheme was fool-proof… he was wrong.

The first hiccup was when Kamek found out about the Mushroom Kingdom's princess. She was rumored to possess white magic, enough to undo his spell, and that simply would not do. So, he made a last minute improvisation, and went to the Mushroom Kingdom himself to capture her and remove her from the equation. And that led him squarely to the second hiccup.

Bowser could still vividly recall that day as though it were only yesterday. The sky had been annoyingly bright and clear, and he remembered feeling creeped out by all the beady black eyes dotted on every hill and treetop as he flew by in his Clown Car. As he advanced further into Mushroom Kingdom airspace, the Toads' shrieks and cries of terror filled the air when his shadow passed over them. He approached the princess's castle, which looked grandiose in every sense of the word, and took great pleasure in crashing through its white-washed stone walls. Up until that point, everything was still going according to plan. But then, he actually saw her.

No one had told him what she would look like. She was Princess Toadstool, the princess of the Toads, so the assumption had been that she was, well, a Toad. However, as Bowser blinked to adjust to the dimmer inside of the castle's throne room, he was met with the sight of an angel. She was no doubt his target, with her swirling gold tiara and pale pink (nearly white) silk gown, but his mind froze when his eyes met her large, blue ones. They sparkled like the clearest jewels and instantly pierced his heart.

He'd inadvertently hovered in his Clown Car and just stared for a good long second with his heart thumping wildly behind his ribs, which provided the princess plenty of time to take off running. Her startled cries for help snapped Bowser out of his daze, however, and he remembered his true purpose for being there and finding her.

Although she fought back with impressive skill (which Bowser only found amusing), he still ended up successful in his mission. The only problem was, now he felt kind of bad about it. Not about his conquest, no, he was still eager to gain more power and prove his worth, but now he wasn't sure what to do with this princess who'd taken his breath away at first sight.

He had to lock her up, of course, he couldn't chance her undoing his plans, but he still tried his best to accommodate her. A nice cage… decent meals… and himself to keep her company. She was initially very reluctant to talk to him, despite his best efforts to reach out, but as time passed she slowly opened up to him. He found out her name was Peach (at first he'd mistakenly thought she said 'Peaches'), and when she wasn't shouting at him or crying to go home, she spoke with a kind and gentle voice that made Bowser's ears itch for more.

Kamek had shot him odd looks. Several times Bowser thought he heard the Koopas whispering about him (he couldn't be sure though since they'd quickly shut up once they sensed him coming). Bowser himself wasn't really sure what he was doing. What was the point in treating the princess this way? Why was she so fascinating to him? Her kingdom was already practically his, anyways.

Ah, but then came the third hiccup (well, third and fourth, or perhaps third and a half?).

Two prophesied heroes, brothers from another world, a couple of pests that should have been barely an inconvenience. From his throne room (with Peach in her cage next to him), Bowser frequently heard the reports of a mustachioed human named Mario and his green sidekick. They were traversing the eight worlds, reclaiming every territory that his army had previously taken over, and slowly making their way to his castle for the princess. Bowser would often rant to her about it, frustrated that his plans were rapidly coming undone, and by a couple of plumbers no less. During his tirades she merely avoided his gaze and fiddled with her blonde hair, which glowed a fiery red in the lava-lit throne room. Bowser could tell she was none-too-secretly excited to hear about the plumbers' progress, and for some odd reason (apart from the obvious) that personally infuriated him.

But Bowser was determined to put them in their place. When the meddling Mario and his brother miraculously made it to his front doors, he was more than ready to crush them into oblivion. But then, in a cruel twist of fate, they beat him. They, a couple of nothings, defeated the mighty King of the Koopas. When Bowser emerged from the lava, battered and bruised and absolutely seething with rage, the first thing his eye caught was the empty cage swinging next to his throne.

And just like that, an epic rivalry was born.

Bowser didn't stay down for long. He and Kamek furiously whipped up another plan, this time with the Mushroom Kingdom as its sole target. He was doubly determined to take it over this time (and see the princess again, though he would never admit that to his minions). And if that piece of scum named Mario (or the green one) got in his way, he'd gladly incinerate him (he might go out of his way to do it anyways). Yet, despite all his preparation and his thirst for revenge, somehow, they still managed to get the best of him again.

This sequence inevitably became a cycle, and with each defeat Bowser only grew more determined. What started as a desire to erase his first failure (and a not-so-secret crush on the princess) turned into an undeniable obsession. No matter how many times he'd plummet into lava, get mercilessly launched across the eight worlds, or forcibly shrunk, quitting was never an option.

Mario, the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, would someday be vanquished, and King Bowser Koopa would finally be happy.