(A/N: I've had the idea for this Halloween fanfic for quite a while. Now in this fanfic, we get to see Mario Jr.'s first time celebrating the holiday. Does that sound interesting to you? Okay, I'll start the fanfic right away!)
It was October 31st in the Mushroom Kingdom. All the Toads in the kingdom were feeling very excited, because it was Halloween at last. Those who planned to go trick-or-treating had their costumes ready, and those who were staying home had bought plenty of candy to hand out to the trick-or-treaters. Everyone was ready for a fun and spook-tacular night!
At Mushroom Castle, the sun was beginning to go down, and everyone was looking forward to nightfall. Most of the Toads in the castle were planning to go trick-or-treating in Toad Town, but some of the Toads, like Toadsworth, Toadbert, and Toadiko, would stay at the castle to hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters. Peach had done that for a while, back when she was the princess, and for a few years after she became the queen of the Mushroom Kingdom.
But tonight, Queen Peach, and her husband, King Mario, were planning to do something fun. They were going to take their 1-year-old son, Prince Mario Jr., trick-or-treating for the first time. Now they hadn't done that the year he was born because he was only a few months old at the time, and he would not have really understood all the hype that came with Halloween. He also wouldn't have been able to eat the candy, either.
Right now, Peach was in the nursery, changing Mario Jr. into his Halloween costume. It was going to be nice, taking the child trick-or-treating, and she and Mario were also going to do some trick-or-treating themselves. That would be fun, because the last time she did so, she was... at least 17 years old. But she remembered how much she had enjoyed it, and she was sure Jr. would have fun, too.
The queen thought back to how the idea of taking Mario Jr. trick-or-treating came up. It was during a talk she had with Daisy a week ago. Daisy had come to Mushroom Castle to visit with Peach while Luigi was busy helping Mario with some plumbing work that needed to be done in Toad Town.
(Flashback...)
"So, Peach, you do remember what happens at the end of this month, don't you?" Daisy asked her cousin. The two women were in the castle nursery at the moment, and Daisy was watching intently as Peach cared for Mario Jr. Watching her cousin helped her learn how to be a good mother to her own little baby, Prince Elvin of Sarasaland.
(A/N: Remember, Elvin is not just the name of the professor who helped Luigi; it's also the name that Luigi and Daisy chose for their son, and he's at least a year younger than Mario Jr.)
"Of course I remember, Daisy. It's going to be Halloween." Peach replied, smiling at Mario Jr. in her arms.
"And if memory serves me right, it's going to be Mario Jr.'s second Halloween. I also seem to recall that you and Mario weren't planning to take him trick-or-treating last year." Daisy said.
"Daisy, he was only a few months old around this time last year. He wouldn't have really understood all the hype. And he also didn't have any teeth to help him eat the candy." Peach said.
"Good point, Peach." Daisy mumbled, before asking, "Well, Jr. has done quite a bit of growing and learning since last Halloween. Are you going to take him trick-or-treating this year?"
Peach thought about that for a moment before saying, "I don't see why we couldn't do that... Maybe Mario and I could do some trick-or-treating as well. I haven't been trick-or-treating in years, and I know that Mario and Luigi liked doing so during their first years in the Mushroom Kingdom."
"Great! Every kid deserves the chance to go trick-or-treating and get a lot of candy. That'll help them to like Halloween. And I've also seen grown-ups in Sarasaland who still go out and trick-or-treat on Halloween. I'm willing to bet they do it for the fun and nostalgia." Daisy said.
"That's a good reason for adults to do so." said Peach, before asking Daisy, "Would you like to hold Mario Jr. for a bit?"
"May I?" Daisy asked, holding out her arms for the baby.
"Of course. Here you go." Peach replied, placing the little boy into her cousin's strong arms.
"Aww! Hello, sweetheart. It's just me, your godmother, Aunt Daisy." Daisy said, smiling at the baby as she held him.
"Day!" Mario Jr. replied, smiling back at his aunt. That was the way he said Daisy's name.
"I think you should know that a fun holiday known as Halloween is coming up, Jr. So let me ask you: what are you gonna be for Halloween?" Daisy practically sang the question to her nephew, which made him giggle in response.
(A/N: Daisy singing the question was a nod to the song "What Am I Gonna Be For Halloween?", from an old Ronald McDonald's Silly Sing-Along audio cassette I used to have.)
That question caught Peach off-guard. She hadn't thought about taking the baby trick-or-treating until Daisy asked her about it, and if that was the plan, she realized that he was going to need a costume, and a good one at that.
"Good question, Daisy. What is he gonna be for Halloween?" Peach asked.
"You don't know?" Daisy asked, surprised.
"No... Well, actually, I do know what he's not going to be for Halloween: a Koopa." Peach replied.
"Given everything that the Koopas put you, your kingdom, and even Mario through, I can't really blame you for making that decision, Peach. Next to marrying Mario, this is probably one of the easiest decisions you've ever made." Daisy said as she held Mario Jr. close to her.
Mario Jr. just looked at the women curiously, not sure what they were talking about. He was only a year old, so he still had a lot to learn about grown-ups and the things they discussed.
"I hadn't really thought about taking Jr. trick-or-treating until you asked me about it, and then I had almost forgotten about the fact that he'll need a costume to wear when he does. But I knew right away what costume will be inappropriate." Peach said.
"It's understandable, Peach. Can you imagine what would happen if Bowser decided to wreak havoc in the Mushroom Kingdom on Halloween night, and he just happened to see you and Mario trick-or-treating with a small Koopa, and he didn't know it was your son in a costume? He'd think you were actually beginning to embrace the idea of being Jr.'s mom!" Daisy said.
Peach shuddered and said, "That's a good reason to never dress Mario Jr. as a Koopa. We don't want to risk Bowser showing up and getting the wrong idea in his stupid head. It's bad enough that he almost always has his mind in the gutter. But even if he did get the wrong idea, Mario would be able to kick his sorry butt."
"True, but after that one adventure you went on, we now know that Bowser is willing to stoop so low as to try and actually kill Mario. We don't want Jr. here to grow up without his papa." said Daisy.
"You're right..." said Peach, looking down at her lap, remembering how awful she felt when Bowser attempted to kill Mario. If Bowser had successfully killed Mario, the Mushroom Kingdom would be in peril, and all hope would be lost, for the Koopa King would have killed her after marrying her.
"But don't worry, Peach. Bowser hasn't tried anything since Mario rescued you and Mario Jr. from his evil clutches, has he?" Daisy asked.
"No, not really." Peach said, not looking up.
"So perhaps he has no idea that you two have this sweet kid. But if he somehow found out about Jr., he may be out looking for someone else to marry. Someone who isn't you." Daisy said, putting a hand on Peach's shoulder, which prompted the queen to look at her.
Peach smiled slightly and said, "You're right. Maybe Bowser is actually trying to find someone else to marry, like a female Koopa. It would be a blessing, if that's the case."
"Yeah, but in the meantime, let's discuss this little guy." Daisy said. She turned her gaze back to the child and said, "I still can't believe how big he's gotten, and how cute he is."
"I know. Except for a few things, he looks like he's going to be the double of Mario. I'm sure that he's going to break many hearts when he grows up, 'cause he's so handsome." Peach said as she looked at her sweet little boy, who looked happy in Daisy's arms.
"You're right about that. He's a handsome little boy, much like the one Luigi and I have back at our castle in Sarasaland." Daisy said, before playfully tickling the baby's tummy, making him laugh as he tried to swat Daisy's hand away.
"And he's so sweet, just like his papa." Peach added, smiling as she watched her son with Daisy. That's when a light bulb appeared over the queen's head.
"That's it!" Peach said.
"What's it?" asked Daisy, turning to look at her cousin.
"Perhaps Mario Jr. can trick-or-treat as his papa's double." Peach said.
"You mean, you want to dress him up as Mario, or dress him up in the same costume as Mario?" Daisy asked.
"In the outfit Mario usually wears." Peach said, motioning that she wanted to take her son back.
"You know, that might actually be a good costume for him." Daisy said as she handed the child back to his mother.
"Oh, but I'll have to run the idea by Mario first." Peach said.
"I understand." Daisy said, before adding, "And you and Mario might also have to figure out what you're going to be for Halloween."
"Mario always has all sorts of interesting costumes on hand, even more so after that big adventure he went on with Cappy. I think he'll come up with something good. But I'll tell him to make sure that he keeps his costume tame, so as not to scare our child." Peach said, giving her baby a kiss on the cheek. Mario Jr. made a happy sound at that.
"Yeah, scaring the baby isn't going to do either of you any good." Daisy said.
"I know. I don't want Mario Jr. to be afraid of a fun holiday like Halloween. And that's all the more reason to never dress him up as a Koopa." Peach said, cuddling her child close.
"Yeah. The sight of the costume alone would be enough to frighten him, and he would be even more upset and afraid if he found out he'd have to wear it. Seeing himself in it would be the final nail in the coffin." said Daisy.
"So it's decided. If we go trick-or-treating, then Jr. is going to do so as a small version of his papa." Peach said, smiling at her son, who smiled back at her. Then Peach asked her cousin, "By the way, Daisy, are you and Luigi going trick-or-treating this year?"
"You know we are! But we're not taking Elvin with us, since he's in the same position Mario Jr. was a year ago, unable to understand the hype, and he's not yet ready for solid foods. He'll be staying at the mansion, in the care of Professor E. Gadd, Gooigi, and Doggy." Daisy replied.
"That sounds fair enough... So, what will you and Luigi be trick-or-treating as?" Peach asked.
"Ghostbusters, of course!" Daisy said.
"I should have seen that coming." Peach smiled.
"Hey, you know how good Luigi is at busting ghosts. You might recall the time he demonstrated for us in E. Gadd's training room to keep his ghostbusting skills from getting rusty." Daisy reminded her, before asking, "So, are you going to run the idea of trick-or-treating by Mario, or what?"
"Of course I will. But first, I'll have to wait for him and Luigi to return from the plumbing job they're doing." Peach said.
"Yeah. I know that you could call Mario and ask him, since he's always got his smartphone on him, but you don't want to distract him when he's busy." Daisy said.
(End flashback...)
As luck would have it, Mario really liked the idea of taking the baby trick-or-treating. In fact, he still liked the idea of trick-or-treating in general, and suggested that he and Peach do the same thing when they took the baby out. Peach was glad that he approved of the idea, but even so...
"Mario, you're more like a big kid than an actual adult when you want to do things like that." Peach giggled.
"Non c'è niente di sbagliato in questo. There's nothing wrong with adults going trick-or-treating, Peach. Some of them still like to go out and enjoy the fun of Halloween." Mario replied.
"You're right. It doesn't hurt to have a sense of fun when you're an adult, especially when you have children of your own." Peach said.
"Esattamente. Exactly. We don't want Jr. to get the idea that being a grown-up means you have to be boring and give up fun altogether. You know that Luigi and I never lost our sense of fun. And we know you and Daisy also have a sense of fun." Mario said.
Peach knew her husband was right, and she smiled at the memory as she finished getting Jr. into his Halloween costume.
"There! You look perfect!" Peach smiled at the little boy before her.
Mario Jr. was dressed in a red, long-sleeved shirt, blue overalls with yellow buttons, brown shoes, a small pair of white gloves, and he also wore a red cap with a red 'M' in the middle of it. He also wore a false mustache that looked just like his papa's.
"Wait until your papa sees you. You look so much like him, only smaller." Peach said to Mario Jr.
Mario Jr. could sense that his mama was happy about something, and he smiled at her.
"Hold that smile!" Peach said, pulling out her smartphone and snapping a photo of Mario Jr. with it. He did look a lot like a mini Mario, save for his eye color and the size of his nose.
"Wow! You really are your papa's mini-me." Peach said as she admired the picture she had just taken. She even showed it to Jr., who seemed to wonder what he was looking at.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door, causing the mother and child to look up.
"Who is it?" Peach called.
"It's-a me!" Mario's voice replied.
"Papa!" Mario Jr. exclaimed in happiness. He recognized that voice.
"Come in!" Peach said.
The door opened, and in walked Mario, dressed in his costume. He was wearing a nice suit, and his hair looked to be in a bowl-cut, like the Beatles. He kinda did look like one of the Beatles.
"Mario?" Peach asked, surprised, while Jr. gave him a confused look.
"Non preoccuparti. Don't worry, Peach. I know I look like a member of the Fab Four, but I'm still the Mario you know and love. Plus, I promised you that I would keep my costume tame, so as not to scare Mario Jr." Mario assured his wife.
"Well, I can't argue, for being a Beatle is about as tame as you can get. Also, did you get your hair cut?" Peach asked, walking over to Mario while keeping an eye on Mario Jr.
"No. This is just a wig. See?" Mario said, removing the wig, showing that he hadn't done anything to his hair.
"All right." Peach said with a smile.
"So, how's our little prince?" Mario asked.
"See for yourself." Peach replied, motioning to Mario Jr., who was sitting up on the changing table, looking at his father curiously. The voice and face were very familiar to the little boy, but the clothes and hairstyle had him baffled.
"Mama-mia! Is that really our son, or a miniature clone of me?" Mario asked Peach as he looked at their son.
"Oh, that's our son, all right. The resemblance is amazing." Peach replied.
"I guess those who called him a chip off the old block weren't wrong." Mario said.
"Right." said Peach. Then she noticed that Jr. didn't seem to recognize his papa as a Beatle, and she told Mario, "You should probably let him know that in spite of your new look, you're still his papa."
"I should do that. In fact, I'll do it right now." Mario said, and he walked over to where his son was sitting. When he was close enough, he said, "Hello, Jr."
"Papa?" Jr. asked, wondering if this guy really was his papa, or if he was sorely mistaken.
"It's-a me, son." Mario assured him, removing the Beatle wig and putting his normal cap on. This was enough to assure Jr. that he was who he thought he was, so he could let him off the hook.
"Papa." Jr. smiled.
"That's right, Jr.!" Mario smiled back. Then he removed the cap, put the wig back on, and added, "I'm going to wear this when we go trick-or-treating. Tomorrow morning, I'll be looking like your papa again. But tonight, I'm a member of the Beatles, the greatest rock band there ever was!"
"But we can't go out yet, Mario. I still have to put on my Halloween costume." Peach said.
"You go do that, Peach. In the meantime, I'm going to spend some time with our son, keeping him preoccupied." Mario said.
"Okay, then." Peach said with a smile and a giggle. She gave her two favorite men a kiss on the cheek before she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
So while Peach went to go change into her own Halloween costume, Mario picked up his son, carried him over to a comfortable chair, and sat down, setting the young boy on his lap.
"You know, Jr., in your costume, you really do look like my mini-me, but your eye color is the same as your mama's. And your nose is tiny, just like hers. I'm glad you have some of her features, as well as her royal blood." Mario said.
Jr. smiled at his father, glad to be with him. Mario couldn't help returning the smile that matched his own.
"However, I noticed that you didn't recognize me right away in this costume. But non preoccuparti, don't worry. It's-a Halloween. That's why I'm dressed like this. Lots of people enjoy dressing up and wearing costumes on Halloween. And when you say the magic words, 'trick-or-treat', people give you candy." Mario explained.
Jr. leaned against his father, feeling safe and happy.
"You'll like trick-or-treating, I promise. The people will gladly give you candy as soon as they see you, because you look a lot like someone they know and trust: your papa. But at the same time, they'll remember that you are il principe, the prince, and you are your own person." Mario added as he hugged the child close to him.
Jr. didn't really know what his father was saying, but something about his voice told him tonight was going to be a lot of fun.
A few minutes later, there came another knock at the door.
"Si accomodi! Come in!" Mario called out.
The door opened, and in stepped Peach, dressed like a swordfighter.
"Mama-mia! Jr., look at that!" Mario exclaimed in surprise, standing up and motioning for the child in his arms to look at Peach.
(A/N: Yeah, I saw the Nintendo Direct in September, and I knew that I wanted Peach to dress up in one of the outfits she'll wear in "Princess Peach: Showtime!" After some deliberation, I picked the swordfighter outfit because she looked awesome in it.)
"Wow!" Jr. exclaimed, his eyes big. He couldn't really tell that the person who entered the room was his mama (since he'd never seen her dressed like that), but it's clear that he was feeling just as impressed as his papa at the sight.
"I take it you boys are impressed with what you see?" Peach asked as she approached the pair.
"Hai un aspetto incredibile! You look amazing, Peach!" Mario said.
"Mama?" Jr. asked, having recognized his mama's voice.
"Yes, Jr. It's me, your mama." Peach said, leaning down and giving her baby a kiss on the cheek.
Jr. would know a kiss like that anywhere. He smiled at his mama and held out his arms, which made Peach feel happy inside.
"So, who's ready to go trick-or-treating?" Peach asked.
"I am!" Mario said happily as he handed Jr. to his wife.
"How about you, Jr.?" Peach asked her son as she held the child close to her.
"Go!" Jr. said excitedly. He didn't really know what the excitement was all about, but he knew he had a reason to feel that way.
"Okay, let's-a go!" Peach smiled.
"Ehi, questa è la mia battuta! Hey, that's my line!" Mario pointed out.
"Well, I think Jr. wanted to say it, but he still has a way to go before he learns how to say it as good as you." Peach reminded him.
"You're right. He still has to learn the proper pronunciation of people's names a little better, too." Mario said. Even though Jr. knew who everyone was and he was learning how to talk and say their names, he still had yet to get them right.
"Of course. He still refers to Daisy as 'Day'." Peach giggled. Then she said, "Now let's make our way downstairs, put Mario Jr. in his stroller, get our buckets for the candy, and head on over to the Coconut Mall for a fun night of trick-or-treating."
"All right! We'll get lots of candy if we do our trick-or-treating over there!" Mario exclaimed, sounding extremely excited.
(A/N: My own family did trick-or-treating at the mall for years when I was a kid. That's why Mario and Peach are taking Jr. to the mall.)
"That's the reason why I suggested going there." Peach said as they left the nursery and walked downstairs.
Poochy, the Royal Guard Dog, was downstairs, keeping an eye on the Toads in the Great Hall. In fact, he too wore a costume. Peach had cut a couple of holes in an old white sheet and draped it over Poochy before getting Mario Jr. ready for trick-or-treating. The dog was dressed as a ghost, and he looked a little bit like Polterpup.
When Poochy saw the Royal Family enter the Great Hall, he quickly hurried over to them, barking happily and wagging his tail.
"Hey, Poochy! Who's my good dog?" Peach asked as she looked at the dog.
Poochy looked up at his mistress, panting underneath the sheet.
"You think you can be a good boy and keep an eye on things here while we're out trick-or-treating?" Peach asked.
The dog must have understood her question because he actually nodded his head while still panting and wagging his tail.
"Bravo ragazzo! Good boy!" Mario said, kneeling down and patting the dog's head.
Poochy liked that, because the sheet fell off of him as he plunked his forepaws on Mario's chest. This knocked the royal plumber down as the dog began licking his face.
"Take it easy, Poochy! I have to go trick-or-treating tonight!" Mario exclaimed, laughing.
Poochy stopped, but still panted happily at his master.
"Mama-mia..." Mario said as he sat up. Peach handed him a handkerchief to wipe his face before she draped the sheet over the dog again.
Toadsworth, who was wearing a vampire cape, then spotted the Royal Family standing around and said, "Let's see, we have a swordfighter, a Beatle, and a mini-Mario tending to a ghost. I think I'll have to give all but the ghost some good candy."
"Toadsworth, it's just us." Peach told him, laughing slightly.
"I know, and I must say, those are some smashing costumes. That's why you're getting candy right now." Toadsworth said.
"But we didn't even say 'trick-or-treat'." Mario reminded him.
"So what? You're the Royal Family, and the candies I'm giving you now are freebies." Toadsworth said, spying their plastic candy buckets (which looked like Poison Mushrooms) not far away. He quickly walked over to the buckets and dropped a small handful of Tootsie Rolls in each one.
"All right. That's a good start." Peach smiled as she went over to where the stroller was parked and gently placed Jr. in it.
"Yup. Nothing says 'Halloween candy' like Tootsie Rolls." Mario added, handing Peach and Mario Jr. their candy buckets before taking his own.
"Be safe, and have a fun and happy Halloween!" Toadsworth said.
"We will!" Mario and Peach replied as they left the castle. And after getting the stroller in their vehicle and strapping Mario Jr. into his seat, they drove to the Coconut Mall.
And in Chapter 2, that's where they're going to be! Stay tuned to see what happens next!
I can't believe I didn't include Poochy in the Mother's Day fanfic! We mustn't forget that he became a part of the Royal Family on the day that Peach had her baby shower back in An Heir To The Throne. But we can assume that he was there, despite the fact there really wasn't much for him to do when Jr. was being looked after by his parents.