(A/N: All right, now it's time for Chapter 2. This is where the trick-or-treating fun starts for the Royal Family.)
By the time the Royal Family reached the Coconut Mall, the sun had gone down. However, they entered the building to find that a lot of people were doing their own trick-or-treating there.
"Hmm... it looks like we weren't the only ones who thought to come here and trick-or-treat." Mario said as he looked around.
"It's okay. This is still going to be a lot of fun for all of us." Peach assured him as she pushed Mario Jr.'s stroller up to the entrance of the nearest store.
And Peach was right. It was great fun. The costumed royals would come up to the entrance of a store, where an employee in a costume would be standing with a bowl of candy, and Mario and Peach would say, "Trick-or-treat!" Mario Jr. would simply hold up his candy bucket with his father's smile on his adorable face.
Then the costumed employee would drop either a piece of candy, or a handful of candies, into the Royal Family's candy buckets. And every time this happened, Jr. would look inside his bucket to see what he got. This little stunt amused everyone to no end. But then Mario or Peach would tap Jr. on the shoulder, which would prompt him to stop looking in the bucket as they went on to the next place.
(A/N: I got what Mario Jr. did from my brother. My parents said that when he got candy during the first time he got to go trick-or-treating, he'd peek inside his candy bucket to see what he got. Not surprisingly, he too was a year old at the time.)
At one point, Mario, Peach, and their son happened to see Luigi and Daisy nearby. They were also doing their trick-or-treating here. As part of their Ghostbuster costumes, the couple each wore one of E. Gadd's Poltergust vacuums on their backs. Luigi had the Poltergust G-00 (since it helped him claim his better half), and Daisy had the Poltergust 3000.
"Hi! Hey, Luigi!" Mario exclaimed, recognizing his brother.
Luigi and Daisy stopped in their tracks and turned around at the sound of that voice, and they saw what looked to be one of the Beatles and a swordfighter pushing a stroller that a small Mario was sitting in. Not only that, but the Beatle was waving at Luigi. It didn't take long for the ghost-busting couple to figure out who those people were.
"Mario!" Luigi exclaimed in happiness, walking over to the Mushroom Kingdom's Royal Family and giving his older twin brother a big hug.
"It's-a good to see you again." Luigi said to Mario.
"It sure is." Mario replied, making sure to keep an eye on his son, who was sitting obediently in his stroller, looking at the people hugging his parents.
"Peach! Fancy meeting you here!" Daisy said as she greeted her cousin with a handshake.
"Likewise." Peach replied, keeping one hand on Jr.'s stroller while shaking Daisy's hand with her free one.
"And how is this little cutie enjoying his first time trick-or-treating?" Daisy asked as she came around to the front of the stroller to look at Jr.
Although Daisy was dressed as a Ghostbuster, Mario Jr. knew who was looking at him.
"Day!" Jr. exclaimed at his aunt.
"That's right, Jr. It's me, your Aunt Daisy." the flower princess said, giving him a quick hug. She loved Mario Jr. He was her precious nephew, godson, and second cousin.
"He's really enjoying Halloween, Daisy." Mario said.
"You should see him. Every time he gets candy, he looks into his candy bucket to see what he got. It's so amusing." Peach said.
"Really?" Daisy asked.
"Yeah. Watch this." Peach said as they walked over to the next store.
"Trick-or-treat!" the group said.
The employee standing at the entrance to the store dropped some candy in everyone's buckets. Sure enough, Jr. was peeking inside his bucket to see what he got, which amused everyone.
"Wow! Mario Jr. really is his papa's son!" Luigi remarked.
"What do you mean?" Peach asked as Mario tapped his son's shoulder, prompting him to stop looking at the candy in his bucket.
"You saw what he was doing, right? Mama and Papa said that Mario did that exact same thing when we were that young and went trick-or-treating for the first time." Luigi said.
"So Jr. really does take after his papa. I was hoping he would." Peach said, smiling at her husband, which made him blush like a madman.
"It's kind of like how I'm hoping Elvin will take after his papa." Daisy said.
"No, Daisy, you don't want Elvin to take after me. I'm not exactly a great guy." Luigi said.
"Hey, you're as much of a hero as Mario is, and you can work up the courage to face your fears and help the people you care about. That was how you got me back from Tatanga, and how you saved your brother and his wife from vengeful ghosts. You are a really terrific guy." Daisy told him as they walked off to do more trick-or-treating.
(A/N: Those of you who have read Luigi's Happy Ending should know how Luigi rescued Daisy from Tatanga. If you haven't read that story, or don't remember it, then you'll have to read it in order to find out how he did it.)
"Okie-dokie, I don't suppose I can argue with that logic." Luigi said after thinking about his wife's words. He knew that Daisy was right.
"I know because it's true, and you, of all people, should know it. I wouldn't have married you and had your baby if I didn't think you were terrific." Daisy said, and she gave her husband a kiss on the lips, which was always enough to make him blush.
After stopping at every place they could to get candy, the Royal Family finally had more than enough Halloween candy in their buckets (which were getting heavy), and they were starting to feel pretty tired.
"So, we'll call this night a done deal, Peach?" Mario asked his wife.
"Yes, Mario. We're done trick-or-treating. Now we should get supper, since we didn't eat any before we left the castle." Peach said.
"Va bene. All right. I know this place has some restaurants where we can sit down, so let's-a go and look for one." Mario said, looking at a map of the mall and checking it for places to eat. The couple decided against the food court because everyone was going to be there. Peach suggested they eat at one of the restaurants where you could sit down, and Mario didn't argue.
Once the Royal Family decided on what restaurant they wanted to eat at, they went right over to the place and got seated more or less straight away. Being royalty has its perks! And after they had finished their meal, they left the mall.
Now there were more stars in the sky, and the moon was out.
"I think we had un momento divertente, a fun time." Mario said to Peach as they made their way back to their vehicle.
"We did. And I know Jr. enjoyed himself, too." Peach said, looking at their son as they removed him from the stroller and strapped him into his seat. Then Mario started the car, and the family got ready to go back home to their castle.
It was no surprise that Mario Jr. had fallen fast asleep as soon as Mario and Peach started making their way home from the Coconut Mall. But they knew that their son had a lot of fun that night, and that's what they had been hoping for.
When the Royal Family returned to Mushroom Castle, Mario carried the candy buckets while Peach pushed the stroller that held their sleeping child into the castle.
Toadbert and Toadiko were still up and about at this time, still wearing their Halloween costumes (Toadbert was Merlin and Toadiko was Madam Mim from Disney's "The Sword in the Stone"), sitting at a table in the Great Hall, playing a game of Old Maid. The game quickly ended, however, when they heard the doors open and saw the Royal Family enter the castle.
"Your Majesties! Good to see you again, by boogity!" said Toadbert happily as he and Toadiko dropped their cards and approached the family.
"How did everything go?" Peach asked as Mario set down the candy buckets on another nearby table.
"For the most part, everything was pretty good. We had a lot of trick-or-treaters come by, and we handed out all the candy, but one of the trick-or-treaters we got did look pretty scary!" said Toadiko.
"How scary did he or she look?" Mario asked as he lifted Jr. out of the stroller and holding him close. The child didn't stir as his head now rested gently on his father's shoulder.
"Scary enough to get Poochy barking at him, and scare both of us as well. One Toad had dressed up in a Dry Bowser costume." Toadiko said.
"Mama-mia!" Mario quietly exclaimed.
"Oh dear... That sounds quite frightful..." said Peach.
"That's not even the worst part, my lady! When Toadsworth saw the reason why we screamed and why Poochy was barking, he must have thought it was the real deal, and that would be enough to make him feel afraid that something might have happened to you, Mario, and the prince! He was so scared that he fainted! Toadiko and I were afraid that he had dropped dead, by boogity!" said Toadbert.
"Oh my goodness! Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay." Peach pleaded, feeling deeply concerned for the old Toad. Being her godfather, Toadsworth had pretty much taken on the role of her father when her parents died. She always thought of him as a father, even though she had never referred to him as such, always calling him "Toadsworth". But then again, when she was learning how to talk, he'd taught her that he was "Toadsworth", not her father.
"Yeah, he's okay. Poochy even lapped at his face to make sure he was fine." Toadiko replied.
"Thank Grambi..." Peach sighed in relief.
"But Toadsworth wasn't exactly amused when he came to and learned that it was a Dry Bowser costume that had scared him so bad. However, the Toad who scared him did come by later without his costume and apologized for having scared him. He just wanted to look scary; he didn't mean any harm." Toadiko added.
"Well, at least the Toad had the common courtesy to apologize for scaring Toadsworth. I know for a fact that while Halloween night is supposed to be spooky, it shouldn't be so spooky that someone faints from fright." said Mario.
"True." said Peach. When she first decided against the idea of dressing up Mario Jr. as a Koopa, she hadn't even thought about how Toadsworth and the Toads would have felt if she actually had followed through with it. Now she was glad she decided against the idea right away.
"The Royal Physician checked him over, and he's doing well, by boogity. But she's keeping him in the infirmary for the night, just to make sure he'll be fine!" said Toadbert.
"As for Poochy, he's up in the nursery in his doggie bed. That's where he went after the trick-or-treating was done. Toadbert and I covered him with the sheet he used for his costume." Toadiko added.
"I think we'd better go to the infirmary and check on him, just to make sure that he's doing all right." Peach whispered to Mario.
"Suona come un piano. Sounds like a plan." Mario whispered back.
The couple made their way to the infirmary, and the first thing they saw was Toadsworth resting in a bed. The Royal Physician was also awake, sitting on a chair at his bedside, keeping an eye on the old Toad. But when she heard footsteps by the entrance of the room, she turned her attention away from Toadsworth and looked to see who was coming.
"Well, lookie here! If it isn't a Beatle, a swordfighter, and a small Mario!" said the Royal Physician in surprise.
"Not really. It's-a just the Royal Family!" Mario said.
"OH! I should have known that it's only you in your Halloween costumes. Now I'm pretty sure that Toadbert and Toadiko were kind enough to tell you what went on here while you were out trick-or-treating." the Royal Physician said.
"They did. Is Toadsworth really going to be okay?" Peach asked.
"Whuzzat? Did I just hear the queen speak?" Toadsworth groggily asked, attempting to sit up in his bed.
"Lie back, Toadsworth." the Royal Physician instructed the old Toad, putting a hand on his shoulder to make him lie back down.
"Toadsworth! Oh, thank goodness you're awake!" Peach quietly exclaimed, rushing to the other side of his bed. She knelt beside the bed, handed Toadsworth his glasses, and asked him, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm starting to feel better, now that I know you're safe at home and not in the clutches of some awful villain, my queen. I can't believe someone actually thought it would be funny to go trick-or-treating in a bleeding Dry Bowser costume!" Toadsworth ranted as he put on his glasses so he could see the queen easier.
"We heard from Toadiko that the Toad who scared you apologized for having done so." Peach said, trying to soothe him.
"I know that! And while I'm glad that he did, I still don't think that dressing up as an undead monster was a very funny trick for treats! He was bloody lucky that I only fainted! I was so scared, I could have, and probably should have, gone into cardiac arrest!" Toadsworth complained.
"Ma non l'hai fatto. But you didn't, thank Grambi. And please try not to be so loud. Jr.'s asleep." Mario said, hoping that Toadsworth didn't wake his son.
"Oh... Sorry, Your Majesty." said Toadsworth, seeing the prince fast asleep with his head on Mario's shoulder. Then he asked in a quieter voice, "Did the young prince have fun trick-or-treating for the first time?"
"He sure did. Every time he got candy, he'd look into his bucket to see what he got. It was pretty funny. You would've been just as amused as the rest of us were." Peach replied with a giggle.
"I see. Well, I'm glad the young prince enjoyed himself tonight, and you look like you all had a fun time." Toadsworth said.
"We did." Mario replied.
"But right now, I'm more concerned about you, Toadsworth. Are you all right?" Peach asked the old Toad.
"Seeing that you all made it home safe and sound makes me feel all right. I just need to sleep, and I believe I can do that now." Toadsworth said.
"That's right, Toadsworth. You do need to sleep. And I know for a fact that you'll feel much better after you've had a good night's sleep." the Royal Physician said to him.
"All right, then. Buona notte, Toadsworth. Good night." Mario said.
"Good night, Toadsworth." Peach said, removing his glasses, setting them off to the side before tucking the blankets around him more tightly.
"Good night, Your Majesties. Sleep well, and thank the Star Spirits you're all fine." Toadsworth said as he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to claim him.
So Mario and Peach then made their way upstairs, and they went to the nursery, where Poochy was currently curled up in his doggie bed, sleeping, his costume draped over him like a blanket. Except he opened his eyes when Mario turned on the lights. However, he kept quiet because he could see that Jr. had fallen asleep already, and he knew better than to bark and wake him up. The dog was smart as a whip.
Poochy kept quiet, watching as the royal couple got Mario Jr. out of his costume and ready for bed (without waking him), and then they put him in his crib, pulling the blankets over him as he snuggled his plush Yoshi and plush Luma.
"Sweet dreams, Jr." Peach whispered to Jr. before she and Mario kissed him good-night.
Then Mario and Peach leaned down to pet Poochy and call him a good dog. Poochy enjoyed the love he received from the adults in the castle. After giving them both a lick, the dog settled back down and went to sleep.
With their child in his crib and Poochy in the room, keeping him safe, Mario and Peach turned out the lights (the only light in the room now coming from the Fire Flower night-light near the crib) and went to their bedroom, where they began to get themselves ready for bed. Well, okay, Mario just took off his costume, and after he brushed his teeth, he went to bed in just his underpants.
"Mama-mia! We had quite a fun night, didn't we, Peach?" Mario said, turning to look at his wife as she brushed out her long, golden hair before removing her costume and jewelry.
"We sure did, Mario." Peach replied, before going into the bathroom to take off her make-up and brush her teeth. She also changed into an orange nightie, which really surprised Mario.
"Wow..." Mario said as he crawled under the covers.
"Do you like it?" Peach asked.
"I do. You look very nice." Mario replied.
"Thank you." Peach said.
"You know, Peach, if you're still a little worried about Toadsworth, I know what might help you feel better." Mario told his wife.
"Really?" Peach asked as she got in next to her husband.
"Sì. How about we do... this?" Mario suggested, pulling Peach close and giving her a passionate kiss on the lips.
When they broke apart, Peach smiled shyly and said, "You know, that actually worked. I do feel a little less worried. Let's do that again!" And then Peach gave her husband a lingering kiss.
The couple continued to kiss each other and cuddle before finally falling asleep in each other's arms, tired, but happy.
The End
Okay, when I first wrote this story, I intended for it to be a one-shot, but it looked long enough for me to turn into a chapter story, so I did it. Truth be told, I got the idea for this fanfic last year, but it wouldn't have been ready in time for Halloween, and so I spent the year brainstorming this fic. Hope you liked it!