AN: Hey everyone! You know what I haven't done in a while? Start another story.

This idea more or less just came to me recently. Now, I'm sure that this is an idea that has been done before. Heck, I think I once ran into a fanfic on this exact site that had this sort of premise. However, I still want to take a crack at it. After all, there's nothing new under the sun, and I think a story like this could potentially be really fun to write.

So, without further ado, let's jump right into my new story Be the Koopa.

Chapter 1 Too Much Worry

It was one of those days where he didn't have much to do. Thank. Goodness! The last month or so had been absolutely crazy, so Mario was more than thankful to finally get the chance to take a break from it. He leaned back as he sat at a table in a cafe, sipping black tea that had mountains of sugar piled into it. This was such a good drink, and it was made even better by the fact that Mario could sip it without any fear of anything going wrong.

Well, okay, he did have some fear. He always lived life on the edge of his seat thanks to the frequent attacks from Bowser. The Koopa King had (thankfully) not tried to attack the Mushroom Kingdom recently, but that didn't make Mario any less worried. In fact, he would say that it could be considered foolish if he didn't worry. Bowser could strike at anytime; the long stretch of silence meant absolutely nothing. If anything, it only spelled bad news, as long stretches of nothing happening usually indicated that Bowser was planning something. Something big. Something noteworthy.

Something that would put Mario through the wringer and leave him without any sense of comfort or stability.

Man, that was not a pleasant thought in the slightest. Just thinking about it made Mario shudder and almost drop his tea. He prayed that wasn't the case. Sure, it was likely; so likely that Mario didn't dare say it out loud for fear of speaking it into existence. However, an attack from Bowser was the last thing he wanted. Nay, it was the last thing he needed. It was really the last thing that anyone in the Mushroom Kingdom needed. So, he continued praying, hoping that God would be merciful today and answer his much desired request.

"You okay, Mr. Mario?"

Mario turned, looking at the Toad employee who had come up to the table. Chamomile T. was her name, if her nametag was to be believed. The look in her eyes was one of concern, which made Mario realize he had fallen into a very bad shaking and sweating fit.

So, swallowing another gulp of his tea, he put the cup down and looked over at Chamomile T. "I'm fine!" He even went so far as to smile. "Perfectly fine! There's nothing to worry about!"

Chamomile T. raised any eyebrow. Maybe she saw right through Mario's lies. He didn't blame her if that was the case; he was a terrible liar. He had been since he was a little kid. He remembered one time he tried to blame the dog for breaking a vase that he smashed, only for his mother to see right through the ruse and give him an even greater punishment. That had informed Mario of how awful he was at lying, which prompted him to mostly be honest from then on. Because of him totally avoiding the action of lying, he had no opportunity to improve his skills, so he was just as inadequate at it as he was all the way back when he was five.

Curse him and his goody two shoes nature.

"Are you sure?" Chamomile T. asked again.

Mario swallowed a lump and nodded. "Positive." He almost cringed at how unbelievable and forced the delivery of that line was.

Thankfully, either because she believed him or figured she wanted to mind her own business, Chamomile T. nodded. "Okay then." She smiled, looking into the plumber's eyes with a sparkle in her own. "You know, I think this was a good day for me in particular. It's not everyday that the Mushroom Kingdom's hero comes into your shop when you're on your shift."

Mario chuckled. "No, it is not." He took another sip of his drink. "And it's a shame too; you're a very nice Toad." He raised his cup. "And this tea is absolutely delicious!"

Chamomile T. nodded. "It's a recipe that was used by the founder of this shop. She always added a secret ingredient to her tea, one that would make it extra enjoyable."

Mario nodded, all while smiling. "Secret ingredients. I thought my Mama was the only one who used those." He chuckled. "Then again, most of the time the 'secret ingredient' she used was love, but you get what I mean."

"That I do," Chamomile said with a nod and a chortle. She turned around when someone called out, her face turning red when she saw a line had formed at the counter. "Sorry, gotta get back to work. Duty calls."

Mario nodded. As Chamomile T. went right back to the counter, Mario once again returned to thinking about everything. While worried that Bowser was planning something, he was also extremely grateful for his absence in his life. Why? Well, the last month or so had been spent preparing for a very special event. The planning had really exhausted Mario, which was the reason why he now sat in a cafe drinking a caffeinated drink. People had told him that all the work he put into making the event perfect would make the celebration all the more sweet to him. Which… yeah, he could see their logic. However, he would also take the time to counter that logic with the argument that, if he was too exhausted and too tired to stand on his own two feet, he wouldn't get much of an opportunity to enjoy the celebration at all. A valid point in his opinion, one that almost prevented him from exerting so much effort.

Almost. Again, curse him and his goody two shoes nature.

Right as he was thinking this, the doorbell in front of the shop door chimed. Mario turned, his heart sinking when he saw that it was Luigi. After all, he was at this particular shop because he wanted to avoid seeing other people he knew. His line of reasoning being that, if he was out of sight and mind, nobody would take the time to get him to work some more for the celebration. Too bad his brother was and had always been the best person to track him down.

Luigi looked from side to side, smiling when he saw Mario. "Ah, there you are!" He walked over to him. "I thought I'd find you here!"

"Why?" Mario asked as he raised an eyebrow. "I don't come here very often." He cringed and cursed as soon as he said that. Again, he was terrible at lying.

Luigi chuckled before deciding to sit down (after getting a greeting from the ever happy Chamomile T.). He looked at Mario, who traced the rim of his cup with his pointer finger. "It's almost time! Peach's birthday party will be in less than an hour!"

"Yep." Mario didn't sound too enthusiastic when he said that, a fact that Luigi was all too aware of.

"Oh, don't be such a sourpuss Mario; this could turn out to be really fun!"

Mario snorted. "You said that during her last birthday." He raised the cup back up to his mustachioed lips. "And you remember what happened that time, don't you?"

Luigi seized up. What Mario was referring to was when they held a birthday party at the castle for Peach last year. Mario had taken the time to make sure that everything was perfect; the decorations, the presents, the guest list, everything. He had put just as much effort into preparing last year's celebration as he did this year's, possibly even more so due to him wanting to put his best foot forward for the woman of his dreams. Which, of course, meant that Bowser and his minions had to find someway to muck it all up. Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings had snuck into the castle inside a giant cake, kidnapping Peach and taking her all the way to Bowser's Castle. This of course meant Mario had to go rescue her, a trip that he still felt tired and exhausted remembering to this very day.

Luigi was more aware than anybody else how grueling and taxing that journey had been on Mario, so he kind of shrunk back when he heard that. "Well… yeah, I do remember. It was… it was a pretty horrible thing to happen, especially on Peach's birthday."

"Yep." Mario set the cup down, for he had just drank the final drop. "It's already bad enough that Bowser kidnaps Peach on normal dates. But to have it happen on her birthday… yeah, that crosses a line, even for him."

Luigi nodded. "It does indeed." He somehow managed to put on a smile. "But that doesn't mean anything! Just because she was kidnapped on one birthday doesn't mean she'll be kidnapped on this one."

Mario stomach churned. "Man, that's a jinx if I've ever heard one." He got up from the chair and went over to the counter with Luigi following him. "You're wanting a caramel latte, I'm assuming?"

"You know me so well!" Luigi said with a giggle.

"That I do." After Mario told Chamomile T. the order, and his brother had the piping hot drink resting in the hold of his gloved hands, the Mario Bros made their way out onto the street of Toad Town. Mario took deep breaths when he walked, a stark contrast to how casually sipped at his latte.

"You're worrying too much Mario," Luigi said after a long gulp.

"Am I though?" Mario turned to face him. "Haven't you noticed that there hasn't been any attacks from Bowser in over two months? I think the last time we had to wait this long for him to attack was right before he tried to take Peach to the center of the universe!" He shuddered recalling that. "He's planning something. Something big."

"Or he's taking sometime to kick back and relax." Luigi smirked. "Something you clearly aren't taking the time to do."

Mario frowned. "Unlikely." He paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. "I just… I want to relax. Believe me Lou, there's nothing I would like more than sitting back and enjoying the party. But I just can't! Call it paranoia, calling it pattern recognition or superstition or whatever you want to call it! I just can't stop worrying!" He sighed. "Nothing that anybody does at the point will calm my nerves."

Luigi's brow furrowed. He put his hand on Mario shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. This was an action that Luigi had picked up from their father, as he did that all the way back when the brothers were little kids and in need of emotional support. Mario patted Luigi's hand, signaling that he was grateful for the act.

"Sometimes…" Mario shook his head, trying to decide how best to phrase this without sounding like an absolutely horrible human being. "Sometimes, I can't help but feel like… like being bad is in Bowser's blood. Like being who and what he is makes him be the worst kind of monster anyone could ever face." He looked into Luigi's face. "That sounds horrible, doesn't it?"

Luigi hesitated. "It… it does sound a little racist, if you look at it from a certain angle." He chuckled. "Or, I guess you could say, speciesist."

Mario gave him a sideways glance. "That's not a word."

"I know." Luigi laughed before his face fell back into serious mode. "But I wouldn't be so fast to jump on that particular train of thought. Koopas can be good. The fact that they have the worst, most tyrannical king in the world means absolutely nothing in the long run."

Mario frowned. He knew that was true; deep down, he recognized those words as the truth. There were good Koopas out there. The only question Mario had was… where? All the koopas he's encountered had either been murderous psychopaths, spoiled brats, unceremoniously selfish, or some combination of the three. And yes, to be fair, Mario has not run into very many koopas. But… but he couldn't snap out of this thought process. He couldn't get rid of his stance on koopas, no matter how wrong and unheroic it was.

"I… I guess," Mario said with a sigh. Since this was a half truth, he was able to say it more easily than if it were an outright lie.

Luigi smiled. "Yeah." He pulled his hand away, his smile turning into a grin. "But you know what? Let's not focus on that too much right now. We have a party to go to!"

Mario managed to put on a tiny smile when that was said. "Yeah." He didn't know if he could let go of his worries, but he would certainly try. So, with a spring in their step, the brothers continued down the path to Peach's Castle.

AN: I should probably say this now, but this story doesn't have any ties to Swapping the Siblings. Maybe it has ties to the Super Koopalings series? Maybe? I don't know; I haven't decided yet lol.

I really hope you enjoyed this. Next chapter will be out soon! :)