AN: Well, this was a long time coming.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to SK's first prequel episode! I hope you all enjoy this; like all the prequel episodes, I've had the idea for this story for quite a while. And I'm really looking forward to writing this, as well as all the other prequel episodes. Part of me wishes that I wrote them when I first started writing SK… but then again, my writing skill back then wasn't NEARLY as developed as it is now. So… I think it's safe to say that this is for the best.

Anyway, onto Super Koopalings pilot episode! Or, as I like to call it: Attack of the Toadstool Titan! :)

Chapter 1 Thief in the Night

The sound of feet landing on the crunchy ground rang throughout the barren landscape. This sound, combined with the fact that the person making it was concealed by the shadowy darkness brought upon by the new moon, would make chills run down the spines of anyone awake at this time of night to witness the scene. This event could and would cause distress, and it would make anyone tremble as they wonder what could possibly be happening. Just looking at the shadowy figure running across the Koopa Kingdom ground without any prior context would ignite the imagination in the worst ways.

"Pant… pant… pant…" The trouble breathing the shadowy figure dealt with was no doubt caused by the enormous bag they had over their shoulder. The bag could compete with the size of Koopa Claus's sack of toys, but the figure didn't put it down. They didn't stop running either,, even when it sounded like they were about to pass out. They continued down the path they had mapped out in their mind before, and much to their relief, they saw someone. They let out a sigh and approached the person waiting for them: a goomba wearing a blue mask. The original figure breathed a sigh of relief as they set the bag down. The goomba's eyes twinkled as they looked between their master and his loot.

"Did you get it, Popple?"

Popple gave the goomba a dirty look. "Rookie, how many times do I have to tell you?" He pinched his brow between his thumb and forefinger. "I'm MASTER Popple! Understand? I'm your Master, see!"

The goomba Popple called Rookie shrunk back a little bit. "Right, right; I'm sorry." Their eyes traveled back to the bag, frowning as he hesitated over what to say next. "So… did you get what you wanted to get?" They paused. "Master?"

Popple grinned, his heart fluttering in his ribcage. "Oh, I got what I wanted to get alright." They grabbed hold of the bag and untied it. As soon as it opened, a golden shine came from within, making Rookie's eyes look like they were about to pop out of their skull. He gawked at the treasure, all while Popple wore that kind of look that clearly communicated "Yeah, I just so happen to be awesome."

"Master…!" Rookie tore his eyes away from the treasure for a little bit to give Popple a look of awe and admiration. "This is incredible!"

"Of course it is!" Popple puffed out his chest. "I told you I could do it, see? I told everyone that I could do it! But no one believed me! No one I told even bothered to say 'Yeah, I think you have a chance at pulling this off.' Well… screw them! I managed to steal from the Koopa Kingdom Treasury despite all they said, see! I could've done this theft with my eyes closed, see! I could've done it with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back!"

"It would appear that way," Rookie said with a nod. They stole another look into the bag of stolen treasure before his eyes grew even wider. "Wait." Their jaw dropped. "Are… is that…?"

"The crown of Koopa Kingdom royalty? You know it!" Popple picked up the crown, studying it. It was made of pure gold, and some of the most expensive and lustrous rubies and emeralds aligned it. Popple chuckled before twirling the crown around his finger. "This was probably the easiest thing to steal, see. The lack of security around 'the most prized treasure in the Koopa Kingdom' was downright laughable! Ney, impressive!" Popple chuckled again, still not stopping with treating the crown like a toy. "But I'm not complaining."

"Neither am I," said Rookie. They took a step forward. "We could make some serious dough from this!"

"That we can!" Popple laughed, the sound showing as much satisfaction as it did ego. "There are probably a ton of people who run the black market who would love to get this." He tossed it up into the air, catching it with ease. "How much money do you think we could get off this, Rookie? A million coins? A billion coins?"

Rookie didn't answer. He stared past his master, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped. Popple blinked. "Uh… Rookie?" He turned around, his fear levels rising. What could possibly make Rookie that concerned?

Well, the answer to that question was simple. As he looked back, Popple saw the one person who he had been dreading running into. He stood there, tall and proud, while smirking at Popple and Rookie. His fiery red hair and golden skin seemed to glow even on this moonless night, and his eyes danced with pleasure and confidence. Popple's stomach churned when he saw this person, but he tried his best to hide that by clearing his throat and facing their new opponent with a look of anger.

"King Bowser."

Bowser chuckled, a sound that was more threatening than the entirety of his appearance. "Well well well. It looks like I have a dirty little thief on my hands." He stepped forward, weighing so much that he made the ground rumble. The rumbling made both Popple and Rookie jump into the air involuntarily. Rookie whimpered when he landed, looking like he was going to run and/or wet himself. Popple, on the other hand, tried his best to let his fear be visible. He faced the Koopa King with a glare, holding one hand in front of Rookie and another hand in front of his bag of loot.

"Wow. I'm surprised you showed up at all." He smirked, admittedly feeling close to laughing out loud. "Your castle has such pathetic security that I figured the one who lived and ran it must be a bumbling buffoon."

Instead of looking offended at that statement, Bowser just shrugged. "Eh. Can't really say you're wrong there." He took another step forward, making the ground shake once again. "Now, if it's all the same with you, I would really appreciate it if you give me my stuff back." He looked Popple right in the eyes, the red sheen of his looking both goofy and threatening at the same time (somehow). "I can't let a nameless nobody have treasures from the National Treasury. You understand that, right?"

Anger filled Popple, anger that was somehow uncharacteristic of an amoral scumbag such as him. "See, that's where you're wrong, see? I'm not a nameless nobody! I am Popple the Shadow Thief! I can steal even the most valuable possessions from even the most stupid and idiotic of palookas!" He snorted. "A statement that is only supported by the fact that I managed to steal from the supposed Great Koopa King without any trouble."

"Uh, Master…" Rookie said, shaking like a leaf.

To Popple's shock, Bowser didn't shrink back at this statement. He didn't even show any sign that he had been offended by that statement at all. Instead, he looked amused, like he was right on the cusp of laughing his scaly ass off. Why? Was his skull that thick? Was his brain that small?

Well, Popple got the answer to that question rather quickly. "Oh, you're gonna regret those words," Bowser said, his tone playful and taunting. "For you see, I have a secret weapon. Something you could never have, something that is going to be extremely effective at taking you down right now."

Popple blinked. "Secret weapon?"

"AAH!"

Popple shrieked and jumped back, his heart threatening to make him pass out when he saw what caused Rookie to scream. The little blue-masked goomba lay on the ground, seemingly unconscious. In the back of his head was a bracelet, a golden ring that looked just as expensive as the treasure Popple had been lugging around in his bag. Gasping, Popple lifted his head…

And saw four Koopas, standing on a hill just a few feet away. At the front of the pack was a girl holding her hand out. On her golden bald head, she had a pink bow with white polka dots, and her grinning face was decorated with some of the heaviest makeup that Popple had ever seen. The three other Koopas who accompanied her were all boys. One was tall and lanky, with glasses and hair that resembled a plant more than it did actual hair. Another boy had a pink head, the sunglasses on his face making his muscular self look cool (all while making Popple question why he was wearing them on a moonless night of all times). Another boy, this one looking considerably younger while sporting a sky-blue mohawk, grinned a cocky grin and walked up to the girl.

"Nice job, Wen! You really nailed him good!"

Popple's face slowly fell. "Oh no…" he turned to King Bowser with an annoyed expression. "Please tell me you're not serious. Please, for the love of all goodness on the planet tell me you aren't…"

Before he could finish his statement, a blue fireball shot towards the Shadow Thief. He didn't even have time to react to this new development, so he got pushed back. He landed right on his back, which turned out to be for the worst. It felt as though he had broken his spine, like every last bone in his body had been ground to dust. Groaning, he lifted his head, hoping to get a look at the person who had DARED to do such a heinous thing to the Great Popple.

Three other Koopas stood behind Bowser. One of them, a particularly fat one, had skin as black as the night sky, and a birthmark Popple recognized as a starbite. By his side was a Koopa who wasn't nearly as big, but definitely much more colorful with his rainbow mohawk. And at the front of the group was a Koopa in a dark blue cloak, which flapped in the wind along with his fluffy, extraordinary blue hair. This Koopa also happened to be holding his hand out, with blue flames surrounding it while crackling and flickering.

"Well," The blue-haired Koopa said with a smirk. "I don't know about you guys," he said while looking at the two who accompanied him, "but I think we have a satisfying fight on our hands."

Popple slowly rose to his feet. As he did, all seven Koopas ran over to Bowser. As Bowser watched them approach, he had such an interesting expression on his face. It was more than a happy expression, more than an admirable expression. No, this was an expression of pride. A very special pride too; one that Popple had only ever seen from parents whenever they talked about or with their kids. This confirmed that Popple's suspicions were correct, that these people were EXACTLY who he had believed they were.

"Well, Popple, Great Shadow Thief," Bowser said. He gestured to the seven Koopas, who all got into different poses as they smirked at him. "Let me introduce my secret weapon." His eyes glittered. "My family, the Koopalings!"

AN: Okay, I think this introduction to the Koopalings was a pretty good one. At least, it's a better introduction than the one I provided for you guys in the original Celia's Dad. Lol I didn't set up a proper introduction for them in that story so much as have them just… show up. So… yeah, I'm satisfied with this so far.

What do you guys think? Good opening chapter? Please tell me in the comments, and I hope you look forward to the rest of this story! :D