Chapter 5 In With the New

That night was the worst night of Junior's life, bar none. He thought back to what happened with Ludwig, with what he said in the hallway. He thought about what happened with Wendy, who he had turned away at a time when he needed her. He thought about his dad. His dad, who he loved more than anyone else in the world. If Bowser asked him to jump off a cliff, he would do it. If Bowser asked him to travel to the moon and back, he would do it. Anything that Bowser asked and expected of his son would be fulfilled. Junior loved his dad, as his dad was the best at giving Junior exactly what he wanted.

With one very obvious, horrible exception.

Whimpering, Junior turned over on his side, looking out the window of his bedroom. His dad was probably in his bedroom down the hall. If Junior wanted, he could probably go to him. He could ask to snuggle him in his gigantic, literally king-sized bed. Honestly, that was such an appealing prospect right now. Unfortunately, it wasn't as appealing as it could be. It wasn't as appealing as it might have been a few days ago.

Bowser really made a mistake. There was no doubt in the little prince's mind that his father had made an awful mistake. Since when is making a clone of yourself a good idea? In most of the stories Junior read or watched, clones almost always ended up bringing chaos. They could wreck everything, including their creator's life. So… why did Bowser think that making himself a clone was a smart idea? So what if it was a tradition; it shouldn't have been done with that King Cosmo III guy and it definitely shouldn't have been done with Bowser.

Junior sighed, turning over so that he laid on his back. It didn't matter what angle or lens he chose to view this situation under; it always ended with him feeling bad. Tears started forming, and he hastily tried to wipe them away. He practically dug into his face with his claws, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything anymore. At least, that's what he told himself. And he would continue telling himself that until it was true. Not caring about things would mean the bombshell Bowser dropped on him wouldn't be so catastrophic. Not caring meant that he wouldn't have gotten into that fight with Ludwig.

The young prince sat up in bed, glancing over at the wall in front of him. The glass shards were still there, glittering in the moonlight. Junior's stomach did flip flops as he looked at it, and the guilt he felt before returned in full force. He really shouldn't have done it. Sure, Ludwig hadn't been approaching the situation in the best way, but he didn't deserve Junior aiming a glass at his head. What would be happening now if he had hit his eldest brother? Would Ludwig be in the hospital right now? Would he be permanently blind because the shards of glass destroyed his eyes?

Junior's crying became even worse to deal with when he thought about that. He laid back down, his chest rapidly pulsating. He thought not just about Ludwig, but also all the Koopalings. All his adopted siblings, who all looked at him in the same way. All of his adopted siblings, who came from the exact same place.

All of his adopted siblings, who had a mother.

That was what really stunk about this situation. Ludwig had said that he and the other Koopalings kind of understood Junior's plight. After all, they had all been raised by the same single father. They had all lived a motherless life. Junior easily got that, but he would also be the first to point out that Ludwig was wrong. Yes, the Koopalings didn't know who their mother was… but at least they had one. At least they were conceived through natural means! At least they weren't monsters made to look like just regular koopas.

That was what Junior was; he was a monster. Like some monsters, his origin was unnatural. He defied the laws of nature and was bred for one specific purpose. Sure, the purpose was a good one, but that didn't change anything. Junior was a monster. A horrible, awful monster.

Tears spilled from his eyes as he thought about that. He really was a monster, and he bet the Koopalings knew it. And it didn't take a genius to know his dad knew it so… oh, what could he do? He couldn't live like this! How could be around people who all knew he was a monster? How could he be loved by people who knew the truth? Short answer, he couldn't. This meant that no good could be found in this castle. Everywhere he turned, he would get a reminder of the horrible state of his reality. If he hung out with his dad, he would constantly be reminded that he was a clone. If he was around the Koopalings, he would constantly be reminded that he had no mother. And if he was around both groups of people at the same time, then he would always feel like an outcast. He already kind of did feel like that before, but now that he knew what he really was…

"I… I can't," he muttered into the darkness. "I can't stay here." If he stayed here, he would always be sad. He didn't want to be sad. He wanted to at least have some shot of happiness, no matter how difficult said happiness would be to get. That being said, maybe getting happiness would be easier outside of the castle. Maybe he could start something new. Maybe he could forget about what he was and live a happy life with a new family. Preferably a family with a mother.

Junior smiled. Yeah, yeah! That did sound like a good idea! He should run away! He didn't know exactly where he would go, but that didn't matter right now. All that mattered was getting out of his previous life and starting a new one.

So, with a smile, Junior hopped out of bed. He got right to work, for he knew that just running away without any supplies wouldn't be the smartest move in the world. He needed to pack up. He needed to be prepared.

That was why he got out of bed and snuck through the castle. The place he specifically wanted to go was the common room, which was all the way in the east wing. Bowser had talked about putting a common room in the west wing for Junior, but whether it be because servants needed some places to sleep or simply because he had other things on his plate, the Koopa King never went through with that plan. Oh well, it wasn't like it mattered anymore. Junior wouldn't need a common room in the west wing if he was no longer in the castle.

So, he snuck toward the common room. He had to be sneaky while doing this, because if any guards or servants showed up and spotted him up after his bedtime, then he would be sent back to his room immediately. He snuck to the shadows, like the most cunning and sleaziest thief of all time. Thanks to his incredible sneaking skills, as well as his ability to bolt whenever he heard someone coming down the hallway, he got to the common room within no time.

As soon as he got there, he snuck over to the Koopalings's refrigerator. Once opened, he began emptying it; cheeses, apples, sodas, and a heaping amount of microwaveable meals went straight from the fridge into his hammerspace. Junior didn't discriminate; if it was in the fridge, it went in his shell. He probably would've packed the whole fridge if it wasn't for the fact it felt like he had an enormous weight on his back. Sure, hammerspaces had more or less infinite space inside of them (in some ways, it was comparable to a pocket dimension), but it was possible and uncomfortable to overstuff it.

Once Junior was certain he had enough food, he closed the door and let out a breath. Now, he had to make the journey back to his room. He could go to the front door, as that was the easiest way to exit the castle, but he wasn't going to do that. More than likely it was being guarded. This meant that Junior had to find another way out of the castle, a more discreet and less obvious way.

Thankfully, he knew exactly what that way was.

He made his way back to his bedroom. This task took longer than the last one, as the weight on Junior's back pretty much demanded that he move at a slower pace. But that was alright. He'd rather have a shell full of food than nothing at all.

When he got back to his room, the Koopa prince set his sights on one thing: his window. With a determined face, he made his way over and pried it open. He was instantly met with warm air, which was understandable for the Koopa Kingdom in the summertime. Sighing, Junior hoisted one foot out the window, then the other. He lowered himself onto the ground, thankful that his bedroom was on the first floor as opposed to the second like the Koopalings's bedrooms were in the east wing.

With his feet firmly on the ground, he let out a breath. For a brief second, he considered whether he should do this. Running away was a scary thing to do, after all. There was a lot of risk that came with it, especially since Junior was a member of royalty. And on top of that, he knew he would miss his old life.

But that was the thing; his old life was now eternally stuck in the past. He could never go back to "okay," especially not in the castle. All the good that he could possibly have in this cursed building wouldn't be nearly as satisfying.

In a way, running away was a necessity.

Junior let out a breath and faced forward. "Out with the old…" he adjusted his shell into place. "In with the new."

…

Bowser felt guilty. He really, honestly felt guilty. He had heard about the fight Junior and Ludwig got into. While he did have the option to direct the blame onto Ludwig for not being the good big brother that he needed to be, Bowser wasn't going to do that. He couldn't in good conscience do that. Hearing about the fight had been a wake-up call for him, revealing to him that he really hadn't been using his brain nor his heart to its fullest potential.

He really should be more attentive to Junior. The situation sucked, and it probably stung even more for the little prince because he felt alone. He probably felt like nobody could understand, and for the most part, he'd be right. No one in the world could understand what he was going through.

No one, that is, except Bowser.

Thinking about that fact now made Bowser feel more foolish. So what if he had royal duties to fulfill? Junior was his son, his own flesh and blood! He should treat him like a father would! Lord knew that Bowser never got a caring father when he was a kid, so why didn't he put more effort into consoling his child? He should have! He should've been more attentive, and more caring. As it was now, he probably alienated Junior, probably made him feel more alone and hopeless.

Emotions that Bowser knew all too well. That was why, as soon as he woke up and straightened up, he made his way toward the west wing. As he passed by several servants, he rehearsed what he wanted to say in his head. He would apologize, first and foremost. He would also hug Junior, as the little koopa loved getting hugs. Maybe he would also invite Junior out for a day on the town, just the two of them. Having fun could distract you from your troubles, even if it was only for a little bit.

He picked up the pace, feeling excitement overtake him as he thought of all the possibilities. Sure, the excitement didn't hold a candle to his guilt, but… eh, it still felt good.

When he got to Junior's door, he sighed. "Okay, Bowser, you can do this." He knocked on the door. "Junior? Are you in there?" No answer. Bowser sighed. "Look, I just wanted to apologize. The last few days haven't been the easiest for you. I get it. I know that stuff like this is hard to deal with, so… I wanted to make it up to you." He put his hand on the doorknob. "What do you say we have a Father-Son outing? We can go to that water park you really like. Or we could go to a children's museum. I remember you really liked that one where you could paint that I took you to a while back. Right Junior? Does that sound good?" Still, no answer, which made Bowser feel uneasy and confused. "Uh… Junior?"

He opened the door, happy to see that it was unlocked. Unfortunately, that happiness faded away when he saw Junior's bed was empty. His bathroom door was open and the light was off, so he wasn't in there either. He also wasn't in his closet.

"Junior?" Bowser stepped into the room, battling his confusion. "You playing hide and seek or something, Buddy?" He looked all over the room. "If you are, then you know I'll find you." he smiled; smirked actually. "I always end up finding…"

He stopped. For the first time, he noticed that the window was open. That was weird; Junior never opened his window. So… why would he…?

Fear struck Bowser right in the heart as he realized what this meant. "Oh no."