Unfinished Business By abcd
“And it’s all mine!” Bowser Jr. concluded a session of bragging to his siblings about how Bowser favored him over all his siblings. The Koopalings all knew he was right, they just didn’t want to admit it. No matter what they did, they could never gain their father’s favor. Junior had failed more times than they! But for some reason, the little spoiled brat seemed destined to be Bowser’s favorite. This wouldn’t be so bad if Bowser’s favorite wasn’t also the one who was next in line for the crown.
*One Week Ago*
Each of the Koopalings lived in their own castle, far away from Kastle Koopa. However, Bowser Jr. still lived at their old home, gaining even more favor with Bowser than he’d had before. Now, a Koopaling was lucky if Bowser remembered to send over a messenger wishing him or her a happy birthday. Each of Junior’s seven estranged older siblings received a letter from their youngest brother, which read:
Hello, Koopalings!
We all know that the old man’s getting senile. He barely gets out of bed every day. And, as his favored son, we all know that I’m going to be the one who succeeds him. Unfortunately, I’ve realized that I don’t want to be king alone. I want one sibling to assist me. To determine who is the most fit to be my sibling of choice, I have given you a map. This map leads you to a series of fortresses I have set up. All Koopalings must enter each fortress at the same time. At the end of the first fortress, there will be six maps, which will lead the most proficient of my six siblings to the second fortress. Each fortress will have one map fewer than the previous one did. After only one of you completes the sixth fortress, you may proceed to the location the last map tells you to go. I will meet the winner there, and congratulate them!
Sincerely,
Bowser Jr. (the Future King Koopa)
*Now*
Because each wanted the throne, all seven Koopalings arrived at the first fortress, which was located toward the outskirts of Mushroom Kingdom and had been abandoned by the Koopa Troop long ago. There was nothing special about that fortress… on the outside. When the seven of them entered, they found what seemed to be a simple race to the finish. One Koopaling who, at one time or another, had rainbow-colored hair was surprised to find a section of the ceiling cave in above where he was running. The rest of the Koopalings panicked, and reached the finish line quickly. The first victim found a dilapidated fortress as his final resting place.
In fortress #2, which was located near Yoshi’s Island, the Koopalings found that a 40-foot section of the floor was covered by long, narrow spikes, and there was no way around them. While most of the Koopalings crawled along the tops of the spikes, one Koopa tried to be clever and had a way of travelling above the spikes. However, Junior had a trap planned for that particular Koopaling. Suddenly the walls above the spike pit slid together, crushing the Koopaling in between them. Needless to say, this Koopaling didn’t survive, but the other five did.
The third fortress was located near the Star Carnival, and inside the Koopalings found nothing suspicious. That is, until they noticed the massive Chainless Chomp that Bowser Jr. had stationed there in order to catch one of the Koopalings. As the Koopalings broke off into a sprint, one of the older Koopalings tripped and fell forward. After the fall, that Koopaling saw stars. The stars that Koopaling saw weren’t induced by the fall; this Koopaling actually saw star shapes amongst the legs of his siblings. That Koopaling knew it was the end when he/she felt the massive jaws of the Chainless Chomp clamp down on their torso. The remaining four advanced to the fourth fortress, where another challenge awaited.
At Fortress 4, which was located somewhere on a small island near Delfino, the foursome found the ground to be searing hot. One Koopaling whose feet didn’t feel the heat had advanced ahead of one brother and way ahead of two other siblings, whose feet were extremely hot. That Koopaling was surprised to find that he/she had triggered yet another trap: That Koopaling’s stepping on one area of the floor triggered the firing of a multitude of arrows, which soon protruded from that Koopaling’s body. That Koopaling would never move from their final resting place in Fortress 4. The other Koopalings found that the floor cooled down, and they were able to cross the floor with ease.
In Fortress 5, located near Baby Park, the three Koopalings left found a surprisingly soothing melody. One Koopaling, feeling lullabied by the soft music, sat down for a nap. The other two Koopalings looked at their older sibling, shrugged, and exited the fortress after taking a glance at the last map.
They were headed toward the outskirts of Pipe Land, and realized that they were at the last Fortress. They were the two most fit Koopalings for the right of king. Only one of them would have the chance to rule alongside Junior.
When they finally arrived at Fortress 6, they found it to simply be the second fortress from Mario Bros. 3! A wave of nostalgia hit the competitors as they blazed through the course. One of the two racers, however, found that they simply couldn’t bring themselves to harm very many of the enemies there. This made the journey through the fortress too difficult for this Koopaling, and he/she was eventually bitten by one of these enemies, and fell into boiling hot lava, in which he/she drowned. The other Koopaling found the final map, took it, and headed off to meet Bowser Jr.
The location for the meeting with Bowser Jr. was back at Delfino Isle. The youngest Koopa commented to his older sibling, “This is the place where I first came to be known. I started my career here. And now, the second important event in my life will take place here, too!”
Junior whipped out his paintbrush, and plunged it into the heart of his own sibling. That Koopaling crumpled, slain at the hand of his own kindred.
*One month later*
Bowser died soon after these events. After the ceremony in which Junior was crowned the new King of the Koopas, the young king retired to his room.
Bowser Jr. heard something. What was it? He looked left and right, but found nobody. Soon after he closed his eyes to sleep, Junior felt a pain through his brain. Had he been able to see his forehead, he would have seen a knife protruding from it. The last words Junior heard were, “Looks like you had some unfinished business.”
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