Mario's Christmas Carol chapter 3

An hour after his encounter with the ghost of Freddy, Bowser was ready for bed and checking every part of his room for a sign of ghosts. He was now clad in a red silk pajama shirt with matching pajama pants. After looking in the fireplace and up the chimney, the king koopa got ready to get into bed. However, he stopped short before looking under the bed before frowning.

"Spirits? Pfft!" Bowser scoffed, climbing into bed before blowing out the candle, "Yeah, right!"

With that said, he closed the bed curtains, tucked himself in and went to sleep. A few hours into his sleep, Bowser was too deep asleep to notice something appear in his room. The new figure walked to the nightstand on all fours, making some clopping sounds with its feet. At reaching the nightstand, the figure knelt its head towards the candle, illuminating it and revealing itself.

The figure was a tall mare with a midnight blue coat. Extending out of her forehead was a horn and on her back were a beautiful pair of wings. Her mane and tail were wavy and resembled a starry night and were blue and violet.

On both sides of her flank was a mark that resembled a crescent moon against a black night sky. She wore a crest resembling the mark, a black tiara and silver horse shoes. For you see, she was an Alicorn, but not just any Alicorn. She was a princess. Princess Luna, the princess of the night.

Smiling, she tapped her silver shoe-covered hoof against one of the bells of the alarm clock on the side table. This caused the bell to ding and the sleeping Bowser to grunt and turn in his sleep. However, it didn't make him wake up.

Glaring, Princess Luna gave a 'Hmph' and levitated the alarm clock. She then turned something on the back of it before setting it back down. Almost instantly, the clock's alarm went off, ringing very loudly and ultimately rousing the slumbering dragon-like creature from his sleep.

"Hmm, huh? What?" Bowser sleepily grunted, squinting his eyes as he looked around.

"Well, it's about time!" Luna snapped in annoyance, startling the koopa king. "I haven't got all night, you know."

"Wha-? Who the heck are you?" Bowser asked, feeling a little nervous.

The midnight blue Alicorn chuckled, "Why, I am Princess Luna, princess of the night and, for this story, the Ghost of Christmas Past."

"Oh. Well, you're a bit shorter than I expected." Bowser remarked a bit rudely.

That rude remark didn't go over Luna's head. At hearing that, her eyes widened a bit in anger before she short him a very stern glare. Just who did this koopa think he was, being rude as he pleased? Stepping a bit closer, the alicorn kept her glare on Bowser as she spoke.

"Listen to me, Bowser Koopa! If men or beasts were measured by kindness," Luna sternly lectured him, "Thou would be smaller than a single speck of dust!"

Bowser rolled his eyes at this and yawned before he replied in an uncaring tone, "Hmph! Kindness has a lack of use in this world." Then he tucked himself back into bed.

Luna just walked towards the window. "Well, there was a time thou never always thought that. Now, come along. It's time to go."

"Then get lost." Bowser grunted, glaring over his shoulder at her.

Of course, Luna headed for the window for a different reason besides leaving. Upon reaching it, her horn glowed along with the clasp that kept the window shut, and soon, the window was glowing, and suddenly, it was as if an invisible force pushed it open, letting some snow blow in along with a cold wind.

The sound of the wind blowing in caught Bowser's attention. He sat up with a jolt in looked in the midnight blue pony's direction.

"Spirit! What're you doing?!" The king koopa asked.

Luna smiled, "Why, we are going to visit thy past!"

Bowser hopped out of bed and nervously approached the window. "Yeah, right! I'm not going out that way!"

"Why ever not?"

"Because if I do, I'll kill myself!" The king koopa answered.

Luna had expected that response. "Then climb onto my back and hold on."

Bowser looked at Luna as if she were crazy. Him, riding on the back of a pony that would most likely be crushed by someone of his size?

"You sure about that?"

"Positive."

"Well... okay." Bowser said a bit nervously.

With that, the monster climbed onto Luna's back. Much to his surprise, he found that she was able to hold him on her back without struggling or her legs buckling. As he was mounting her, the alicorn used her magic to make sure she was able to support his weight.

"Okay, now what?" Bowser asked.

"Just hold on." Luna instructed as she smiled.

The koopa king obliged, although he held onto the moon princess a bit too tightly. This caused Luna to let out a little yelp before chuckling.

"Not too tight now." She added, unfolding her wings.

Soon, as she flapped her wings, Luna levitated off the floor, to Bowser's alarm. Then they flew right out the window, up in the air! As they flew over the streets of Toonatopia, Bowser yelped with each turn Luna took around buildings and chimneys. At one point, they flew through a cloud, resulting them in being covered by it. The king koopa coughed a bit as it cleared away before looking down and letting out a yelp of fright as he held on tight to Luna.

This behavior elicited a giggle from the princess of the night. "Why so frightened, Bowser? I thought thou enjoyed looking down on the world?"

Some time later, the two landed on the street near a shop. As soon as they landed, Bowser dismounted Luna as he walked over to a building, the sign on top reading 'Flanders Tea Company' and the lights on inside.

"Hey, I remember this place!" The king koopa spoke with a grin.

"Do you?" Luna asked, smiling as she followed him over to the window.

"Yeah!" Bowser replied as he wiped a screen to look clearly inside the building, "It's ol' Ned Flanders! I never could've worked for a kinder man."

Luna looked in with Bowser to see a Christmas party with everyone dancing as a band played joyous dancing music. One of those members playing in the band was a yellow-skinned man named Ned Flanders, happily playing the violin.

"Heh, there's old Ned himself! And all of my best friends!" Bowser mused with a grin, scanning the crowd.

Before he knew it, the king koopa took notice of somebody in the corner. Why, it was none other than himself, except younger and not as muscular but still pretty lean. He was wearing a blue green Christmas suit and a pair of glasses at the time.

"And... and that shy, skinny creature in the corner." Bowser said in surprise, "That's me!"

Luna frowned as she glanced at him. "Yes. Before thou became a selfish, greedy and miserable miser."

"Eh, if everyone were perfect, life would be boring." The dragon simply remarked as he shrugged.

Suddenly, something, or somebody, caught his eye. It was a young woman with green skin and dark brown hair braided in a ponytail. She was currently wearing a blue party dress and matching party shoes. Seeing her made Bowser's tail wag a bit and his heartbeat increasing as he recognized her.

"If it isn't Elphaba Thropp." He mused blissfully.

The green-skinned woman, Elphaba, glanced at the past Bowser as she batted her eyes with a smile. She looked up to see the mistletoe above her before she turned towards the lean koopa and walked up to him. "Bowser? Bowser?"

"Umm... Yeah, Elphie?" The younger Bowser asked a bit nervously, standing up from his spot.

As she spoke, Elphaba led the young koopa under the mistletoe. "My eyes are closed, my lips are puckered and I'm standing under the mistletoe."

As the green-skinned woman leaned to Bowser with her eyes closed and her lips puckered as she said, the latter seemed a bit more focused on his feet. However, it was for a somewhat good reason.

"... You're kind of on my foot too." He replied rather awkwardly.

Elphaba looked down to see that he was right. One of her feet was on top of his. The two looked to each other, not sure what to do next. Until Elphaba just smiled and brought Bowser into a joyful dance as the band played on as others danced and looked on. As a matter of fact, three kids named Hayner, Pence and Olette were hanging some of the decorations.

As the music was nearing its end, Elphaba leaned over to Bowser, ready to kiss him. The then-younger koopa leaned in a bit before moving back, blushing a bit. However, he got the biggest grin on his face when he felt the love of his life kiss him on the cheek, causing him to sigh lovingly.

When the music and dancing ended, everyone applauded happily.

Bowser sighed as he leaned on the window sill. "Man, I can't believe I forgot how much I was in love with her..."

Luna simply smiled at hearing that as she closed her eyes. However, upon opening them to look at the king koopa. her smile shifted into a grim look.

"In ten years from that point, thou came to love another." The alicorn spoke as they appeared in a familiar location.

Looking around, Bowser recognized the place as he exclaimed, "Hey, this is my counting house."

"Nine thousand nine hundred seventy-two."

The two turned to a nearby desk with piles of gold coins layered atop it. Behind the desk was an older yet still younger Bowser counting his coins.

"Nine thousand-" The younger Bowser started as he was about to put another coin on the pile.

"Bowser?" A familiar female voice asked.

The younger king koopa stopped short at hearing the voice. He looked past the stacks of gold coins to see an older Elphaba standing at his desk. She was now clad in a black dress with a cape and hat that matched in color. What was noticeable about her, other than her new outfit, was that her stomach looked a bit bigger. Bowser frowned a bit at seeing her.

"What is it, Elphaba? I'm really busy right now." The king koopa grunted.

"I've had this honeymoon cottage for years, Bowser, and I've been waiting for you to keep your promise to marry me." The black-clad woman said. "Now, I must know. Have you made your decision?"

Bowser just glared at her, shuffling the coins he was holding as he growled a bit before speaking up.

"You know, as a matter of fact, I have." The younger koopa said, earning a smile from Elphaba.

As he and Luna looked on, Bowser looked regretful as he knew what was to happen.

"Your last payment on the cottage was an hour late." The past Bowser said to Elphaba crossly. Then he unrolled a mortgage form with a bold “FORECLOSED” on the front as the koopa king continued, "I'm foreclosing the mortgage!"

The green-skinned woman gasped in horror on hearing this before a look of dismay and sadness appeared on her face as she started walking away, crying, forever heartbroken. She wanted Bowser's hand in marriage, and she had been given a foreclosure notice. As he watched his biggest regret, the older Bowser looked down in shame as he rubbed his arm a bit. Luna only glared at him very sternly.

"Thou loved thy gold more than that beautiful woman." The moon princess lectured him angrily, "And because of your greed, not only did you lose her forever, she had yours and her child alone!"

Bowser looked up, "Mine and her child? You mean...?"

"Yes." Luna replied with a nod, "Elphaba... was pregnant."

At hearing that, the king koopa felt even worse. Not only had he broken a promise to marry her, but he also left her with a kid she shouldn't have had to raise alone. He looked back up to see Elphaba opening the door to his counting house, but just as she was about to step out, she looked to the younger Bowser with tears of anger in her eyes. He was more concerned with counting his money than he was with seeing the green woman go.

"Nine thousand nine hundred seventy-" The younger koopa started as he went back to counting his coins.

Before he could finish, Elphaba left the shop, slamming the door behind her. The force of the door being slammed was so hard that it literally shook the entire place. In the process, all of his coins were knocked off the desk and made a big mess.

"...Three." He sighed, tossing the gold coin he was holding away.

The older Bowser watched from the window as Elphaba walked away from the counting house and most likely out of his life forever. He wanted a rich and prosperous life, but he didn't think it would cause him pain and misery for the loss of his loved one.

"Please, Luna! Take me home," Bowser begged Luna, his red eyes misting up with tears, "I can't any more of this heartache!"

"Very well, Bowser." The moon princess said with a sad nod, feeling sympathy towards the remorseful koopa king, "But remember, thou forged these memories thyself."

The alicorn's words echoed as everything faded away to darkness as everything went black for Bowser...