A/N: I'm sorry to say that this is the last chapter to this story. I appreciate all of the wonderful reviews throughout the story! I hope you enjoy the ending! All characters are property of Nintendo.

The Fall of a Crown Prince: Chapter 6

The other six koopalings were curious as to where Jr. could be. Wendy especially thought to herself, I KNEW Jr. wasn't going to the toy store! But, question is, WHERE did he go? Oh, I shouldn't have let him outside the castle by himself! Lemmy was chatting with Iggy and told him, "The last time I saw Jr., he was trying to balance on one of my circus balls in my room. I left the room to see what you were up to, and that's the last time I saw him."

The koopalings were all chatting about Jr.'s disappearance as Ludwig joined in, unnoticed, with puffy red eyes that signified his latest mourning over Jr. Roy finally noticed him and stared at his depressed expression as he said, "Ludwig, you been cryin'?"

Ludwig just stared back at Roy as he replied, "…I'm just rather tired, okay?" Roy didn't answer, just stared back. He, as well as his other siblings, has noticed that Ludwig has been keeping to himself lately, that he seems depressed. Maybe dat time where he spent nearly the entire day playing his piano has made 'im dat way. I know it'd make ME dat way! Roy thought to himself, then really pondered over that. But ain't he had other times where he was playin' da piano all day? He didn't act sad dose otha times!

Suddenly, Bowser, along with the trusty magikoopa Kamek, came to meet the koopalings. The koopalings were all meeting in the throne room because Bowser called for an official meeting. The koopalings immediately became silent at Bowser's presence and waited for him to speak. Bowser looked at the faces of all his children, then cleared his throat and began to talk.

"Children, I know you're curious as to what this meeting's about." All his children nodded and then he spoke again, "As you all are well aware of, Jr. supposedly went to the toy store several days ago and hasn't been back since; he's went missing. So, I've come up with the idea of organizing a search party to look for him. They've been searching high and low; in the Darklands and beyond, for a few days and still haven't found him or heard any news about him, but I assure you, we'll find something out soon."

Upon hearing this, Ludwig began to feel nervous and sick to his stomach, but he had to remind himself that he's carefully took steps to keep suspicion off himself. Even though he hung around Jr. in Exciteclubba City, there's so much bustling and excitement there, and massive crowds, that it was very unlikely that anyone really recognized them, or even paid any real attention to them, for that matter. But still SOMEONE could've noticed…, Ludwig thought to himself.

Just then, a koopatrol and a hammer bro. burst through the door of the throne room. They were frantically shouting, "KING BOWSER! KING BOWSER! SIR! SIR!!!"

Bowser, hearing their urgency, told them, "Have you found out anything on Jr.?"

The koopatrol told him with a shaky tone, "Y-Yes we f-found him…"

"Well then, where is he?!" Bowser said with an annoyed tone. "I want to see his happy smiling face right now!"

The hammer bro.'s face then scrunched up in worry as he told Bowser, in a saddened tone, "You misunderstood what my comrade just said. We found the young prince. Unfortunately…" he paused, not wanting to finish, but did so anyway, "W-We f-found his… lifeless corpse up-upon a cliff n-near Ex-Exciteclubba City…"

Bowser's face transformed into an upset appearance as he choked out the words, "Lifeless… c-corpse… y-you… mean… h-he's…" The two minions slowly nodded their heads. Bowser just stood as still as a statue, with a look of shock and disgust frozen upon his face. Suddenly, he burst into a crying fit. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! Jr. my son, no! Not my son…"

As Bowser was crying, the other koopalings were frozen with shock upon hearing the news as well, and Lemmy and some of the younger koopalings began crying. "Oh Jr.! I shouldn't have left you in my room by yourself! I'm such an awful older brother!" Lemmy yelled out.

"No, my little brother is dead. WHY?!" Morton bawled out.

"Is he really dead?!" Wendy said with a sad and confused tone.

As he watched his father and siblings get so emotional over Jr.'s death, Ludwig decided to stay calm. None of his family, or anyone else for that matter, knew that he cried over Jr. practically every day, and he wanted to keep it that way. He hated seeing his family take this situation like this; it hurt him inside. If only they knew…they would severely loathe me.

After Bowser finally regained some of his composure, he shakily asked his two minions, "D-Do you have h-his b-body with y-you?" The two minions looked at each other with a nervous look as if trying to get the other to tell Bowser something very horrid. Finally, the koopatrol decided to speak, "Well no, we kinda left him where we found him…" he hesitated for a second, then continued, "You see, apparently his death was…" He stopped himself completely.

Bowser became irritated as his patience was wearing thin, and he demanded to the koopatrol, "Finish what you were telling me, NOW!!!"

At that, the koopatrol finished, "Apparently his death was… A MURDER!!! Yes, it appears that someone has stabbed him to death…" At this news, Bowser, the koopalings, and even Kamek dropped their mouths open at the shocking news. Bowser then boomed out, "WHAATTTT?!!!!!!!!"

"Y-Yes, he was murdered," the hammer bro. spoke up. "If you want us to, we can lead you to the site of the young prince's death."

Bowser, with an upset voice, replied back, "Yes… I-I would like th-that. Children, Kamek, let's go." So the royal koopa family and Kamek followed the two minions out of the castle, to the cliff of Jr.'s murder.

As they traversed through Exciteclubba City, several clubbas and shy guys were running frantically, screaming, "BOWSER! BOWSER! RUN!!!" The entire city became chaotic as several citizens and visitors ran around, searching everywhere for a place to hide. The stores, restaurants, and several other businesses closed in response to the barging-in of the Koopa King. Bowser, however, ignored them as he continued on towards the cliff.

When they finally reached the cliff and got near its edge, the entire group stared in horror at Jr.'s dead body. Jr. had a huge gash upon his chest where he'd been stabbed, and dried blood was all over him and on the ground around him. Bowser rushed over to his deceased son; tears falling from his eyes.

"Jr.! My son! Oh, who did this to you?! Why, why did I let you go off by yourself? I'm such a horrible father!" Bowser said as he hugged his dead son, trembling with such sadness. Lemmy and the younger koopalings started squalling at the sight of their murdered brother. Iggy, after a bit, began to bawl insanely as well. Even Roy had a few tears rolling down his cheeks from underneath his sunglasses, but Ludwig just stood there, watching his father with Jr.; the only emotion evident from him was a frustrated look on his face.

He was amazed by how much his father really cared for Jr. It was apparent Jr. was Bowser's favorite child, but Ludwig was still shocked over how his father could act so ferocious around his minions and his enemies, but yet, act so genuinely concerned over his youngest child. He loves Jr. so much, just as I do… Ludwig thought to himself.

Bowser then called for Ludwig, "Ludwig, my oldest son, come here please." With that, Ludwig walked over to Bowser, who was still hugging and mourning over Jr., with a bit of worry deep inside. Bowser spoke again. "Ludwig, as you well know, Jr. was the next in line to become King of the Koopas. Unfortunately, his life ended at such a young age…" he paused for a moment, then continued, "So son…I want you to take that role again. I rename you as crown prince."

Ludwig looked at him with shock. "Are you serious, Father?"

Bowser nodded and then told him, "Yes son. I trust you in properly ruling the kingdom when it comes time. You're smart, strong, sophisticated, talented, and mature. You fit perfectly with the role as Koopa King."

Ludwig smiled and told his father, "Thank you; I won't disappoint you when it comes my time to become king," however his eyes were still troubled.

Kamek, who was beside Bowser the entire time, spoke up, "Well, let's make it official then." Kamek summoned magic from his wand and made a document and a pen appear. He then gave them to Ludwig. "Here, sign this. This paper is the official document that states you are, indeed, the next in line to become Koopa King. The spot as crown prince is officially yours. Just have your father sign it after you have done so."

Ludwig signed the document, then he gave it to Bowser, who also signed it. Bowser then gave the document and pen back to Kamek, who, with a "poof!" made them disappear again. "I placed the document in a special place amongst the other important documents in the castle. It's in a safe spot; I assure you," he told them.

Afterwards, Bowser told Ludwig, "I love you son. I know you will make me proud when your time comes to rule over the Darklands."

Ludwig then walked over to his father and gave him a tight hug. He told his father, "I love you too, Father. I will rule over the kingdom to the best of my ability." Bowser smiled a warm smile as he hugged Ludwig back. Then Ludwig pulled back, and Bowser started mourning over Jr. again.

"Oh Jr.! You were too young to die! Why, why did someone have to be so heartless and murder such a young child like you? I assure you son, I WILL find your murderer! They won't get away with doing this to you! Oh Jr.! It's all my fault! I should've been watching you, but no, I let you go outside the castle by yourself! What's wrong with me?! You don't deserve this!"

Ludwig kept his eyes locked on his father. He was so upset, seeing his father continue to sob over Jr. He couldn't stand to see his father act this way. He can't go on like this… It seems that he can't live without dear Jr. I feel sorry for him; it's my fault he is in such a pitiful state… I can't take this anymore! Ludwig thought to himself.

His frustration attacked him so much that he finally snapped. He quickly reached into his shell and yanked out the knife he killed Jr. with. He then, with a tear sliding down his cheek, slammed and thrust the knife deep into his father's chest. His siblings, the koopatrol, the hammer bro., and Kamek all stared and gasped at the horror that was unfolding right before their very eyes.

Ludwig stabbed Bowser several more times while sobbing and screaming. He then stopped and, while crying his eyes out, shouted at Bowser, "Why did you replace me with my little brother?! Why did you favor Jr. over me and the rest of your children?! You're such a jerk for doing this to me! And now, you must pay for your actions!"

With another blood-curdling scream, Ludwig jerked the knife out of his father and shanked him some more, blood spurting from Bowser's chest. Stopping again, Ludwig finally screamed out his dark secret.

"I can't take it anymore! You want to know the truth?! I KILLED JR.!!!! ME!!!! I'm his murderer!" Tears spilled down his cheeks as he continued with a sob-filled voice, "I wasn't really in my room playing my piano, and Jr. wasn't really going to the toy store! It was all a hoax! I tricked Jr. into spending time with me on a brothers' day! The truth is, after a while, I realized I was really having fun with Jr. I really thought twice about killing him…" he paused and looked into his father's eyes with deep sadness, then continued,

"But I already got that far; it had to be done. I took him on this cliff to watch the sunset with me. Little Jr., he hugged me and said that I was his best brother ever… the guilt then struck me. I loved him… and I put him through all this! My doubts continued to attack me, but I had to go through with the murder; I had to seal my spot as crown prince again! That role was promised to ME first. I'm the eldest child… why should my youngest brother have the right to treat me as a minion?" he paused for a second as his father stared at him, with shock at Ludwig's true intentions. Ludwig continued,

"So, I tied his wrists and ankles together, grabbed my knife, looked into his worry-filled eyes with a hint of regret in mine, and then… stabbed him several times, hearing his cries of agony. That's not the worst part; however, the worst part is… I ENJOYED IT!!! I laughed like a maniac at every shriek poor Jr. could manage from his throat. Afterwards, however, when he took his last breath and passed on, I immediately felt remorse for my actions. Jr. didn't deserve to die! Every day since, I've mourned and sobbed over him; he haunts me in my sleep; I barely eat; even my piano doesn't comfort me anymore…"

Ludwig closed his eyes tightly shut as he deeply burned with remorse, then continued, "I realize, it wasn't Jr.'s fault he became heir to the throne, it was YOURS!!! You play favorites. I was once your favorite, but Jr. has replaced me. Same goes with the crown prince situation. You replaced me with Jr. because he was your new favorite. I understand, he was very similar to you; I don't blame you. The fact is, you deserve the fate that Jr. endured! But, seeing you like this, I realize how much you really loved and cared for Jr." Ludwig had a faint smile form on his face for a mere second, then he became serious again.

"Father… I'm doing a favor for both Jr. and yourself. You richly deserve this torturous end, but there is a wondrous side to this. You and your beloved youngest son can finally be reunited. I had to make it up to my dear brother for so ruthlessly taking away his life. So, my dear father, this is your punishment, but also Jr.'s reward and your wanted reunion with him…"

Ludwig pulled the knife from his father's chest again. He raised his knife up high in the air, and with several falling tears and a trembling jaw, he delivered one final swift blow to his father's chest. Bowser began to cough up blood due to the knife's incredible depth in his chest; the knife went straight through his heart. Ludwig told his father, "Say hello to Jr., please."

Bowser, trembling, stared deep into his oldest son's eyes. He was terrified of what his son's become. A true lunatic hidden under a mask of deep sophistication and refinery. He asked Ludwig, "Why son, why?"

Ludwig told him, "I love you, Father. Farewell." With one final breath, Bowser fell to the ground, his eyes closing permanently. Ludwig stood quietly, staring back at his two deceased family members. His youngest brother… and his father. They are now reunited. I believe that is what they both wanted. Ludwig thought to himself.

He looked at Kamek, then the koopatrol and hammer bro., then his siblings. They all had a frozen look of shock on their faces, but he also noted another apparent emotion they showed. The emotion… of fear. Fear of what their oldest brother, or young master, has become. All along, regardless of his high intelligence, sophistication, cultured nature, and maturity, deep down inside, Ludwig was a psychopath. His family now knows his true colors, but Ludwig himself doesn't fully understand.

All stood silently for a while until Kamek spoke up. "Wait just a second. We don't have a king anymore." Ludwig, along with his siblings and the two minions looked at Kamek with a spark of curiosity in their eyes. Kamek continued, "You killed our king, so now we have to replace him. You killed the crown prince, however… but right before you killed our king, he officially made you crown prince again, so that means…"

Ludwig had a face full of shock and excitement as he shouted, "I get to be the new king! Immediately! I'm the King of the Koopas now!"

Kamek, with a shaky voice, replied, "Ex-Exactly, b-but we have to cr-crown you f-first for it to b-be official. Ludwig's face had a satisfied smile. His siblings' shock deepened after finding out that their murderous, newly-revealed-to-be-psychopathic brother was now going to be their new ruler. All of them, even tough Roy and insane Iggy, were trembling with fear of their eldest brother.

Ludwig told his siblings, "Come, siblings. We have several things that we must prepare for!" So Ludwig led his siblings, Kamek, and the two minions towards the direction of his father's castle, leaving the lifeless Bowser and Jr. behind.

So, within the next couple of days, Ludwig was crowned the new King of the Koopas; the new King of the Darklands. Afterwards, he arranged a HUGE funeral for his deceased brother and father. Thousands attended the funeral, including Princess Peach, the Mario Bros., and several other Mushroom Kingdom citizens.

Everyone by now was aware that Ludwig was the murderer of both Bowser and Bowser Jr. For this reason, he struck fear into everyone's hearts, even his siblings, throughout his reign. Regardless of all the fear he causes others, he also garnered much respect. He may have been a hidden psychopath, but he was well-respected because he was a GREAT ruler.

He conquered several lands, although he decided to make a truce with the Mushroom Kingdom and promised Princess Peach that his kingdom wouldn't cause any harm to her kingdom. He treated his subjects with respect and allowed his siblings to help him with his ruling. Everything seemed to go perfectly well… except one thing.

He never forgot about his two murders, and every once in a while, he was haunted in his sleep with a nightmare that involved his father and youngest brother. Regardless, he believed that his father and little brother were living happily together in their reunion in the heavens.

He still believed that he did the right thing in both their murders; Bowser and Jr. were reunited and he became king. Everyone was happy, and Ludwig hoped that, when the time came, Bowser and Jr. would be happy to welcome him with open arms.

And so, everyone ended up getting what they wanted after all.

THE END