"Congratulations."

Lemmy's eyes immediately shot open. He was floating, suspended in the air by some mysterious force. The only thing he could see around him was a brilliant white that hurt his eyes.

"Where am I?" Lemmy asked, trembling.

"You've done it," a mysterious voice replied, "You've survived the entire three days."

"H-huh?!" Lemmy exclaimed in confusion, "B-but it's only been two days!"

"It has been three," the voice asserted, "You seem to have been unconscious for the entire first day."

"What?! How is that possible?!"

"You've been used, young one," the voice explained, "Someone must have used you to achieve their own goals and left you behind to take the fall for it."

"I-is that why I'm in this mess?!" Lemmy cried, "Someone used me?!"

"I'm not the one to monitor any of that," the voice continued, "I simply monitor the three-day period. You've passed."

Lemmy stayed silent, blankly staring off into the distance. He'd woken up in this world on top of a corpse. Had someone used Lemmy's unconscious body to kill that man? The thought of it made Lemmy sick to his stomach.

"You may now make your wish, young child," the voice went on, "I can grant you one single-cycle wish."

"Single-cycle wish?" Lemmy repeated in confusion, "What does that mean?"

"Each three-day period constitutes one cycle. With each cycle, you are granted a more powerful wish."

"Wh-what about..."

Lemmy trailed off.

"What is it, child?"

"What about bringing someone back to life?"

There was a brief moment of silence.

"That is a five-cycle wish."

Lemmy froze.

"Y-you don't understand!" Lemmy cried, "I can't go twelve more days like this! This whole thing is tearing my family apart! I can't bear to watch them fight anymore!"

"Rules are rules, young one. They cannot be changed."

"We need Larry back! We just need everything to go back to normal! We don't belong here and we just need to get back home and have everything go back to normal! Please!"

Lemmy was crying now.

"I can send you and your siblings home as a one-cycle wish, but, if you really want me to raise the dead, you need five cycles."

"I can't survive that long! I can't do it! Please, don't make me do this!"

"No one's making you do anything, child, but rules are rules."

Lemmy bit his lip.

"I need to get him back. I can't just let him stay dead."

"So you'll do it again?"

"I'll never forgive myself if I don't," Lemmy said.

"Best of luck to you then, child."

With that, Lemmy grew weak, his vision fading from white to black.

The first thing Lemmy saw when his eyes shot open was that Iggy was still on top of him. His hearing was a little fuzzy, but he could barely make out Iggy screaming at Roy. With a rush of adrenaline, Lemmy shoved Iggy off of him and scrambled to his feet. He then began to run, not looking back as he continued on. He was a bit off-balance, but he was able to keep from stumbling through sheer determination alone.

Finally, once he felt like he was safe, he slowed to a stop, slumping back against a wall and breathing heavily. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he clutched his chest. His throat burned with every breath and his legs felt like jelly, but at least he was safe...relatively.

He thought back over the past two days since he woke up in this world. It felt as if he'd been in that white dimension for an entire year, but, in reality, it seemed to have taken no time at all. Really, though, the only reason he'd decided to stay was so that he could bring Larry back. Larry had been killed during a fight between Roy and Ludwig and they were each blaming each other for what had been a complete accident. Frankly, Lemmy was scared of what Roy would do, but he decided not to dwell on that thought for too long. He couldn't deny, though, that Roy was acting much different than before Larry's death. It was almost as if something inside him had snapped.

Suddenly, Lemmy spotted something moving in his peripheral vision. He yanked the knife out of his pocket and held it in front of him, staring intently at where he'd seen the movement. Whatever it was was gone, but Lemmy couldn't help but be paranoid. Everyone was after him in this world and, if he wasn't careful, he could end up dead before he could accomplish what he'd come back for. After about a minute with no further disturbance, Lemmy finally relaxed. He shoved the knife back into his pocket and leaned back against the wall with a sigh, but then noticed someone that had to have been standing behind him. He screamed, brandishing his knife once more.

"Hold on! I'm not here to hurt you!"

Lemmy relaxed a bit, though he still kept the knife pointed toward Ludwig, who stood in front of him with his hands held out in a defensive gesture.

"H-how am I supposed to believe that?" Lemmy retorted shakily, tensing up again, "You were practically leading the effort to try to kill me earlier. Why should I trust you now?"

"Like I said earlier," Ludwig replied, "I don't want to see anyone else get hurt. Larry's death kind of opened my eyes to that."

Lemmy and Ludwig stared at each other in silence for a moment.

"Tell me the truth," Lemmy demanded, "Do you really not want to kill me anymore?"

Ludwig was about to answer, but stopped himself short, biting his lip nervously.

"I can't really say that's true," Ludwig finally answered, "There's a part of me that wants to tell you I won't try, but I know that it's going to be hard for me to restrain myself. I can understand if you're still scared of me and don't want to be around me."

Lemmy stared at Ludwig for a moment before relaxing again, lowering the knife.

"I trust you," Lemmy said, "Really, if you'd said you absolutely didn't want to kill me, I wouldn't have trusted you, but I'm glad you were truthful with me."

Ludwig's eyes widened in shock.

"If that's the way you're operating out here, I don't know why you aren't already dead."

"I know," Lemmy said, "but I really want to be able to trust someone. I'd probably go crazy if I had to spend the next twelve days alone."

"Twelve days?!" Ludwig repeated in shock, "The game's only three days long!"

"Not for me," Lemmy replied, "I'm going for five cycles of three. I've already been through three days, apparently, so there's twelve to go."

"What?! Why?!"

"I need to do five cycles for the kind of wish I want to ask for," Lemmy answered, "I want to use my wish to bring Larry back to life."

Ludwig gaped at Lemmy's response, stunned into silence. Tears then began welling up in the oldest Koopaling's eyes and he grit his teeth in an effort to keep them from spilling over.

"I can't believe it," Ludwig muttered, "Even after all we did to you, you still...you..."

He never finished. Instead, he broke down sobbing, dropping to his knees. Lemmy rushed to comfort him, wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug, which only seemed to make Ludwig sob even harder. After a moment, Ludwig hugged Lemmy back, squeezing him tightly. He really seemed to regret what he did, which lifted Lemmy's spirits a little. Surely, if Ludwig could be redeemed, the rest of his siblings could too.

Just then, Ludwig forcibly broke away, snatching the knife from Lemmy's pocket before shoving him away. Lemmy was about to try to run, but he noticed Ludwig whirl around and fling the knife at a figure with a large sword that was standing no more than a few feet away from him. The knife pierced through the stranger's stomach, causing him to collapse to the ground screaming in agony. Before Lemmy could react, Ludwig pounced onto the stranger, tearing through his throat with his claws. Lemmy shut his eyes tightly, feeling nauseous as he listened to the stranger's screams deform into gargled choking that grew weaker and weaker before they were finally silent.

"You're welcome," Ludwig said. Lemmy didn't dare open his eyes. He didn't feel like his poor stomach could take it.

"Did you have to kill him?" Lemmy asked weakly, his voice wavering.

"He was going to try to kill you if we didn't do something about him," Ludwig replied, "It was for the best."

"What if he had a family that really cared about him?" Lemmy said, "What if he was only reacting to the impulses of the game, like the others?"

Ludwig didn't say anything.

"Would you do that to them?"

"Of course not!" Ludwig answered quickly.

"Even if they were trying to kill me like that guy was?"

Ludwig was silent again, but his silence said everything that Lemmy needed to know.

"They're our siblings, Ludwig," Lemmy continued, "Please promise me we won't hurt them."

There was another moment of silence.

"I can't promise you anything," Ludwig said, "If we need to defend ourselves, we might need to resort to hurting them."

Lemmy opened his eyes, turning toward Ludwig. He tried his hardest not to look down at the corpse underneath, though.

"You know," Lemmy said solemnly, "Roy said kind of the same thing. Now look at him."

"He aimed a gun at Larry's head!" Ludwig shouted angrily, "He killed Larry! He's a freaking liar!"

"He wasn't aiming for Larry!" Lemmy snapped, "I saw him! He was aiming left! You were the one that changed the trajectory!"

Ludwig's expression changed to one of pure terror. He kept his eyes fixed on Lemmy, but he seemed to be in a fearful daze.

"It was just supposed to be a warning shot, I know it," Lemmy continued, "It was just supposed to startle Larry into letting me go. It wasn't supposed to kill him."

"I killed him," Ludwig mumbled in horror, "I was the one that killed him."

"No, no!" Lemmy said quickly, realizing the implications of what he'd just said, "It was all an accident! You didn't know what Roy was planning! You were trying to save Larry! Neither of you meant to kill him!"

Ludwig grit his teeth, trying to keep from crying again.

"I don't blame either of you for what happened," Lemmy went on, "It was just an accident. You shouldn't blame yourself for it. Larry wouldn't want you to do that."

Ludwig shuddered, bringing his hand up and stabbing his claws into the corpse's mangled throat. Lemmy tensed up, barely holding back a retch. Ludwig then mouthed something, tears beginning to roll down his cheeks. It took a second for Lemmy to interpret what Ludwig had said, but he soon figured out it was a silent "He was right". Lemmy winced.

"It was no one's fault," Lemmy stated, trying to emphasize his point.

"No," Ludwig snapped, "Even if I didn't intend for it, I was still the one that changed the trajectory. I'm responsible for what happened. It's because of me that Larry's dead."

"Don't do this to yourself, Ludwig," Lemmy pleaded, "You were just-"

"Stop it!" Ludwig screamed, silencing Lemmy immediately. Lemmy tensed up again. He then noticed he'd involuntarily reached for his pocket where his knife would have been if Ludwig hadn't taken it. Ludwig had definitely noticed too, as his fingers tensed and he lowered his head.

"I'm not worthy of being trusted," Ludwig muttered, "You have every reason to be afraid of me."

"No!" Lemmy shouted, "You're my brother! I know I can trust you!"

"You reached for your knife!" Ludwig retorted furiously, "No matter what you say, you know that you can't really trust me! You're lying to yourself! You're just as afraid of me as you were when I was trying to kill you! Quit lying to me, Lemmy!"

Lemmy choked, beginning to cry. The tears stung at the cuts and scrapes still present on his cheeks. He wanted to tell Ludwig what he was saying wasn't true, but a part of him knew it was and wouldn't let him lie. He really did want to trust Ludwig, but there was still that worry in the back of his mind that he might still be dangerous. The opposing thoughts ate at his mind and made it so he couldn't properly answer either way.

"I'm going to tell all of them," Ludwig said, "I'm going to tell Morton, Wendy, and Iggy what happened. Don't wait for me. Get out of Armorie as soon as possible."

"B-but-!"

"No buts! Just go!"

"I'm not just going to-!"

Lemmy cut himself short when Ludwig lunged forward, pushing himself to his feet. He stood over Lemmy menacingly, his tensed hands and fingers trembling as if he were trying to hold himself back from attacking Lemmy.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll leave Armorie now."

Lemmy squeaked in fear, scrambling backward and grabbing at the nearby wall to pull himself to his feet. Ludwig still moved toward him, though, so he stumbled back before turning tail and running away. He could feel his legs throbbing in pain, not used to running for so long in one day, but he felt like he couldn't stop. He swiped a hand across his face to try to get rid of the tears that blurred his eyesight. He knew Ludwig was stubborn, but he never thought him the type to ever refuse forgiveness.

Lemmy trembled like a leaf as he sat against the wall of another building in an alleyway on the other side of town. He stopped to catch a breath, as his heart was threatening to burst from his chest with how quickly it was beating, but he was immediately overtaken with paranoia. If Ludwig found him here, what would happen? If the rest of his siblings found him, what would he do?

There was such a dense web of possibilities and possible outcomes, most theoretical scenarios ending in the little Koopaling's demise, that it made Lemmy even more sick to his stomach than the corpse of the man Ludwig killed earlier until he finally couldn't take it anymore. There hadn't been much in Lemmy's stomach to begin with, but he was at even more of a deficit now, with the only food he'd eaten since yesterday splattered across the pavement. He shakily moved away from the disgusting puddle, wiping his mouth with his arm.

He clutched his chest once more, trying to regulate his breathing. All he had to do was clear his mind and focus on here and now, but that was a task that was much easier said than done. Eventually, though, he reached a point where he could stand without his body threatening to freeze up on him, which was the point when he began to walk again.

Halfway out of the alleyway on the opposite end from where he'd entered, he started to hear voices. He froze for a moment, then, despite everything in his brain telling him not to, he began to move toward the source of the noise. He slowly discovered that the voices were familiar to him. One of them was Ludwig's and the other was Roy's. A strange sort of hope sparked in Lemmy's heart. Could they be making up?

"It's not to much of me to ask what you've been up to, is it?" he heard Roy say, these being the first words Lemmy could make out.

"A little, yes," Ludwig replied, though he didn't seem confident in his reply. Lemmy barely considered Ludwig's warning and the consequences for ignoring it. Right now, all he was focused on was seeing where this conversation was going.

"Do you know where he is?" Roy asked. Lemmy knew that Roy had to be talking about him.

"I don't," Ludwig answered. He seemed to be trying to avoid saying too much.

"That's too bad," Roy said. Lemmy shuddered. He wasn't sure he liked the connotation of that statement, especially after what Roy had done to him last time they were together.

"Do you know where the others are?" Ludwig asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Roy responded. It was an abrupt response that made it seem like Roy was worried about something.

"I..."

Ludwig trailed off. Lemmy tensed up. He hoped Ludwig's pride wouldn't get in the way of him trying to make up with his brother.

"I want to tell them what I did," Ludwig finally said, "You were right. You were right and I was wrong. It's my fault Larry's dead and I'm going to own up to it. I'm going to tell them exactly what happened and let them hate me for it."

"You're not telling them anything."

"What?!" Ludwig exclaimed, "What's wrong now?! I admitted I was wrong! What more do you want?!"

Lemmy bit his lip. This wasn't how he'd imagined this going at all.

"If you tell them I pulled a gun on Larry, they're going to blame me for what happened," Roy explained, "I can't let that happen."

"I'm the one that changed the trajectory, though!" Ludwig retorted, "You were never aiming for Larry and I was the one that made the bullet hit him! I'm the one to blame!"

Roy lunged forward, grabbing Ludwig's wrist. Ludwig struggled against Roy's grip, trying to get away, but Roy was too strong for him.

"What do you want out of me?!" Ludwig screamed, "I did exactly what you wanted! I admitted I was wrong! I admitted I killed him! What am I doing wrong?!"

"You're not going to tell them what we did, Ludwig."

"Fine! I won't tell them! Happy now?!"

"That's not good enough."

Before Ludwig could respond, Roy grabbed Ludwig's upper arm on the same arm he already had a grip on and forced the forearm backward on its joint. Lemmy winced, trying to keep from screaming as he heard the sickening crack of Ludwig's arm snapping in two. Ludwig screeched in pain and, when Lemmy opened his eyes, Ludwig was on the ground. He quickly closed his eyes again, seeing Roy bring his foot up over Ludwig's kneecap. There was another crack and another scream. Lemmy bit his lip to keep from giving away his position, biting down so hard his lip began to bleed.

"You know, it's almost cathartic getting to do this to you," Roy crooned as Ludwig grunted and shuddered in pain, "I'm getting to finally take my anger over all those years of insults and abuse on you. How does it feel for you?"

"Why?!" Ludwig screeched, "What did I do?!"

"You're a rat, Ludwig!" Roy replied, "Even if I make you promise, you're still going to tell them! I can't risk that!"

"I won't! I promise I won't! Please, have mercy!"

"I'm not taking any risks. The only way to make sure you don't tell anyone is to kill you."

Ludwig's eyes widened in terror. With his one good arm and leg, he tried to get away from Roy, but Roy was faster, slamming his foot against Ludwig's chest.

"Stop!" Lemmy shrieked, finally darting out from his hiding place and throwing himself onto Roy. It was a valiant effort to try to tackle him over, but the little Koopaling just wasn't strong enough. Roy then grabbed Lemmy around the throat, lifting him into the air while he continued to deal with Ludwig. The hold wasn't enough to choke Lemmy, but it was still strong enough to keep him from breaking free, despite his desperate struggling.

"Please, Roy!" Lemmy pleaded, "Don't do this! Don't kill him, please!"

"Please!" Ludwig chimed in, "At least think through what you're doing!"

"I already have."

Roy lifted his foot from Ludwig's chest, this time stomping down onto Ludwig's throat. Lemmy shut his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth. He shuddered with each of Ludwig's rasped, garbled cries until, finally, he felt the world disappear around him as he slid into unconsciousness.