Disclaimer: This is a 'just for fun' fan project. The Super Mario series and all of its characters, locations, and concepts belong to Nintendo. The book cover was made in part by the lovely Pandasquare, she drew the mushroom and I put the cover together. Big thanks to her. Check out her account on DA for more koopaling type artwork and some original stuff.
A brief explanation. Years ago I tried my hand at writing a story called "Klash of the Koopalings." It was a weird story about the koopalings (at least the personalities I imagined for them) encountering their Super Mario Super Show counterparts. My ideas outgrew my abilities, and I abandoned the fic after a year due to writing myself into a corner.
Fast forward to a month or so ago. I found myself jumping back into the "koopaling fandom" once more and perused the web for fun and interesting koopaling stuff. In my searching, I found the old story. I read it and I laughed: sixteen-year-old me sucked at writing! For some reason, I was once proud of the things I wrote and posted on the internet for all to see. Yet the concept still sounded fun to try out.
I pulled up a word processor and set myself to work. Now I'm confident I suck just a little less at writing and am ready to publish the first chapter with the second on the back burner and the third a work in progress.
So with that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the first chapter in the story!
-A
Chapter one: The "K" stands for "Klever."
"Ugh Kamek-" Bowser blasted a sneeze across the room. His fiery orange hair matted against his head with sweat. Smoke trailed from his nostrils. The king of Koopas sniffled and stared out the window from his semi-reclined bed. He coughed and hacked and itched the sores on his chest.
Black clouds strangled the sunlight away. Torrents of rain swept across the volcanic hills of the Koopa Kingdom. The distant lava flumes emanated a dull red. Plumes of smoke rose from conic turrets along the mountains.
"Kamek." He whined.
All was silent save for the patter of droplets on the window.
"Kamek." He croaked, louder this time.
The royal retainer pushed open the bedroom door. A white surgical mask fastened over his beaky lips. His spectacles glimmered in the artificial light. He yawned, the mask stretched. His posture slouched.
"I'm out of orange juice." Bowser waggled a tall stone mug with his likeness painted on the front.
Kamek took the mug with both arms and set it on the ground. "Will that be all, your highness?"
"Yeah," Bowser grumbled.
Kamek procured a wand from his blue robes and tapped the crystal embedded at the tip.
"I should be out there Kamek. We even built a new ship to deal with Peach's knight in denim overalls, but no. Stupid ivory fever."
"You're not getting younger sir. Think of your health." Kamek pointed his wand to the ground. A high pitched ping noise sounded from the tip.
"This was going to be the one Kamek."
"Of course, sir."
A sledge-brother waddled into the room. His irises blank and his mouth dangled open. He carried a pitcher of orange juice in his arms. The glass monolith rose taller than Kamek.
Kamek levitated the pitcher out of the sledge-brother's arms with a swish and flick of his wand.
The sledge-brother snapped to attention, his slacked jaw clenched shut. "I-I can't stop my arms, they're movin' by themselves. I'm wiggin' out Jimmy..."
"You may go now Billy, thank you."
Lucidity returned to the sledge-brother's irises. He cringed at the monarch and shuffled back. "Uh, yeah. You're welcome." He waddled out of the room, quivering along the way.
"Now she's out there, prancing through her garden with the plumber and his doofus brother. I bet the weather doesn't suck either." Bowser slumped in his seat. "This is the worst."
"Why not send some minions in your stead?" Kamek used his wand to tilt the pitcher over the mug. An orange river cascaded into the stone cup.
"Pfft. What bunch of morons-"
A white ball smashed through the window. Kamek raised his wand to the window and stopped the ball, glass, and rain in mid-flight. His brow quaked. Sweat dribbled down his cheeks. The pitcher crashed to the ground.
"Cripes." Kamek snapped. Orange juice pooled around his feet.
Bowser words caught at the back of his throat. He peered out the window from the confines of his bed. A distinct pink head danced around a baseball diamond. The other players ducked for cover.
"The kids!"
"Don't fret sir. Remember your blood pressure. I can fix this." Kamek waved his wand and the complex puzzle board of glass solved itself.
"No you idiot, I can make the kids do the work."
"I suppose it's been awhile since they've been on an assignment. They need the exercise." Kamek's brow furrowed. The incident at the window played in reverse. The baseball tumbled back through the window and the shattered pieces began to seal. "There. Now for this other mess."
"There's no time, just get the maids to clean it. I need a word with the koopalings."
"But-"
"Now!"
X-X-X
Larry Koopa's shaggy azure hair sagged beneath the rain. He swept the bangs aside with the tips of his claws and tapped home-base with a baseball bat. His fingers flexed over the painted wood handle.
Lemmy planted his feet at the pitcher's plate. Rain drizzled down the bill of his baseball cap, a rainbow ponytail slunk down his neck. His tongue dangled from the corner of his mouth.
"Hey. Don't miss." Roy, his broad-shouldered older brother, whispered from behind Larry. He squatted low and readied himself for the pitch.
Larry tensed his arms and raised his bat. Thunder clapped in the distance. The raindrops slowed.
Lemmy hoisted himself on one leg and wound his body back. He leaped off the ground and flipped. He released the ball at peak momentum. The ball bulleted forward in a corkscrew twist.
"I won't miss." Larry exhaled and swung the bat. The crack rivaled a firework's. The white blur soared straight towards the pitcher.
Lemmy yelped and ducked.
The ball skipped across the mud into the outfield.
The koopa-troopa outfielders tripped over each other. Left field smashed into center field. Both crashed to the ground.
Larry dashed past first base and b-lined to second.
A right-fielder koopa scooped up the ball.
"Right here! Toss it here!" Iggy waved his arms around, his foot on second base.
Right field tossed the ball over Iggy's head to third base.
Larry graced over second and sprinted to third.
"Morton heads up," Iggy shouted.
The ball landed beside Morton. He craned over the ball. He shrugged and picked at his teeth.
Iggy's shoulders slumped and a frustrated groan parted his lips. He abandoned second base and ran for the ball.
Larry stomped third base and pivoted on the balls of his feet and headed for home.
Iggy's stumbled over himself. The lean teen grabbed the ball from the ground and hurled it at Roy. He lost his footing and slammed into the mud. His glasses tumbled from his cheeks.
Roy snatched the ball and ambled back to home-plate.
Larry closed in on home. "Hey, Roy!"
Roy steadied his posture. His expression unreadable behind his glasses.
"Don't miss." Larry dove head first for home-plate. His arms stretched forward.
Roy plucked Larry out of the air. Larry squirmed beneath his stronger brother's grip. Roy tapped him with the ball and tossed him aside. "You're out."
Larry hoisted himself to his feet and wiped the mud from his chin. "No fair!"
"Not if you're playing prison rules," Roy smirked.
The younger koopaling jumped at Roy, his claws aimed for the elder sibling's throat.
Roy shoulder-checked his brother and dropped him to the ground. He put his foot on Larry's chest. "Calm down there squirt."
"Let me up!" Larry squirmed and scratched Roy's leg.
"Calm down or else." Roy hocked a loogie and leaned over Larry.
Larry brow scrunched. The corners of his mouth curled downward. He twisted beneath Roy's foot. "Oh, ew, stop."
"Roy O. Koopa, knock that off right now."
Roy swallowed. The lone sister koopaling opened the courtyard door. Her arms crossed.
"Hey sis, just teaching this sore loser a lesson."
"You ever spit on me, people are going to open the dictionary and see your stupid face next to the word sore. When I'm done with you, you're going to sit to pee for the rest of your life." Larry squirmed and pounded Roy's leg.
Wendy stomped over to Roy. "Let him up."
Roy glared at Larry. He rolled his shoulders back. "Alright, sis." He lifted his foot from his brother's chest.
The blue haired koopaling struggled to his feet. His chest rose and fell. He wiped his muddied palms on his hips, his muzzle pointed to the ground. "Uh, thanks, sis."
"She didn't come out here for your sake. Baseball in the mud ain't lady like." Roy crossed his arms. "Spit it out."
"Kamek wants us all upstairs, dad's room, pronto."
Fat raindrops smacked the mud. The koopalings shared silent glances with each other. Lemmy spoke first. "That can't be good."
X-X-X
Ludwig Von Koopa tapped the highest 'C' and 'D' on his piano. Tinkling tones reverberated through the air. A musical staff littered with jagged scribbles stared down at him from its perch. He nibbled the pencil eraser and scratched the blue stubble on his cheek.
"The music's in your head, just play it." Ludwig hissed.
He held the pencil between his lips to free his hands and blocked out a chord. He trilled the highest keys and danced his fingers down the scale. A fierce crescendo contrasted the descent of tones.
A rancid note snagged the procession. He glared at the sausages he called fingers. The pockmarked pencil tumbled from his lips. "Curse these fat fingers."
He stretched both arms above his head. "From the top. Yes, from the top."
The door creaked open. A slender shadow stretched across the dim room. "Sheesh, you're going to ruin your eyes in this light."
"Of course I forgot to lock the door." Ludwig massaged his temples. "What do you want?"
"I apologize maestro, but we plebs are in need of your presence." Iggy weaseled behind Ludwig.
"I just need ten minutes."
"Bowser wants us now."
Ludwig's lip twitched. "He can wait."
Iggy tousled a soggy bang. He hummed in thought. "He is awfully sick, and he did call the whole gang. It must be important. Throne abdicatingly important."
"I don't think that's a word," Ludwig mumbled. "Besides, if that were really the case he'd give it to Junior."
"Alright, but when I volunteer to be his royal adviser, expect some serious changes bro." Iggy's cheeks spread wide. His pointed teeth caught the light in conjunction with his spectacles.
Ludwig shut the piano and rose from his seat. "Fine, fine, fine."
"He deigns to concede." Iggy covered his mouth.
The brothers exited the dim music room. Thunder boomed in the distance. Light strobed in the clouds and flashed the room
Ludwig strode down the stone halls. His back straight, gut sucked in and chest high. His lips curled down into a frown.
Iggy sauntered behind him. His slouched gait reduced his lanky height to the odd passersby. If just a pinch.
Up a stone staircase. Down a torch-lit wing with a wine-colored rug. Past gothic sculptures of fierce draconic beasts. A wide door the color of magma greeted them at the end. Bowser's insignia adorned the wooden surface. Light streamed between the cracks.
"Ladies first." Iggy bowed and twirled his arms at the entrance.
Ludwig punched his brother's arm and pushed through the doors. He saw Bowser first: his adoptive father's pallid skin glowed in the light. Purple sores speckled his flesh. Ludwig grimaced at the sight.
The others gathered in a loose circle around the patriarch. Each outfitted with a white medical mask. Ludwig wondered if such a precaution even prevented the spread. Best to not tempt fate, he reckoned. He took two masks from a nearby table and tossed one to Iggy. Both fastened the masks on tight. They approached Bowser slow.
Bowser's lone flesh and blood, Bowser Junior, hung off his arm. He too wore a white medical mask. Bowser and his youngest koopaling scrutinized the brothers.
"You're late." Bowser rasped.
"As if you're going anywhere."
Bowser and Ludwig matched glares.
"That's why I've called you knuckleheads in here. I'm bedbound and I need some work done." Bowser paused to cough. "It's a simple task."
"Oh! Oh!" Lemmy raised his hand.
"Lemmy."
"We're nabbing Peach aren't we?"
"You didn't even let me finish."
"Answer the question, please."
"Yeah..." Bowser sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Called it so hard." Lemmy pumped his fist. "That's twenty coins, Iggy."
Iggy shrugged. "I guess a deathbed confession was a bit too dramatic for a Super Mario fanfic."
"You thought I was-" Bowser forced a laugh, but broke into a fit of coughs. He regained composure and pointed to his body with his thumb. "It's going to take more than fevers and itchy sores to bring this bad boy down."
"This is the part where you tell us the twist now." Lemmy rubbed his palms together.
"Twist?"
"On the formula. The new thing we're gonna do."
"Nothing. Breaking, entering, snatching, end of story. Old school."
Ludwig's lips curved into a frown. "Help me understand: you want us to go out, exact the same farcical kidnapping ploy that always results in humiliating failure. I don't follow your logic."
"We'll do it, papa." Junior patted his father's arm.
Bowser smiled his son. "Knew I could count on you." He turned to Ludwig. "Consider it a chance to prove yourselves again."
"I don't much care what you think of me anymore."
Bowser wheezed. "How about I cut you deal. Instead of rotting in the dungeons, you can captain this crew."
All heads turned to Ludwig.
"Captain..." Ludwig whispered.
"But Papa!" Junior protested, but Bowser leaned over to the youngest.
Bowser whispered behind his palm. Junior's brows furrowed. The fiery haired teen nodded once.
"Alright, Papa."
Bowser turned to Ludwig once more. "Junior here is my eyes and ears. Do this right for once."
The eldest koopaling's neck tensed. His balled fists quivered. "Yes, sir."
"Good. You know what to do. Get out."
Ludwig examined the messy procession of his siblings.
Wendy strode out first in a runway-worthy gait. Roy forced his way past Iggy and Lemmy while Morton pushed Iggy and Lemmy through the doorway at a glacier's pace. Larry squeezed between the cracks. Junior stormed past Ludwig.
The eldest left last to catch up. He waited until the two of them were alone. He tapped Junior on the shoulder.
"You shouldn't say that stuff to my papa." Junior kept his nose forward.
Ludwig winced, 'my papa,' the kid pulled no punches.
"I just want to know what he told you."
"Like I'd tell you." Junior stomped away.
Ludwig shook his head. Half tempted to follow, he meandered a distance behind Junior. He opened his mouth to speak, but his words died on his lips.
Instead, he made way for his room, where an afternoon of packing awaited him.
X-X
A koopa airship dangled from the hangar ceiling. Various scaffolding adorned it, mechanics and engineers dashed along the catwalks. The obsidian black finish glimmered in the hangar bay lights. Golden letters etched into the stern and starboard read "KKS Maelstrom."
Ludwig whistled low. His tail swept back and forth in a lazy wagging motion.
"Me hopes it meets your 'spectations, cap'n Luddy." Iggy butchered a pirates brogue. He coughed and hacked. "Stars above, that's nasty on the ol' windpipe."
"Stellar work as ever." Ludwig paced the vehicle. "I've one complaint."
"Wowie I really have outdone myself."
"It's a bit on the large side. A hair smaller than a Mark III Koopa Kruiser. There has to be another, more inconspicuous, ship."
"Afraid not - by my calculations your weight would prevent a smaller ship from lifting off."
Ludwig scoffed and crossed his arms. "Come on Iggy."
"I'm being serious. You're a cake away from grounding this one too."
"Iggy!"
The slender koopaling cackled. "This is papa Bowser's freak of the week: the first stealth Koopa Super Carrier. Emphasis on first."
Ludwig tapped his foot. He imagined the hull blasted into splinters by incompetent mushroom people. "We're going to look like a bunch of idiots fluttering up to their front door in this."
"Chill. I repeat, it's a stealth ship." Iggy turned to the ship and shouted. "Hey, Rocky!"
A few slow moments passed before the goggled monty mole peered out of an open porthole. His white muzzle fur stained with grease. "Reporting for duty Boss."
"The captain's here for the grand tour."
"Aye." The mole pulled his head back into the ship.
A crew of moles bedecked in utility belts shuffled across the deck of the ship. One manned the lift station situated on the starboard side. "Clear." The mole shouted. The lift whirred and clanked the entire way down.
Ludwig hoisted himself onto the metal platform. It jerked into motion. Ludwig gasped and squeezed the guardrails. The oil-stained concrete floor drew further away.
The crew lined up while the lift locked into place high above the hangar floors. Ludwig brushed his palm through his hair. The lift locked into place. He eased off the platform onto the Maelstrom's deck.
The moles saluted Ludwig. Their shoulders high and heads straight. Right fist over the heart, left fist behind the back.
"Uh, at ease." Ludwig saluted in response.
The group's posture slacked.
"I'd appreciate a salute once and awhile." Iggy's lip curled into a slight pout.
"With all due respect boss, you're not the captain," Rocky replied. The mole wiped his muzzle with a rag.
"Fair enough." Iggy sighed. "On with the show I suppose."
Rocky took point and led the koopalings towards the bow of the ship. A squat, circular structure with blackened windows encompassed the front of the ship. A door outfitted with a brass locking wheel presented itself. Rocky grabbed the doglever and twisted it open.
"We've outfitted the Maelstrom with a state of the art bridge." Iggy began. Electric lights clicked to life. Various consoles spread across the front of the room. A rainbow nest of wires spilled onto the floor. Several moles picked and fished through the next. One called out for a tool, another complied. "To your right, we've got bells. To your left, we've got whistles."
Ludwig ignored Iggy and approached a swiveling chair poised above the other consoles. A steering wheel locked in front of it. He eyeballed the panels and buttons built into the chair's arms.
"How I've missed the captain's chair." Ludwig patted the plush seat.
"Go on." Iggy nodded.
Ludwig clambered into the seat at the word "go." A low hiss sound filled the air. Monitors lowered around Ludwig's head. A video feed of various compartments played.
He inspected the buttons on his arm panel. He tapped a flashing button with a camera printed on it. The video feed switched to various points of view outside the ship. "That's handy."
"You've also access to the bow mounted cannons. Just pull the triggers on the wheel there. I don't recommend it now of course."
A large purple button on the arm console caught Ludwig's attention. It depicted a closed eye. Ludwig cleared his throat and nodded towards it.
"Ah, perhaps it's best I show you what that one does. Here, let's switch places."
Ludwig, with some reluctance, slipped out of the captain's chair and allowed Iggy in his place. If only because curiosity got the better of him.
Iggy switched the camera view to the compartments and paged the engine room.
"Star Reactor, this is Iggy, you copy?"
"Yessir." A chorus of workers replied.
"Is the power-star stable?"
"Tip top shape." One mole replied.
"Stupendous. We're going to run a stealth drill, monitor that reactor."
"Sir!" The mole nodded.
Ludwig's jaw slacked a pinch. "You're kidding, this thing runs on star power?"
"Built the reactor myself. Mostly. We needed something a little 'spicier' than the normal magicrystal fuel." Iggy gushed the moment he noticed Ludwig's interest.
"Spicier?"
"Watch this." Iggy pressed the eyeball button. The bridge's lights dimmed, red lights clicked on. Iggy leaned into the mic and set it to 'live.' "Stealth mode commencing in thirty seconds, all personal clear the deck."
Iggy mouthed the seconds on his lips until: "Twenty seconds."
Ludwig's mouth dried out.
"Ten seconds." Iggy began counting back each second until... "Three, two, one."
A chill blasted through the air. Ludwig's spine grew rigid and his hairs stood on end. An emptiness filled his stomach, then his ribs, until it encompassed his entire body.
"What the-"
Iggy raised his index claw up to shush Ludwig. He danced his fingertips along the console and pressed the camera button to reveal the outside. An ethereal haze shimmered in the Maelstrom's place. Ludwig brushed his fingers through his hair.
"Boos and their transparency always fascinated me. Harnessing their abilities on this scale proved no easy task, but with a power-star anything is possible. If for a short while."
Ludwig scratched his chin. "It'll destabilize if you push it."
"Right'o." Iggy switched the screen to the reactor room. The power-star emitted fierce oranges and yellows behind its metallic prison.
"So, boo magic. You mean to say we're like ghosts." Ludwig stared at the back of his hand, half expecting a transparent haze. "Why can I still see you?"
"That's a good question." Iggy folded his arms and smiled. "I have no clue. The magic behaves in bizarre ways at this scale."
Ludwig cast him a derisive snort. "Sounds safe."
"It's perfectly safe. Sure we lost a few moles during the lab experiments, but we've come far since those first couple tests."
Ludwig turned towards the crew of monty moles stationed around the bridge. "This lunatic must pay you top coinage."
"Not enough," Rocky mumbled.
Iggy adjusted his glasses and shrugged. "Well 'lost' isn't quite true. They just never reappeared. They could be among us right now. Crying out for help."
"You're hilarious."
"Uh. Yeah. I'm pulling your leg." Iggy drummed his claws on his thighs.
Rocky shook his head. "Boss. There's still more to show."
"Right. Right. To the captain's quarters." Iggy hoisted himself from the captain's seat and gestured for them to follow.
Ludwig paused at the door and glanced over his shoulder. He strained his ears listening for spectral mole cries. Nothing but the faint hum of the lights on the bridge. "Ugh, this trip is going to suck."
X-X-X
Larry looped the strap of his leather satchel over his head and let the weight hang against his neck. He unhooked the flaps and parsed through the emergency essentials: snacks, portable gaming device, cellular phone, a hydra of chargers for any socket one might conceive, including a pair of pointed tips to draw electricity from produce, and several lithium batteries charged by solar patches embedded into the leather sides.
"Cute purse." Roy jabbed.
"Bite me." Larry snapped back. He scooped up a duffel bag and suitcase and made it a point to shuffle away from his pink-headed sibling.
Up the scaffold bridge into the compact nautical halls of the airship. Why the sea theme, he never figured it out. The koopaling huffed under the weight of his luggage.
"'Scuse me, mister Larry." A monty mole stopped him in the hall. "I could take your bags for ya. I wager you're a little over encumbered."
He imagined Roy just behind him. Roy waited for him to take the sissy route and shovel his load onto some crew member. Nope. Wasn't going to hear it. "Nah. I've got it."
"No shame in askin' for help."
"One hundred and ten percent sure I've got this."
"Alrighty. You oughtta be kinder to your back kid, it pays off when you're at my age, but s'pose that isn't my place say..."
"Right. Please move before this stuff falls on your head."
"Oh! Of course."
The monty mole shifted aside and allowed Larry the room he needed to press forward. He weaved through the halls. Peeking into cabins along the way. "Come on, it's gotta be close."
He whipped around a corner and smashed into an unfortunate bystander. He held his satchel close - the duffel bag and suitcase tumbled to the floor. "Crap, crap, crap."
A familiar frustrated gasp answered him.
"Sorry Luddy." Larry scooped up his belongings.
"Yeah. Just watch out next time." Ludwig softened his glare when he noticed Larry. He bent over and grabbed Larry's duffel bag. "It'd be a lot easier to dodge your," Ludwig cleared his throat and held his arms apart for emphasis, "horizontally challenged siblings if you slowed down some."
"Just excited to see my room."
"No kidding."
"Yup."
"You're on the wrong side of the ship." Ludwig hooked the duffel bag strap over his shoulder. "The koopaling cabins are closer to the reactor."
Larry cursed beneath his breath and stared at his feet.
"Better learn to watch that mouth of yours. You're going to upset the wrong person one day." Ludwig shuffled down the hall ahead of Larry.
"Oh yeah, I learned it all from you." Larry chuckled and hurried close to him.
"Shit, really?" Ludwig feigned embarrassment and covered his mouth. The brothers shared a laugh and traversed the halls. Ludwig kept a few paces ahead of Larry. "You could've asked for directions at least."
"Just wanted to find it myself." Larry glanced aside. He didn't want to bring up Roy.
Ludwig opted to lay off the issue. Perhaps sensing Larry's discomfort. The younger koopaling uttered an internal thank you to the Stars. After a quiet journey, the two came across the 'Royal Cabins.'
Color coded doors lined the hallway in the order of their birth. All save for Ludwig's. Larry figured he must be close to the bridge, he's the captain after all.
Loud hip-hop music blared from the hot pink door a few cabins down. He saw Roy doing pushups through his half open door. Larry shuffled to his cabin.
"Hey, Ludwig."
Ludwig turned to Larry.
"I think I know why you're grouchy at us all the time." Larry entered his cabin and dropped luggage on the bed.
"Come on I'm not all the time."
"You glower so much we've started calling you Frownwig behind your back." Larry's cheeks reddened. A risky fact to reveal to his older brother.
Ludwig, of course, frowned. His eyebrows drooped. He slicked back his hair and stared at Larry. "Okay. Why am I so grouchy?"
"You're just mad at how someone treats you. And you can't do anything about it because they'll beat you up. And you feel little and-"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down." Ludwig folded his arms. "I knew you weren't being honest with me."
"I'd rather not talk about it anymore." Larry hushed himself. The one way to beat Roy was by himself. "I just, well, I understand now."
Ludwig nodded slow. "Alright, kid. Between you and me, we can always talk."
"I know."
Ludwig exited through the cabin door and stopped halfway. "Hey, Larry."
Larry turned to the door.
"Iggy was the one who started calling me Frownwig wasn't he?"
"Yup."
"Thought so." Ludwig nodded his head. "Going to kill him someday."
With that, the older koopaling stormed off. His usual self again. Larry slumped back in his bed and stared at the ceiling. "This trip is going to suck."
X-X-X
Junior puttered above the clouds in his clown-faced personal aircraft: The Koopa Klownkopter. "The K's sure are 'klever'" his dad told him that fateful birthday morn. He pointed to his open maw and retched.
"I"m not a baby, dad." The easiest words in the world to say alone among the nimbi. Junior leaned over the edge of his clowncar and searched for shapes in the white sky tufts. Anything to ignore the genial smile painted onto his aircraft.
"It's mine, I can just paint over it." He tapped the white paint-job. "Dad'll feel bad, though. He did commission it for my birthday."
Junior spun circles in the sky, arguing with himself back and forth. "I've already gutted the thing and modified it on the inside. It's just a paint job."
He blew a puff of smoke from his nostrils and searched his console for the "green telephone" button. He mashed the button and inspected a flat screen monitor built into the console. A dial tone broke the silence.
"Read you loud and clear Clowncar, this is Circus Tent." Iggy spit the callsigns in a mechanical fashion. His bespectacled eyes a tad too close to the camera.
"For the last time Iggy, we aren't using those callsigns." Ludwig's video feed appeared beside Iggy's on the monitor. He pressed a few buttons off-screen and Iggy's feed disappeared. "Speak your peace Junior."
"We're behind schedule. Papa- I mean Lord Bowser - wants this done before the year is out. "
"We're still working through the launch prep. According to Iggy, this ship flew once and that was a sunny day."
"Speed it up. We're burning daylight here."
Ludwig's expression flatlined. "Oh of course. Now go nip your dad's tail and explain why his expensive ship and several troops perished in a reactor explosion. Go on, be my guest."
Junior's bottom lip curled downward. "You don't need to be a jerk about it."
"That's all?"
"Yeah, bu-" The video feed disappeared. Junior slumped in his cockpit and fumed curses at his monitor. "Oh that's going on the report, you fat buck-toothed...jerk."
Junior huffed and scribbled on a sheet fastened to his clipboard. 'Just run crying to dad. You always do.' Junior's conscience chided. He sniffled then tossed the clipboard aside.
At least he would see 'ma-ma Peach' again. He cringed a bit at the white-lie his father cooked up for him. No, she never was nor will be.
Still, he humored his imagination for a moment: life at her castle in the crisp green hills of the Mushroom Kingdom. A well-mannered koopa prince, no stupid brothers, and a happy father with a mother. An actual one who wanted to stay.
"My you're so smart, Junior. You fixed up that goofy old clown machine by yourself."
"Why yes mama, I did."
"It's so cool now. I love the paint job."
"Thank you, mama, I-"
Thunder clapped beneath him. Junior's spine seized at the sudden noise. He gasped, his fantasy vanished. His heart pounded out a war beat and sirens rang in his ears.
He was alone again. Puttering in circles. Waiting.
X-X-X
Lemmy dangled his stumpy legs over the ledge of the Maelstrom's deck. His mohawk sagged beneath the torrents of rain. Lips eased into a natural half smile. The dull patter of raindrops against the wooden ship lulled him into a trance.
The clouds flashed beyond the mountains. He counted the seconds before the thunderous boom. He picked himself up and leaned over to touch his toes. His back emitted a soft pop. A content wisp of air quivered on his lips.
Lemmy tip-toed along the ledge of the boat, he peeked over the edge into various portholes.
Little Larry listening to music half-asleep, though he's not that little these days. "Stop growing so fast, kid."
Morton, mute, musing over "one of those Mane-gahs," Lemmy rolled the words off his lips. He tried to follow along once, but the stories hurt his head. Too much yelling.
"And where's Wen-" The koopaling caught a slick patch of metal and took a tumble along the side. He reached out and grasped a porthole's protruding metal frame. The tendons in his arms flexed.
Wendy jumped at the sudden noise and turned to her window. Her voice drowned in the rain and died on the glass. He tried to read her lips.
"Doh luck, mew hair me." Lemmy mouthed to himself. He chuckled and waved at her with his foot. She cocked her head, but instead of waiting for her answer he clambered up the side of the boat.
He shuffled across the deck, his claws clicked against the stiff wood. The brass "wheely door thing" to the bridge glistened in electric lights. He pressed his nose against the windows. The black tinting offered little in the way of sight lines. Still, he descried silhouettes of koopas and moles positioned behind squares. Iggy's hairdo protruded above the rest, a little island in the sea of black.
Lemmy twisted the door open. Air rushed past the released seal. Water trickled in and darkened the auburn carpeting. The koopaling slicked back his rainbow mop of hair and slid into the room. He pushed the door closed with his rump, not bothering to twist the wheel shut.
Computers beeped. Lights hummed. The bridge crew muttered to each other in low voices.
"Propellers are up and running, the reactor's warmed up, cannons are loaded, fuel gauges say we're full," Ludwig counted on his fingers, "I think we're about ready to shove off."
Iggy scratched his chin and leaned back in his seat. "Yeah Unless the weather-"
"Hiya Iggy." Lemmy peeked over the top of his brother's head.
"Gah!" Iggy jumped in his seat and struck Lemmy with the back of his head.
The smaller koopaling tumbled from the back of the seat and landed flat on his back. Iggy rubbed the back of his head and winced. "I think one of your little fangs nicked me."
"Nope. Don't taste any blood." Lemmy gagged. "Hair product, though, I got a mouthful of that. Tastes like the stuff Ludwig puts in his hair."
Ludwig turned to the both of them with an arched eyebrow. A question hid beneath his slacked bottom lip. He bit his tongue and turned back towards his monitors. "Nope. Not worth it."
Iggy swiveled the seat around. "Great now he's going to nag me about his hair product too."
"Eh, kest-la-vai." Lemmy shrugged in an exaggerated motion.
"C'est la vie," Ludwig muttered.
Lemmy giggled. "Gesundheit."
Iggy leaned over and propped his elbows on his knees. "Uh, Lemmy, we're kinda busy up here."
"Ease up Stretch." Lemmy leaned close and lowered his voice. "You've been hanging out with Frownwig too long."
"Shush. Ixnay in front of ubbytay." Iggy plucked an invisible zipper by his lips and swept it shut, twice for emphasis.
"I speak pig Latin too, upidstay," Ludwig shouted from his seat.
"Course you do." Iggy winced and leaned over his seat. "Lemmy I have to spend a whole trip with him, go bug Roy if you're bored."
Lemmy folded his arms. His 'lazy' eye snapped to attention. "You're going to set this puppy to autopilot soon as you take off. I need entertainment, there's no space on this friggin flying coffin, I'm going mad with boredom."
"It-it's still an experimental aircraft bro." Iggy slouched in his seat and flailed his arms. "Luddy's captain sure, but he's going to need this butt in this seat the moment that reactor acts funny. Believe me."
The smaller koopaling tapped his foot, his eyebrows arched down. "I don't think I do Stretch."
"Better learn to, Shortstack." Iggy craned over his brother.
"This is all very cute, but please wrap this up soon."
The two brothers stuck their tongues out at Ludwig and resumed their conversation. The blue-haired pomp mumbled insults too saucy for this fanfic.
"I've been wrapped up with my lab-work, sure," Iggy frowned and rubbed the back of his neck, "but I promise we'll hang out when this is all over."
"Pinky swears." Lemmy raised his outstretched pinky-claw.
Iggy hooked his own pinky-claw around his brother's. "Pinky swears."
Lemmy nodded a few times. His lazy eye spread apart once more. He unhooked his pinky. All smiles. He shuffled backward to the door, head locked on Iggy. "Okay Stretch, don't party too hard. Unless I'm here of course."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Iggy's cheeks spread into a nervous smirk.
"Knock her dead you guys," Lemmy shouted to the crew. "Not too dead, though, Bowser wants her alive."
"Aye." The crew responded in awkward semi-unison.
The small koopaling, content with the trouble he stirred, climbed back aboard the rain soaked deck. Dreaming up a day's worth of activities to enact with his favorite partner in crime.
X-X-X
"Breathe in. One, two, three, breathe out." Roy sat on his bed with his back to the window. His claws squeezed the stiff mattress in a vice.
Lights flickered. Shadows danced on the wall. His suitcase wobbled back and forth. He cringed at the noise. His head ached from the high altitude.
"Breathe in. One, two, three, breathe-" Sudden turbulence quaked the room. His suitcase tumbled on its side. "No, it's too rough for turbulence. We're crashing," he whispered. "We're crashing." His voice raised. "No, no we're crashing." He shouted and ran to the window.
Fog obscured all vision. Thick droplets trickled down the glass porthole. Then stillness. The setting sun cast rays above the mountainous cloud peaks. Roy wiped sweat from his forehead.
His door clicked open behind him. He wheeled around with clenched fists. "Out."
"Knock it off Roy, it's me." Wendy's bow cast a butterfly's shadow on the wall. "Heard you freaking out. Thought I'd investigate what's got big bad you in a fuss."
"Nothing." Roy's fists eased, then clenched again.
"If you say so." Wendy shut the door behind her
"Taking off in this weather, ugh, buncha lunatics." Roy huffed and dropped on his bed.
Wendy flopped on the bed beside him. "Alright tough guy, spill it. You're scared."
Roy slipped his sunglasses off. His sensitive eyes stung in dim light. "Okay. I am. I hate heights."
Wendy loosed a smile and chuckled.
"Yeah. Yeah. Rub it in." Roy perched the glasses on his head.
"I'm not laughing at you, stupid." Wendy jumped from the bed. "I worried over something silly."
The pink-headed koopaling tucked his legs beneath him.
"Chin up. We're all scared of at least one dumb thing out there." Wendy propped up the fallen luggage.
"Don't tell anyone."
"I won't. Even if a few of us out there might make use of the leg up on you." Wendy punched his arm. "Perhaps a certain little brother."
Roy scoffed. His brow stiffened. "He needs to toughen up. You guys tip-toes around him because he's the baby. Dad's too tired to go hard on him these days."
Wendy drummed the painted tips of her claws against the wall. "Maybe dad did it wrong too."
"You're right, he didn't go far enough. Lemmy's never going to grow up, Ludwig's quit trying altogether, Iggy's a nutcase shacked up in his lab all day, and I'm stuck with them. These younger guys need the right push."
"Stop being dramatic, you hypocrite. You never pick on Morton or Junior."
"Not these days." Roy rubbed his jaw and winced at a phantom injury.
"Plus, you're a hair older than nineteen. Pft, 'younger guys.'"
Roy scrunched his nose. His jaw locked shut. The hum of the air conditioning a roar in the silence. Finally, Roy spoke again: "We're a bunch of losers."
"Roy..." Wendy shook her head.
"I mean it. Dad thinks we're a joke."
"Wow, my brother's a mind reader."
"I feel it in my gut."
Wendy patted her older brother on the back and strut to the door. "You're just going to push people away with that attitude. Besides, how can we be losers when you've got me."
"I don't expect you to understand Wendy."
Wendy slid open the door. "I understand plenty." She shut the door behind her.
"I understand, like, plenty." Roy mocked in an exaggerated valley girl accent. He threw a pillow at the door and laid back on the bed.
He didn't need anyone to love or even tolerate him. He needed the others to be stronger than him. Why didn't they listen to him?
He set his sunglasses in the nightstand drawer, closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the climbing altitude.