Hello again! I have returned with another one shot. This was based of Coooool123's (still don't think I got the number of O's right) fanart entitled, "I'll Protect You". Look it up on DeviantArt! A colored version that was made by Just Call Me J is also up on the site. Ahh, I love brotherly comfort, especially from nightmares... I don't know why, I just find it adorable! :)
In any case, I thank you Cooooool123 for allowing me to use that plotline. I hope my story will meet your standards!
I own nothing; plotline goes to Coooooool123, characters go to Nintendo. Only thing I own is my username that this story is under!
Enjoy!
A/N: There are four Koopalings in this story: Roy, who is four, Iggy, who is three, Morton Jr., who is one, and little Larry, who is a few months old. The time frame is set like this: the beginning and end is five years later, and the middle is when the event itself actually occurred. It makes more sense when you read it.
Any questions, leave a review or PM me. Thanks!
I'll Protect You
"Nrgh... R-Roy..."
Interwoven with the silence of the Royal Castle, for floors on end, there was nothing but the soft sighs and quiet breathing of the residents of the large abode.
"Roy... h-help me..."
Well...almost.
On the fifth floor, in the third room from the left, a restless and squirming eight year old koopaling tossed and turned in his sleep, his head jerking left and right. Legs tangled in his sheets and his fluffy black and green comforter, the insane genius looked anything but on this night.
"Roy... s-s-ave me... please!" he whimpered.
It wasn't like he was having some everyday nightmare. In fact, it was very rare for Ignatius Koopa to even dream, unless it was science related. But that was a while back.
These nightmares, although growing fewer and fewer in between as the years went by, were still as strong as the actual event happened that fateful day five years ago. And while his younger brothers Morton Jr. and Lawrence Koopa recalled nothing of that day, Iggy and his older brother Roy remembered everything.
On this quiet night, Iggy replayed the events that he and his older brother could never forget.
*Five Years Ago*
"Iggy, catch!"
Little Ignatius, who could barely keep up with his larger four year old brother, ran as fast as his legs could manage and just barely caught the purple foam football Roy threw.
"Big brudda, that's no fair! You throw too hard!" Iggy whined, rubbing his knee from where he fell. Roy put his chubby claws on his hips, annoyed.
"Wha'evar! Ya just mad cause ya can't catch! Now throw it back!" Roy yelled, stepping a few feet back. Iggy pouted, almost like he was going to burst into tears.
"I don't wanna play anymore!" he cried, sitting angrily on the grass. He glanced over at Morton Jr., who was busy watching their five month old brother Lawernce Koopa.
"Make Morty play! I wanna play with Larry!" Iggy pleaded, getting up and going to the large tree the two young boys sat under. Roy shook his head; why on earth would their father leave HIM in charge? Why couldn't he get Ludwig to play with these crybabys?
"Nah, Mort's not fast enough. How's about we play hide and seek instead?"
Iggy's expression changed almost instantly. Morton Jr. looked up and saw his two older brothers standing over him. He giggled a little before pointing to Larry, who was making a bunch of gurgling and giggles.
"Can Morty play, too? PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?" Iggy begged, eyes large behind even larger black rimmed glasses. Roy rubbed his bald purple head, sighing.
"Ah, fine!" he said. Iggy jumped in delight and he pulled Morton up to stubby legs.
"Teehee, you're it, big Budda! You gotta find us!"
Morton laughed, having virtually no idea what Iggy was going on about, but he figured it had to be a game. He pointed at his older brother and giggled.
"Fi'd us, Budda!" Morton somewhat said. In a flash, the two young Koopalings headed north toward a large cave. Roy shook his head and chuckled before reaching down and picking up a moving little blue bundle.
"Well Larry, it's us again't them. Ya ready?"
He laughed at Larry's expression.. The latter simply giggled, his eyes bright with astonishment. Roy made sure Larry was safe in his arms before he ran after his younger brothers.
"Here I come, ya idiots! I know where ya are!"
And it was a good thing Roy ran after them when he did. Unbeknowest to any of them, they had been playing in rouge territory. And a few of the rouges who did spot the young tykes playing weren't too pleased about it.
"Say, Mac... ain't them Bowser's kids?" one of the rouges, a black Shy Guy pointed out to his partner in crime, a rather burly looking Goomba.
"Yeahhhhh... yeah, man! Ya right! Now what does they think they're doin'? After what his 'Highness' did ta us?! I think it's time for a little payback..."
The Shy Guy nodded., a mischievous grin spreading across his face. He turned and started walking toward their hideout, the Goomba following close behind.
"Ya right. Let's go tell the Boss."
"Huff... huff.. Ya idiots! Where are yas?!" Roy yelled as loud as his lungs could manage. He thought he was chasing the two boys into a cave, but all he could see were even MORE trees!
"Haha! We're not telling you! Ya gotta find us!" Iggy's voice rang through the area.
"Grrrrrr..."
Larry's laughter wasn't helping the hotheaded toddler much, either. He growled, and punched a nearby tree, leaving a rather deep, yet small indent in the tree's bark.
It was silent for only a moment longer, and then...
"ROYYYY! HELP!"
Roy's head whipped in the direction he thought he heard shouting. Running, no, almost sprinting towards the direction, he saw a small group of Shy Guys near the cave he knew he had seen his little brothers running to.
The only issue was, these Shy Guys were black, and not from their father's castle. And at least two of them had a bat in hand.
"Hey, ya punks! Whatddya think ya doin' to my brothers?!" Roy screamed, causing the group to look up in surprise, and giving the two toddlers a chance for escape.
"Well, well, well boys! Lookee here!" one of the more larger Shy Guys, supposedly the ringleader, sneered. Iggy clung onto Roy's left arm for all he was worth and his younger brother followed suit.
"Awww, is the widdle prince here to save his widdle bruddas?" the leader mocked, making some sort of a face behind his mask. "Ooh, I'm so scared!"
The small group broke into laughter. Roy growled, unaware he was nearly crushing Larry to death.
"Don't ya dare mess with my brothers, ya punks." Roy threatened, his voice unusually deadly for only a four year old.
The leader's expression grew dark and serious. He stared the four toddler princes down, his cronies surrounding him. It was then Roy realized he had a very big problem.
There had to be at least seven or eight of them. And Roy had three little brothers who barely knew how to spit fire. And to top things off, they had wandered some ways from the castle; Roy still had no idea where they were.
"Iggy, Morton, run!" Roy ordered, pushing the boys behind him. The two wasted no time.
"Kids these days need to learn respect! After them!" the leader yelled, sprinting after the four boys.
Roy remembered seeing another cave a few feet down. He kept running, Iggy at the point, Morton just behind him, and Roy and Larry taking up the rear.
Now even if he wasn't sure where exactly they were, Roy knew he had a duty as both a Royal Koopa prince and as an older brother. He had to keep the three boys safe.
"Go that way!" Roy pointed out. Iggy glanced back briefly and saw which way Roy was indicating.
The leader nearly laughed himself to death when he saw the princes entering the cave they used as a training area. "C'mon boys, this kill's gonna be TOO easy!" he chuckled confidently, following the koopa's tail.
Roy realized a moment too late that it was a bad plan to charge headfirst into a pitch black cave. It wasn't helping that the three little ones were scared senseless.
"Budda... d-d-dark... too dark!" Morton whimpered, clinging to Roy's arm like death. Iggy, who was still in point, turned to face Roy, tears already down his cheeks.
"It's... scawy... I wanna go home!" he cried, running towards Roy. Roy almost stumbled and dropped the now sleeping Larry, but he managed a firm grip around Iggy, even with Morton still hanging on for dear life.
"I know... but ya gotta stay strong for now, a'right? We gotta lose those guys first!" Roy said, even though he himself wasn't too sure exactly how he was getting three toddlers home in one piece.
"Boss! I think I see 'em!"
Roy turned, seeing the shadows of bats and at least three of the group of rouges closing in. He scanned the area quickly, and without a thought, pushed Iggy and Morton ahead.
"This way! Hurry up!" Roy ordered, running to the left.
Sadly, he made a wrong turn, for that was nothing more than a dead end. And of course...
"Looks like we finally gotcha! This'll show ya father for messin' with us!" the leader chuckled evilly, staring hard at Roy. He grinned even more when he saw the trembling form of Iggy, who had ducked behind Morton for cover.
Roy pushed the two boys behind him, protectively holding Larry to his chest. He stared at the leader, no emotion or expression readable on his face.
It was then Roy noted only three other goonies surrounded the leader. He figured the rest of them had gotten lost.
"What's the matter, kid? Got nothin' to say?" one of the cronies, a black robed Magikoopa sneered. Roy glanced at him briefly before his eyes returned to the leader.
"Ha! Whaddya think ya gonna do?!" the second cronie, a white garbed Bandit cackled. Once again, Roy said nothing, but he shifted back a bit, forcing Iggy and Morton to move as well.
The third cronie, a Goomba who wore a black and white checkered bandana, jumped once before taking a taunt step forward. It didn't faze Roy, but it scared Iggy senseless.
"Eep! Roy!" he whimpered, now crying freely. Morton Jr., who had falled on his backside, was crying as well.
"Budda, scwared... I scwared!" he wailed.
It was then Roy finally spoke.
"Iggy."
The latter looked up through bleary eyes, and gasped when Larry was shoved into his arms. Larry didn't like the movement and fussed for a moment before falling quiet again.
"Hold Larry fer a moment."
Iggy looked at Morton, who had stopped wailing, staring at his big brother with amazement, then Larry, then finally Roy, who had stepped forward, cracking little knuckles.
"Wh- What are you doing?!" Iggy yelled in horror.
Roy chuckled himself. "I've got some chumps to handle. Watch Larry and Morty, and stay back, a'right?"
The leader was impressed. "Ya got guts kid, I give ya that. But really, all four of us? Ya nuts!"
Roy continued to step forward, cracking his knuckles and then his neck. He had a giant grin on his face, his pink sunglasses covering the excitement in his eyes. It began to make the leader a little nervous. But he still held his ground, as did his cronies.
"Well? Come on!" Roy challenged, before charging headfirst into his battle.
"What the- Roy, what happened?! WHO DID THIS?!" roared the furious King Bowser Koopa himself.
He was greeted with quite the sight- four pummeled and possibly dead rouges, all tied like one pretty package, two Koopa Patrol who found the mess, and four little royal Koopalings, one who was a mess, and two little ones who were scared senseless.
Bowser's fury nearly doubled when he saw that Iggy had a rather nasty cut on his arm, although it had long since stopped bleeding.
Roy was the mess of the little group. His knuckles were bloody, he was covered in dirt, and his glasses were broken, one of the lens missing. He stared up at his father, one bright reddish-orange orb full of fire and determination.
"What is going on? Roy, what happened to you and your brothers?" Bowser asked again, a little more calm then he was before, bending down to assess Iggy and Morton Jr. The latter had long LONG since fallen quiet, and stared blankly at his father, holding Roy's hand and sucking on his thumb. He wasn't hurt, thankfully.
Iggy was the only one of the group who hadn't stopped crying. He ran into his father's strong arms and remained there, Bowser showing a side of himself he had rarely shown to his children before. He carefully rubbed Iggy's back, trying to get him to stop crying.
Roy looked at Iggy, then at Morton Jr., and finally, at Larry, watching the unharmed laughing baby playing with his snout- or tried to, anyway.
After some time, he looked back at his father and simply said, "I don't like people messin' with them." Then he grinned.
Bowser didn't ask anything more; he picked Iggy up and led the four down to the hospital wing to get themselves taken care of.
"Hey... Iggs, hey. Wake up; it's a dream!"
Iggy's blue eyes shot open and he sat upright in his bed, chest heaving heavily and looking around frantically. Tears leaked from his eyes, droplets falling onto shaking hands.
"Iggy, hey. Ya screamin' ya head off. Wha' happen?" the semi-gruff voice of his older brother Roy asked. Iggy wasn't sure if he was still half asleep, but he could've swore Roy's voice sounded different. Almost... gentle.
Iggy looked up at his nine year old brother and shook his head.
"N-Nothing..." he muttered, feeling embarrassed at the fact that he had woken up his brother over something that he should've long since gotten over. He hoped that the rest of his family hadn't heard all that noise, either.
Roy tilted his head before a tiny claw wiped away tears from Iggy's cheeks. He got comfortable next to the shaking boy, who couldn't find the will to look up at his brother.
'Why... why am I still... having these nightmares? I wanna get past it, but... but I can't do it!'
For a long while, neither spoke. Iggy still fought to get his breathing under control. Roy didn't say a word; he wrapped his arms protectively around Iggy's shoulders.
And at that moment, Iggy's dam broke. He started sobbing again, but Roy didn't find that surprising; in fact, he had a pretty good hunch he knew what was wrong.
"I... I was scared, Roy... I thought I got past it, that I was okay!" Iggy blubbered, sobbing heavily into Roy's chest. "They... they hurt me... and Morty, a-a-and they... t-t-they killed him... and you... and I couldn't do anything!"
Iggy curled more into Roy. "I'm sorry, Roy... I-I-I didn't... I was scared..."
Roy sighed. He was right, at the least. He had a clue for a while that Iggy was going to be affected the longest; Morton and Larry barely recalled anything from all those years ago. But Iggy... Iggy was only three, and he was still suffering from nightmares, just like he was.
He understood that fear, for Roy had the exact same nightmares.
"Shh. Iggs, ya got nothin' to be afraid of. Ya know I'll always protect ya." Roy said softly, trying to calm Iggy down.
Iggy's sobbing slowly turned into hiccups and sniffling. He finally looked up at Roy, who was staring straight ahead at Iggy's chemistry poster.
"I told King Pop the same thing. Ain't NO ONE gonna touch ANY of you." Roy said quietly. Iggy slowly nodded.
"Iggs. Ya wanna know somethin'?" Roy suddenly asked. Iggy wiped his snout. "W-what?"
"I had the same one, too. The exact same nightmare..." Roy admitted, keeping his voice as low as possible to avoid waking up his siblings and father. He looked at Iggy, who looked like he was seeing a ghost.
"Y-y-you... did? But... what, when? How? Y-you're stronger, so I thought you..." Iggy stuttered, both amazed at shocked at his brother's confession.
"Got over it? Nah, never did." Roy laughed at Iggy's priceless expression.
"I can't, really. Kinda hard... I hate feelin' like I let ya down, ya know?" Then the nine year old's face darkened.
"I hate it. That feeling... not bein' able to protect ya... you, Bigmouth, Larry... heck, even Luddy. He's our older brudda, but... I gotta protect him, too, ya know?"
Roy leaned his head back and let out a large sigh. Iggy sniffed, wiping his tears. He sat up more as he listened to his brother, amazed that Roy was even having nightmares like he was. He was so certain that Roy had gotten over it, like he usually does, that he didn't want to say anything before tonight.
But Iggy saw that he had wrong.
"I kept seein' ya guys. Every night I kept seein' you and Larry, cryin' to me to help ya. And I couldn't do it!" he said, growing angry at himself. Iggy could see his fingers forming into fists, ruby red eyes growing bright with anger and tears. Iggy didn't know what to say; his own feelings and fears forgotten, he wanted to help Roy.
"I had to leave Lud behind... I had to let Morty go, and... Larry... he was cryin', and then he was just... and I was freakin' out, I thought I... I..."
Iggy suddenly knew what Roy was trying so hard to choke out. He shook his head, giving his larger brother a hug, snuggling almost into his chest, feeling the racing heartbeats of his upset brother.
"You lost me... and Larry? And Morty and Luddy, too..."
Roy's chest heaved, his anger loose. He glared at Iggy, who was growing scared of a new person- his brother.
"Iggs, I left you guys to die! I couldn't save ANY of ya! I was weak, and I lost ya for it! Dad hated me... I didn't... I was afraid, and all I could see... was ya b-blood... it..."
Iggy shook his head again, his own breathing hitched. He knew exactly what Roy was going to say, and he didn't want to hear it. His stomach hurt.
"Don't. Please, just... don't say it." Iggy pleaded quietly. He sighed.
"I get it, Roy. I was scared, too."
Roy returned the hug back, and leaning close to Iggy's ear, he whispered in a broken voice, "I will always protect ya, Iggy. Every one of yous. I tease you cause I love you, and I want to make sure you guys are alright. I cannot... I will not... lose you, any of you. Understand?"
A shaky breath and Roy finally finished. "I will not let you get hurt, Iggy. I promise."
Iggy smiled to himself. Suddenly, the nightmare didn't seem so frightening. At least, now that he knew someone was there to help him if he should ever have another one...and defend him from the nightmares of real life.
"Thank you, Roy."
Roy looked down, surprised. "For what?"
Iggy looked up at Roy, a thoughtful expression on his face. "I didn't know you cared about all of us that much... I didn't know I made you scared. It... it was scary that day, and I honestly thought we were going to die... and all I could think about was why you would just go to your death at a young age..."
Iggy sat up and then next to his brother, resting his head on his shoulder to get more comfortable. "You're older than me, and really strong, too, but I was so scared... I honestly didn't want them to hurt you and I thought you were gonna die, and I... I..."
Roy nodded. He understood. "It's alright, Iggs. I get it."
Iggy took a deep breath, feeling the calm enter his small frame. He began to grow lax, and he let his eyes close. "You show your love funny, Roy...but thank you."
Roy smiled, too. Iggy was starting to grow heavy; he was falling asleep. Roy didn't really mind; he was getting exhausted from all the crying he did. So he resumed staring at the wall, letting his thoughts drift all about the place.
He understood what Iggy was going through. Granted, Roy had barely had any nightmares since the event happened, minus tonight. But he didn't really know that Iggy was going through it so badly- it seemed like he had gotten over it somehow.
Or maybe they were both just good at hiding secrets, which would also make sense- both his father and his older brother had been asking about his screaming, but neither Roy or Iggy ever said anything.
As he listened to Iggy, who at last had fallen asleep, breathing quietly, Roy's hand subconsciously went to Iggy's rainbow colored hair, running his fingers through it. He knew he meant what he said to Iggy, and he wanted him to understand it. He didn't expect Iggy to put it all together- as smart as Iggy was, he didn't get Roy's actions a lot of the time.
"I know I do, Iggs. But I will protect ya. So don't worry about it."
But he knew in due time, Iggy would. Just as Larry, and Morton Jr., and Wendy O., and Ludwig and even that crazy bubble of joy Lemmy would. They would all understand someday.
Roy yawned, and smiled one last time at his sleeping brother before his eyes closed and he began to drift off, arm securely wrapped around Iggy. Only one last thought ran through his mind:
'Ya tell anyone about any of this, Iggs...ESPICALLY Luddy...and I am going to KILL ya!'
*END*