A/N: Yo, I'm back! This will probably be the most headcanony one-shot I've done yet. It'll borrow much of the mood from Storge, except it'll be more of a struggle with life than with death. This has elements of mental illness and PTSD, just as a forewarning. Anyway, enjoy!
Morton shuffled around in Bowser's throne room, awaiting his dad to start their meeting. His six other siblings stood in a circle, talking and laughing about something. He didn't pay attention to them, because something's with this room… It's off, and it nagged at him. He can't put his finger on what it is. The crimson banners hung around the room, and their black Bowser emblems showed no abnormality. The plush velvet throne's the same dimensions as it always was, even to the permanent dip where Bowser always sat.
He looked back at his siblings, and noticed Roy and Wendy exchange looks between him and each other before the two koopas approached Morton.
"Sup, Morty. Somethin' on your mind, man?" Roy asked Morton.
"Yeah, you've been really quiet today. It's not like you," Wendy added.
Morton shrugged, "Something's not right here, and I've been trying to think of what it is. I can't put my finger on it. Something's strange with Dad."
Roy hummed at the response. "Ya, I kinda get ya. I think da whole Beanbean thing's gettin' to him. We'll be fine though, dude."
Morton sighed. At least he wasn't alone in this suspicion.
"I guess… Maybe I'm just going crazy."
"But if you need to talk about anythin', then you have us, y'know," Roy added, "Da others are talkin' about boring geeky stuff anyway."
Morton nodded. He, Roy, and Wendy conversed about sports, the kingdom, and their daily dose of sibling gossip. But as Wendy finished her story about Larry's fire flower underwear, much to the enjoyment of both Morton and Roy, a sudden voice hissed at them.
Wendy flinched, thinking Larry overheard her juicy story and was preparing his own retaliation. Roy studied the throne room in confusion, while Morton thought about the voice. Its familiar, yet foreign raspiness shot shivers up his spine, and its insane cackles only garnished its terror.
The voice split into two, then four, then eight. By now, the voices overtook the room. They uttered multiple threats and insults in different pitches. Morton could've laughed at the high-pitched, mushroomer-like squeaky voices, but he couldn't get past the doomy, sinister messages those "adorable" voices spoke.
By now, the koopalings panicked at the voices, and Larry collapsed on the floor. Morton, Roy, and Wendy hurried to the others, who stared at his lifeless body in horror. Ludwig knelt down to Larry and ran his fingers through his youngest brother's blue Mohawk, and Morton could see the fright in his oldest brother's grey eyes. Ludwig always combed Larry's hair to comfort his younger sibling ever since Morton could remember, but now, Ludwig could only do it to prevent himself from crying or panicking.
"Lawrence, open your eyes. Everything will be okay, I promise," Ludwig tried to console the koopaling, but to Morton, his voice reminded him of an unsure parent comforting a frightened child, peppered with sorrow.
Morton turned from the scene, unwilling to stare at Ludwig's heartbreak. His eyes widened: a vibrating, viridian void from hell overtook three of the throne room's walls, and Morton could've sworn that it emitted demonic laughter.
Wendy then fainted in shock, and Roy knelt beside her. While Ludwig remained calm yet heartbroken over Larry, Morton noticed Roy's clenched fists, gritted teeth, and heavy breathing. Morton heard Roy offer pleas and threats between his short breaths as the shaded koopaling nudged his sister.
"Wake up, Sis! Wake up, now!" Roy's pained voice mixed in with the void's cackling.
Roy's anxiety overcame him, and the buff koopaling joined his two fallen siblings. Ludwig followed soon after, with Larry's hair still in tow.
Morton glanced at Lemmy, who stared wide-eyed at their four unconscious siblings. Morton knew Lemmy wanted to make a joke, but even the prankster couldn't think of anything to lighten the throne room's darkening mood.
"Ahahaha, haha, haha, ha..." Iggy snickered. Morton winced; Iggy wasn't laughing out of joy or because everything around him took a humorous turn, but as a reaction to the voices breaking down his mental chemistry.
A slight move of Ludwig's head alerted Morton back to the bodies. Wendy's foot and Roy's wrist both twitched, and Morton eyed the bodies as he pulled both Lemmy and Iggy close to him. He was conflicted; he wanted his downed siblings to be okay, but he also felt they were too far gone.
Morton's stomach dropped when Larry's eyes shot open, and a sinister crimson drowned his younger brother's innocent sky-blue irises. He felt Lemmy tremble in his arms, the frightened brother too mute to even scream.
Roy, Wendy, and Ludwig also rose, and they all glared at Morton as if they depended on him to save them, but he couldn't deliver. Morton looked down at his feet. He didn't know what was happening, so how could he have saved them?
"Join us, Lemmy…" Larry murmured, "Join us... We will protect you from Morton… Because he failed us..."
The four possessed koopalings cackled. Sadness filled Morton's eyes as he felt Lemmy's tremors escalate and his quick, shallow breaths. He gave Lemmy a reassuring hug, but he pulled away when Lemmy's quaking slowed. Morton pulled back and stared into Lemmy's eyes, filled with the same evil as the others'.
"You failed me…" Lemmy chanted. He pointed his finger directed at Morton and his typically-happy face scrunched into an ice-cold glare, "You failed me… Now you'll fail my brother Iggy..."
"W-what?" Morton's eyes widened. He let go of Iggy and pointed to the throne room door. It's on the one wall that the void didn't engulf, but the void was only feet away from it, "Iggy, escape! Now!"
Iggy nodded and ran towards the door. Morton tried to follow, but he's stunned when Wendy, Ludwig, Roy, and Larry all joined Lemmy on his chant. Their five different-pitched voices created a disgusting chord of disappointment and self-defeat.
"You failed us, Morton…" they chanted, "You failed us… You're a terrible brother… You're a familial stain..."
"S-stop! Stop!" Morton begged, "I tried! Please!"
His siblings paid no mind to his anguish. They instead continued their glares as they walked towards him. Morton took a few steps back and held his hands out.
"You failed us, Morton…" they continued, "You failed us… Maybe you wouldn't have if you actually had a sibling bound by blood… You were never our brother… You're not one of us… You're just an outsider..."
Morton keeled over, their words like a sucker punch to his stomach. He never felt like he had the same connection to the other koopalings for that reason, and to hear them rub it in his face only dug that dagger deeper into his soul. The five possessed koopalings surrounded him, their claws raised. Morton embraced his knees as he rocked himself back and forth.
By now, his siblings' voices drowned every process within his mind. He couldn't move, speak, or even think. Yet, he remained conscious, only able to take in his siblings' insults.
"You failed us, Morton… And for failing us, you must leave our family… Forever… We want you gone, trash..."
-x-
"AHHHHH!" Morton shrieked. His eyes shot open. Morton expected a prison around him, or the viridian void. Instead, he's in his dim, gray room. The vent above him blew its heated air to him, as if offering him a supportive embrace from his horror.
Sweat drenched his bald white head, and his lungs felt like he finished a two-hour marathon. It was just a dream, but it felt too real. He breathed in and out, trying to calm his exhausted, yet frightened mind as quickly as he could. But the thoughts kept rolling. He was hated. Their hate was well-deserved, because he couldn't help them. How could he help them if he couldn't even help himself?
A scream from Wendy's room next door interrupted his meditation, and Morton could hear her sniffling and wailing about demons entering the castle. She must've had a nightmare, much like he did. For all he knew, that could be a genuine concern. His heart pained for her; Wendy was the first person who accepted him into her life the moment they met—she was so happy to finally be an older sister—and she was there for Morton every step of the way, even when her more closed-off, introverted brother Roy wanted nothing to do with Morton then.
He drifted off again, and he saw Wendy scowl as she pointed her wand at him. She shouted at him about how much of a disappointment he became, how she risked her more wholesome bond with Roy over a failure of a koopa, and how the entire family would be happy if he just hung himself. Morton plopped to his knees and begged Wendy for forgiveness and mercy, but she only smirked as she flung a gold ring at him.
Morton shot back up in his bed, his sorrow and self-worth stripped raw from Wendy's venomous words. He tried to ignore his vile, self-deprecating thoughts as he dug deeper into these nightmares. Why were they happening? How did he have two, and Wendy had one, all in the same night?
Morton's eyes widened as he recalled today's date. They were possessed by Cackletta three years ago yesterday! And from what Morton knew, all seven had nightmares about that event on the anniversaries since! He frowned; he hated how destructive that witch was. Her possession heightened his depression, Wendy's nightmares, Ludwig's insomnia, Roy's anxiety, and Iggy's insanity. Morton thought about the others; Larry seemed to be the least fazed despite being possessed the longest, while Lemmy…
Morton sighed. He always thought Roy was the hardest to read emotionally, but as long as one knew his anxiety triggers, stayed clear of them, and didn't expect him to talk, Roy was actually the most chill of his siblings—at least once Roy finally accepted Morton and they became friends. No, Lemmy was the hardest, and unlike the others, Lemmy got more confusing as Morton learned about him. Lemmy always donned a bubbly, joking facade, whether he was happy, sad, excited, depressed, disappointed, annoyed, or even mad. Lemmy could be a genuinely happy person, or he could have psychopathic tendencies and Morton wouldn't be able to predict it. Then again, Larry and Iggy both know Lemmy at a deeper level than he does, and they both rejected that theory of psychopathy.
When his heart rate slowed and his panting subsided, Morton noticed how dry his mouth was. He should get some water from the kitchen; he needed to walk around to clear his mind, anyway.
Morton opened his door. Faint piano music garnished the empty hallway, its source opposite Wendy's room. Ludwig must be up too. He followed the music, but on the way he noticed Iggy's opened door next to his. Morton peered inside—only Iggy's inventions rested in his neon green room.
Lemmy's door also stayed open, and Morton looked inside. With the full moon's faint light, Morton noticed Lemmy, Iggy, and Larry sleeping in the same bed. Morton gave them a weak smile; those three were always freakishly close, not in that way, but in an inseparable, platonic, sibling way. He only had to notice how rigid Larry and Iggy were in their sleep before he realized why the trio slept together tonight. Morton shivered at Lemmy's reassuring smile amid the chaos; how does Lemmy stay so mentally and emotionally strong?
He turned his head towards Ludwig's room. His open door and the slow, meditative piano pieces told Morton that Ludwig knew a tumultuous night would happen, and that he'd be there for any of his siblings. Morton stood by his door and listened. He didn't want to interrupt Ludwig, even if the musician gave him permission—his disappointment in Morton's dream rang louder than the soft music.
Morton exhaled as he passed Ludwig's room and headed downstairs. He expected the dining room to be as dark as the night itself, but the room's chandeliers emitted its peachy lights. He looked around at the empty room, puzzled. Shrugging, he passed the dining room and entered the kitchen, also brightly lit. Morton approached the kitchen cabinets before he noticed Bowser sitting at the kitchen island, his head down as he stared at a glass of water.
"Dad?" Morton said, "You okay?"
Bowser looked up from his glass to Morton. The koopaling cringed at his father's eyes, baggy as if sleep-deprived for weeks.
"Hey son," Bowser yawned, "Those stupid beans are nagging at me again."
Morton shuddered. Cackletta's memories were terrifying enough; he couldn't imagine dealing with Popple's manipulation like his father was.
Bowser sighed, "I wish I had the power to stop that stupid witch before she infected you kids."
"It's not your fault," Morton grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water from the fridge, "Cackletta, Fawful, and Popple would've tortured us either way."
"Yeah, but," Bowser moved his water glass as Morton sat across from him, "I made it easier for them."
"Still doesn't change anything. You had amnesia, and Cackletta still would've controlled us anyway," Morton shrugged, "I had a dream about our possession, but the dream made me think. In real life, the first two to be possessed were Larry and Wendy, because they were so young and easily influenced. But me and them are the three youngest. I was supposed to be possessed as quick as they were, but I held on against Cackletta longer than anyone but Iggy. I never knew why until mine and Iggy's diagnoses last year."
"And what's that?"
"Iggy and I lasted the longest without being possessed because we were too used to voices and self-hate haunting our thoughts. We deal with that all the time. So when Cackletta did it, it was just second nature," Morton shivered as he reflected over his siblings rejecting him, "To possess me, she had to use the one source of support I receive to tear me down."
Bowser bowed his head, "It's the evil trick Cackletta used. She used everyone's greatest fears to control them. She targeted Larry and Wendy's impressionability, Roy and Ludwig's devotion, Lemmy's optimism, and Iggy's innovation. For you, I'm guessing it's the fear of disappointment, failure, and loss," he cradled his head with both hands, "And for me, it was watching you all suffer under her curse."
Morton gave him a pained smile. He never thought his father would be mentally scarred from the events either; Bowser never mentioned it.
"But enough of me. How're you in general, Morton?"
"Other than dreams of my siblings insulting me, attacking me, and even telling me to commit suicide?" Morton asked. He received a brow raise from Bowser, but Morton continued, "Still terrible. I think another phase kicked in a few days ago and my mind's a mess. I want to do nothing but sleep, but I can't. My mind's fogged, yet it focuses on nothing but these memories. Sometimes, all I want to do is escape from reality and think about life in some fictional universe, and sometimes, even doing that hurts. Why do I have to be broken and act unthankful for everything I have? For everything you gave me? For the much better life I have here than the orphanage? That's the part I hate the most."
Morton downed three-quarters of his water and slammed the glass down, and Bowser sat quietly, seeming to reflect on Morton's words. Before Morton could comprehend any of his dad's actions, Bowser stood up and swooped him into a firm embrace. Surprised, Morton stiffened before he relaxed in his father's arms.
"Just know that I'm proud of you," Bowser finally said. His soft, comforting tone almost felt out-of-place for the usually-stern Koopa King. He pulled away from the hug and stared into Morton's eyes, face to face, "You're not a broken koopa. You're the strongest koopa I know. You pushed on through life when any adult I know would've given up. You survived Cackletta's dreams at your lowest point. You have guts, son."
Speechless, Morton only nodded.
"Also, Cackletta and her stupid dreams? Stow them. That stupid, pathetic witch doesn't know any truth even if it smacked her ugly mug. Your siblings love you, support you, and want the best for you. We all do. We'd be devastated if anything happened to you. We aren't related by blood, but by soul. That's what truly matters."
Soul, not blood, Morton thought. They were close not because they're related, but because of the bonds they formed. He grinned at the realization.
"Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me. I couldn't be where I am without everyone's support."
"Individually hopeless, together fearless," Bowser recited, "Kamek always told us that when he raised me. We can get through anything together, including the Cackletta memories."
"That's a good one…" Morton said. He needed to add that to his journal.
"Well son, I'm gonna try to sleep. If you need me, you know where to find me."
"Okay. Thanks again!"
Morton refilled his glass and went back upstairs. Ludwig closed his door some time ago, and the emptiness's eeriness replaced his sweet melodies. Lemmy's door's also closed, and Morton wondered if Ludwig comforted the trio before he too retired. He shrugged; he wouldn't deny it.
The closer Morton got to his room, the more he noticed a light beam near Wendy's room, and by the time he reached his door, Morton noticed Roy sitting by Wendy's door, his shell against the wall and his legs outstretched. A powered flashlight rested by his foot, and although his shades concealed his eyes, his slanted head, slouched body, and slight smile told Morton that he was also in a deep, peaceful sleep.
Morton nodded. Roy always guarded Wendy's door whenever she had a nightmare during the night. As blood siblings, Wendy and Roy were like two complementary halves. They've been through hell together, and they always supported each other, whether Roy defended Wendy from her fears, or Wendy saved Roy from his anxiety. Morton could never tell who needed the other more. He cracked his door open and slowly closed it after he entered his room—any type of noise could trigger Roy into a violent mess during these times.
He sat by his writing table in the back corner and pondered his father's words. Individually hopeless; together fearless: that phrase had a beautiful ring to it. He pulled out his fountain pen and calligraphed the phrase onto a sheet of paper. Morton held the paper in the air against his light and smiled—it was perfect, and now he needed to store it.
He opened his desk's filing cabinet and pulled out a two-inch binder of important memorabilia labeled "Coping Binder". As he figured out where to fit the phrase into his organization, Morton studied the photos within the binder. He had multiple photos and selfies: him and Larry holding their tennis rackets together after a match; Wendy's selfies with him at the beach; him giving Lemmy a piggyback ride, while Roy carried Iggy on his shoulders; him writing song lyrics while Ludwig created the melody.
Morton studied each picture. They all grinned in each photo, as if they enjoyed their time there. As if they enjoyed their time with him.
His dad was right. He couldn't see any blood in those pictures. He only saw soul; their purest affection. His siblings did love him, no matter what stupid dream or haunting thought said otherwise.
He might not be a blood sibling, but he'll try to be the best soul sibling. He won't abandon any of his family, because he knew how that felt—it's awful. After all, they're individually hopeless; together fearless.
And he won't let any stupid dreams destroy that truth.
A/N: I was rereading Storge just to try to get a bit of that atmosphere into the story, and I noticed that Ludwig didn't check on Morton in that story, nor did Morton check on Ludwig in this one. It's nothing more than a funny coincidence; they don't hate each other or anything. :)
Also, the order of possession in Morton's dream was the opposite of the order the Koopalings were fought in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. I was thinking about the order, the possession, and my head canons, and I noticed just how much of a perfect fit that order was, which was why I went with it.
Shoutouts to several people for inspiring bits and pieces of this, including: "The Demon's Pleasure" by StarlitDuck; "Shards of Love" by Hip Neptune, and multiple pieces by Cyndi, QueenKathofRine, CheeseCakeParty, Amethyst Goldenwind, and others who showed that Bowser fluff is perhaps the best thing in the entire world :). If you liked this oneshot, then check those out!