Chapter 13 Wait I'm Alive!

Morton began to stir. Once his eyes were opened, he looked over at his clock and saw that it read 7:50. He sat up and saw that he was back in his bed, covered in his fuzzy rainbow comforter. The ceiling above him was dark, eerily so because the curtains were closed. The atmosphere was cold, which honestly wasn't that big of a surprise considering what time of year that it was. Toasty, Topaz, and Wiggles still slept like little babies, forever comfortable and forever peaceful. The rest of his room was quiet in the most tranquil of ways.

Despite these welcoming sights, Morton couldn't help but feel that something was seriously wrong. He racked his brain for the last thing that he could remember before going to sleep. He thought and thought and thought before it suddenly dawned on him.

He had been stepped on by Motley Bossblob.

Morton rubbed his eyes and shuddered. He remembered the crushing sensation that had run through him. It squeezed the air out of him and made it feel like movement was a distant dream. The pain of having a two thousand ton monster on top of him hadn't helped matters. Every pain receptor in his body had gone off like a collection of nuclear bombs. His face felt as if it was broken and could never be fixed. Every bone in his body felt as if it had been ground into dust finer than a bottle full of cinnamon.

By all means, Morton should not have survived that. So how was it that he was sitting in his bed right now? On top of that, how is it that he was doing just fine physically?

Maybe it had all been a dream? Yeah, that had to be it. The monster attack hadn't happened, nor had the time loop. Morton was just fine, as were the rest of his siblings. He could now experience the rest of the day and be thankful that he was alive and well. Sure, he would probably have to tell Iggy about the nightmare he had. But in the end, there was nothing that he had to worry about.

With this thought in mind, Morton got up. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and yawning, he pulled the curtains back. He noticed a collection of white doves sitting on his window sill, which flew away as soon as he opened up the window and let the cool air in.

Morton took in a deep breath, trying to bury his nightmare deep within his subconscious. It was the day after Koopsmas, which meant that he no longer had the horrible expectation of happiness hanging over him. While Morton liked being happy, it was so much easier to be so when people weren't shoving their philosophy of happiness down his throat. And really, that was what Koopsmas was all about. It was about trying to be happy even when there really was absolutely no reason to be.

Some help that mindset had been when the Motley Bossblob attack occurred.

Morton shook his head. When he thought about it, he didn't even know if the monster was called that. After all, the second, time looped monster attack had all been a dream. As far as Morton knew, Stonebrim had just gotten attacked by a completely random, nameless monster.

Yes, that was what had happened. Sure, it had been scary when it had happened, but there was not a bigger reason behind it. It had just been a random monster that had decided to attack on a random day.

So, with this thought in mind, Morton decided that the best thing that he could possibly do for himself at this time was go back to sleep. His siblings wouldn't worry about him being at the breakfast table because there was no special breakfast to miss out on. Morton smiled realizing this and snuggled into his bed, hugging his Rainbow Mare plushie as he did so.

Knock knock knock.

Huh. That was weird. Didn't Morton just get done realizing that nobody would come up to get him? Confusion coiling around his heart like he was being constricted by a snake, Morton sat back up and cleared his throat.

"Uh...come in?"

The door opened, and in stepped Iggy. The smile on his face was familiar, way too familiar. Morton could already feel the disappointment and realization set in before the bespectacled Koopaling even opened his mouth.

"Merry Koopsmas, Morton! The family is just about to start breakfast, and we would be ever so grateful if you could join us!"

Morton's heart began to sink. It sank so fast that it would make a parachuter plummeting to the Earth look like a feather gracefully floating down in comparison. His dissappintment was so strong that Morton could almost reach down his throat and touch it.

So the time loop wasn't a dream. It was still going on.

Morton put his head in his hands. He couldn't believe this, he really couldn't believe this. This was unreal. This was a nightmare in and of itself. This couldn't be happening.

"Morty, are you alright?"

Hearing Iggy's voice gave Morton an idea. He lifted his head from his hands and looked at his brother with a serious expression. "Iggy, pinch me."

Iggy raised an eyebrow. "Pinch you? Why would you want me to do that?"

"I just do! Now please, can you pinch me!"

Iggy hesitated before nodding. "Okay." He approached Morton's bed and pinched a handful of his skin between his thumb and forefinger. His fingernails dug their way into his arm. Morton had to bite his lip to prevent himself from screaming, and even then, he wasn't very successful.

"YEEOOOW!" he screamed. Iggy let go immediately, allowing Morton to rub his arm. "I said pinch me, not tear my skin off. That really….hurt."

The pinch hurt. The pinch actually hurt. That meant that this was not a dream. It was really. It was actually happening.

Morton began to hyperventilate. "No. No no no no no. This isn't real! This can't actually be happening to me!"

Iggy looked down at Morton in concern. "Morty, what is concerning you at this time?"

Morton's hyperventilating slowed down, but only a little as he looked into Iggy's eyes. "Iggy, I'm stuck in a time loop! Koopsmas keeps repeating itself over and over!"

Iggy blinked before bursting into laughter. "Morton, that's ridiculous! There's no such thing as a time loop!"

"Yes, there is!" Morton bounced out of bed. "Believe me, I know. I died yesterday!"

Iggy's eyebrow still stayed miles high. "What the World Eight are you talking about?"

"What I'm talking about is that, when we went to Stonebrim yesterday to go Koopsmas shopping, the place got attacked by a giant clown monster! I tried to fight back against it, but I ended up getting stepped on!"

Iggy stared at Morton. "Morty, that sounds insane."

"I know! But you've gotta believe me, Iggy!" He grabbed his brother by the arms. "I'M STUCK IN A FLIPPING TIME LOOP!"

"Okay!" Iggy said as he pulled himself away from Morton's grip. "Okay, there is no reason to yell." He took off his glasses and wiped them clean. "Look, maybe it'll help you get over this dream you had if you have some breakfast."

Morton gawked. "You don't believe me?"

Iggy shook his head slowly. "No. I'm afraid I don't."

Morton's face fell. If Iggy didn't believe him, then what could he do? Was he doomed to be stuck on repeat, reliving the same day over and over?

Iggy grabbed Morton by the hand and led him out of the bedroom. Unlike the last two loops, the two of them made their way toward the dining hall in silence. It wasn't until they passed the seizure inducing lights and the playful Junior that Morton spoke up.

"What would get you to believe me?"

"Pardon?"

Morton stopped and stared Iggy in the eye. "If I can somehow convince you that I am stuck in a time loop, would you believe me?"

Iggy hesitated before swallowing. "Well, considering that I am an evidentialist, I suppose I would…"

Morton didn't even let Iggy finish his sentence. He just put his hands on his shoulders and smiled. "Okay. Well, I'll tell you what. When we go to Stonebrim today, we're going to be attacked by a silver clown monster that goes by the name of Motley Bossblob. If you actually see the monster for yourself, would you believe me then?"

Iggy thought about it before nodding. "I think so." He laughed. "But considering the likelihood of such an event happening is slim to none…"

Morton just laughed. "Oh, don't worry, Iggy. I think the odds are in my favor today."