Holy crap.

I can't believe this is happening.

I'm actually posting my first novel on the site.

After nearly two fricken' years of working on it.

Exposition (I'll try to keep it short)

This story is a novelization of a physical game I played with my sister, Lapis Dawnwing back in March of 2020. The plot is (somewhat) based off SuperMarioRichie's Adventures of the Koopalings Devil's Unleashed series. It's got ten videos. Check it out if you'd like, though I'd rate it 14 and up for language and some adult content in discussion.

That being said, I did do a lot of world and character building in here. Consider this the first big look into my headcanon/AU (it couldn't be canon, at this rate), for both you and me. This story was me wetting my feet and testing things out. Everything in here is tentative.

I tried to treat this book as though it were ordinal and you couldn't look up the characters, so there's a bit of info dumping in the first chapter. You can gloss over it if you so please, as you probably know who they all are. I did, however, spell check it myself. Expect some stuff to have slipped bye.

This is a stand-alone novel, and the events holds no relation to my other works. It's also fairly surface-level. There's nothing too complicated or deep. It's not supposed to be some ground-breaking novel. Its best value lies in entertainment, if you so find it.

Cover was drawn/put together by me. I used a combination of hand-drawing, photoshop, and Google images.

Disclaimer: Rated T for violence, actually dangerous kidnapping/hostage stuff (because let's face it, Bowser would hurt himself before he hurts Peach), torture, blood/gore/injury description, swearing, themes of death, and some angst.

Chapters uploaded every Friday.

March 22nd, Morning

Bowser Jr.'s eyes locked on his avatar as he drifted across the final turns, leaning along with his in-game counterpart. His tongue poked out of his mouth, brushing against his fang. He dodged the last few banana peels, a pathetic attempt in stopping him. His eyebrows creased as he narrowed his eyes. The finish line was in sight, the checkered line inching closer with every moment.

The game exploded in a fever of beeps. A small icon appeared on the bottom of the screen, displaying a picture of a spiky, blue-coloured shell.

"No!" Junior jumped to his feet, his heart hammering as the finish line grew closer. He leaned towards the screen, tightening his grip on the controller. He urged his character to go faster. The blue shell darted onscreen and circled above him. "No no no!" Junior screamed.

His avatar crossed the finish line, cueing the victory music. Barely a moment later, the blue shell slammed onto Junior's on-screen counterpart.

Junior let out a breath. "Phew!" A grin grew on his face, and he bounced from foot to foot. "Take that, losers!" He laughed, sticking his tongue out at the screen. "You'll never beat me!" He giggled as he imagined the other players shouting angrily at his victory, hurtling their controllers across the room as they questioned how anyone could be this good at Mario Kart.

Prince Bowser Koopa III, though he much preferred to be called Junior, was just six years old. He was the son and heir of King Bowser II, and he'd copied more than just his father's name; they had the same fiery-red hair (Junior's was done in a top-ponytail), the same green head and spiked carapace, and the little dragon-koopa had even managed to catch the recessive trait of horns.

With the race over, Junior was booted back to the waiting room. He tightened the knot on his large bandana, as it had come a little loose during all his jumping. His eyes skimmed through his generated options, selecting Wario's Gold Mine.

A loud knock sounded on his door, causing him to jump, followed by a loud, growling voice, "Junior!"

"Papa!" Junior perked up, turning a smile towards the entry. "Guess what!"

The door burst open, and Bowser squeezed his massive frame into the room, ducking under the doorframe. The Koopa King was huge, his height surpassing eight feet. His features were close to his son's, the only differences being credited to age and style preferences (Bowser's hair was grown in a more natural mane). His muzzle, however was more rugged with his age, and his horns curved over his head. His sharp ruby eyes blinked down at Junior, and his pale-skinned snout curled up in an attempt at a smile. "What?"

"I'm officially the best Mario Kart player out there!" Junior puffed out his chest. "I went online and raced against a bunch of real players! I beat them all by a landslide!"

Bowser bared his pointed fangs, making his smile appear just a little more normal. "Great job!" He glanced at the screen. His face fell. "BowserJrMKMaster?"

"It fits, 'cuz I am!"

"I don't care if you are," Bowser growled, his eyes narrowing. A cloud of smoke puffed from his nose. "You're going to change it."

Junior's jaw dropped. The controller slipped from his hands. "What? Why?"

"You put your real name in it!" Bowser's eyes narrowed. "Don't you remember the rules I set for you when you played online?"

Junior crossed his arms, a glower forming on his face as he hunched this shoulders. He remembered the list well, "Don't use the voice chat, don't use your real name EVER, don't talk to anyone through words through devices or whatever the hell you kids call it." He huffed. Stupid rules. They're dumb!

"Later we can work on changing it. We'll come up with something better." Bowser turned back into the hallway, beckoning for Junior to follow.

With a growl, Junior scrambled off his bed and hurried after his papa. He glared at Bowser's spiked carapace, puffing out his cheeks and folding his arms. I don't see why Papa has to get worried about my stupid screen name. There wasn't anything wrong with it. Besides, he was the heir of the Koopa Kingdom. He was pretty famous all across the Eight Lands. Everyone knew his name. Papa doesn't need to be so overprotective! It wasn't like anyone could reach through the screen and kidnap him. He giggled a little at the thought. Kidnapping! Ha! His papa was the one that did that! Not the other way around.

Voices aroused from the dinning room as father and son approached. Junior straightened his posture as he entered, centring his bandana on his chest. All of his siblings were already in their seats, ordered from oldest to youngest, at the long rectangular table. Junior was the youngest of the eight, and the older seven collectively called themselves the Koopalings.

Ludwig was the eldest at seventeen. He had an unusually large amount of hair, which was styled weirdly; combed up and back. He had a single fang poking out of the center of his mouth, as well as a deep blue shell. His eyes were grey, small and round, and he had thin blue eyebrows. He was currently reading a thick book, titled The History of Magic.

Next in line was Lemmy. The runt of the children, he was fifteen years old and smaller than even Junior. He had a multicoloured mohawk that was separated into six strands, each one smaller than the last. The colours, from front to back, were yellow, red, and blue. It repeated with the last three. His shell was orange, and his eyes were huge, round, and tall with tiny black pupils. Lemmy was staring blankly at the table, his left eye twitching.

Roy was the psychically strongest Koopaling, his muscles thick on his arms (very much similar to Bowser). He was fourteen, slightly bigger than Ludwig, and the strongest. His colours were odd for a male, being a pink head (he was also bald, not that he minded) and purple shell. He liked to wear a pair of red shades that were probably fused to his skull at this point, and the black lens' completely obscured his eyes. Two fangs poked out of the edges of his mouth, one on each side. He was staring (at least one would think, you never could really tell) at Morton, his cheek rested in his fist.

The middle child, Iggy, was thirteen and the tallest. He had a green hairdo that was styled similar to a carrot, and had a green shell to match. He had four fangs jutting from his muzzle, two on each side; the outer ones were large, the inners small. He was severely nearsighted, and thus wore black-rimmed glasses with lenses thicker than a storm window. His eyes were also large with small black pupils, though blue rings surrounded them. Similar to Lemmy, his eyes were locked on the table, though his arms were crossed and his face was hardened in a glare.

Wendy was the only girl, and she was twelve years of age. Unfortunately for her, her yellow-scaled head was bald. She wore a pink bow with white polka dots to substitute for it. Her shell was pink, and she wore lipstick and heels of the same colour. Golden rings hung loosely on her wrists. Her eyes were the same shape as Bowser's, yet they were blue instead of red. She was currently filing her claws down.

Morton was the largest Koopaling, despite being only eleven. Unlike the others, he had dark brown (almost black) scales. His shell was black, and his head was white with a deep brown star over his right eye. The colouration apparently somewhat originated from their grandfather, King Morton, who was also the prince's namesake. Morton was the second strongest, though a bit chubby. His eyes were small and grey, just like Ludwig's, and he had four fangs organised like Iggy's. He had long, stringy eyelashes, and was nearly bald, only three strands prevented it from being so. He was currently chattering away, likely to Roy, judging by how he was looking at the older Koopaling.

Eight-year-old Larry was the youngest Koopaling. His mohawk was azure at the roots, gradually lightening to sky blue towards the tip. He had a deeper azure star on the left side of his head, close to the back. His shell was light blue, and two fangs poked out of his mouth in an identical fashion to Roy. His eyes were large, though his irises were circular and light blue instead of pure black. He currently was playing with his fork, balancing it between his forefinger and the table.

Lemmy's head jerked up as Bowser and Junior entered, and he gave them an enthusiastic wave. "Happy sunrise, Dad and Junior!"

Junior gave a small huff. Idiot. He shuffled a little closer to Bowser, shooting Lemmy a glare.

"Morning, Lemmy, morning everybody else." Bowser took his seat at the end of the table. Junior climbed into his high-chair on his father's right side, with Ludwig across from him and Lemmy to his right. Bowser shot a glance towards the kitchen entrance, bushy eyebrows raised. "I thought the food was ready!"

"It is, the servants were just waiting for you and Junior to arrive." Ludwig closed his book and tucked it into his shell.

Before the eldest had even finished speaking, ten Koopa servants marched out of the swinging door that led to the kitchen. Eight of them held one plate each, while the last two carried a ginormous dish with an abundant helping. They set the dishes in front of each of the royal Koopas, each consisting of pancakes customary to one's preferences.

Drool dribbled down Junior's chin as he inhaled the sweet scent of his chocolate-chip-drowned pancakes. He licked his lips and jabbed his fork into a bite, his meal having been pre-cut for him. He closed his eyes as the fluffy pancake rested on his tongue. The sweetness and warmth of the melted chocolate sent pleasant tingles down his spine and caused his tail to curl.

"Enjoying your food?" Bowser asked.

Junior nodded, shoving the next bite into his mouth. He crammed in as much as he could before chewing and swallowing. He nearly gagged from the sheer amount, and he stifled a cough.

Bowser patted his shell. "Don't choke."

Junior swallowed again, the pancake successfully going down.

"Take smaller bites," Bowser instructed before turning his attention to the rest of the table. "You kids happy?"

"This is super yummy!" Lemmy chirped, licking his muzzle clean of crumbs. "I give it forever stars!"

Bowser chuckled. "That's good, what about the rest of you?"

"They're great!" Wendy praised.

"I personally think that this meal is really good!" Morton complimented, his large fangs bared in a grin. "I love chocolate chip pancakes, they're my favourite ever! I'm glad the chefs remembered that I like dark chocolate and not milk chocolate. Yuck!" Morton stuck his tongue out. "Milk chocolate is disgusting! It shouldn't even be called chocolate! It doesn't taste the same, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and it's just horrible!"

"We get it!" Roy snapped, his expression mellowing as he glanced at Bowser. Well, mellowing as much as it could. "The pancakes are fine."

"It is satisfactory," Ludwig commented.

Iggy grumbled, poking at his pancakes. His eyes narrowed.

Bowser raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Iggy?"

Iggy snarled and repeatedly stabbed his pancakes with his fork. He hurtled the utensil across the table. Wendy screamed, ducking down so that it only ruffled her bow. She let out a half-cry/half-gasp.

Junior leaned forward, gazing past Lemmy to stare at the dangerous Koopaling, his jaw unhinged. His fork fell from his trembling hand. He's crazy! Why'd he do that?!

"Y-you almost killed me, you nutty carrot!" Wendy screeched. Her eyes were wide as she hugged herself, shaking.

"Iggy, what was the meaning of that!?" Ludwig shot him a glare. "Had she not ducked, Wendy would have been injured!"

Iggy's mouth twisted into a snarl, his hands curling into fists. "I wish I hadn't missed, that would make me feel better!" His eyes gleamed with a coldness that nearly forced a whimper out of Junior. "I'm having a crappy day! Don't tell me it's not ruined, I know when a day's going to be absolute shit when I see it!" Iggy slammed his fist onto his pancakes, sending them splattering everywhere.

"IGGY KOOPA!" Bowser roared.

Junior covered his ears at the thunderous noise.

Smoke hissed from the Koopa King's nose. A fierce glower was on his face, his eyes blazing. "STOP ACTING CRAZY JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE HAVING A BAD DAY!" Bowser paused for a moment, he glare softening with a raised eyebrow. "How the heck can you even have a bad day? It's not even noon yet!"

"Stuff happened," Iggy mumbled. He crossed his thin arms as he glowered at the table.

Bowser snorted, steam puffing out of his nostrils. "I don't care. You're not allowed to hurt anyone. I don't give a damn how mad you are."

Iggy sighed, picking up a piece of his now-ruined pancake between his claws and shoving it in his mouth. He leaned back in his chair, his face dark.

Junior shivered, keeping his eyes on Iggy as he picked up his fork, stuffing the bite of pancake in his mouth. He's not gonna go crazy, is he?

Bowser let out a sigh, shaking his head. His eyes snapped over to the youngest Koopaling, the only one who hadn't responded. "So, Larry, how are your pancakes?"

Larry froze, slowly raising his head to meet the eyes of his father. After a moment, he gave Bowser a thumbs up, offering a tiny smile. Bowser nodded before he shoved one of his pancakes into his mouth.

Junior stuffed a couple more bites in his mouth, leaving one left on his plate. What am I gonna do today? He turned his eyes towards his father, scarfing down a few more morsels. We could play pretend! "Papa, do you wanna play with me after breakfast?"

Bowser shook his head, swallowing his mouthful of food. "I'm busy today. Kingly stuff." He sighed, a frown appearing on his face. He gave Junior a light pat on the head. "Maybe another time."

"Oh. Okay, Papa," Junior grumbled. He stabbed his next bite of pancake forcefully. Great, now I'll be bored! I don't have anyone to play with! He fought back a growl, resting his cheek on his fist. He probably wasn't going to be allowed to play Mario Kart online until he changed his name to something Bowser approved of. He didn't want to play normally, since he'd gotten three stars on every cup. The CPUs were too easy, and 'hard' in battle mode was just a joke.

"Hey, Morton." Roy pointed his fork at the Koopaling in question. "It's ain't a bad day, so do ya wanna go do somethin' outside after we finish eatin'?"

Morton nodded, beaming. "That sounds awesome!"

"I wanna play, too!" Lemmy piped up, perking in his seat. "Please let me play!"

"Heck, no!" Roy snorted. "Runts ain't allowed."

"He can play," Morton objected.

"Says who?"

"Says your father," Bowser cut in. He waved a hand. "You know what? You're all going outside together."

Junior's head snapped towards his father. "Are you gonna come, too?" Please please please…

Bowser smirked. "No, didn't you hear me say that I had things to do?" He let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair. "Besides, I need a break from you crazy brats."

Junior scowled. "I'm not a brat!" But my siblings are. Yes. Papa was talking about them. Not him. Junior was his favourite, and favourites weren't brats.

"You're still going outside."

"But… I don't want to." Not if you're not gonna be there.

"Junior." Bowser's eyes narrowed. "It's a nice day. Go outside." He scratched under his chin. "We've all been cooped up this castle for months. Who knows?" He shrugged. "Maybe I'll join you kids later. I'll just get some stuff done, do some planning for the first Peach-napping mission of the year."

His papa did have a point… but Junior didn't want to go. Not without Bowser. The crown prince slouched in his chair, absentmindedly shoving another bite of pancake in his mouth. What was he supposed to do outside? He couldn't do anything by himself. Games were boring with only one Koopa. Maybe I could go to the playground. At least there he had some things to play with.

"That sounds cool!" Morton jumped to his feet. "We could play football since there's eight of us! The teams would be big enough and they'd be even!"

Eight? Junior cocked his head. There were only seven Koopalings— Ooh, Morton was including him. Huh. That was new. They'd never tried to include him before. A smirk appeared on his snout, and he jumped to his feet. That could be fun! "Bring it on! You're going to lose!" Junior didn't know how to play football, but he didn't care! He'd just make up his own rules!

"Junior, don't stand on your chair," Bowser scolded, his foreclaw tapping the stone table. "You could fall."

Junior plopped back in his seat with a huff. "I'm still gonna beat you all."

Roy snickered. "We'll see about that."

"Excuse me," Ludwig raised a hand, "but could you all find something else to do? I do not wish to play, as I am not a sports Koopa."

"Me neither. Is the swimming pool open?" Wendy asked.

"No, it's not. And I'd like you all to play together," Bowser replied.

Wendy's face fell. "What?"

Bowser held his hands up, fork clutched in his left. "Hey, hear me out. You kids never do anything together as a group. You don't have to play… uh, finger ball—"

"Football," Morton corrected.

Bowser shot him a glare. "Don't interrupt."

"I was just trying—"

"As I was saying," Bowser bared his fangs at Morton, who clamped his mouth shut, "you don't have to play football together for long. Just get in a little bit of exercise. You could count this as some Koopaling bonding time."

Junior's hands clenched into fists. Why didn't he include me? He glared at Bowser. "What about me?"

Bowser's eyebrow rose. He let out a small sigh. "Yes, and you too." He rubbed his forehead. "Just play together for a little bit, okay?"

"Fine," Wendy grumbled.

Ludwig sighed. "All right."

Junior narrowed his eyes, darting them between the eldest and female Koopalings. They better not be killjoys. If his sister and eldest brother ruined the game because they didn't want to do it… he'd give them an earful about ruining other koopa's fun.

The crown prince wolfed down the rest of his pancakes, his siblings around him finishing up as well. Junior patted his tummy with a grin. Morton burped, and Wendy glared at him.

"Cover your mouth, Morton!" she scolded.

Morton chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry."

Roy stood up. "Meet ya losers outside." He laughed as he exited the room, calling over his shoulder, "I'm gonna go get the ball!"

"Bye, Papa!" Junior flashed his papa a smile before hopping off his chair and hurrying out after Roy.

The mean Koopaling glanced back at him. "Ya ready to lose, clone?"

Junior stiffened, his hands curling into fists. He bared his fangs at Roy, giving him a fierce glare. "Shut up! I'm not a clone!" He hated that insult! "And I'll win! You just wait!"

Roy smirked. "We'll just see about that."

Junior hissed at him before rushing past, banking into the spacious foyer and shoving open the heavy castle doors.

He shielded his eyes against the sunlight as he stepped outside. The rays beat down on his scales, and his flaming red ponytail fluttered in the gentle breeze. He grinned. Wow… this is awesome! Junior closed his eyes and stretched his arms out, basking in the sunlight. After a few moments, he opened his eyes and glanced around outside. It was relatively empty, with some soldiers pacing the castle's battlements. Junior crossed the bridge over the bubbling lava moat, stepping off and onto the warm, dusty ground. He glanced back at the open door, tapping his foot.

They're taking forever! He started to pace, his circle growing larger with each loop. He started to pick up speed, and before he knew it, he was just shy of sprinting. His energy was full and bubbling over. His papa had been right; staying in the castle for three months really did lead to a lot of pent-up energy. Junior doubted he'd ever run out of steam.

"Hey, Junior!"

Morton's voice halted the crown prince in his tracks. He turned towards his brother, who was crossing the bridge on a path straight for him. Junior's tail gave a lash, his claws curling.

"Wow! It's nice out today!" Morton turned his gaze up towards the sky, a grin on his face. "You can actually see the sun!"

Junior nodded. "Yeah, usually those stupid clouds are always in the way."

"The volcanos must be on the dormant side today," Ludwig noted, crossing the bridge with the rest of the Koopalings in tow, save for Roy.

"I hope the weather stays like this, today's amazing!" Morton spread his arms in an attempt to catch more of the sunlight.

Lemmy stared up at the sky, tilting his head. "Is it gonna snow?"

Ludwig shook his head. "That is not possible. It is too warm for that. Winter is over, Lemmy."

Lemmy blinked at Ludwig. Then his face fell. "Aww…"

"Yo, guys! I got the football!" Roy rushed across the bridge, waving the brown ball in the air. "Now we gotta pick teams."

"How do you play football?" Iggy asked, his voice dry.

"I'll explain after we pick teams. I'll be the captain of Team Beaters, and Ludwig," he jabbed a claw at his brother in question, "you're the captain of Team Loser!" He cackled.

Ludwig crossed his arms, frowning. "I do not find that very amusing."

"Whatever, just get up here!"

Ludwig stepped up to Roy's side.

"Since I'm better at this than you," Roy flashed Ludwig a smug smile, "I'll pick first. Morton."

"Awesome!" Morton rushed over, lifting his hand up to high-four his older brother.

"That's not fair!" Junior blurted. "You two can't be on the same team, you're the only ones who know how to play!"

"So? Your point?" Roy deadpanned, turning to Junior and crossing his arms.

"It's… it's… cheating!"

"No it ain't. Stop whinin'."

"Hmph!" Junior puffed out his cheek. I'm not whining. You're just being unfair!

"Luddy," Roy elbowed his blue-haired brother, "pick your first teammate. Choose wisely!"

"Do not call me by that detestable nickname." Ludwig shot him a glare before turning his eyes to his siblings.

Junior bounced on his toes. Pick me! Pick me! I'm the best one here!

"Lemmy."

"Wow! You picked me!" Lemmy giggled, rolling over to to stand behind Ludwig.

Junior stiffened, his jaw threatening falling open. Why didn't he pick me? Why Lemmy? He's crippled! What could Lemmy possibly have to offer that was better than anything he himself could?

"Wendy." Roy pointed at her.

Wendy fixed him with a hard stare. Her fingers curled slightly. She let out a deflating sigh and approached the team. Morton offered her a high-four, to which she tapped his palm with a roll of her eyes.

Junior crossed his arms and tapped his foot as Iggy was called over to be on Ludwig's team. Larry stood beside the crown prince, his blue eyes fixed on his feet. Me and Larry are the only ones left. Well, I'm better than Larry! Roy has to pick me!

Roy whispered something to Morton, causing the annoying Koopaling to gasp.

"That's not very nice!" he protested.

"Shush!" Roy hissed, smacking Morton's nose and causing him to yelp. The mean Koopaling dared to glance over at the two youngest koopa children.

Morton scowled and rubbed his nose.

"Larry." Roy beckoned to the wimpy Koopaling with his index finger.

Larry's eyes widened, and he hurried over to Roy. Morton flashed him a smile, offering his hand, but Larry didn't take it.

Why didn't he pick me? Junior stood frozen, his beady black eyes locked on Roy.

"Junior, that means you are with me," Ludwig stated.

Junior narrowed his eyes at Roy, who was busy whispering something to his teammates. He knew why Roy picked Larry, even though the crown prince was obviously the better choice. It was because Roy hated him. So did Ludwig. That was why Junior had been one of the remaining scraps at the bottom of the candidate pool. Junior stomped over to Ludwig. What he'd done to to either of them, especially Roy, Junior would never know. Jerk-faces.

"Roy!" Ludwig called, getting the mean Koopaling's attention. "I believe you should explain the rules to us."

"Sure, sure." Roy waved his hand with a smirk. "Wouldn't want me winning too easily, right?"

Ludwig snorted and rolled his eyes. A wisp of smoke drifted out of his nose.

Cocky pink-headed bully! Junior bit his tongue as he glared at Roy.

"Okay, so this is a football." Roy held up the ball.

"No duh!" Wendy quipped.

Roy shot her a scowl, tucking the ball under his arm. "So the point is to get the football and run it to the other team's goal, where you'll score a touchdown." He pointed towards a large boulder to his left, its height reaching up to Morton's shoulders. "That's our goal line. Ya touch or run past that and ya score. Yours can be…" He scanned the landscape over to his right. "That other rock, though we'd have to move it closer." He glanced at Morton, who nodded and rushed to do so. Roy turned his attention back to the group. "Same thing, touch it or run past it and it's a score."

"Okay, so those are the rules! Let's start the game!" Junior stepped forward, a smirk on his face. "We're going to crush you!"

Roy snickered. "Ya say that, but I ain't finished explain' the rules yet!"

"Junior, step back and allow him to finish before you do anything rash," Ludwig ordered.

Junior opened his mouth to protest, but Ludwig shot him a hard, narrow-eyed look. Junior sighed. "Fine." He dragged his feet back to his team. Bossy-tail.

"There's a catch," Roy continued, "the other team can stop ya. There's the offense and the defense. Their job is to either stop the other team's quarterback or defend theirs."

"What's a quar-tar-back?" Junior asked, slowly rolling the name on his tongue. It was long and hard to say.

"The runner. They grab the ball and run to the goal. Only one koopa can do that."

"Okay!" He grinned. I want to do that!

"As I was sayin'…" Roy continued. "The offense has to stop the quarterback by tacklin' them."

Junior's face fell. That's not fair! Junior stared at the large forms of Roy and Morton, the latter of which was returning back to the group. He scowled. One of them was definitely going to be picked to be the quarterback, and Junior wouldn't be able to stop them once they started charging.

"The defense blocks the offense from the quarterback."

Junior growled, his body tensing. That's not fair! It'd take all of us to stop just one of them! And one would definitely be the quarterback, while the other would be the defense or offense.

"Since there are only four on each team, the offense and defense will be everyone else who ain't the quarterback. It's as simple as that," Roy concluded.

"May I suggest a bit of time to strategize and pick our quarterbacks?" Ludwig offered.

Roy hummed in thought for a moment. "Fine, but don't ya dare take forever planning every little detail!" Roy whipped around and marched towards the boulder, his team following him.

Ludwig lead his team over to the other rock. Iggy leaned against it. Lemmy's left eye twitched as he bounced on his circus ball. Junior hopped on his toes, staring up at the eldest.

"What's the plan?" Junior asked. "Lemme be the quarterback!"

Ludwig chuckled. "Calm down. I was already going to give you that roll."

"Aw, yeah!" Junior pumped his fist into the air. Ha! I'll be the best quarterback they've ever seen! He threw a glance at Roy's team. I'll be better than anyone they could ever pick!

"I wanna help!" Lemmy protested, his lip quivering.

"You will, Lemmy. I just do not thing it is the best idea for you to be the quarterback. You would… not be the ideal choice. Junior is both quick and light on his feet. He will be able to dodge any attempted tackles with more ease than you," Ludwig explained.

"Plus, I'm going to be the king, you have to let me be the quarterback." Junior stuck his tongue out at Lemmy. I'll dodge anything the other team throws at me!

"That is not why I picked you." Ludwig pinched the bridge of his snout. "Do not be a brat now, Junior."

Junior frowned. I'm not a brat! Didn't he have a right to be excited over being picked for such an important job?

"Lemmy, your job is to—"

"Stay out of the way," Junior cut in. "You'll just get underfoot." He can't even run. He resisted the urge to glare at Ludwig. Why'd you pick him?

Ludwig's mouth fell open, his eyebrows tilting into a slight glare. "I was not going to say that! Lemmy's job is to use his circus balls as a distraction." He gave a small grin. "Roy did not say we could not use magic."

Junior giggled, rubbing his hands together. That opened up a whole bunch of opportunities! He could go get his Magic Paintbrush and use that to their advantage. "I'm gonna go get my paintbrush!" He started to run, but Ludwig called him back.
"No, Junior. You are the quarterback, and your job is to carry the ball. Iggy, Lemmy and I will cover for you. Do not focus on anything else but reaching the goal." Ludwig glanced between the other three members of the team. "Everyone set on what they should do?"

The three nodded.

"Good." Ludwig led the team to where Roy's stood in the center of the field, the mean Koopaling himself at the front and wearing a confident smirk.

"Ya losers ready to hold up to your name?" Roy asked, folding his arms.

Ludwig held his head high. "Do not be so cocky, Roy. You may have brawn on your side, but we have strategy."

Junior flashed Roy a smug grin. "Yeah! When we win, you'll be sorry you ever called us losers!"

"Ya better be ready, because we're startin' the game now." Roy nodded back towards his teammates, who fanned out behind him. "Quarterback in the front, defense and offense line up behind him."

Ludwig nodded to him, and Junior stepped forward. He kept his gaze hard-set on Roy. Judging by the mean Koopaling's giant smirk, Junior guessed that he was the quarterback. The crown prince narrowed his eyes, a threatening growl rising in his throat. He wouldn't let Roy win.

Roy set the ball in between them. He crouched down, reading himself to run. Junior copied his position, letting out a quiet exhale.

Roy started the countdown, "Ready in three, start on go! Three!"

Junior's eyes narrowed as he zeroed in on the ball.

"Two!"

His heartbeat thudded in his ears.

"One!"

His legs tensed.

"Go!"

The moment the word escaped Roy's mouth, Junior darted forward, snatching the ball and diving under his larger brother's outstretched arms. He quickly regained his feet and he sprinted for the boulder.

Junior glanced back. Roy was in hot pursuit, though he was losing ground. He smirked. Ha! There's no way anyone's gonna catch up!

A weight struck his side, and Junior screeched as he flew sideways, the football slipping out of his grip. He tumbled and slid to a halt. He groaned, pushing himself up and spitting out dirt. He winced and rotated his right shoulder, hissing at the ache that pulsed through his arm.

"Nice, one Morton!" Roy high-foured his brother. "The wimp didn't see it coming!"

"Haha, yeah…" Morton chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. He turned towards Junior. "I didn't hit you too hard, right? You're okay? Nothing's broken?"

Junior glared at Morton, jumping to his feet. "Yes, you hit me too hard! That actually hurt!" He rubbed his sore shoulder.

Morton shuffled his feet, eyes downturned. "Sor—"

"No, he ain't sorry." Roy stepped in front of Junior, arms crossed as his shades stared down at the crown prince. "This is a rough sport. You're gonna get hurt. Ya need to get up, brush yourself off, and move on."

"Whatever," Junior muttered, wiping at his smudged bandana. Papa's probably going to make me wash it later. He groaned.

"'Kay, time for round two!" Roy headed back to the center of the field.

"How many rounds are there?" Wendy asked.

"Dunno. As many as we want."

"Let's play until dinner!" Lemmy cheerily suggested, preforming a flip on his circus ball.

Roy shrugged. "Maybe we could."

Wendy sighed. "I'm not gonna play that long."

"How about we play for… seven more rounds," Morton suggested. "That way, we can all be happy in a sense, because then we'll have had a good amount of time playing and then after that those who want to go inside can go and whoever wants to stay outside can."

Junior blinked. "What?"

Roy waved a hand. "Never mind him. Back to the starting position, time for round two!"

This time, I'm going to win! Junior sprinted back into position. He crouched down. All he had to do what keep his eyes open for anyone coming at him from the side.

"Ready, go!" Roy darted forward and grabbed the ball.

Junior gasped. What?! He didn't even count down! He tore after Roy.

Iggy lunged at Roy, who smacked him down. Ludwig rammed into his side, but Roy pushed him to the ground. Lemmy quickly rolled in front of the stone, arms spread and his eyes narrowed. He pulled his wand out of his shell and fired a smaller variant of the ball he stood upon. Roy laughed and backhanded the ball out of the way.

Lemmy's not going to be able to stop him! Junior put on an extra burst of speed and leaped up onto Roy's back. The mean Koopaling gave a shout as Junior climbed up his shell. Roy halted, and Junior laughed.

A large hand plucked him off Roy's back, suspending him in midair.

"Lemme go, Morton!" Junior screeched, flailing in his much bigger brother's grip.

"Make the touchdown!" Morton grinned at Roy.

"I'll take care of Lemmy." Wendy twirled one of her golden rings around her finger. She hurtled it at tiniest as Roy began running again, knocking his ball out from beneath his feet. Lemmy squealed as he tumbled snout-first into the dust. Ludwig tried to rush him, but Wendy sent another ring that swept his feet out from under him.

Iggy charged towards Wendy, who jumped aside. Iggy spun on his heels, slipped, and crashed onto his side. His glasses were askew, and he growled, pushing himself up.

"YEAH, BABY! TOOOUUCHDOOOOWN!" Roy slammed the ball onto the ground and flexed his arms.

Iggy grumbled to himself as he padded towards Lemmy. Ludwig picked himself up with a shake of his head.

"That's one to zero." Wendy smirked at Junior. "You're awful at this game."

"I am not! Put me down!" Junior snapped, flailing.

"Hey, calm down." Morton set him on the ground, and Junior leaped away from them. He spun to face Roy.

"This game is rigged and unfair!" He jabbed his finger at Morton. "You have all the heavyweights and she," he pointed at Wendy, "used magic! That's not fair! I'm sick of you guys ganging up against me! I'm going to go inside and do something that's actually fun!" He whipped around and stormed towards the bridge.

"Junior, wait!" Ludwig called.

Junior halted on the bridge's peak, turning his head back. He fixed the bossy Koopaling with a glare. "What do you want?"

"Do not quit because of a few setbacks. Besides, magic is permitted, remember?"

"Does it look like I care?" Junior dashed across the rest of the overpass. He wrenched the castle door open and entered, slamming it shut as loud as he could. He stuck his nose up as he marched into the castle's corridor.

He'd leave the Koopalings to their silly games. He was going to play something that was actually fun.

Next chapter, things get better.

Trivia: I played all the Koopalings for the game. So, I basically played 'football' all by myself. It was kinda difficult. Also I don't know the actual rules, don't give me a hard time over it.