Chapter 4 Taking The Hit

At first, when Lemmy happened across a magikoopa offering him a special job, he had to admit that he was excited. This excitement was strong enough to chase any worry away or pull any red flags out of the ground. There was no reason to be afraid! Absolutely none whatsoever!

As he followed the magikoopa in the magenta robe, he skipped. He skipped in a manner that might make one think he did it all day, everyday. This was so exciting that positivity was literally leaking out of his ears.

Well…okay, maybe not literally. But still, there was something to be said about the borderline euphoric state that he found himself in.

After a while, the magikoopa turned the corner. This was when Lemmy's danger radar went off. They were entering an alley, an alley so dark and dirty that even rodents and stray cats avoided it like the plague. All the sounds of Sparksville were gone, as was the town's beauty. It was like midnight during the day, a midnight with no moon and no promise of a sunrise in the morning.

Lemmy gulped. "Um…why are we here?"

"It's okay," the magikoopa said, all without turning around. "You don't need to be afraid."

He didn't sound dangerous; he sounded normal when he spoke, both in terms of tone and volume. Ironically, that ordinary display made Lemmy's heart pumped even faster. He still followed the magikoopa, but his reluctance grew stronger with each step he took.

"Are you…" he took a deep breath, trying to get his heartbeat back down to a normal pace. "Are you going to tell me what the job is?" He chuckled nervously. "I assume that the pay rate is very generous," he joked. Even while telling a joke, an action that he did all the time in order to bring his spirits up, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong.

The magikoopa chuckled too. "Oh, this job involves a lot of personal rewards." He took out his wand. "I think you'll find it quite gratifying."

The tip of his wand started to glow. Lemmy's eyes grew wide as his fight or flight response kicked in. He turned on his heel, desperate to leave the alley and come across someone…ANYONE who would get him away from this creep.

"Paralysis Maku Immobile!"

Lemmy's body froze the second the magikoopa was done chanting the petrification spell. He tried screaming, but that action was just as impossible as moving. Beads of cold sweat slid down Lemmy's scaly skin. His heart pumped so fast that he wouldn't be surprised if he went into cardiac arrest.

HELP! He screamed in his head. Ludwig, please. Find me and GET ME OUT OF HERE!

…

Ludwig laughed once he got to the restaurant. The run had released endorphins for him, so his mood was much higher than it was normally. He didn't even care that Lemmy beat him here.

"Well Lems," he said. "I might be the one paying for lunch, but I can guarantee you that…"

He stopped talking, his voice faltering and trailing off into the distance. Where was Lemmy? Ludwig looked back and forth, hoping to get a glimpse of the signature rainbow mohawk.

"Lemmy?" Did he go into the restaurant already? He entered Mixie's Kitchen and asked the hostess if she had seen a short Koopa with rainbow hair and an orange shell. When she said no, Ludwig left feeling perplexed, confused, and concerned.

"Where could he be?" It wasn't like Lemmy to leave like this, especially when a free meal was involved. Ludwig decided to call him, so he took out his phone. The phone rang, but ultimately ended up going to voicemail.

"Odd," Ludwig said as he put his phone back into his hammerspace. He mused over the possibilities of what could have become of his brother when he thought of one that made his heart stop.

What if…what if Lemmy was kidnapped?

"Oh no." He rose into the air. "LEMMY!" Ludwig called out. He flew around, searching the streets of Sparksville. He noticed multiple people walking down the streets, but none of them bore Lemmy's signature appearance. Ludwig's heart rate sped up. His big brother instinct was going off, making him worry and prepare for the absolute worst.

He rose even higher into the air, allowing himself to get a bird's eye view of the town. The popping, almost neon colors didn't make Ludwig happy like they usually did. In contrast, they made him worry that spotting Lemmy would be even harder amidst all the rainbow-schemed houses. His heart rate sped up even faster, pumping with a speed that would make a hummingbird jealous.

"LEMMY!" This cry was much more desperate than the last one, more distraught. Ludwig searched the streets below him, his terror skyrocketing. He was just inches away from having a panic attack when he spotted something. It was hard to make out because it was in a dark alley, but…

Ludwig flew in closer. This allowed him to see that yes, it was indeed Lemmy who he had spotted. And right in front of him was…a magikoopa?!

"Don't worry," the magikoopa said to the littlest, petrified Koopaling. "This won't hurt a bit." He raised his wand. "Felinus Henshin!"

Ludwig gasped. "No!" With the speed of a lightning bolt, without even so much as a second thought, he zipped in front of Lemmy. The blast hit him instead, sending both freezing and burning sensations all across his body.

That was the last thing he remembered before he blacked out.

…

It all happened so fast. One minute, Lemmy was staring at this obviously deranged magikoopa, watching as the light generated by the star bit gemstone of his wand grew brighter and more terrifying. The next, Ludwig had zipped right in front of his brother. Lemmy hadn't even realized that it was his brother at first; he thought that the flash of blue was something his imagination cooked up out of fright, hope, and desperation.

But nope. It really was him. In the confusion of it all, the magikoopa must have accidentally removed the petrification spell, because Lemmy definitely remembered being able to move his hands again.

"LUDWIG!" He screeched. His brother wasn't even screaming as the magically generated light around his body glowed. Lemmy's heart pumped. Before his very eyes, Ludwig appeared to be growing smaller and smaller. Before Lemmy knew it, he was so small that his cloak collapsed in on itself, covering up his entire body.

When the light cleared, the magikoopa looked shocked. "What just.." he approached Ludwig's cloak, poking at the lump that Lemmy assumed to be his big brother. "Did…did he just…"

Lemmy hyperventilated. "What did you do to him?!"

The magikoopa pulled one of the folds back, allowing Ludwig's unconscious body to be visible. Lemmy gasped when he saw him. He didn't even fully believe what he was seeing at first. Ludwig…Ludwig…

Ludwig was a cat! A furry cat with dark blue fur and a white underbelly. As he lay on the ground, unconscious, Lemmy couldn't help but stare. How…why…?

The magikoopa, however, recovered from the shock much faster than Lemmy did. He picked Ludwig up, leaving his cloak on the ground at Lemmy's feet. "Well," he said. "I suppose that's good enough." He flicked his wand. "Teleportus Aida's House!"

With a flash, they teleported away. Lemmy's heart felt as if it was going to collapse in on itself.

"LUDWIG!" He slowly picked up Ludwig's cloak. His hands shook, he felt like he was on the verge of crying.

Ludwig…took the hit for him.