Why aren't there any reviews? Does anyone still read this?
If you're reading this message right now, please review!
Okay, that may be going a little far.
But still. Please review. I'm sure it can't be that boring.
Either way, here is the ninth chapter. This chapter will be somewhat of an emotional one. I don't mean emotional as in 'it will make you cry', well, maybe, but I mean emotional as in… well, just read on.
Roy sat in his cage in the dungeons… again.
For the second time, he was sent to the dungeons. And this time, there was likely to be no way out. He put his head into his arms and began to think angrily.
Stupid, stupid, stupid Larry! That moron got me into the dungeons! I hate him! As soon as I get out of here, I'm going to give him the BIGGEST beating he'll ever get! I bet Ludwig will, too. He got stuck in the dungeons all because of Larry, that stupid double-crossing imbecile!
Roy crossed his arms and felt himself go red again. He was seething. How could their youngest sibling betray them like that?
Sure, Larry must be feeling bad NOW, but he knows that he's going to end up getting a good old-fashioned beating from me.
Roy thought for a while. Instead of getting angrier, he began to feel weird. It was no wonder that Larry was feeling bad. He was going to get beaten up, and he knew it. That's why everyone felt bad when they got Roy in trouble, because they would usually get a beating out of him when he got out of trouble.
A strange thought crossed Roy's mind for the third time this month.
Maybe that's why they all hate me.
Whenever I beat them up, they only hate me more. I wonder how Iggy must feel?
Roy almost laughed at his foolishness. How could he let his emotions take advantage of him like this? He wasn't like this. Everyone knew him as the tough, hardcore Roy Koopa. And that was the way it was going to be, whether they liked it or not.
However, a little feeling inside him kept poking at him. It was the very small and ignored part of his brain: his emotions.
Roy, you've got to stop. You know that you're not what everyone thinks you are. You've got to let yourself go once in a while; have a good-natured laugh, or perhaps help someone out when they need you.
Roy looked down at the floor.
Or even... just once in your life... cry. Just sob. Weep into your shoulder. There's no harm in it. It's normal. Everyone does it, even the people you least expect to. Try it, Roy. It's been years since you did. Just cry.
Roy shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought.
Just cry, Roy... Roy... Roy...
"Roy! Roy!" shouted Ludwig.
"Huh?"
Roy slightly snapped back to reality. Looking around him, he noticed Ludwig standing in the cage next to him.
"Are you all right?" Ludwig asked unsurely. "I've been calling your name for a while and you haven't noticed me."
"Uh, yeah," Roy said distantly, staring into space.
Ludwig eyed him strangely and continued talking.
"I brought the egg with me," Ludwig told him. Roy finally overcame his daze and looked up at Ludwig.
"Seriously?" he asked, amazed.
"Yep," Ludwig answered. He showed the egg to him.
"Whoa," Roy studied. "It's gotten really big."
"I know. That's quite perplexing," Ludwig admitted. "Koopa eggs don't naturally do that. They usually spend all of their lives the same size. Only the object inside of the egg grows."
"What if it's not a Koopa?" Roy asked him.
"It is," Ludwig overruled. "Right before we got called downstairs for the court, I did a little search on the egg. There is a 99.986 chance this is a Koopa egg. The odds are quite overwhelming."
"Is it a Koopa Troopa?" Roy quizzed him.
"I don't know," Ludwig admitted solemnly. "I didn't have enough time to do that much research."
Minutes passed in silence. Roy looked at Ludwig in the eye.
"Ludwig, I've got to tell you something," he finally broke down.
Ludwig seemed a bit taken aback.
"What's the matter, Roy?" Ludwig questioned him.
"What I'm about to say does not leave this room. Err, cage," Roy said to him.
"Agreed," Ludwig answered.
Roy stood quiet for a few moments. Then, he began to tell his tale.
It was a bright, sunlit morning in the Koopa Castle. The three young Koopas walked along the castle happily. Lemmy and Ludwig, the two older Koopas, held their brother's hand as they walked along to school.
"Well, Roy, here we are... your pathway to education," Ludwig told him as they eyed the wondrous building. "You're going to go to kindergarten from now on. Can you handle it?"
"You bet!" cooed Roy as he ran into the school. Lemmy and Ludwig followed.
"Kindergarten's to your right. If you want to see me, I'll be in first grade, and Ludwig's in second grade," Lemmy explained. "Bye!"
Lemmy and Ludwig waved goodbye to the cheerful, happy Roy as he entered the small room on the side door. He made many friends within a few days, and was always a jolly child. However, after the first two months of school, it all came to an end.
A new kid, Stone, entered the school on the last day of October. As soon as he came in, life for Roy was a living nightmare. This new kid was evil; he was a complete and total bully. As soon as he came into class, Stone bullied everyone, especially Roy. Why did he bully Roy extra? Nobody knew. Perhaps it was because he was such a happy Koopa all the time.
As days went by, Lemmy and Ludwig noticed a significant change in Roy. He was moody all the time, and never talked to them anymore. Lemmy was worried, but Ludwig told him that it was just a 'phase'. Roy was probably just overwhelmed about the responsibility of taking on kindergarten.
It was one of the few times Ludwig was ever wrong.
Finally, one day, Roy decided to stand up to Stone.
"C'mon Roy-al Pain, give me your lunch money and I'll let you go off and do sissy things as usual," Stone mocked.
"No," Roy answered forcefully. Stone was a bit surprised, but got an evil idea in his head.
"Wow, Roy. That's a pretty cool answer. I didn't know you could stand up for yourself. Want to be my friend?" asked Stone. Despite Stone's fakeness, Roy's five-year-old mind couldn't tell the difference between right and wrong. Roy was surprised at his luck.
"Sure!" Roy cried happily.
"Meet me outside after school and we'll… play a game," Stone said mischievously. His intelligence, although used for evil, was very high.
"Okay!" Roy answered. He looked forward to that event the whole day.
Finally, the time came. Roy stepped outside, and Stone was waiting for him.
"Let's play a game called, 'Kill the Dweeb,' Roy," Stone cackled. Roy looked confused. A fist flew into his face and knocked him onto the floor.
"Ow!" Roy shouted. "What was that for?"
However, Stone didn't bother answering. He kicked Roy so hard that Roy rolled right into a wall and slammed his head forcefully onto the playground wall. Roy's head burst with pain.
"Help!" he begged, but no one was there. Stone walked over to him and elbowed Roy's ribs. Roy gave out a painful choke and burst into tears. Stone grabbed him, lifted him over his head and lanced him onto the ground powerfully. Roy landed with a loud thud that covered him with dust. Finally, Stone finished the job by lifting him, banging his head into the school wall, and knocking him unconscious.
When Roy woke up, he was in the nurse's room. The nurse had found him unconscious in the schoolyard. Roy's life was changed forever. He told his nurse not tell anyone anything about his bruises. Finally, however, the nightmare was over; Stone moved away at last. Roy still remembered, though.
The next week, Iggy was born. He was born on the same day as Stone. Roy, who decided he couldn't stay 'Wimpy Roy' forever, became a bully himself, and decided to bully Iggy as a way of getting back at Stone.
There was completely silence. Nobody spoke.
Roy finished the story and crossed his arms sulkily. He had finally given away the secret, after all these years.
"I—I'm sorry, Roy," Ludwig answered simply.
"It's okay," Roy replied. "You don't have to apologize. You had nothing to do with it."
"Yes, I did!" Ludwig responded sharply. "If I had asked you what had been bothering you, perhaps we could've put a stop to it! I can't believe I was so foolish as to—"
"Ludwig, shut up," Roy told him lightheartedly. "It's not your fault. It was just a stupid secret that I was keeping for a while, it's nothing too important..."
Ludwig opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and then closed it again.
"As far as I know, I'll still Roy Koopa. All I've told you is some silly secret, and it's nothing you should take seriously," Roy told him. "Act as if nothing happened. Now that I've finally managed to tell the secret to someone, I won't get moody like I sometimes do. I feel great, actually. In fact, now I have nothing to feel sorry about! I can beat up Iggy without feeling shameful about it!"
Ludwig laughed.
"Okay, Roy, I'll do as you say," Ludwig reassured him.
"And remember… not a word to ANYONE!" Roy growled.
"Yes, yes, sure, whatever," Ludwig answered while smiling.
And… done! Yes, I know, that chapter was quite the 'emotional' one, and don't flame me, because it's pretty hard to write a sentimental story about Roy Koopa.
Anyway, REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEWWWW! WHERE ARE THE REVIEWS! PLEASE REVIEW! (Cough & hack) Please review.
Chapter Ten will be up soon!
