Chapter 27 All Good in the End

Ludwig leaned back in his chair in the common room, closing his eyes to try and inspire his body to sleep. He was still VERY infuriated at the big waste of time that was his, Roy's, and Iggy's journey into the TV. Seriously, they spent so much time in there that the rest of the family came back from their vacation! Talk about two weeks that Ludwig would never be getting back.

He wanted to sleep forever. He wanted to sleep until he was so recharged, he would never have to sleep again. He wanted to escape this world and all of its massive, time-draining disappointments. He would not wake up for days, possibly weeks. He could enter a coma right now and not have any problems with that.

Creak.

Ludwig lifted on eyelid. Iggy and Roy had entered the common room, and they looked just as exhausted/annoyed as he felt. He adjusted himself so he was sitting up a little bit.

"Had a good grounding, didn't you boys?"

"HA!" Iggy shook his head. "My mood is at a subterranean low."

"Yeah! And both of us are really mad!" Roy took a seat on the couch. "I'd take a regular grounding over going back into the TV any day."

"I am aware of the meaning behind Roy's words," Iggy said. He took a seat right beside his shades-wearing brother. "I even went out of my way to destroy the Internet explorer."

Ludwig snorted. "That's probably the smartest thing you've done all week." He got a sideways glance from the bespectacled genius, but no vocal commentary.

Roy let out a breath, the action making him deflate like a tire. "I just want to sleep the rest of my life away."

"Amen, bro." Ludwig leaned back. "Wake me up when the apocalypse starts." He closed his eyes. The room stayed silent, the only sound being the tick tick tick of the clock on the wall. Ludwig allowed that rhythm to lull him into a sleepy trance.

Creak.

Ludwig almost groaned. He opened his eyes and saw the rest of his siblings in the doorway. He didn't know what the correct response to their presence would be. All he knew was the response he gave them; a long, drawn-out groan.

"Well," Wendy said, putting her hands on her hips as she did. "Nice to you see you too."

"Remind me never to invite you to anymore of my birthday parties," Larry said.

Iggy sat up, frowning as he did. "What is the reasoning behind your collective presence in this room?"

"Yeah; why are you here?" Roy asked. He leaned back. "Can't you see we're busy being lazy bums?"

Lemmy stepped forward. "Well, I promised Ludwig that I would bring back some souvenirs from the trip." He pulled a paper bag out of his hammerspace. "I was hoping you'd like to see them."

All three Koopalings reluctantly got out of their seats. Lemmy pulled the souvenirs out of the bag; a hucket crab keychain, a seashell necklace, a bag full of petrified dragon eel poop. That last one got a very wrinkly nose from Iggy.

"Glad to see you guys were considering sanitation when collecting the souvenirs."

Morton sniffed. "Don't look at us. That dragon eel poop was Larry's idea; he practically begged for Bowser to get it."

Larry's face turned pink. "I did NOT beg!"

"Larry, you got on your knees," Wendy said.

Ludwig shook his head as he pulled out a picture that the Koopa family took near the sea. "Well, thanks for the thought, guys." He made his way back over to his chair. "If I wasn't so tired, I bet I would enjoy them more."

Larry raised an eyebrow. "Why are you tired?" He snickered. "You spent the entire vacation unconscious on the lab floor."

"HA!" Ludwig guffawed as he took his seat. "If only."

Wendy blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ludwig, Roy, and Iggy exchanged a look before Iggy began explaining. "You see, I had taken the liberty of reprogramming my Internet Explore (may it rest in pieces). I unintentionally transported my mind into the world of a television program."

Morton, Lemmy, Larry, and Wendy's eyes grew wide. "Wait, you did what?" Morton asked.

"Yep," Roy said. "And Ludwig and I went after him."

"And we spent the remaining two weeks stuck in the TV, jumping from body to body and TV show to TV show." Ludwig shook his head. "Bigger waste of time than actually watching TV, in my opinion."

The previously uninformed four's jaws dropped. "That's," Wendy began. "That's…that's…"

"That's unbelievable!" Morton exclaimed.

Ludwig snorted. "Oh, it's not so hard for me to believe."

Larry rushed over to Ludwig. "Seriously dude, that fucking INCREDIBLE!" He grinned. "I'd much rather have spent my vacation THAT way!"

"No, you really don't," Ludwig scoffed.

"Uh, yeah, I do!" Larry jumped up and down. "What shows did you guys go to?"

Ludwig sat up. "Hmm, well let's see; a magical girl show, a nature documentary…."

"A superhero show, a mermaid musical…" Roy continued.

"And my favorite soap opera Heart to Heart, to name a few," Iggy finished.

Lemmy rushed over to Ludwig. "That's amazing! You guys are so lucky!"

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, lucky."

"Yeah!" Wendy said. "You've essentially gone to a series of parallel universes! Do you realize how revolutionary that is!" Her eyes glittered. "Do you realize how cool that is?"

Ludwig blinked, exchanging a look with Roy and Iggy as he did. A small smile grew on his face. "It was pretty revolutionary."

Iggy chuckled. "When you put it like that, it was certainly another showcasing of my genius and mechanical skills."

"Yeah," Roy said as he sat up. "On top of that, some of the shows we visited were pretty cool." He chuckled and elbowed Iggy. "I'm thinking I might check out Heart to Heart sometime."

Iggy beamed. "I would highly recommend it." His face fell. "Just make sure to skip Seasons 9 and 10. I still have difficulties wrapping my mind around those events being canon."

Ludwig snickered. "And yet, spleen snatching aliens are a-okay to you?" This question got a shrug out of Iggy.

Lemmy giggled. "I'm really jealous. If I got transported into my favorite show, I know I would have a field day!"

Larry smirked. "I don't think I would ever want to come back."

Iggy chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head. "I wouldn't know what that's like…"

Wendy smiled at them. "Well, I am glad that you guys are home. And I'm glad you got to experience something that exciting."

Ludwig, Iggy, and Roy looked at each other. Instead of frowning this time, they gave each other smiles.

"It was pretty cool," Roy said.

Ludwig chortled. "I guess, if nothing else, we can appreciate that it all worked out in the end."

"You said it," Iggy said. He yawned. "Now, I am going to take my long-anticipated nap."

"Okay," Morton said. He and the others made their way to the door. "Sweet dreams, guys."

Ludwig grinned to himself. He knew for a fact that the dreams he would have during this nap were going to be the sweetest dreams he had in his life.

AN: Well, it's finished! Thank you guys so much for reading, and I hoped you enjoyed it! I know I enjoyed writing it :)