AN: Honestly not much to say other than here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Ch 3: Days Four and Five
Wendy is leading the rest of the Koopalings and Stevie to her favorite place. "You'll love the ice rink, Stevie! I go there all the time whenever I want to unwind from a rough day or need a good pick me up!"
"Okay," Stevie says with a giggle at her friend's enthusiasm.
The rest of the Koopalings have more mixed feelings on heading for the ice rink.
Larry and Lemmy both like ice skating, Larry due to enjoying a game of hockey every so often and Lemmy finds it easy after all the years spent balancing on a ball.
Ludwig and Iggy have no intention of skating themselves. Ludwig plans to use this time to continue writing his song and Iggy's going to use his phone to record the movements of all the skaters as reference for future attack bots (he's getting a lot of that recently).
Roy hates ice skating since he has terrible balance for it. If it weren't for Stevie going, he would never bother with it. He hates that he's likely going to fall on his tail a lot, but being able to hang out with Stevie is worth it.
Morton is a bundle of nerves. He has been thinking a lot about Lemmy's encouragement from yesterday. He's steadily building up his courage for the confession.
"Wait!" a new voice shouts to the group.
Everyone turns to see a blue shelled Koopa Troopa running to catch up with them.
"Is there a problem?" asks Ludwig.
The blue shelled Koopa Troopa comes to a stop in front of the group heaving. He holds a hand up to them as he catches his breath. Once he's finished, the Koopa Troopa gives a salute to the group. "No problem, Sir. I have merely been ordered by King Bowser and the young prince to accompany you." Realizing this may sound dubious, he produces a slip of paper. "This here's a signed document from the king himself."
Morton takes the paper and looks it over. "Yep. It's legit."
Wendy smirks at the new arrival. "Your job today's pretty easy then. You get to sit back and admire my moves on the ice."
The blue shelled Koopa Troopa blushes. "Yes, Mistress Wendy."
The other Koopalings roll their eyes. 'Oh, great. Another of Wendy's crushing fanboys.'
As everyone approaches the ice rink, Stevie clears her throat. "Actually, I think I have to sit this one out."
The male Koopalings feel despair at this.
"Why?" Wendy asks her friend.
"I don't know how to skate."
Lemmy elbows Morton.
"I could teach you," the brown Koopaling automatically responds to Stevie.
Besides Lemmy, everyone else is completely dumbfounded by this offer from the usually quiet Koopaling. Of all the possible candidates, Wendy, Lemmy, and Larry would be considered the more expected options for teaching Stevie how to ice skate.
Morton himself is even more surprised. He feels annoyed at Lemmy for convincing him to do this.
Stevie is staring at the brown Koopaling with a blush. "Umm…okay."
This acceptance has Morton sporting his own blush. He can only give a twitchy little nod in response to her.
Lemmy smiles to himself. 'I may not enjoy having competition for Stevie's heart, but this guy deserves a chance to try charming her. Even if it doesn't work out in this case, the attempt to get a girlfriend might just convince him to try again with other women. A win-win either way for him.'
A little later…
Wendy is pulling off a few spins on the ice. This activity is such bliss for her. She's now feeling relief that she doesn't have to be the one teaching Stevie how to skate since it frees her to feel like this. However, she catches a glimpse of Ludwig sitting in the stands and feels annoyed. The female Koopaling skates over to the wall and leans against it. "Back to writing your song?"
The eldest Koopaling doesn't even look up. "I'm not much of a skater and I need to get the song finished in time. Can't have Stevie leave before she has the chance to hear it."
"Don't you remember what we discussed yesterday? You need to spend time with Stevie and talk with her to build a relationship."
"Do you remember what I told you? I'd be uncomfortable expressing my feelings to her without having the song ready for her."
"Fine, but keep in mind you still need to fit in some time with her."
"I'm almost finished with the writing process. I can spend most of tomorrow socializing with Stevie and save practicing for the performance afterwards."
"Good. Looks like my number one choice has a thorough plan then." She skates away.
Ludwig smiles down at his music. 'It's a relief to have my sister's unconditional blessing in this.'
Getting passed by Wendy, Roy is holding onto a nearby wall to keep himself from falling down onto the ice.
Larry skates over with a smirk. "Fall on your tail yet?"
"Go back to your little hockey practice."
"The Koopa Troopas I was with needed a break. Decided to bother you for a little bit."
"Well, don't. I've had enough of you already after yesterday."
"Good thing we weren't the ones to find Chompy. He would've snapped at you and took off again."
"Whatever."
"I still think you'd be a crap boyfriend for Stevie."
"Watch it, Larry."
"Just give up, go back to what you're good at, and leave her to somebody who'd actually give a damn about her feelings."
Roy growls. "You're starting to tread dangerous waters, Little Bro. Make another dumb and wrong accusation like that, I might forget myself and maul you."
Larry feels afraid of his older brother now. "I still think I'm right. That hasn't changed." He skates back to his little team.
The second eldest Koopaling grips the wall tightly out of rage. 'He's wrong. Stevie's too special. Shit. Thinking about it…I'd give my life for her.'
In the stands nearby, Iggy rolls his eyes at their interaction.
"Wow," the blue shelled Koopa Troopa says to the tallest Koopaling. "Those guys really are something."
"Would you explain why you'd record the rather unsettling conversation between the two of them?"
"King Bowser and the young prince wanted to know everything that happened here and I am following their orders by recording it."
"And yet you've spent a lot of time focused on my sister."
The Koopa Troopa fidgets. "Well…she has been one of the more consistently interesting individuals here, Master Iggy."
Iggy chooses to ignore the guy blatantly crushing on Wendy and focus on Stevie. 'She is a remarkable lady. Volunteering to pair up with me to find Chompy, coming up with that method of convincing him to come back to me when he was scared, what can't this woman do?' A growl slips out at the sight of who's with Stevie. 'I thought he'd be the last one to make a play for her. Now that he's making an attempt, Morton suddenly feels like the greatest threat.'
Stevie is hesitantly skating since she's new to the activity. She loses her balance and she almost hits the ice, but a strong hand catches her.
"Keep trying," Morton encourages her. "You almost got it."
Steadying herself, Stevie tries again. 'I can't believe I'm doing this. I've never done this before. And it's crazy that Morton of all people volunteered to teach me. He has been so shy and distant. Is this him trying to open up to me? His attempt to…woo me?' This last thought makes her lose her balance again and Morton catches her again.
The brown Koopaling feels so many things as he holds Stevie. 'She feels so good. Stop! Don't think of her that way! In bed with her. NO! This is why you don't deserve her! You will just ruin everything! This was a bad idea.'
Lemmy passes by the pair and does a triple spin. "Stevie! If you practice enough, you'll be able to do this!"
The white shelled Koopa nervously laughs. "Impressive, but I have no intention of being a professional skater."
Lemmy shrugs. He winks at Morton. 'Remember what we discussed yesterday, Big Guy. It's your turn and you deserve a chance.' The shortest Koopaling skates away.
Morton shakes his head. 'What am I doing? Lemmy's right. Everyone else is trying. It's only fair I throw my hat into the ring too.'
As the lesson goes on, Morton is building his courage back up to confess to Stevie. Even though the thought of voicing his feelings to her is terrifying, fantasizing about being with her in a relationship feels like heaven.
"LOOK OUT!" someone screams.
A hockey puck is shooting right at Stevie.
Morton grabs the puck from the air with his claws. It hurts, but at least Stevie is safe.
Larry skates over. "Crap! I'm so sorry! You almost got hit again, Stevie!"
"Lucky Morton caught the puck before that happened," Lemmy says once he skates over.
The brown Koopaling tosses the puck back to Larry.
Wendy arrives. "Knowing claws like I do, Morton has to be in pain."
"In pain?" Stevie asks with worry. She grabs the arm Morton didn't catch the puck with. "We should get you to the infirmary."
"No," Morton says with a shake of his head.
"What?! We can't ignore that you're hurt!"
The brown Koopaling just keeps shaking his head at her. "I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about me."
Hearing that, Stevie snaps. "Morton Koopa Jr, you're going to the infirmary NOW!"
The entire rink is silent after this outburst from the normally gentle Koopa.
Morton is left blinking. "Uh…okay."
Wendy starts skating towards the exit. "I'll show you where it is."
Once the three leave, Roy speaks up from his place by the wall. "Am I the only one who thought Stevie's new forceful side was the hottest thing ever?"
"Normally, I'd criticize such vulgar words," Ludwig says from the stands. "However, in this case, it would be too hypocritical of me since I agree completely."
"Same," Iggy, Lemmy, and Larry say as one.
The blue shelled Koopa Troopa turns his phone's camera to his face. "I'll follow them to the infirmary, Your Eagernesses. That may be where Master Morton tells Miss Stevie about how feels." He gets up and rushes out.
A little later…
Morton is sitting in the infirmary with his claws submerged in a bowl of soothing gel.
Stevie is watching the brown Koopaling intently. "Remember, the doctor said to keep the claws in there for half an hour."
"I know. You can go now."
"After what you said back at the ice rink, I'm staying right here to make sure you actually follow the doctor's orders."
Wendy sighs. "If you guys are doing that, I'm going back to the rink to skate more." 'It's weird. Seeing those two together, I'm actually kind of rooting for them now.' She leaves the two alone in the infirmary.
Stevie looks back to Morton. "I've had a really eventful stay and there's still a few more days to go. I've experienced so many things. Getting hit in the head by a tennis ball, learning to swim, looking for a lost Chain Chomp, and now I've learned how to ice skate. Then there's been all the guys here saying they like me. That's certainly the last thing I expected from coming here to King Bowser's castle."
Morton just nods.
Stevie sighs. "Morton…Roy told me about why you're so quiet."
The brown Koopaling feels his insides freeze up.
"After saying those things to his first girlfriend, you believed talking a lot could only lead to trouble, so you've stayed relatively quiet ever since then. You also became King Bowser's go to soldier because you thought that would make up for all the trouble you feel you caused. Am I right?" Stevie doesn't even need an answer from the way Morton looks away in obvious shame. "You've placed too much guilt and responsibility on yourself. That girl was clearly bad for Roy. You just exposed that much earlier than what would've happened naturally." She gives Morton a warm smile. "You have something you want to say to me. Something personal. I know it. You have my blessing to say everything you feel."
The brown Koopaling stares at Stevie for a bit while breathing heavily. Morton opens his mouth…and it all comes rushing out. "I think you're so pretty and sweeter than anybody I know and the way you smile makes me feel all warm inside and the way you took charge back there in the ice rink was so sexy even though I hate thinking that way since it's so disrespectful to you! I also don't have anything to offer like my brothers since Larry is so passionate and Roy's so good looking and Iggy is so smart and Lemmy is such a fun guy and Ludwig is so classy! I'm just the guy who does what he's told and keeps quiet so that he doesn't ramble like a moron the way I am now!" Morton is on the verge of breaking down after letting all that come out. He's ready to put his face in the bowl of soothing gel and never take it back out.
Stevie places a comforting hand on the brown Koopaling's cheek. "Thank you. That was a lot, but I'm glad you told me your inner thoughts. You're wrong about having nothing to offer. You're the most loyal and considerate guy I know. The rambling can be solved without a vow of silence just by thinking before speaking. I'm actually very flattered you think those things about me, even the sexy part. I'm sorry I can't give you an answer about dating you yet, but I'd like to give Lemmy and Ludwig the chance to confess before I make a decision. Is that okay?"
Morton smiles. "Yeah." He gets up. "I'm going to see Kamek. Don't worry. The claws stay in the gel. See you later." He leaves the infirmary.
Stevie gets up too and heads out, her destination being the ice rink.
Hiding behind a statue, the blue shelled Koopa Troopa sends all his recordings to Bowser and BJ.
The next night…
Bowser, BJ, Stevie, and all the Koopalings minus Lemmy enter an auditorium containing a circular stage.
"What a crowd," Stevie points out as she looks around the room.
"This is average for Lemmy's shows," Wendy reveals to her friend.
"Wow. Are you serious? Most of the seats in here are filled. You're suggesting some of the spectators would sit in the aisles or stand by the walls."
"That's exactly what happens," Ludwig reveals with a smirk.
Stevie gawks. 'Lemmy must really know how to put on a show if that's the case.'
Bowser points to a private box. "Here we are." He leads the group in so they can all take their seats.
"Are you excited?" Wendy asks Stevie.
The other girl nods. "I am. I've seen shows like this on TV, but I've never actually been to one before."
Bowser lets out a hearty laugh. "Well, lucky you gets to have one of the best seats in the house for your first live show."
"You'll have the best time," BJ assures their guest. "Lemmy's always awesome with his shows."
"It's fun he got into show business," says Stevie.
"That was kind of by necessity," Iggy reveals to her.
"What do you mean?"
Ludwig clears his throat. "In his youth, Lemmy was a frequent target of bullying."
Roy starts counting with his fingers. "His lazy eye, small size, stunted legs that force him to waddle instead of walk, and his rainbow colored hair that's rare even among Koopas all made a recipe for constant attention from the bullying crowd."
"As Lemmy's twin, I used to share his hair color," says Iggy. "A lab accident made it go green. For the record, it was a different accident from the one that removed that brain blockage."
"Anyway," Wendy says to get things back on track. "Lemmy started telling jokes to cope with the bullying. The bullies found his jokes funny and started coming to him to hear new ones instead of picking on him."
Larry gestures to the auditorium as a whole. "Gradually, Lemmy evolved into the full on entertainer who set up today's performance."
"Wow," is all Stevie can say in response. She hesitates at her next question. "So…this is probably too personal of a question, but…what happened to your parents?"
At the Koopalings' silent reaction, Bowser steps in. "Their parents were my oldest friend and his wife, Morton and Ilse Koopa."
Ludwig is now ready to continue with the story. "Mother became ill around the time she laid Iggy and Lemmy's eggs."
"It's essentially why Lemmy has all of his deformities and possibly why I had my mental issues," Iggy reveals to Stevie.
Larry folds his arms. "Doctors told them having another kid would kill her, but they had me anyway. Laying my egg did Mom in!"
Morton places a comforting hand on his youngest brother's shoulder. "Larry, that wasn't your fault. Mom was terminal. She was dying anyway. She wanted to have one more kid before she left us."
Larry definitely feels better thanks to Morton's words, but he's also shocked by them. "I think that's the most I've heard you speak in years."
"You can thank Stevie for that."
The white haired Koopa feels embarrassed by everybody looking at her. "Well…I really don't think I should get all the credit."
"No, it was all you said to me that got me here, Stevie."
"Wow," says Wendy. "Looks like you can perform miracles."
Iggy grins. "At the very least, you seem to have the ability to heal deep seated trauma."
Roy grimaces. "The things I said to Morton after he blabbed to…her…were probably the things that set him on that vow of near silence. No matter how much I apologized to him later, it looked like he was stuck being quiet forever. Thanks, Stevie, for helping my little brother."
The white shelled Koopa blushes at all the praise.
"Anyway, Dad basically worked himself to death trying to provide for all of us."
"If only I'd known how bad it all was," Bowser says with a sigh. "I could've helped him and maybe he'd still be alive."
Wendy shakes her head. "Dad was too proud to accept help without pretty much twisting his arm and he was laser focused on taking care of us."
There's a few moments of relative silence, then the crowd starts cheering as the lights are dimmed and the spotlights become brighter.
Lemmy rolls in on his ball and takes up a microphone. "Good evening to you, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the show!"
As the crowd cheers, Stevie turns to Wendy. "He balances on that ball really well!"
The female Koopaling nods. "He actually uses that to get around instead of walking! He wasn't using it the last few days because King Dad thought it'd be too weird for you!"
Lemmy finally calms the crowd down enough to continue. "I won't bore you guys with a slew of long hype speeches since I know what you're really here for! It's showtime!"
The crowd cheers as the rest of Lemmy's troupe enters.
What follows is a true marvel of a show. Knife throwers, acrobats, guys getting shout out of cannons, the works. Lemmy himself joins in on some of the acts.
Stevie nearly has a heart attack when Lemmy jumps from one acrobat on a trapeze to the other. The shortest Koopaling gets the microphone again when there's a lull in the acts. "For the next act, I'll need someone from the audience to assist us!"
Spectators start raising their hands and begging to be chosen.
A spotlight moves over the audience until it settles on…Stevie.
"How about this lovely lady here?!" Lemmy asks the crowd.
Stevie freezes up from this unexpected turn of events. It's only thanks to Wendy nudging her that she even gets up from her seat and starts heading for the stage. The white haired Koopa keeps her eyes on Lemmy so as not to freak out from all the attention the crowd is giving her.
Lemmy takes her hand once she reaches him. "Ma'am? Would you tell everybody what your name is?"
The female Koopa takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Stevie."
"Well, Stevie, my task for you is simple. Just lay on your side on this table."
Seeing a table set down nearby by a group of Boos, Stevie does as asked. Suddenly, there is a purple box surrounding her body. Only her head and her legs stick out from it.
Lemmy holds the microphone away and leans in to whisper to Stevie. "Listen, whatever happens, you won't be hurt."
That one sentence makes the female Koopa start panicking. "What? What do you mean? What are you saying?'
"Calm down. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. Everything'll be okay. Trust me." He turns back to the crowd and speaks into the mic. "Introducing the Great Kameron!"
A Magikoopa appears in a puff of smoke right in front of the box. He gives his scepter a wave, then he taps the box twice with it. Then, the Magikoopa pulls out a large blade and uses it to chop through the box.
Screams fill the room, especially from the Koopalings in the audience.
Lemmy assures the crowd. "She's alright!" He turns to Stevie. "How do you feel?"
The female Koopa has the microphone placed in front of her mouth. "I'm…okay. Didn't feel any pain. Just a slight pressure.
With the audience relieved and reassured, Lemmy continues with the act by signaling the group of four Boos.
The Boos grab the two halves of the box (two Boos to each half) and pull them apart.
Stevie's confuse by the sounds coming from the crowd until the lower half is brought into her line of vision. "What are my legs doing over there?!"
The two halves are placed on opposite sides of the stage.
Lemmy rolls over to Stevie's upper half. "Would you mind moving your legs?"
"How?" asks the female Koopa. "They're all the way over there."
"Just try it."
A Lakitu with a camera goes over to Stevie's legs so they can be shown on screens above the stage for everyone to see. This captures the legs kicking just like Stevie was wanting them to do, causing the audience to clap for the amazing spectacle.
The Boos bring the two halves of the box back together, Lemmy covers them with a large blanket, the Magikoopa taps the covered box halves with his scepter again, then Lemmy removes the blanket to reveal that the box has somehow fused back together.
When the box is opened, Stevie is shown to be in one piece again. She smiles at all of the applause and cheers as she gets up.
"Thank you for the assistance, Stevie," says Lemmy. "Take a bow!"
The female Koopa does as asked before being escorted back to her seat.
The rest of the show goes on without a hitch and the audience leaves feeling satisfied.
After the show, Lemmy has his family and Stevie meet him backstage. They congratulate him on an amazing show while he's all smiles.
"Being part of the show was a little scary, but also lots of fun," says Stevie. "Thank you, Lemmy."
The shortest Koopaling's smile goes away as he gets down from his ball, reminding them all that the top of his hair just barely reaches Stevie's eye level. Lemmy makes a rose appear out of thin air. "Stevie, no one is more aware of how I look than I am. I put on all of these shows to distract myself and others from that. That can't happen with a romantic relationship. So…I'll go ahead and put myself out there by letting you know that I want to date you. I know I'm not very attractive, but I'd do my best to make you happy. Even if you don't choose me, could you at the very least keep this rose?"
Stevie smiles at Lemmy. "Of course." She takes the flower. "By the way, don't you put yourself down so much. You're a really cute guy."
That makes Lemmy blush.
"I'll have an answer before I leave."
"Great." Lemmy gets back onto his ball. "I'm going to see Kamek." He rolls away.
Off to the side, Bowser smirks at BJ. "Think it's safe to say I'll be winning this one."
The young prince crosses his arms. "I still think she won't choose anyone."
"Come on. Each of the guys has their charms. I'm sure someone'll win her over."
"Her own kindness works against that. Stevie will think rejecting any of them to be cruel and choosing one to be mean spirited towards the rest. She'll likely stress over it and try to leave without an answer to escape that whole situation."
Bowser doesn't like how disturbingly likely that outcome is, but he chooses to stick to his bet.
AN: Uh oh. Is BJ right? Would Stevie go through with bailing out? Find out next time in the final chapter!