Saturday Night Ludwig

by Alexneushoorn

It's Saturday Night Ludwig, the hottest new talk show on television in the Mushroom World! Being filmed in the glamorous Mushroom City, Ludwig von Koopa will receive various guests talking about various topics as well as various musicians giving musical performances. Join Ludwig and the other Koopalings as they try to handle the show as best as they can. (Updated every Saturday!)

1. Episode 1

A shot of the bustling metropolis of Mushroom City at night was shown as it zoomed in on a roof terrace where a tv show appeared to be hosted. "It's Saturday Night Ludwig, with your host, Ludwig von Koopa!" An announcer announced as the camera zoomed in on Ludwig von Koopa, the eldest of the seven Koopalings was sitting in a brown leather chair wearing a red tie.

The blue haired Koopaling smiled and waved at the camera. "Hello, hello! I'm so glad you could all make it for the very first episode of my new tv show, Saturday Night Ludwig, and Grambi Bless You!" Ludwig enthausiastically told the audience.

"Grambi Bless You!" The audience replied to him.

"I love you, Ludwig!" A female audience member called to Ludwig.

"Oh, I love you too! I do, I do, I do! Oh, my! So, tonight we have quite a program lined up! Tonight, we will be talking to the Angry Video Game Nerd about the Atari SwordQuest competition of the 1980s, we will be talking to Koops, who's gonna be running for mayor of the little town of Petalburg, and we will be getting an acoustic live performance from Trent, a former reality tv star from the Total Drama series! I hope you're looking just as forward to the show as I am!" Ludwig told the audience.

"Alright, Ludwig! Are you ready to announce your first guest?" Ludwig's younger brother, Lemmy Koopa asked as he was sitting on his yellow circus ball with stars on it.

"I am, Lemmy! So here comes our first guest of the night! He's gonna take us back to the past, to 1982 and 1983 to be precise. He's going to be talking to us about what could've been the greatest gaming event in history, the Atari SwordQuest competition. He's the angriest gamer you've ever heard. He's the Angry Nintendo Nerd. He's the Angry Atari Sega Nerd. He's the one, the only Angry Video Game Nerd!" Ludwig announced as the Angry Video Game Nerd entered from the left side of the stage and sat down in a brown leather chair in front of Ludwig. The Nerd was wearing his usual white button up shirt along with a black tie, a pair of black dress pants and black dress shoes.

"Nerd, welcome to the show!" Ludwig told the Nerd.

"Yeah, hi, Ludwig." The Nerd told Ludwig.

"So, you wanted to discuss the Atari SwordQuest competition with us all, correct?" Ludwig asked the Nerd.

"Correct. Are you ready for the story?" The Nerd asked Ludwig and the audience.

"I believe we are. Go ahead and tell it." Ludwig replied.

"Alright, here goes..." The Nerd said before clearing his throat. "Once upon a time, video games were more than games. They were adventures. I'm talking about the SwordQuest games for the Atari 2600. They were based on the four ancient elements of the cosmos. SwordQuest: Earthworld, Fireworld, Waterworld, we're not talking about the Kevin Costner movie, and at last, there was going to be Airworld. In these games, the player navigates through a series of mystical chambers in search of hidden treasures. But you weren't just playing a game, you were on a real adventure, searching for real treasures. Atari was giving away prizes, and we're not talking about cheap plastic little things that you get from a McDonald's Happy Meal. No, Ludwig. This was real stuff. Here's how it worked."

"This sounds interesting so far..." Ludwig muttered.

"First, you had to buy the games, which all came out one at a time. If you became an Atari Club member, they'd mail you a t-shirt along with the games as soon as they were released. Not to mention, each game came with a poster and a DC comic book. The games were all about finding clues. So you'd write down all the clues and send them to Atari. The gamers who found the most would go to Atari headquarters to compete in the finals. Here, they had custom made versions of the games that players had 90 minutes to finish. Whoever finished first would win the prize." The Nerd continued to tell Ludwig and the audience.

"Please tell us about the prizes, Nerd..." Ludwig pleaded as the audience called out "Yes!" in agreement.

"Alright. The winner of Earthworld got a talisman made of 18-carat solid gold studded with 12 diamonds and the birthstones of the 12 Zodiac signs. The winner of Fireworld got a chalice made of platinum and gold studded with diamonds, rubies, sapphires, pearls and green jade. The winner of Waterworld would get a crown made of gold decorated with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and aquamarines. The winner of Airworld would get a Philosopher's Stone: A large piece of white jade encased in an 18-carat gold box endorned with emeralds, rubies and diamonds. Damn." The Nerd explained as Ludwig and the audience gasped in shock.

"No way..." Ludwig muttered.

"According to Atari's advertisement campaign, these prizes were each valued at $25.000. But that wasn't all. The four winners would come back for one final competition, and the winner of that would win a jewel encrusted sword with an 18-carat gold handle and a silver blade covered in diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies. The sword was valued at $50.000. In total, that was $150.000 worth of treasure, and this was in 1982 and '83, so you could balance that out." The Nerd continued to explain as Ludwig and the audience gasped in shock once more.

Ludwig's jaw had dropped in shock. "Not since the medieval times have I heard of a treasure quest of this magnitude, Nerd!" He told the Nerd.

The Nerd smiled and nodded. "Yep. It got you really excited to play the games, so that's what I call a promotion. You'd be wearing your SwordQuest t-shirt, with your comic books and posters, drinking out of your gold chalice with your crown, Philosopher's Stone and sword, and not to mention, your SwordQuest video gaming cartridges, exclusive from Atari." He replied before the smile faded from his face.

"Well, too bad the contest is all over now." Ludwig sighed.

"Yeah, so there's not much worth playing these games today. If you were to pick up one of these games right now with no instruction manual and no explanation, you wouldn't have any idea what to do. Care if I give you a demonstration of the games?" The Nerd asked Ludwig.

"Sure thing, Nerd. Wendy, sis?! Could you be so kind to bring us an Atari 2600 to play on?!" Ludwig called.

Soon after, Ludwig's younger sister Wendy O. Koopa came onto the stage dressed in a blue dress with blue pumps and a blue bow on her head, pushing a cart with an Atari 2600 on it. "Here you go, big brother. Enjoy." Wendy smiled before walking off the stage again.

"Alright, let's get this Atari 2600 hooked up and play some SwordQuest!" The Nerd grinned before him and Ludwig began hooking up the Atari 2600 to the tv screen that was standing behind them. Then, once the console was hooked up, the Nerd put the SwordQuest: Earthworld cartridge into the Atari 2600 and booted up the game.

"Alright, as you can see and hear, every time you go to the next room, it sounds like an explosion." The Nerd explained as him and Ludwig went to the next room.

"Yeah, I can see that." Ludwig nodded.

"That's what's so great about Atari: Something as simple as going through a door is an event." The Nerd replied as him and Ludwig continued going from room to room. "Every room is a different color, and there's no end. It just keeps going and going." The Nerd continued to explain before he showed the instruction manual of the game to Ludwig.

"If you look at the manual, you'll see that every room represents a sign of the Zodiac, and if you keep moving, you'll come around full circle. But there's only so many colors, so it's easy to confuse Aries with Libra, or Capricorn with Leo." The Nerd explained further.

"This sounds really cool." Ludwig nodded. Him and the Nerd then played some of the action sequences in SwordQuest: Earthworld.

"Every room has a hidden chamber where you find treasures, but sometimes before you get to the treasure, you have to walk through a nuclear waterfall or jump on laser rafts. With these kind of games, you have to use a lot of imagination." The Nerd told Ludwig.

"I can see that." Ludwig replied to him.

"When you get to a treasure chamber, you can pick up items or drop them. By putting the right combination of items in a certain room, you'll trigger a clue." The Nerd said as him and Ludwig went to the next room, and a clue was displayed on the screen: "16:4."

"Whoa..." Ludwig muttered before thinking. "Now what could that mean..." He wondered.

"Well, when these clues display on the screen, you go to the comic book and go to Page 16 and look at Panel 4." The Nerd told Ludwig as he grabbed the SwordQuest: Earthworld comic book, flipping to Page 16 and showing Panel 4, revealing a hidden word in the panel.

"Wow!" Ludwig exclaimed as the audience gasped. Ludwig then wrote down the clue as him and the Nerd continued to play the game and found the other hidden words. Eventually, they had found and written down 10 words.

"There's 10 hidden words, and they're supposed to make a sentence. But 5 of them are bogus. The only way to figure out which were the right words was to find a subliminal hint on the first page." The Nerd explained as he showed Ludwig the first page of the comic book. "The words "prime" and "number" were in a different color than the rest, so this meant that you only use the words that are prime numbers." He continued as Ludwig nodded and began to strike through the words that weren't prime numbers.

"Let me tell you, Ludwig: In 1982, people had a lot of time on hands and a lot of creativity to figure this out. Out of 5000 entries, only 8 gamers got the right sentence. The winner was 20 year old Steven Bell." The Nerd explained.

"Good work, man." Ludwig remarked as the audience nodded in agreement. Next, Ludwig and the Nerd were playing SwordQuest: Fireworld.

"The second game, Fireworld was basically the same concept, only this time, the rooms were laid out to follow the Tree of Life. The only part that was very different from the first game were the action sequences." The Nerd told Ludwig as they were playing through the action sequences.

"What are we doing here? Hitting birds with a pole? Throwing knifes? And now we're actually steering knifes into what looks like a...turkey club sandwich?" Ludwig questioned. "And in this one, it looks like we're controlling a black eagle and shooting bullets at snakes!"

The Nerd nodded. "Yep. All with glorious Atari sound effects." He replied as Atari 2600 sound effects played while they played. "I think that this game was a little easier than Earthworld, because this time, over 50 gamers found all the clues. So Atari had some sort of tie breaker where they made everyone write down what they liked about the game." He then explained to Ludwig.

"Okay, so you just wrote down what you liked about the game and then mailed it to Atari?" Ludwig asked.

"Pretty much." The Nerd replied. "And somehow, based on those answers, they narrowed it down to 50 contestants. Michael Rideout was the final winner and received the gold chalice." He continued.

"Again, good work, man." Ludwig remarked.

Next, Ludwig and the Nerd were playing SwordQuest: Waterworld. "The third game, Waterworld was when the shit hit the fan. The infamous Video Game Crash of 1983 was taking effect, and Waterworld was released in a limited quantity, making this an extremely rare game." The Nerd told Ludwig as they played.

"I see..." Ludwig nodded.

"The game only had 7 rooms, significantly less compared to the other games. This time, it was based on the Chakra structure." The Nerd explained as him and Ludwig began playing some action sequences. "Appropriately, the action sequences all had something to do with water. Either you're trying to swim around sharks, dodge squids or hop on icebergs." He continued.

"Yeah...What about the contest for this game? Did it get affected by the Video Game Crash?" Ludwig asked the Nerd.

"The contest never happened. Atari's financial problems led them to sell the company and pull the plug on the whole thing. The fourth game, Airworld, is just what it is: Air. It never got made, but a prototype has been rumored and even hoaxed." The Nerd told him.

"Awwww..." Ludwig and the audience groaned in disappointment. Soon, the Atari 2600 had been turned off and taken away by Wendy again.

"It's a very sad end to what could've been the greatest gaming event in history..." The Nerd frowned.

"Yeah...I mean, an adventure series with games based off mythology? That came with comic books? And a chance to win real treasures? And then it all vanished..." Ludwig sighed.

"Yeah...Anyway, the biggest mystery of all is what happened to the remaining treasures. Eyewitness accounts and pictures proved that they all existed, because they were on display during the competition." The Nerd told Ludwig.

"Yeah, but where are they now?" Ludwig asked.

"I don't know. I've been asking that myself. The man who bought Atari was a man named Jack Tramiel. Some comments online from people in the business have said that they've seen the sword hanging in Tramiel's living room. There aren't any pictures or hard evidence to support this, but if he does have the sword, it's most likely that he has the crown and the Philosopher's Stone as well." The Nerd told Ludwig.

"Well, somebody's gotta find out. The real SwordQuest is the quest for that sword and the other treasures. They belong in the hands of gamers who earned them." Ludwig told the Nerd.

"I totally agree with you, Ludwig. Everyone who put those games in their Ataris had a chance of winning. It was something to dream about. But that dream has been thrown down the toilet. It's nearly 40 years later, but I say the contest must go on. Finish the last game. You can't have Earth, Fire and Water without Air. The balance of the cosmos must be restored, the true bearer of that sword must be found. The Kingdom of Nerddom depends on it." The Nerd told Ludwig.

Ludwig nodded in agreement. "Well, with that out of the way, I think it's time for us to wrap up this interview. Thank you, Nerd, for joining us here tonight and sharing your knowledge of the Atari SwordQuest competition with us." He told the Nerd with a smile.

The Nerd smiled back and nodded. "Anytime, Ludwig. Game on, and have a great night." He told the blue haired Koopaling before getting up and walking off the stage the way he came and the audience applauded.

"What a man. I admire his knowledge of video games." Ludwig remarked with a smile before turning back to the camera. "Anyway, let's move on with the show! It's time for our next guest! He was once a shy and nervous citizen of the quaint little town of Petalburg, but after going on a journey with the legendary Super Mario, he's found courage and inner strength! And if things go well, he might just end up becoming Petalburg's next mayor! Give it up for Koops!" Ludwig announced as Koops entered from the left side of the stage and sat down in the brown leather chair in front of Ludwig. Koops was wearing a dark gray short sleeved dress shirt with a dark gray waistcoat over it and a red bowtie.

"Grambi Bless You, Ludwig. Thanks for having me on your show." Koops told Ludwig with a smile.

"Anytime, Koops. So, you're planning on running for mayor of Petalburg, right?" Ludwig asked Koops with a smile.

"Yes, I am. Mayor Kroop is stepping down as mayor, and therefore I'm going to be running for mayor against William Shroomner." Koops explained to him.

"Alright. So, can you tell us about a few things you're going to change about Petalburg once you're elected as their mayor?" Ludwig curiously asked Koops.

"Well, I'm planning on providing a more bustling economy in Petalburg. I've seen plenty of opportunities for a better economy in the town, and I had the idea that if shopkeepers start charging more for their wares, but pay out more for the wares they buy from the townspeople, it's a win win situation for the town's economy." Koops explained to Ludwig.

Ludwig nodded. "That does sound really good. Is there anything you're going to be changing about the town's environment once you're elected?" He then asked Koops.

"The environment in Petalburg is already doing well, but it could be doing even better, so I am definitely going to do my part in keeping Petalburg free of weeds and trash. I'll make sure that the naughty little sprouts and the garbage won't be around Petalburg any longer once elected. You have my word, Petalburg." Koops said with a kind smile as the audience applauded.

"Alright, you've already got some big plans for when you get elected." Ludwig said with a smile.

"Yes, I do. I'm planning on giving the children of Petalburg the best possible education they can get, I'm planning on providing tourists that come to Petalburg the best possible experience they can get in the town, the whole package. But in order to make real any of those things, I'll have to get elected first." Koops told him.

Ludwig nodded. "Well, I'm sure that you've won over quite some voters in Petalburg by telling me this on my show." He told Koops with a reassuring smile.

Koops smiled back and nodded. "I'm sure I have." He replied.

"Yeah. And aside from your upcoming career as a politician, you've also been doing well in the love, I've heard. You've recently married your long time girlfriend, Koopie Koo according to the Petal Meadows Times." Ludwig said as he was reading Petal Meadows' local newspaper, the Petal Meadows Times.

Koops smiled and nodded. "Yes, I have. We got married last month, and we went on a honeymoon to Isle Delfino for a month right afterwards. We had ourselves a whale of a time on Isle Delfino, but I admit that we both had a bit of trouble getting used to the normal life again afterwards." He admitted as he rubbed the back of his head for a bit with a chuckle.

Ludwig chuckled as well. "Don't worry about it, Koops. Every newlywed couple has that problem, it's nothing to be ashamed of." He assured the Koopa politician.

Koops smiled at that. "I'm glad to hear that. Well, I hope that I win the election, but if I don't, I'm happy for William Shroomner, and I'll wish him a good first term as mayor of Petalburg if he gets elected instead." He told Ludwig.

Ludwig smiled back at that. "You're showing some good sportsmanship here, Koops. That's something every politician should have. We're looking forward to the elections in Petalburg, and we're hoping you win." He replied.

Koops smiled and nodded. "Alright. Again, thanks for having me, Ludwig. Have a nice night." He told Ludwig before getting up from his chair and walking off the stage the way he came.

"What a kind and gentle Koopa he is. There should be more Koopas like him in the world." Ludwig smiled before turning back to the audience. "Anyway, it's time for our musical performance of the night! He first rose to stardom by competing on the reality show Total Drama Island, and then returned to compete one last time on Total Drama Action before making his final appearance as a guest on Total Drama: World Tour. He's currently making it big as a musician, and he's here with us tonight to sing a song from his newest album, Ontario In The Moonshine! Give it up for Trent!" Ludwig announced as Trent walked onto the stage with his guitar and sat down on a stool. Trent was wearing a white t-shirt underneath a stonewashed black denim jacket along with stonewashed black jeans and some white trainers.

"Hey, Ludwig. Thanks for having me on your show tonight, and I'm happy to sing a new song from my new album here tonight." Trent told Ludwig with a smile.

"Anytime, Trent. Now, what song are you gonna to be singing for us tonight?" Ludwig asked Trent.

"Well, it's a song called Vancouver Road. Are you ready for it?" Trent asked Ludwig and the audience before the audience began cheering and applauding.

"Well, I'd say we're ready. Take it away, Trent." Ludwig told Trent with a smile.

"Alright, here goes..." Trent took a deep breath before he began strumming his guitar.

"I was going down the Vancouver Road. Driving for a place to go.

That's when I met you, on the side of the road. You too were looking for a place to go.

But your car tire was flat, and it had broken your soul. But don't worry, 'cause I'll take you to a place we can go.

Down the Vancouver Road, the lights will lead the way.

And we'll live to see another day.

Down the Vancouver Road, and we don't care what others say.

As we were going down the Vancouver Road, you told me what you were going through.

Your boyfriend had recently died, and the sorrow tried to get to you.

So you got on the road, trying to escape the pain.

But now that we have met each other, that pain will be leaving like a midnight train.

Down the Vancouver Road, the lights will lead the way.

And we'll live to see another day.

Down the Vancouver Road, and we don't care what others say."

Trent hummed and strummed his guitar before finishing the song as Ludwig and the audience applauded for the song. "Awwww, Trent...That was such a beautiful song..." Ludwig smiled with tears in his eyes.

Trent smiled at that. "Thanks, Ludwig. I'm glad you and the audience liked it." He said.

"Anytime, Trent. Anytime, anytime, anytime. And with that, we've gotten to the end of the very first episode of Saturday Night Ludwig! I hope you will tune in again next Saturday, where we'll have new guests and a new musical performance! Until next time, buh-bye!" Ludwig smiled with a parting wave as the episode ended.

"This was Saturday Night Ludwig, with your host, Ludwig von Koopa." The announcer signed off.