Chapter 10 Out Sneaking the Sneaky

Ludwig graced the hallways of the castle silently so that he did not disturb the guards and servants on the night shift. By this point, his power suppressor was obnoxiously distracting. Iggy had made it so that Ludwig could express his emotions freely without his pyrokinetic powers interfering. When worn under the proper circumstances, Ludwig felt free. But now he felt like he was in a shell, so to speak.

And it was a shell that desperately needed to be removed. Ludwig wanted to blow these alternate versions of the Koopalings to kingdom come so badly. If he had access to his powers, then he would not have to worry about the threats that they were making. He wouldn't have to worry about the fact that Kootie Pie was stealing Wendy's jewelry. He wouldn't have to worry about the fact that Kooky was now sleeping in his bed, with his interdimensional ray gun hiding in Ludwig and Lemmy's closet.

Hmm. Perhaps the Koopalings could do something if they got hold of the gun? Yes, yes! That seemed like a good idea! If he had the gun, Ludwig had no doubt that he could figure out how to use it. While he wasn't as much of a science geek as Iggy was, Ludwig did have some expertise in the field. If he could reverse the gun's polarity, then he could send Bully, Kootie Pie, Cheatsy, and the aggravating Kooky back home! Or even better, he could find a way to get Lemmy, Morton, and Iggy back!

With this thought in mind, Ludwig turned on his heel and headed back toward the east wing. He didn't get very far though, as he accidentally bumped into...someone. Ludwig wasn't entirely sure who it was in the dark. Terrified, Ludwig backed up and switched on the light of the lamp resting on one of the side tables. Thankfully, it was just Larry.

"Larry?" Ludwig whispered. "You couldn't sleep?"

"Of course not!" Larry whispered back. "There's a psycho in my room! I cannot sleep with a psycho in my room!"

"Oh, I hear you, bud," Ludwig said.

"So do I," came a voice from behind.

Ludwig almost screamed. The only reason he didn't was because he was consciously putting in the effort not to. He turned in a panic, and to his relief, he saw his sister.

"Wendy," he said. "Thank goodness. I thought you were…"

"Kootie Pie?" she asked. Ludwig nodded while Larry stood up.

"Okay, we have got to do something about those creeps," Larry said. "They have been nothing but a nuisance ever since they arrived!"

"Exactly!" said Wendy. "I mean, what could of person steals your jewelry right in front of your face?"

Ludwig nodded his head. He could not agree more; the alternate versions of the Koopalings were more annoying than a case of head lice.

"No one with dignity, that is for sure." Ludwig felt a spark of fury ignite in his mind. He looked back and forth between his brother and his sister. They both looked exhausted from the events that unfolded during the day, and they also looked determined to get rid of the interdimensional double infestation. "But don't worry guys. I think I have a plan."

"You do?" Larry asked in interest.

"What is it?" said Wendy.

"I'll tell you in a minute," Ludwig said. "But first, we need to go get Roy."

Wendy and Larry nodded. With Larry at the front of the train, the three Koopalings made their way up the east wing staircase into Roy's bedroom. When they got there, they could see Bully snoozing on top of the bed. His snores made Ludwig think of a whale that had a sore throat. He glanced around the room, but did not see Roy anywhere.

"Roy?" he whispered into the darkness. Suddenly, Ludwig heard shuffling coming from underneath Roy's bed. Ludwig, Larry, and Wendy glanced over and saw Roy's head poking out.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"What are you doing?" Larry asked in confusion.

"What's it look like I'm doing?"

"Hiding under your bed?" Wendy responded. Roy scoffed.

"No." Then he shrugged. "Well, yeah, pretty much."

With an expert sweep of motion, Roy got out from underneath his bed without disturbing his look alike resting on top. He stood up, looking interested.

"So, what's up?"

"Ludwig has a plan to send the interdimensional doubles back home," said Wendy.

"Oh, sweet!" said Roy. "That means that I'll get my pillow back!"

"Your pillow?" asked Larry. "What about the rest of your bed?"

"Pfft. Who needs a bed when you got a sweet pillow like mine? Besides, beds are evil. Why else would the monsters always hide under them?"

Ludwig stared at Roy in bafflement.

"Uhh...okay then. Anyway, I think that we should discuss the plan in the throne room."

"Good idea," said Roy with a grin. "We wouldn't want the monster under the bed to come out and eat us."

Larry gawked.

"Roy, you were literally just under the...ohh, never mind."

So, the four Koopalings went to the throne room. Once they were situated, Ludwig put on an authoritative face. If there were anytime that his leadership skills would come into use, it would be now.

"Okay," he said. "The plan is simple. Kooky used a gun to travel back and forth between dimensions. So all we have to do to send our interdimensional doubles back is get the gun out of my closet. Once it is in our possession, I'll do some tinkering with it to reverse the polarity. Once that is done, we are as good as golden."

"Wait, hold up one second," Larry said. "Kooky put the gun in your closet?"

"Yep," Ludwig said with a nod. Larry snickered.

"Man. For someone who invented an interdimensional ray gun, he is not very bright."

"Or hygienic," Wendy said with a wrinkled up snout. "I mean, have you seen his hair?"

Ludwig felt a shudder run down his spine.

"I try not to," he said. Then he turned toward Roy. "Okay Roy, now listen to me and listen to me good. I will be responsible for getting the gun. Your job is to stand guard outside my door and make sure that nothing goes wrong. Can you do that for me?"

Roy nodded.

"You can count on me," he said.

"Wait, what about us?" Larry asked.

"You guys' job is the most important. If something goes wrong, then you need to get as far away from the castle as possible and find help. I don't care what form it comes in; just get as much help as you can as quickly as you can. Got it?"

Wendy and Larry both nodded. Ludwig took a deep breath and stood up to his full five foot two.

"Okay guys. Let's go."