Chapter 20 Snowball Fight

The scenery faded and cleared again. Lemmy now saw that they were now back in the main entryway. Aria stood in front of the door putting on her winter clothes, while young Ludwig just stood there. He turned his head back, as if expecting somebody to appear. Sure enough, Smoky came down the hall, carrying a pink pair of snow pants, a pink coat, purple mittens, and a purple scarf while dressed up in his own set of gray winter gear.

Young Ludwig made a face when he saw the gear. "Oh man! Why is all the stuff girly?"

Smoky chuckled. "These are Aria's old clothes. They're too small for her, but I have a feeling that they might be a good fit for you, Ludwig."

Young Ludwig's nose remained wrinkled, and he eyed the clothes with a sideways glance. He looked back over at Aria, opening his mouth as if to say something. However, his words were silenced when he saw her bright, excited face. The miffed expression he wore melted away, and he took the snow gear. Aria giggled as he put it on, but that was probably because she was excited more than actually making fun of him.

Once the gear was all on, young Ludwig looked so cozy that Lemmy actually felt a little jealous. The young special examined his clothes. He rubbed his arms with his mittens, the tiniest traces of a smile appearing on his face. The beginning of a smile only got more pronounced as he wrapped the scarf tighter around his neck, hiding his nose and mouth. He looked up at Smoky, his brow furrowed.

"Th…th…." he groaned and slapped himself across the face, conveying his frustration with his ornery, untamed tongue. "Th…thank you, Smoky. It's…quite warm."

Smoky grinned. "That's good. And with any luck, it's going to continue to provide warmth while you are out in the snow."

"Yeah." Young Ludwig's eyes darted back and forth as he hesitated. "While I'm at it….I supposed I should also thank you for allowing me to use the guest bedroom."

"Of course, Ludwig!" Smoky exclaimed.

"We're happy to do it," said Aria. "It's a good way to help a new friend."

Young Ludwig's posture loosened up a bit. He placed his covered hand on his chest, all while his breathing came out slow, steady, and warm. Lemmy's heart actually melted when he saw that; it was so sweet! It was possible that this was the first time young Ludwig got to experience emotions like this, the welcoming warmth and the kindness that came from friends. Actually, now that Lemmy thought about that, that was more than likely the case. After all, up until the point in time he currently observed, young Ludwig grew up in an environment where people had to get along with him. By law. So, the fact that Aria and Smoky displayed this much generosity and willingness to help, just for the sake of it instead of because Ludwig was royalty…

Well, it was sweet. Sweeter than anything Lemmy had seen in the memories so far.

"Th…thank you," young Ludwig replied, his tone of voice making it obvious that he smiled with his covered up mouth. His face fell as he looked back up at Smoky. "Do you…Smoky, do you think you can help me get into the Grand Library?"

Smoky's face fell. He scratched the back of his head, his mood plummeting like a skydiver. "Um…I can certainly try. I mean, getting a chance to talk to the mayor doesn't come by very often. Especially when you want to talk about getting into the library."

"Well, then tell her that Ludwig von Koopa demands it!" Young Ludwig exclaimed. "She can't turn down a direct order from Koopa Kingdom royalty! It's the law!" Smoky and Aria giggled, causing young Ludwig to blink. "What?"

Aria was the first to get her laughter under control. "I don't know if that's gonna work, Ludwig. I mean, World 3 isn't technically part of the Koopa Kingdom. Therefore, you don't have the same…well, you don't have the same power here as you do back home."

Young Ludwig looked like he was going to scream. He didn't, thankfully, but he got close. "Even still, I am royalty no matter where I go. Paying respect to a prince is something that I'm sure the mayor would feel inclined to do."

Smoky cleared his throat. "That is true. I suppose I could mention that to them." He smiled just as he pulled his scarf over his mouth and nose. "Tell you what, I'll go down to the mayor's office after work. I'll make sure to tell her who you are, and what you set out to do."

"Great!" young Ludwig said. "That's perfect!"

Aria came closer to him. "In the meantime…" she pat him on the shoulder. Young Ludwig didn't look too terribly pleased by the physical contact, but he didn't object to it either. "You and I can go play in the park. My friends are going to be there; we can have a snowball fight!"

Young Ludwig blinked. "Snowball fight…" he cleared his throat. "That, uh…that sound interesting."

"It certainly is." Smoky looked toward the door. "Well, I'm off. Be safe you two."

"Bye, Daddy!" Aria said as Smoky stepped out the door. Once he was gone, she nabbed young Ludwig's hand. "Now, come on, Ludwig! We don't want to be late for the battle of the century!"

She dragged young Ludwig out the door, the tugging so strong and her steps so fast. Young Ludwig barely had enough breath to keep up with her. They ran down the street, Aria laughing with the energy Lemmy had grown to love about little kids. While young Ludwig didn't have the same enthusiasm, he still followed Aria with an intrigued expression. It wasn't until they had walked about half a mile when young Ludwig spoke up.

"Aria! Wait!" Aria pulled to a stop, looking into the face of the grinning Koopaling with wonder. "Why don't you and I fly to the park?"

Aria's eyes grew wide as she gasped. "Y…you can fly?"

"Of course I can!" Young Ludwig grabbed her by the hand. Taking a deep breath, he rose about two feet into the air, with Aria holding his hand while hanging down closer to the ground. Before Lemmy could even get an amused laugh out, young Ludwig zipped forward. The speed at which he flew was so fast that Lemmy and Ludwig had to travel near Ludwig's top speed in order to stay with them. Lemmy noticed Aria squealing, and laughing up a storm as they flew down the streets that she no doubt had memorized. She could barely give young Ludwig directions; her joy was at such a high level. When they finally did get to the park, and young Ludwig set her down on the ground, she shook and giggled.

"That…was…awesome!" She bounced up and down, keeping her eyes on young Ludwig like he was a statue made out of gold. "I can't believe you can do that whenever you want! I mean, I would kill to be able to fly like that!"

Young Ludwig puffed his chest out. "One of the many things that makes me so awesome."

"Hey, Aria!"

Young Ludwig and Aria turned. Aria's face lifted even more when she saw five kids; two goombas, two koopa troopas, and a very pudgy looking dragon koopa. She squeed and went over to them.

"Hey Eris! Hey Butch, Mercy, Lacy, and Don! I'm so happy to see you!"

"I'm glad to see you too!" said one of the goombas, a girl judging by the voice. "We didn't want to start that snowball fight without the entire army present."

"Yeah, that wouldn't be cool," said the Dragon Koopa. "I for one look forward to destroying all my friends on the battlefield. Only destroying some of them wouldn't be nearly as fun."

Aria gave him a smirk. "Yeesh, Don, I think we need to watch you to make sure you don't murder anyone in the future."

Don laughed. "How will you know it's me? I'm a Master of Disguise; I blend in with the shadows like I'm the night itself!"

One of the koopa troopas rolled his eyes. "Sure, Don. You're a sneaky sleuth until your belly sticks out of the shadows and gives you away."

"Hey! I'm not that fat!"

All the other kids laughed, which actually made Lemmy feel bad for Don. Right as they finished, Aria gasped.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" she gestured to the Koopaling who had flown her to the park. "This is Ludwig! He's going to join the battle!"

"Cool!" Don grinned wickedly. "Another enemy. That's going to make me emerging victorious even more satisfying!"

Young Ludwig snickered. "I sincerely doubt it, sicko. I may not have actually participated in any snowball fights before, but I am pretty skilled regardless. I've got so many tricks hiding up my sleeve…you guys are going to be very sorry you ever crossed paths with me!"

"Is that so?" Without any warning, Don threw a snowball, hitting young Ludwig right in the snout. Don threw so fast that he actually knocked Ludwig a few feet back. The disoriented Koopaling who just had his ego ripped to shreds sat up and looked at the other kids in fear.

"BATTLE ROYALE!" one of the goombas said.

"EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF; LAST ONE STANDING WINS!" Don shouted.

When he heard that, Young Ludwig shrieked and bolted away. As he ran, snowballs of all different sizes sailed through the air like a barrage of bullet bills. They left considerable marks on the ground they hit, splattering with such a graphic and chilling sound. Young Ludwig shrieked when one almost hit him. He only barely avoided getting hit by dunking behind a snow bank that the kids had no doubt constructed just for this occasion.

"Drat!" Young Ludwig said. He looked back over the bank, at the snowballs whizzing through the air and the kids running and shrieking like barbarians. "This is ridiculous." He lowered himself back behind the bank. "There's no strategy in this game, no planning in terms of attacks; just koopas bailing on each other and making complete and total fools of themselves!" He put his hand to his chin. "I bet, if I were to actually come up with a plan of attack, I'll be the one who emerges victorious!" He laughed. "That's gonna show Don! I can't wait to see the look on his face when he goes crawling back to his Mom!" He chortled, the sound dark and dangerous. "He's gonna look so pathetic!"

Lemmy blinked and turned toward current Ludwig with his jaw dropped. "Dang. You were savage when you were a kid."

Ludwig nodded. "That…unfortunately, that's true in more ways than one."

Lemmy thought about this line, dwelling on how incredibly sorrowful the tone was as well as how…bizarre the contents of the message itself was. He was just about to ask Ludwig what he meant by that when his attention was drawn back toward young Ludwig. He giggled to himself as he put his hands in the snow, scooping up some snow meshing it together into a ball. Right as he was finished was when Don ran up close to the snow bank, multiple snowballs in his hands.

"Come on out, Ludwig! You'd better be ready to fight, cause I'm gonna destroy you!"

Young Ludwig giggled, the sound laced with a playful form of…it wasn't exactly malice, but there was an evilness to the sound that actually made Lemmy shudder. "Oh, I'm ready, Don," he whispered. "You'd better believe that I'm ready…" He stood up, yelling at the top of his voice. He threw the snowball, no doubt confident that it would send Don back in a similar way to how Don had pushed him back. However, the snowball just bounced against his chest and disintegrated. Don didn't look hurt by it in the slightest; if anything, he looked amused.

"Nice try, Luddy boy." With the speed and force of a machine gun, he fired the snowballs that he held. Young Ludwig shrieked, getting pelted with the frozen projectiles. He just barely managed to escape, but even when he did, his breathing came out at a concerning rate. Lemmy wouldn't be surprised at all if he had bruises lining his body.

"Darn it!" Young Ludwig said when he ducked behind a tree. He rubbed his arms, further confirming to Lemmy that he had garnered some bruises. "I need to find Aria." He looked from side to side before rising up into the air. He found Aria pretty easily with the bird's eye view, and he zipped toward her with a fast pace. He tried to get his breathing under control as they both crouched behind another snow bank, all while a pile of snowballs Aria had formed rested right beside them.

"Ludwig!" Aria said. "You can't use your flying powers; that's cheating!"

"Sorry! Sorry…" Young Ludwig shook his head. "I just…" he paused before letting out a frustrated breath. "I just wanted to find you. Don is an absolute menace!"

"Yeah, he can be tough." She looked back out over the bank. "But the truth is, he's just trying to have fun."

Young Ludwig sighed. "Well, it's not much fun for me."

Aria reached toward her pile and grabbed a snowball, throwing it at one of the koopa troopas. They went down immediately, lying in the snow as if they had been shut with a bullet. Aria turned back to Ludwig once she was sure the koopa troopa wasn't going to stand back up.

"You just need to get your head in the game." She handed him three snowballs. "Tell you what; why don't you and I rush out from the bank? We'll pelt anyone we see with as many snowballs as possible. We won't stop until everyone is down, and you and I are officially the winners of this war."

Young Ludwig made a face. "You guys keep referring to this as a war. It's not; it's just a silly children's game!"

Aria smirked at him. "It's just another way we like to have fun. Helps us take the game more seriously."

"Well, it's stupid is what it is…" Young Ludwig said as he shook his head.

Aria flashed him a look before looking back out over the snowbank. "Okay. Mercy and Butch are coming over." She looked back at her comrade. "We jump out from the bank on three. Alright?" Young Ludwig nodded, causing the grin to return to her face. "Okay. One…two…three!"

Just like they had planned, they jumped out from behind the bank. Yelling at the top of their lungs, they threw the snowballs at a lightning fast speed and sniper-level accuracy. Mercy the goomba and Butch the koopa troopa didn't even have a chance; they went down like soldiers in the bloodiest battle over fought on the planet. Despite his earlier reservations, young Ludwig looked genuinely pleased when his opponents went down."

"Huh. That was pretty cool."

"See! I told you!" Aria smiled at him. "Snowball fights can be entertaining, can't they, your majesty."

Young Ludwig chuckled. "Sure. They're alright." Unbeknownst to him, Don was creeping up behind him. Lemmy's heart pumped when he saw the big boy, grinning as he pursued his one goal of taking Ludwig and Aria down.

Aria, noticing this, gasped. "Ludwig, look out!" She pushed him out of the way just in the nick of time. A snowball hit her square in the chest, causing her to fall to the ground.

Young Ludwig gasped. "Aria!" He got down on his knees and held onto her. "Aria, are you okay?"

Aria opened her eyes slowly, almost as if doing so was a struggle. "Avenge…me," she said in mock show of her life draining away. She allowed her head to collapse onto the ground, sticking her tongue out to further drive the point home that she had fallen in battle.

Don laughed. "Well. Looks like my victory is getting closer and closer." He threw a snowball up into the air, catching it perfectly. "What do you gotta say to that, Luddy?"

Young Ludwig looked between Aria and Don. He tried to look torn up over Aria's "loss," but he couldn't hide the playfulness in his expression.

"I say you're going down, Don!" He reached out his hand, which glowed with the blue aura it usually showed when he used telekinesis. Don watched this in confusion, not even aware of the giant snowball Ludwig formed with the power of his mind. Once the thing was big enough, about the size of a snowman's base, he picked it up into the air and held it over Don't head. The dragon koopa blinked before looking up at it with wide eyes.

"Oh no!" he squeaked.

Young Ludwig let go of the snowball. It collapsed onto Don, crumbling into pieces and knocking the boy to the ground. It took a minute, but he eventually fell on his back, groaning as he did.

This caused young Ludwig to whoop. "WOO-HOO!" He smiled as he picked Aria back up. "Aria, I won! I actually won!"

"Awesome!" Aria said. She grinned as she walked over to Don. "Well Donnie, it looks like you didn't emerge victorious after all."

Don picked himself up, smiling as he wiped snow off of his front. "Eh. There's always next time."

"Yeah there is." Aria held out her hand and helped him to his feet. "Hey, do you guys want to get hot chocolate at Freddie's? I can pay!"

Don licked his lips. "That sounds good."

"Great! Let's get everyone else up!" She turned back to young Ludwig. "You're gonna love Freddie's hot chocolate; it's the best in the world!"

"The best in the world?" Young Ludwig smirked. "I don't know; the chef at Bowser's Castle makes a pretty good cocoa."

Aria snickered. "Oh, it's not as good as Freddie's. I guarantee you."

Young Ludwig laughed as he shrugged. "Oh well. I'll guess I'll just have to wait and see…"