So, after having to deal with studying for finals, doing said finals, preparing for my big brother's graduation, and finally attending the graduation ceremony, summer has officially started. You know what that means? It means more time for me to WRITE WRITE WRITE! Did I mention write? No? Well I can write.
Okay, I admit; I spent the first week of summer vacation lying around doing nothing. Give me a break; it was the first week of summer! I think I deserved some lazy time.

Okay, enough stalling. I give you chapter 10.

Disclaimer: If I owned them, the Koopalings would still be Bowser's kids. They'd also be playable in spin-offs. Can you imagine Bowser's whole family as a baseball team? Crap, I'm stalling again.

Chapter 10: Useless to You

"Hello?"

Lemmy's small voice echoed through the charred canyon. Fog filled the air around him.

"Can anyone hear me? Hello!" he called out.

Again, the only response was his own squeaky voice, bouncing off the rock walls. The stone seemed to mock him as he wandered aimlessly, towering over his tiny form. He was like a rat in a maze. And all alone.

How did I get here, anyway? When did I get here? The last thing I remember is… is… Lemmy furrowed his brow. He couldn't remember. Why couldn't he remember?

He called out again, "Anybody? Hello! Where am I?"

Lemmy was trying hard not to panic. He had no idea where he was.

"I just wanna go home," he whimpered.

Lemmy shivered as a breeze rushed through the canyon.

"I wish one of the others was here. I'd feel a lot better if someone was with me."

Another cold draft came through. But this time it carried something.

"Leeeeemmmyyyyyy…" came a voice, carried on the breeze.

"Huh?" Lemmy turned towards the voice. "Is someone there? Hello?"

"Leeeeemmmyyyyy…" the mystery voice called again.

Whoever it was, their voice sounded warm and inviting. And mysteriously familiar. Lemmy followed the direction the voice came from, despite a sudden feeling in his gut to turn around and flee in the other direction. After what felt like a mile, Lemmy once again heard his name called.

"Leeeeemmmyyyyyy…"

But no one appeared.

Lemmy started getting annoyed. "This isn't funny anymore!" he yelled. "Who are you? Where are you?"

"Leeeeemmmyyyyy…"

Lemmy yelped and spun around when the voice came from behind him. Through the fog he could see a silhouette of someone, or something. It was tall, slender, but bulky in the torso. A shell, maybe? On top was a plume of what was possibly hair.

That looks like… "Iggy?" Lemmy hoped.

Almost as if in response, the fog cleared slightly, but not completely. It was enough, though, that Lemmy could see that it was, in fact, his brother Ignatius.

"Iggy!" Lemmy sighed in relief. "Boy, am I glad to see you. Are the others here, too?"

Iggy just smiled maniacally and barked a laugh. Then he turned around and ran off into the fog. Lemmy quickly started following, albeit at a much slower pace, walking as fast as he could.

"Iggy, wait!" he called after his brother. "Slow down! You know I can't run!"

Iggy didn't seem to here. Lemmy soon lost sight of him.

"Iggy!"

Just like earlier, the only response Lemmy got was a series of echoes. He sunk to the ground in disbelief. He was alone. Again.

Suddenly he heard a scream of terror.

"IGGY!" Lemmy took off again in his brother's direction.

This time Lemmy ran. His weak legs screamed in protest, but he ignored them. He had to get to Iggy! Unfortunately, they gave out beneath him almost immediately. Lemmy yelped as he fell to the ground, landing flat on his face. Tears pricked his eyes as he brought a hand to his freshly injured snout. He quickly disregarded it, however. He had more important things to worry about. Lemmy tried pushing himself up, but he found his strength gone.

"Iggy…" he moaned.

He tried pushing himself up again, but with no success.

"Come on. Come on," he coaxed his arms. He tried again.

Same result.

Lemmy growled, "Get up, you pathetic excuse for a Dragon-Koopa!" His voice seemed off, but he didn't notice.

Slowly, but surely, Lemmy pushed himself up.

Only to find a hand on his carapace shove him back down.

"Wha—?" Lemmy was cut off as his jaw hit the solid granite beneath it. That stung. By the stars, did it sting.

Lemmy opened his eyes from flinching. His leveled eye met the terrified blue orbs of another. Iggy.

Immediately, Lemmy's big-brother instincts took over. "Don't worry, Iggs," Lemmy tried pushing himself up, "I'm gonna get you out of here."

A dark, amused chuckle escaped whoever was holding him down, causing Lemmy's attention to shift. "Don't make promises you can't keep, little one," it teased as the thick fog lifted.

It. That's all Lemmy could make of the voice. It sounded to be a mixture of hundreds of voices, male and female alike.

Iggy screeched. Lemmy redirected his attention to the bespectacled Koopa. Lemmy gasped when a shadowy hand materialized on top of his brother's green head. No doubt it belonged to their captor. The shape looked vaguely like a Dragon-Koopa's hand.

"Your brother has so many incredible thoughts and ideas running through his head," the voice cooed. Its hand scratched Iggy's head softly, causing him to whimper. "I wouldn't mind taking a few for myself. Say, maybe, all of them? Of course, doing so would break his mind completely. He'll live. He'll just be unresponsive. A vegetable, you could say." A downright sadistic, twisted laugh came from the thing as Lemmy froze at the thought of his precious brother's beautiful mind being completely shattered. "It certainly would fit his hairstyle, wouldn't you agree?"

"No…"

"But I digress, I see it as a small price to pay."

"No…"

"I mean, his mind is already partially broken. What's the rest of it?"

"That was my fault…" Lemmy whimpered. "I was too weak to save him."

"And you're too weak now," the accusation was hissed into his ear coldly, sending shivers down the Koopaling's spine. "Face it, how could you, a puny, useless Koopa, ever expect to protect your family. You can't fight. You can barely walk. You don't see what's right in front of you. Your dear, dear brother deserves better." The hand tightened its grip on Iggy's skull and a black aura surrounded it. "Which is why I'm giving him the mercy of never processing your presence again."

Iggy shrieked as the black aura envelope him.

"NO!" Lemmy screamed in horror. He tried to scramble to his brother, but the monster kept him on the ground.

Soon the aura around Iggy subsided, as did his scream. The hand on his head was gone. And the weight on Lemmy's shell. But Lemmy couldn't move. He was frozen at the sight before him.

Iggy's eyes were blank. They held no fire. No light. He was gone.

"Thanks for the brainpower. I really appreciate it," the voice couldn't depart without one last taunt.

Lemmy sobbed.

Suddenly there was a rumble. The entire canyon shook violently. Cracks formed on every stone surface. The chasm walls crumbled, as did the ground beneath Lemmy and Iggy.

But Lemmy took no notice. All he knew was the brother that he was too weak to save.

The entire canyon fragmented and fell away, giving way to a yawning black void below.

Lemmy didn't even cry out as he plunged into the darkness.

Aaaaand END CHAPTER.

Well? What did you think?

Have a nice rest of the day! (lasts until midnight)