Chapter 11 Lightning Strike, Thunder Clap

The evening sun cast a warm, orange glow over the entirety of the Koopa Kingdom. In Ludwig's opinion, this orange was much more visually appealing than the ever threatening glow of orange lava. He marveled at it as he flew west toward Thwompville. Under normal circumstances, he would be worried about how he was going to get into the snobby, pretentious gated community that was that town. Fortunately, that wasn't that big of a worry in his mind; he reasoned that he could just fly into it. After all, it's not like the place was enclosed in a force field dome. No. that worry wasn't on his mind at all. However, what did occupy his mind was a Goliath of a worry, one that had been at the back of his mind for the last two days. Sure, there had been some points where it wasn't as worrisome as it was now, as just living life did provide Ludwig with an adequate distraction. Unfortunately, as he flew toward his meeting with Aria, he had no choice but to think about it.

He could already imagine Aria's face when he would tell her the news. It was going to ruin their evening; there wasn't a doubt in his mind about that. It was going to turn a potentially fun event into a horrible memory that would stick in Aria's mind for all eternity. This made Ludwig's stomach squirm. He had already messed up big time when it came to this young woman; he didn't want to leave her to grapple with the horrible information Ludwig had been burdened with for nearly a decade and a half.

But what choice did he have? That question lingered in Ludwig's soul as he approached Thwompville. Really, who was he to say that this information shouldn't be in Aria's hands? Once again, he thought back to how Bowser and Kamek withheld information from him when he was seven. He felt that particular decision had been a horribly wrong choice on their part. To say that this was different would not only be incorrect, but it would also be mightily hypocritical. There were many things that Ludwig was, but hypocrite wasn't one of them.

So really, he had no choice. He supposed he should've known this day would come. He should've known the second he went back in time and saved Frostwall from destruction that he would be required to share the news with Aria. All the avoiding her that he had done, all those times where he pushed her and her pretty face to the back of his mind…it was all delaying the inevitable. It was kind of funny in a sick and twisted way, where he thought he stood a chance at tempering with the wheels of fate. If anything, the belief that he stood even a sliver of a chance was nothing more than an example of his monstrous hubris.

Maybe telling Aria what he did would be the perfect punishment for harboring an ego.

He continued flying, scanning the town for The World of Thunder Strike. It actually took a while, not only because Ludwig wasn't too terribly familiar with Thwompville's layout, but also because the town itself was huge. It seemed to stretch from one horizon line to the other, like a sea of gray buildings carved in the likeness of the stony monstrosities known as thwomps. At one point, all the buildings blended together in one big, gray blob. Ludwig actually had to stop, catch his breath, and rethink his course of action. He scanned the town, letting out little whimpers as he began to sweat. Seriously, where was this place? Trying to find it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Wait, no; it was more like looking for one very specific needle in a pile of very similar looking needles. It overwhelmed Ludwig; at least the Palace of Spice had enough neon to stick out amongst Sparksville's colors. This place didn't seem to have its own identity in this gray town. Ludwig was already preparing himself to search for hours when…

"Hey, Ludwig!"

Ludwig blinked. He looked directly below him. When he saw Aria, waving at him from down on the ground, he nearly groaned. It was right below him! All he had to do was tilt his head down a little bit. Did the universe just hate him? Between swapping bodies with Lemmy, turning pink because of a messed up magikoopa spell, and this particular incident, it almost seemed like the universe got some real pleasure in his misery and/or him being made the fool.

So, with a long sigh, he descended. He kept his eyes mostly focused on Aria as she waved him downwards. When he landed, he got a glance of both her eyes and her smile; two aspects of her that were sparkly as the stars.

"Hey Aria," he said.

"Hey! I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it."

Ludwig held his hands behind his back. "Oh no. I couldn't miss this." He felt a pang when he said that, and immediately realized that it would be best if he told her as soon as possible. "Listen, Aria, there's something that I…"

"Hey!"

Both Aria and Ludwig turned. Two Koopas, a guy with musty silver hair and a girl with both aquamarine tresses and a fedora, came out of the building. The looked at Aria with a sense of familiarity, one that made Ludwig realize in horror that she and him weren't going to be alone on this particular outing. Sure, being around friends of Aria's had been part of the reason why he agreed to the last outing, as then it didn't feel like the dreaded "D word." But this time? This time, it actually threw a wrench in Ludwig's plans, much to his chagrin.

"Ludwig, these are my friends Sprite…" she gestured toward the guy, who gave him a little wave. "And Glimmer." The girl tipped her hat to him, reminding Ludwig of a gesture with specifically a real world artist that had been called "The King of Pop." Oh, what was his name…?

"Guys, this is Ludwig," Aria said. She looked…wait, proud? Ludwig didn't know if that was the exact emotion she was feeling, but her face made a very strong case in arguing that she felt proud. Whether she was proud of herself for being friends with a prince or pride in him because of his accomplishments, he couldn't say to save his life.

"Nice to meet you, Ludwig." Sprite stepped forward and shook his hand. "I've heard a lot about you over the last two days specifically." He smirked. "You would think that Aria's off button had been removed with how many times she talked about how great you are." This got him a playful smack from the girl in question.

"I've gotta say," Glimmer said as she stepped forward. "You are quite cute. I love what you've decided to do with your hair; it's very regal!"

It took a second for that statement to sink in, as Ludwig was used to his siblings always making fun of his hairdo. When he did realize he was being complimented, however, he felt so happy that he almost rose into the air and shouted at the top of his lungs. It was only thanks to a very potent bout of effort that he managed to control himself.

"Th…thank you!"

Glimmer giggled and looked at Aria. "You need to watch out Ari; I might steal your man when you aren't looking!"

This caused Ludwig's face to grow warm. "I'M NOT HER…!" He stopped, realizing that the loud volume he used on impulse wasn't the best tool to make his case with. He stepped back and cleared his throat. "I'm not her man. We're just friends; that's all we are." He turned his head. "Right, Aria?"

To Ludwig's surprise, she hesitated. She looked into his blue eye with her violet ones, all while an unnamable emotion brewed inside them. Her smile even vanished a little bit, making Ludwig's mind go into overdrive.

"Yes," Aria finally said. "We're just friends."

Glimmer and Sprite nodded, satisfied with that answer. Ludwig, however, still couldn't help but overanalyze Aria's body language. What did that mean? Why had she been so slow to answer what was such a simple question? They were friends! That's what they agreed they were. Their relationship wasn't going to delve into anything deeper than that.

Right?

"Okay then." Glimmer looked at Ludwig with an expression he could only describe as puppy dog eyes. "I guess, since he has no girlfriend, stealing his heart will be much easier than I thought." She winked and got in closer to the Koopaling, her arm pressed against his chest. "Wouldn't you say, Luddy Boy?"

Ludwig squirmed, and not just because of the nickname (he despised it when his siblings used it, and this time was no different). She was way to close to him for comfort. He wouldn't be surprised if Glimmer planned on tackling him to the ground and laying on top of him as "a show of affection." Needless to say, Ludwig wasn't a fan of that prospect; in fact, he would actually kind of prefer the indifference he had seen from Nori at The Palace of Spice.

Thankfully, Sprite was there. "Why don't we go inside?" he asked. This made Glimmer pull away from Ludwig (on some level, Ludwig was surprised he didn't hear the sound velcro makes when its torn apart), and together the four of them went inside. As they walked, Ludwig looked over at Aria. A lump formed in his throat, mostly because his plans were being torn up and being thrown in a fire at this very second. How could he break the news to her with her friends around? He had wanted to have her be alone; it would make things a little less complicated. As is, the thought of her friends being around to overhear Ludwig revealing that he murdered Aria was very unappealing. He debated with himself if he should even reveal this info at all over the course of the evening.

"Have you ever played bowling before Ludwig?" Sprite asked as they went up to the desk to pay the admission fee.

Ludwig did a double take. "Uh, no, I can't say that I have. I think the closest I've ever gotten was playing Wii Sports with my brother."

"Oh. Well, it's really fun," Aria said. "I think you'll enjoy it."

Enjoy it? When and in what universe was Ludwig von Koopa liking sports even remotely plausible? The only two sports he actually appreciated (if one didn't count Mario Kart) were fencing and table tennis. That's it. All other sports were the bane of his existence. Because of this, he had wanted Aria to choose a different place for the outing during their original phone conversation. The only reason why he didn't was because bowling was what Aria wanted, and as previously established, he was going out on these outings for her specifically.

"I…I'm sure I will," he said less than enthusiastically.

With that, the gang went over to put on the shoes that the bowling alley provided for their guests. This particular part of the evening was the first sign to the special that this was going to be less than enjoyable. The shoes stank! It smelled like tufts of wet dog hair had been placed in the soles! Ludwig's nose wrinkled up as he was given his pair; he couldn't even imagine the germs and fungus that made their home in this foul smelling footwear. However, the others put on their shoes without any hesitation, so he supposed he should just suck it up and put his on. And he did. The shoes were actually a little tight; it was almost as if Ludwig's big toe was going to burst out like an alien bursting out of a guy's stomach in a horror movie. Unfortunately, inquiring told him that those were the biggest size that the bowling alley provided, so he had to deal with it. Whoopty doo.

Once their shoes were on, the lot made their way over to the part of the bowling alley that actually had to deal with bowling. The place looked more or less the same as the bowling section of Wii Sports. Bowling balls of various colors were ripe for the taking, and ten pins rested on the pin deck in the infamous position that had given Ludwig so much trouble in that dreaded video game. Ludwig smirked as he looked at them. He almost wanted to use telekinesis to knock the pins on the pin deck parallel to theirs over, if for no other reason than to screw with people. He could already see the confusion on the faces of the other players, as well as some potential fear when they got the idea in their heads that the bowling alley was haunted.

"Watch this, everyone!" Sprite said as he held an orange ball. "I'm going to get a strike!"

"HA!" Glimmer responded. "Don't kid us Sprite; we all know you're going to get a gutter ball!"

Sprite wagged his finger at her as he gave her a playful smirk. "Oh, you're gonna regret those words, Glim. You're about to be proven wrong…right…" he held the arm holding the ball back. "NOW!" He released the ball. For a little bit, it rolled in a straight path down the lane. It looked like he really was going to get a strike when…

"Oh, come on," Sprite groaned as his ball rolled into the gutter. "That's not good."

Glimmer laughed. "What was that about proving me wrong?" This got her a glare and shake of the head from Sprite as she picked up her own purple ball.

Ludwig watched her roll her ball before turning to Aria. "So…this is all there is to bowling?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Aria smiled and congratulated Glimmer for knocking down six out of the ten pins. She turned back to Ludwig as she picked up the next ball. "There's some degree in strategy involved if you want to do the sport professionally…" she snickered as she held her arm back. "However, I'm not really interested in finding out what it is. I'd much rather do this for fun."

Ludwig snorted. "That makes two of us. Well, minus the having fun part."

Aria blinked as she let her ball go. "What do you mean?"

"Ehh…." Ludwig shrugged. "I'm not exactly what you would call a sporty person." He felt a little embarrassed to be admitting this to her, especially seeing how he had agreed to go here because she liked it. At the same time though, he felt as if this needed to be said.

"Oh." Aria did a fist pump when she got a strike. She turned back to him with the playful glint in her eyes that Ludwig noticed in the eyes of all three of them. "Well, you might like this."

Ludwig snorted. "I doubt that. It was a whole heap load of annoying in video game form."

"Well, this isn't video game form." Aria gestured to the blue ball sitting in the dispenser. "Try it; I'm sure you'll appreciate it."

Ludwig sniffed but quickly decided he didn't want to start an argument with her. He reached for the ball, about to put his fingers in the holes when something occurred to him. How many people have used this ball before him? How many little kids put their grubby fingers in the holes? How many adults had touched the bowling ball while their hands were covered in sweat or dirt or motor oil? Did Ludwig really want to touch something that was so germ infested?

Hell no. He had already put his health on the line by putting on the awful shoes. He decided right then and there that he didn't want to risk it any further; there were some times when a koopa had to draw the line. So instead, he picked up the ball telekinetically. He figured that this was the best option; not only did it help him avoid the germs, but it also meant he didn't have to deal with holding twelve pounds of weight in his hands. It was a win-win, especially seeing how Glimmer and Sprite looked pretty impressed as he did this.

So, he stepped forward. He winced at the feel of the shoes biting his feet, but he chose to ignore that. Aria wanted him to give this a try, so darn it, he was going to give this a try! He took a deep breath, focusing on the pins. Wouldn't it be really impressive if he got a strike on his first try? Imagine the bragging rights that would give him around Larry specifically; telling him that he got a perfect score the very first time he ever threw a bowling ball! Sure, Ludwig wasn't a fan of sports by any stretch of the imagination. But when if he could make himself look cool to his younger siblings, then he was going to at least attempt it.

With this thought in mind, he telekinetically let go of the ball and let it roll the lane. He couldn't believe he was admitting this, but watching it make its journey toward the pins was actually kind of suspenseful. His heart rate picked up to an impressive degree, and for what felt like an eternity, he had trouble breathing. He couldn't take his eyes off the ball. He wanted to get a strike; he wanted it so badly!

Unfortunately, he didn't get a strike. He did, however, knock down nine out of the ten pins. That darn last pin; the way it wobbled before righting itself seemed to be done for no other reason than to taunt Ludwig. His heart actually sank when he saw it; he was this close to greatness! He was that close to being dubbed the King of Bowling (at least among the Koopalings)! Why did it hurt so bad? Why was he this invested in seeing whether that one last pin would knock over? He wasn't even one hundred percent sure, but…dang, did it sting!

He turned back to face the group with a pout. "Darn it, I really wanted that strike."

Aria beamed. "You still did good though."

"Yeah!" Glimmer went up, this time putting her hand on his shoulder. "Sure, you didn't get the result you were looking for, but you still did pretty well!" Much to his horror, she planted her face directly onto his chest. "You didn't get a gutter ball; that means you're leagues better than Sprite!"

"Hey!" Sprite protested.

Ludwig tried to nod, but the feel of this girl…this stranger…being so darn close to him was so uncomfortable than it froze his vocal cords. He couldn't even protest; he was that shaken up by it! Thankfully, he was still able to pull away. Once he had gotten himself together, he looked at the disappointed Glimmer with a glare and smoking hands.

"Can you please not do that again?"

Glimmer shrunk back. "Sorry! I just wanted to…sorry."

Ludwig shook his head as Sprite stepped forward. "Let's play a few more rounds." He grinned at Ludwig. "I think we all want to see you get a strike after that."

For the first time in this outing, Ludwig actually smiled back. "That sounds like a challenge. I accept."

The other laughed, and together that delved right back into playing. As they did, Ludwig couldn't help but keep his eyes on Aria. The whole reason why he agreed to this outing in the first place was in the back of his mind, just as aggravating and unavoidable as a little fruit fly buzzing around one's head. Ludwig knew that he still had to tell her.

The question now was…how and when would he be able to do that