Chapter 24 It's Over

Ludwig pressed his lips firmly together as he looked down at the sheet of notes on his lap. He concentrated on them, so hard in fact that he squinted. B flat, middle C… hmm, what would go good in this next spot? Ludwig wanted something that would deliver a dismal yet soothing sound. So… low E? That could work. Oh, but now he realized he should probably switch to a minor cord…

He shook his head and erased one of the notes, thankful that he had switched to using pencils recently. He hummed the melody to himself, concentrating hard on it so that he could determine its quality. It sounded… off. Weird, this didn't usually happen when writing symphonies. He tried humming a different selection of notes. When he didn't find satisfaction with that, he switched to a minor cord, just like he had told himself he should probably do. He cringed upon hearing it; it sounded wrong! Nothing about the piece flowed, nothing about it was pleasing to the ears! Ludwig might as well be two years old all over again, banging on his toy xylophone and creating a messy cacophony!

Ludwig's heart hurt when he had that thought. He glanced over at the toy xylophone, still situated right on his nightstand. He stared at it for a while despite the fact that he had told himself that wasn't the best idea. Even still, he couldn't take his eyes off of it. It represented everything good and bad, right and wrong. It told of a love that was never meant to be, a relationship that had been destined to end in nothing more than a tragedy.

Oh man, was Ludwig crying? He put his hands up to his eyes… yep. Yep, he was crying. He shook his head, drying the tears as he did. There was no point in getting himself all up into a tizzy like this. What's done was done. It had been three days since he had last spoken to Aria. With all that time that had passed, Ludwig should've realized by now that thinking about her wasn't a good idea. In fact, he did realize that. The only reason why he was thinking about her now… well, he didn't really know the reason. All the more reason why he might as well bury his sorrows and focus solely on the song he wanted to write.

So, he shook his head and picked the song back up. He hummed the melody again, holding on the low E note for a long time. It… it still didn't sound right. It didn't matter what notes he experimented with, nothing sounded right. Nothing made sense. Nothing ever made sense anymore…

Ludwig sighed and put the note sheet to the side, putting his face in his hands as he did. "This shouldn't be this hard," he said out loud. "I've literally been writing music my whole life; why is it so hard to write it now?" He shook his head and allowed his body to collapse back onto his bed. "I hate this. I hate…" he sniffled again, despite his best efforts. "I hate everything. Nothing makes sense anymore…" Seriously. It had been three days; why hadn't he gotten over it? Well, he knew why, but… why? Why did moving on and forgetting about the past have to be so hard for him? He had asked himself that question time and time again over the years, but he never managed to come up with an answer. It was just… frustrating.

Right at that moment, the door to the bedroom opened. Ludwig looked up and saw Lemmy, coming in with a furrowed brow and a plate in his hands. Ludwig sighed when he saw him. It's not like he didn't like seeing him, but right now, he wasn't particularly fond of interacting with people. He just wanted to be alone. Indefinitely. Forever…

"Hey," Lemmy said as he closed the door. He walked over to the bed, his steps softer and less energetic than they usually were. "How you holding up?"

"Fine, just fine."

Lemmy's nose wrinkled up. He stole a glance at the note sheet that Ludwig had put on his bedside table. His eyes remained locked on it, no doubt noticing all the scribbling and erasing Ludwig had done on it. He turned back to his brother, his brow more furrowed than before.

"When was the last time you ate anything?"

Ludwig snorted. "I don't need to eat." It was at that moment that his stomach growled, causing his face to grow warm. He sat up. "Okay, okay, I guess eating something wouldn't hurt." He looked down at Lemmy's plate, which had a sandwich resting on top of it. "What's this concoction you brought me?"

Lemmy smiled. "Peanut butter and tomato sandwich."

Ludwig did a double take. "Wait, you seriously like that?" When Lemmy nodded, Ludwig shook his head. "Man. I thought you were joking when you mentioned it to me and Aria, but…" he snickered. "Damn Lemmy, you are weird!"

Lemmy giggled. "You're just figuring this out now?" He handed Ludwig the plate. "Just try it; I promise it'll be worth your while."

Ludwig sniffed, hesitantly taking the plate. He picked up the sandwich and took a careful bite. After swallowing, he blinked. "Huh. It's not bad. I actually kind of like it." He chuckled. "Which unfortunately means that I must be weird too."

"That's okay." Lemmy grinned. "At least we can be weird together."

Ludwig snorted. "Yep." He chuckled. "Two weirdos are certainly better than one."

Lemmy chuckled. There was a silence for a tiny spell, one only broken every so often by the sound of Ludwig chewing. Once he finished his sandwich, Ludwig wiped his mouth and gave the plate back to his brother.

"Not bad Lems. Not bad at all."

"Good," Lemmy said. He wore a concerned expression, one that gave away what he planned on saying next. Ludwig braced himself for it, for the hurt that would come to him when both the event and the girl were mentioned. Thankfully, he never heard that. Wendy came into the room, interrupting the comforting before it had even started.

"Hey Lemmy. Hey Ludwig," Wendy said as she closed the door.

Ludwig gave her a look. "I'm sorry, but have you ever heard of knocking before?"

"Yeah," Lemmy said, although he sounded less aggravated than his older brother. "This room is our private sanctuary. The least one can do is let us know that they plan on visiting."

Wendy's face turned scarlet. "Sorry! Sorry, I just… sorry." She cleared her throat, adjusting the blue bow on her head that went with her jean jacket and periwinkle short skirt. "I'll be more considerate next time."

Ludwig nodded. Wendy took a step closer to him specifically, wearing a smile that made him curious beyond anything else. "Why are you here; is something wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong!" Wendy beamed. "I was just wondering. Aria was such a great girl; I was wondering if you could invite her to the castle again!" He grinning face grew more shiny, her eyes more sparkly. "I would love to be friends with her. That would just be… oh, it would just be a dream come true!"

Ludwig's heart sank. He exchanged a look with Lemmy, quietly bemoaning the fact that he had failed to tell anyone aside from Lemonade about what had gone down with Aria three days prior. He stayed mostly silent for a good few minutes, something that caused Wendy's face to fall.

"Is… is everything okay?"

Ludwig cringed before shaking his head. "Afraid not." He felt water building up in his eyes, a fact he tried to hide from his sister and brother. "Um… Aria and I…" The water in his eyes increased in amount, making trying not to cry an even harder task. "Aria and I…" his breath caught in his throat. His tongue felt paralyzed.

Thankfully, Lemmy was there to act as a rescue. "Ludwig and Aria aren't seeing each other anymore."

Wendy's eyes grew wide. "What?" Her voice was despondent, disbelieving, and actually a little hurt. "Why not? She seemed like such a good girlfriend!"

Ludwig groaned and rolled his eyes. "I already told you; she wasn't my girlfriend." Ludwig sniffled. He wiped his eyes, thankfully preventing the tears from falling and covering his bedsheets. "We were just friends." He sunk into the bed a little. "And unfortunately, our friendship wasn't really one that was destined to last."

Wendy tilted her head slightly to the left. "Why not?"

"Uh…" Ludwig tried to grapple the words. Lemmy was about to speak up, but Ludwig gestured to him that he wanted to be the one to explain the circumstances. "She… she grew up in Frostwall."

Wendy's eyes grew wide. "Frostwall? You mean… that Frostwall?"

"Yes," Ludwig said, his voice threatening to break. "That Frostwall." He sniffled again. "Because of this… well, I had to tell her about what I did. And by telling her…" He hung his head. "I pretty much killed our friendship."

"Ohhh…" Wendy's voice trailed off. She stepped closer to Ludwig's bed. "I'm so sorry." She sounded like she meant it too, like the fact that a gorgeous and kind girl such as Aria leaving Ludwig was the greatest tragedy in the history of the Koopa Kingdom. "Do you want a hug?"

Ludwig thought about this before nodding. "W…wouldn't hurt." He leaned into Wendy's embrace, which he thankfully noted was tight without being suffocating. He sniffled again, telling himself that he shouldn't cry. He was stronger than this. Sure, it hurt, but crying about it would just make him seem weak. No. He shouldn't cry. He shouldn't…

"I just want you to know Ludwig," Wendy said, her voice low. "You are not a bad guy." She patted him on the shell. "You were never a bad guy."

Ludwig paused for a second, letting that statement sink in. When it did, a tear fell out of his eye. Oh, how he wished he could believe that. How he wished that he could hold his head high and look at himself through the same lens that his family viewed him through. It would be so much easier, less heartbreaking.

"Th…thank you Wendy." Ludwig returned her pat on the shell before pulling away and drying his eyes. "I'm glad you think about me in that way." He sighed. "Won't make revealing to the others what happened with Aria any easier…"

Wendy frowned and exchanged a look with Lemmy, but didn't say anything. Ludwig continued drying his eyes, feeling embarrassed over them seeing him like this.

"Would you like to take a walk?" Lemmy finally asked.

Ludwig thought about this, realizing that he hadn't really been out of his room a whole lot over the past few days. Sure, he had gone down to the dining hall for meals (not so much to eat, but rather because appearing for meals was a formality in the Koopa family) and had stepped out to scold Larry and Roy for playing catch in the hallway. But those too times were more than a little inconsequential.

"Sure."

The other two Koopalings smiled before leading Ludwig out. Now that he was on his feet and walking around, he noticed how bright it was. It seemed to him that the Dark Lands couldn't really be called the Dark Lands anymore, all because the volcanoes that had spewed smog all throughout the sky had all gone quiet. He appreciated this; it was a pattern that he hoped beyond hope would continue into the far future. If his days couldn't be brightened in a figurative sense, he at least wanted them to be brightened in a literal sense.

"Man, is it nice," he said as he walked by one of the windows.

"It is," Wendy agreed. She looked toward one of the windows. "We should probably get some fresh air in here too. Might make you feel better."

Ludwig nodded, agreeing with every bone in his body. He went up to one of the windows, lifting the glass and taking in a deep breath. The Koopa Kingdom stunk of sulfur, but Ludwig didn't mind. He had gotten used to that scent, and even if he hadn't, it was far less empowering than it usually was. Again, the lack of erupting volcanoes had certainly done wonders for the Koopa Kingdom.

"You know," Lemmy said after Ludwig had released his deep breath. "Maybe we should do something as a family sometime in the future!" He grinned. "I heard that there's a fair going on in the Genrica area, with roller coasters and everything! I think it would be the perfect place for us to go!"

"Hmm," Ludwig said. "That could be fun." Of course, he was only saying that because, due to having the ability to fly, amusement park rides didn't intimidate him as much as they should. As a consequence, part of the "thrill" that came from riding those thrill rides was kind of lost on him. Oh sure, it was still enjoyable, but it wasn't as frightening to him as it would be to someone without superpowers.

As if to prove his point, Wendy made a face. "Oh, don't even mention roller coasters." She trembled. "Those are the absolute worst! I would take a kick in the teeth and a black eye from Mario before even daring to get on one of those death traps again."

Lemmy chukled. "Death traps, huh?" He giggled. "You know, that is such a perfect name for a roller coaster that I'm surprised I've never run across one before!"

Wendy shook her head. "You're missing the point Lems. I don't want to go to the fair! We can go anywhere else; just not a fair."

Ludwig chuckled. He was about to say that there were more facets to a fair than the thrill rides, like the animals and the food and such. However, before he could, something caught his attention. To be more specific, he heard a sound. He blinked, not sure if he was hearing this properly.

"Guys, do you hear that?"

Wendy and Lemmy paused. After a minute, they nodded.

"Yeah, I do," Lemmy said.

"It kind of sounds like…singing," Wendy said.

Ludwig looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. He immediately realized it was coming from outside the open window. He looked through it only to receive the shock of his life.

"No way." He blinked multiple times, unsure if this was actually happening. "It's Aria!"

Wendy and Lemmy gasped. "Aria?" They both went up to the window, crowding around Ludwig. Their jaws dropped when they saw her down on the ground, singing "Bonding With Love and Excitement" at the top of her lungs.

"My heart is yearning for us to just stop with this charade!" She sand the verse all by herself. "And to soak up the beauty of this moment we made!"

The Koopalings all did multiple double takes. "I… Ludwig, I thought you said telling her about Frostwall was the death of your friendship!" Wendy exclaimed.

"I… I thought it was." Ludwig looked at her down through the window before shaking his head. "This is weird; I'm going to find out why she's here."

With that, he flew out of the window and descended down.

…

On some level, Aria couldn't fully believing she was doing this. Standing outside of Ludwig's window, singing up to him a song that many people had called heavily romantic… it just seemed unreal. Especially when she considered what Ludwig had told her earlier, as well as how said news made her feel.

But… she didn't know. Doing this felt… right. It was like this was supposed to happen, that the fates had personally stitched together the very fabric of this event. This feeling only became more prevalent within her when she saw Ludwig floating down to her from the window. She smiled when she saw him and began to sing louder.

"My heart flutters…. When I look at you…. I cannot deny that which I know to be true!"

The closer he got toward her, the more clearly Aria was able to see Ludwig's face. Similar to how she felt when Ludwig told her about Frostwall's destruction, shock was the most prevalent emotion in his expression. This just made her smile more. She continued singing, knowing that she had him hooked.

"There is an open secret that's involving you and me." She grinned the biggest of all grins. "I love you now, can't you see!" She sang that part loudest of all, hoping that it could accurately convey what was in her heart. She couldn't believe that she had been advised to listen to said heart, but at this moment, she didn't care about that. She just cared about Ludwig, and was exuberant at the prospect of being close to him again after the three day absence. She just grew more excited as he got closer, closer, and closer still. By the time his feet touched the ground, her giddiness was off the charts. She sang the next few verses with gusto as she approached him.

"I just can't let this end." She took a step toward him. "I don't know how or when. But we will soon meet again." She stopped right in front of him. "Oh yes, we will meet again…"

With that, she wrapped him in a hug. Ludwig let out a noticeable gasp when she did, one that was somehow louder than the instrumental version of "Bonding with Love and Excitement" playing on her portable stereo. She squeezed him extra tight. She even felt some tears fall from her eyes as she did.

"Aria…" Ludwig said. "What… what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you." She squeezed extra hard before letting him go and looking into his flabbergasted face. "And ask you out on a date."

Ludwig's jaw dropped. "A date?"

"Or an outing, if that's the word you prefer." She giggled. "There's a fair in Generica. I wanted to know if you would go with me to it."

Ludwig's jaw remained dropped. He didn't move or speak for the better part of twenty seconds. When he finally did, his voice was filled with shock and his body language conveyed a confused type of excitement.

"Uh… sure. If that's what you want."

"Perfect!" Aria went over and turned off her stereo. She smiled at Ludwig as she put it in her hammerspace. "Well, come on!" She gestured for him to follow her. "Don't want to be late!"