Chapter 5 Something More

"She looked just like Aria?"

Ludwig nodded. He stood in front of all his siblings as they sat down in various parts of the common room. When he had revealed to them the existence of Jackie, all of them had looked at him in shock and awe. Well, all of them except for Lemmy, as he had already known about Jackie. Even still, he looked supremely delighted to hear about her and the fact that she was dating Bob.

"Yeah," Ludwig said in response to Wendy's question. "It was so strange!" He smiled. "Weirdly awesome, but still strange."

"I'll say!" Iggy exclaimed. He leaned forward, adjusting his glasses as he looked at Ludwig with the most inquisitive type of look. "The odds of a doppelganger like this showing up are slim to none!"

Ludwig nodded again. He could tell that the others were still having some trouble wrapping their heads around this, and he didn't blame them. In his own experience, it felt too… alien to believe that it was real. As he had said earlier, it was weirdly strange. It still made him do a double take as he imagined Aria and Jackie, side by side and sharing so many traits that one could feasibly think that one was the other's reflection in the mirror.

"That is true, Iggster." He snorted. "I guess that makes the fact that it happened - with Bob and I being around to observe it - all the more incredible."

The signals of a smile slowly formed on Iggy's face. "Indeed."

From his spot in the chair in front of the TV, Larry let out a laugh. "I would certainly agree with that!" He readjusted his position and smiled at his oldest brother, the mischievous twinkle that one usually associated with him appearing as prevalent as ever in his eyes. "Imagine; when you break up with Aria, you'll be able to go to Jackie and start up a relationship with her! Nothing will be lost on your end!"

Ludwig snorted. "Yeah, I highly doubt I'm going to do that." He gave his light-blue-haired brother a look. "And what do you mean 'when' I break up with Aria?"

Larry froze. If Ludwig were to wager a guess, based on the way he refused to make eye contact with anyone, he would bet that Larry was feeling extra squirmy on the inside. "Uh… when? I didn't say when; you're in crazy town right now!" He sunk a little bit into the chair, sporting a red complexion that gave away how embarrassed he really was.

Ludwig decided to spare him the looks of scrutiny and turned his head back toward his other siblings. "Anyway…'' he smiled again. "I'm thinking about going on another double date with Bob and Jackie sometime soon. And if not a double date, then certainly a regular visit." He chuckled. "I may or may not take Aria with me."

"Oh, you should definitely take Aria with you!" Roy exclaimed, rising out of his own chair with a grin the size of World 5. "It'd be a crime to not let her see her doopleyganging!"

Wendy snorted. "It's 'doppelganger' big guy."

Roy flushed. "Right. Right, doppelganger. That's… that's what I meant." He lowered himself back into his chair, now being the second Koopaling in the room to possess a red face.

"Ooh!" Lemmy exclaimed, distracting from the awkwardness that the shades-wearing Koopaling was no doubt experiencing. "Maybe you could take us with you sometime!" The rainbow-haired Koopaling giggled. "I know I would want to see two girls who look exactly alike interacting with each other."

"Yeah," Morton chimed in, for once deciding that he didn't want to be silent. The dark-skinned Koopaling looked at his oldest brother with intrigue showing through on his normally stoic face. "Or, at the very least, I would suggest getting some sort of photo." He smirked. "Although, it's possible one could assume a photo is photoshopped, so…" he laughed, the sound a rare treat from him. "Yeah, might want to have us see her in person. If for no other reason than to show you are being as genuine as possible."

Ludwig snorted. "Cause, you know, being genuine is so rare with me that you need visual proof that I am." He shook his head, all while smiling. "Well, I'll figure something out." Right as he said that he yawned. It was the kind of yawn that made the entire body buckle, the kind of yawn that could pop the jaw and/or permanently alter the shape of the mouth. "Oh, man…" Ludwig giggled. "I guess hanging out with your clone and two identical girls is a lot more exhausting than it looks. I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight." He turned toward the door. "Have a good night, guys."

"Good night, Ludwig," Wendy said.

"I'm sure I'll join you in a little bit," Lemmy said.

Ludwig nodded, all while donning a smile. With that, he made his way out of the common room.

Ludwig stirred, feeling the returning senses that usually came when someone awoke from a deep slumber. He reasoned that it must be the morning, as not only did it make sense, but it also felt to him like he had gotten a full night's rest. He could run a mile, he could carry the weight of half a town on his back and not worry about dropping dead. Yeah, it really did feel like he had gotten the longest, most rejuvenating rest that a koopa could possibly get. There was no doubt in his mind that it was the early hours of the morning.

Thus, when he opened his eyes, surprise struck him. It was dark, much darker than the witching hour. Ludwig did double take after double take, feeling confusion settle in. He looked over at his alarm clock resting on his bedside table, doing a third double take (wouldn't that be a sixth take?) when he read the time. Two thirty. In the morning. The oldest Koopaling's eyes grew wide before disappointment and frustration set in upon his soul. Oh, happy happy joy joy. Not only did waking up at such an early time mean that he had to wait for a few hours before he could officially get up, but it also meant something else. Something far more sour and far less pleasant. That being, that Ludwig wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. This wasn't the first time he had ever woken up earlier than he should, so he knew from experience that sleep was that one animal that he wouldn't be able to catch. The Zs weren't catchable, the dreams he could potentially have had no way of actually being unlocked and accessed.

With that, he groaned. He pulled the covers up over him, all while bemoaning everything. I guess this is my punishment for deciding to go to bed earlier, He didn't even bother closing his eyes, for his attempt at trying to sleep wouldn't hold any results. A fact that annoyed him, especially seeing how his powers responded negatively to sleep deprivation. So, this left him with nothing to do except staring up at the ceiling and counting the seconds. Maybe if he did that, the impossible would become possible. Maybe if he did that, he would feel the pull of tiredness, and be dragged back into the lovely world of the dreamscape. He of course knew that wouldn't happen, but he could dream (no pun intended).

With this thought in mind, Ludwig groaned and shook his head. He turned over on his right side, figuring that, if he couldn't sleep, he should at the very least adjust his position so he was as comfortable as possible.

And that's when he screamed. He actually jumped back despite the fact that he wasn't standing. In a rush of fright, he telekinetically turned on his nightside lamp.

There was Iggy, adjusting his eyes because of the new light (and also possibly because he hadn't blinked in a while). As he did this, Ludwig stared at his brother's face with annoyance. Not shock or fear, just annoyance.

"Iggy!" He exclaimed. He gave his brother the glare to end all glares as his fingers started to smoke. "What the fuck are you doing in here?"

Iggy chuckled as he rubbed his eyes. "I have something important that I wish to relay to you."

"And you couldn't wait until morning? You had to take time out of your life to scare and creep me out?" He shook his head. "Why am I even asking that; I already know that the answer is yes."

At that moment, Lemmy stirred from across the room. He sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes and clearly wishing that there wasn't so much distracting and loud noise in the room. "Ludwig? What's going on?"

"Iggy decided to sneak into our room and watch me sleep!"

Lemmy groaned. "Again?" He shook his head. "Iggy, I thought you decided to stop doing that after Roy accidentally punched you in the snout?'

Iggy rubbed his nose. "Yes yes, that was quite painful." He stood up to his full height, practically towering over Ludwig now. "However, I have been thinking about something. This something has garnered my utmost attention, and as a consequence gave me trouble actually trying to go back to sleep." He grinned at Ludwig, the expression half sheepish, half excited. "I just could not wait till morning to ask it."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "So your solution was to be the creepiest creep in the kingdom?" He shook his head. "Smart Iggy. Real smart."

Iggy's face fell. "Hey! If you were in my shoes, you would probably do the same thing!"

Ludwig groaned, both because he most certainly wouldn't, and because that statement wasn't even close to resembling the apology that Iggy very clearly owed him in this scenario. He shook his head, debating whether or not he should turn the light back off and do his best to go back to sleep.

However, he didn't. He immediately realized that Iggy wouldn't leave until he had accomplished his goal. So, with the most annoyed mood on this side of Sarasaland, he turned and looked Iggy right in the eye. "So… what is this 'something' that has been plaguing you?"

Iggy chuckled and sat back down. "I have been considering the resemblance between Jackie Sidestep and Aria Shellcreep." He looked at Ludwig with a serious expression to end all serious expressions. "Like I said in the common room, the likelihood of this happening is slim to none. As such I cannot help but feel as if this is not a coincidence. There is something more to this."

Ludwig blinked. Lemmy got out of bed and came over to Ludwig's, clearly feeling intrigued by what Iggy was saying too.

"What do you mean, Iggy?" Lemmy asked. "How can it not be a coincidence?"

Iggy let out a breath. "I have a hunch that Aria and Jackie might share some genetic similarities."

Ludwig blinked. "So… you think they're related?"

"It only makes sense," Iggy said. He put his nail to his lips and bit down on it. "Of course, I am uncertain how they might be related. My hunch is that they might be cousins of some kind."

Ludwig thought about this. That… that could be possible. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more likely he found the possibility. And, like Iggy before him, he actually wanted to find out if it was the case. So much so that one could argue that he needed to find out.

"Okay…" Ludwig said, drawing back into his head.

"That would be pretty neat," Lemmy said. "I mean… it's no excuse to watch Ludwig while he sleeps, but it is certainly an interesting thing to think about." He smiled. "Wouldn't that be something? Aria and Jackie being long lost relatives… oh, imagine how excited the girls would be if they found out that was the case!"

Iggy beamed as well. "Exactly my thought process." He looked back at Ludwig. "So, as you can imagine, this is an answer that I wish to seek out an answer to." He leaned closer. "And you, Mr. Ludwig von Koopa, are going to help me."

Ludwig frowned. "Whatever you say, your majesty." He rubbed his tired eyes. "So, how exactly am I going to help you?"

"Simple," Iggy said. "I need you to obtain a DNA sample from Aria. I also need you to get Bob to obtain a sample from Jackie. Once I have those two things in my possession, I will take over from there."

Ludwig yawned. "Okay. I can do that." He pulled his blanket back up to his neck. After a minute of feeling Iggy's eyes boring into him, he groaned and looked back at his younger brother. "I'm not going to do it now!"

Iggy turned crimson. "Oh. Right, right." He started making his way toward the door. "Well, I suppose I can wait until the morning. Have… have a good rest of the night, dear brothers."

With that, he exited and closed the door. Ludwig exchanged a look with Lemmy before shaking his head, turning off the light, and getting back into the sleep position. He knew he wasn't going to go back to sleep though, and this time, it wasn't just because of him already being awake. The possibility that Iggy presented stood out in his mind, so much so that he could actually see why Iggy had trouble sleeping because of it.

Yes. There had to be something more to this. There just had to be.