Chapter 13 Deciding What's Right

Celia stared at Roy, all while the Koopaling kept a smile on his face and his eyes locked on her. She didn't move, didn't speak, didn't do anything. The silence was strong, almost enough to make Roy worry that he had gone deaf.

"Um…" Celia directed her gaze down toward her salmon, which made Roy's face fall a little bit.

"Or, if you don't like that idea, it doesn't have to be fully human. You could be turned fully Koopa instead. Kamek would be able to do both."

"I… I see." She started picking at her food with her fork. "I just… I don't… why would…" She sunk into her chair, her form going stiff. If someone were to enter the room without any context, they'd probably think that she was sick to her stomach based on her expression. A fact that actually made Roy feel a little guilty.

"Sorry! Sorry, I don't mean to upset you." He paused. "I really like you as you are, Cee. The fact that you are one of the only human-koopa hybrids in history to survive as long as you had is really something special. Don't misunderstand my intentions; you are very unique, and I appreciate that a lot."

Celia blinked. She raised her head, looking at Roy with wide eyes. Roy smiled again, now not feeling nearly as guilty.

"So no, I'm not suggesting this because I don't like what you currently are. I was thinking along the lines of 'it would make life easier for you. You wouldn't get nearly as many people giving you unnecessary flack or acting like the worst scum in the world around you.'" He leaned forward, still wearing the smile. "You get what I'm saying?"

Celia's form loosened up a little bit. "I… I do…" she sat for a little bit, opening her mouth as if to say something. Roy leaned forward a little bit, feeling the suspense. "It's…" Celia picked up her drink and took a sip of that. "It's not a terrible idea."

Roy's spirits soared. "Well, that's good. I'll take it." He took another delicious bite of his burger. "It could probably give you more opportunities in life."

"Probably…" Celia looked into Roy's eyes, now looking ultra curious. "Would you like it? If I decided to change my appearance like that?"

Roy took another bite. "Hmm…" he put the burger down and took a long sip of his beverage. "Um… I don't know. Like I said, I like you a lot just the way you are."

Celia snorted. "So, you decided to suggest a course of action that not even you are thrilled with?"

"Well… well, yes. Technically, I am not. But… but I'm more so thinking about the good it could do for you." He smiled, his heartbeat escalating. "Think of it, Celia. No more people looking at you strangely. No more nasty comments made behind your back. No more feeling like an outcast in the world that you live in. It would be such a good thing, don't you think?"

Celia stayed quiet as she looked off into the corner. Roy could see her eyes twinkling, and a smile slowly but surely appeared on her face. "That would be nice…" she paused. She looked down at her hand, all while wearing the least certain expression Roy had ever seen from her. "But… would it be worth it? I wouldn't just be changing my appearance. I'd… I'd be changing my whole identity." She looked back at Roy. "I don't know if I should do it." She smiled again. "But… oh, all those things you mentioned would be really nice to experience…" she thought about this some more before groaning and putting her head in her hands. "Oh, I don't know what I should do!"

Roy leaned back a little bit. "Well, why don't you take time to think about it? Whichever you choose, I'll support you either way. So, might as well take the time to think about which would feel most right for you."

Celia bit her lip, not moving for about thirty seconds, before finally nodding. "Okay." She picked her fork back up. "I'll… I'll think about it."

Roy smiled, and together, they ate the rest of their dinner in peace.

…

Ludwig sat on a couch in Peach's Castle with a book in hand, in a way not too dissimilar to what he has done back when he had been in Bowser's Castle. He buried his nose into the book, admittedly feeling pretty satisfied with it so far. It was about this Toad Warrior who fought in the Koopa Mushroom War. It wasn't based on a true story, instead falling under the umbrella of historical fiction. Even still, it was quite a fascinating experience. For pretty much his whole life, Ludwig had been reading books about the Koopa Kingdom's perspective of the War, whether it be textbooks or other historical fiction books like this one. Seeing the other side of the story was pretty different and doubly interesting.

In fact, that statement could probably be applied to this whole experience. While he hadn't seen a ton of the Mushroom Kingdom before the Mario brothers went to fetch him and the other Koopalings, what he had seen was eye opening. When Toads weren't busy running around in fear around koopas, they just seemed so… normal. And sure, that was to be expected, but actually getting to see this? Getting to experience the normalcy that the Mushroom Kingdom tended to live in? It played with Ludwig's heart. It made him think about everything from a new perspective, one where he questioned everything that he had previously known about the Mushroom Kingdom and its residents.

He turned another page of the book with this point sticking clear in his mind. He read through a section where the Toad Warrior fought a dragon koopa, paying close attention to the word choice. More often than not, the word "evil" showed up when referring to the koopa. The Warrior, despite all of his bravery from before, also looked upon the koopa with fear. Based on the wording, Ludwig had a feeling that they would run for their life if given the opportunity, as it seemed that the Toad didn't think he stood a chance against the might of such a strong a race as a koopa.

Was this how Toads usually thought? Were they afraid of the Koopas in the Koopa Kingdom? Did they think of them as evil?

Did they even know any better than to think like this?

Right as Ludwig was about to delve into a very serious round of introspection and contemplation, the door opened. He lifted his head, blinking when he saw who had come into the room. "Haven't seen you in a while."

Wendy chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about that." She ran her hand through her golden hair, seemingly taking great pleasure in this simple action. "I was very busy." Her face fell. "I hope I didn't make you worry too much."

"Oh no, you didn't." He snorted as he looked back down at the book. "You probably gave Mario an aneurysm though. He was really up in our tailpipes about leaving the castle without his knowledge."

Wendy delved into a laughing fit. "I haven't even considered that! It does make sense though."

"Yeah." Ludwig squinted at his book. "I think it'd be safe to air on the side of caution right now. Don't want to get on Mario's bad side."

Wendy snickered. "Wait, you mean we've been on his good side this whole time? How come nobody told me!"

"You know what I mean!" Ludwig said as he turned the page.

"Yeah," Wendy said with a nod. There was a silence for a little bit before Wendy let out a breath. "Oh man." She put her hand up to her forehead, once again touching her hair. "That does throw a rocky wrench in my plans for tomorrow."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow, his curiosity strong enough to make him close the book. "What plans? What exactly have you been doing when you were away from us?"

Wendy seized up. "Um… well…" she did the "so-so" sign, looking like she was about to pussyfoot around the issue here (which was something that Ludwig wouldn't appreciate if that were to happen). Thankfully, she delved into the topic of discussion without much hesitation. "I've sort of made a friend."

Ludwig's eyes grew wide. "What?" He sat up. "How? How could you make a friend with a Mushroomer?"

Wendy chuckled. "It just… sort of happened. I decided to take Iggy's advice and try to actually befriend a few Toads now that I've been given the opportunity. And… well, I was lucky enough to run into Toadette in the aquarium." Her eyes sparkled. "You should've seen her Ludwig; she was so nice! I never really thought twice about her when I met her at the Mario Kart Tournament, but she is such a sweet girl. I told her that I was new to Toad Town…"

Ludwig laughed. "That's an interesting way to present the truth," he interrupted.

Wendy's face turned red. "Well… yeah, it is." She shook her head. "Anyway, that's neither here nor there. The point is that she offered to give me a tour of Toad Town!" She actually squeed, hurting Ludwig's ears as well as making him question everything. "I think that a nice friendship is bound to come out of this! And if there is… oh Mama Mia, that would just be incredible!"

Ludwig hesitated. "Wendy…" Wendy Wendy Wendy, why in the world did she have to be this way? "I… I'm happy for you, first off."

Wendy's face fell. "But?"

Ludwig bit his lip. "But… I think you need to be careful." He looked back at her. "I don't want you to come out of this situation feeling hurt."

"Hurt?" Wendy asked with a blink. "Why would I get hurt?"

"Because Toadette is a Mushroomer. You? You're a Koopa. You may look different, but you are still a Koopa through and through. And… well, as unfortunate as it is, Toads have certain reservations and viewpoints when it comes to our kind." He snuck a glance at his book resting on the couch's arm before continuing. "Things might be good now, sure. But what do you think would happen if she found out about who you really are?"

Wendy hesitated. "Well… if it's that much of an issue, I might not tell her about who I really am…"

"So you're going to lie to her?"

Wendy cringed. "Well… um, I mean, uh…" she scratched the back of her head. "Yes, if you look at it that way. But… it'll be fine. If I have to lie… well, then I have to lie."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. "And you think that's a good idea?" He adjusted his position in the chair. "Wouldn't that hurt her if she were to find out the truth through another way? And how could you really call her a true friend if you keep lying to her face like that?"

"Uh…" Wendy stood completely still, her form as rigid as it could possibly be. She fidgeted with her fingers, looking trapped between things to say. "I… I…" Eventually, she sighed. "I don't know."

"Yeah, exactly; you don't," Ludwig said. He shrugged. "So, I don't know, Wendy. If you feel that interested in being friends with Toadette, then you have a lot of things to think about and a lot of decisions you need to make." He was just about to pick the book back up when Wendy spoke back up.

"True. But… Ludwig, you've gotta understand that I have no ill intentions…."

"That's good. That's amazing even!" He looked at her with one of the most serious faces ever. "But good intentions or not, you'd still be doing something wrong."

Wendy paused. "I'd… I'd be doing it for the right reason. Wouldn't that make it not the wrong thing to do?"

Ludwig snickered, on some level in a state of disbelief over what he was hearing. "I…" he shook his head, delving into a laughing fit. "Man, you are certainly Bowser's daughter; that much is for certain!" He laughed until he couldn't laugh anymore, despite the despondent look his sister gave him. "But... if that's what you want to believe, then more power to you." He picked his book back up. "Just be careful when interacting with Toadette, okay?"

Wendy let out a breath and smiled. "Thanks, Lutz."

"Of course." Ludwig had just opened his book back up to the place he had left off when a Green Toad, more than likely a servant of Peach's, came into the room.

"Uh, Miss Wendy? Mister Ludwig? The Princess requests that you and your siblings join her and the Mario brothers in the dining room. She… she wishes to have a banquet with you guys."

Ludwig blinked. He exchanged a surprised look with Wendy before looking back at the Toad. "Uh… okay then!" He put the book down for the last time and stood back up. "We'd… we'd be happy to have a banquet with her."