Chapter 2 Accomplishments

"It all comes down to this one kick." Larry's breathing slowed down, and he kept his eyes focused on the goal. Roy stood in front of it, waiting for his brother to move. Larry knew that Roy was willing to defend that goal to the best of his ability, and this fact caused his heart to pump. Roy was already up by one point. That meant that if Larry wanted to win, he had to make this shot. He would make this shot.

So, he broke out into a run with the soccer ball. He squinted at Roy, seeing a huge smile on his face the closer he got. Surely, that displayed confidence! Surely, that meant Roy had a pretty good idea of who was going to come out on top in this whole debacle. Well, Larry had news for him; his predictions were wrong. They were dead wrong, and Larry was going to prove it. He yelled at the top of his voice. He was almost there, almost close enough to kick the ball into the goal…

"AAH!" When he tried to kick the ball, his foot missed. He collapsed onto his back, wincing and groaning as he felt pain spread through his plastron. He stared up into the sky, all while his face grew warm. Embarrassment seeped in, and his face went from warm to hot. The whole moment, with every last horrible emotion entwined with it, sunk in. Larry didn't ever want to get up now.

"Woo, baby! I won!" Roy exclaimed. Larry felt the vibrations of Roy's footsteps as he came closer. The shades-wearing Koopaling stopped above Larry, staring into his face in a way that blocked out the sun. "You okay, buddy?"

Larry frowned. Now how the flying fuck was he supposed to answer that?

"I…" he thought about this before shaking his head. "Just help me up."

Roy grabbed hold of his hand and pulled Larry upright. The youngest grunted, trying to determine how bad the damage to his shell was upon reaching the standing position. It didn't feel too bad, which did make sense considering it was nothing more than a simple fall. If Larry were to judge his condition based on physical pain alone, he would say he was just fine.

"Man, this was fun!" Roy said. He smiled extra wide, allowing Larry to see his whitened teeth. "You put up a really good fight, Larry." He extended his hand. "Good game!"

Larry's embarrassment got even worse. "Yeah." He gave Roy a high five. "Good game."

Roy giggled. "Oh Mama Mia, I never knew that victory could feel this good." He started walking back to the castle, with Larry following close behind. "I think the only thing that could make this better for me would be playing a round of basketball." He giggled some more. "Good thing that Fortune's Comet is coming, am I right buddy?" He playfully elbowed his brother.

In response to this, Larry sighed. "Yeah…"

Roy blinked, pulling his arm away. "Are you okay, bro?"

Larry hesitated. Should he reveal his plight to Roy? No no, he shouldn't. Doing so would make him a weakling, a wuss. And he wasn't a wuss; he was Larry Koopa. He commanded armies, he fought the mighty Mario himself. There was no way that someone who did something like that would be a weakling.

"I'm fine." For good measure, he threw in a smile. "Just fine."

Roy hesitated. He looked at Larry with a furrowed brow, now standing completely still. Larry actually sweated while being on the receiving end of this gaze. He hoped none of his body language contradicted his words. He prayed that his mental state wasn't too damn obvious.

Eventually and thankfully, Roy nodded. "Okay." He resumed walking back to the castle, with Larry walking right alongside him. "If something was wrong, you would tell me, right?"

Larry felt the urge to suck some air through his teeth. "Yes." He cringed but did his best to hide it. "Of course, I would tell you."

"Thanks, buddy." Roy patted the top of Larry's head. All the while, Larry hoped that he could put the humiliating loss behind him once and for all.

…

Now back in bed, Larry finished reading his Titanium Man comic. Relief had washed over him like waves when he came to discover that Titanium Man came out victorious, even though he had known that it was pretty much a guarantee. He was the main protagonist after all; it only made sense. Even still, he couldn't help but feel much better. He even managed to smile a genuine smile, unlike the fake one he had given to Roy outside.

Putting the finished comic to the side, Larry sat up. His mind briefly traveled back to him tripping just before shooting the soccer ball, but he just as quickly pushed that memory to the side. At least, for a few seconds. Seeing as how he now had nothing to distract him, he now had nothing keeping him from dwelling on the event. And boy… why did it have to happen? Why did Larry have to make such a big fool of himself? He knew he could do better! He had done better!

Shaking his head, Larry decided that thinking about and scrutinizing the event would only lead to more grief for him. He needed to find another way to distract himself. Hmm… he had already finished reading most of the comic books in his room. The room itself was also pretty clean (although Larry probably wouldn't clean it even if it wasn't), so there was nothing he could really do within these four walls.

This meant he had to vacate someplace else. Thankfully, he knew the exact place; the common room. That place had a mini fridge, a comfy couch, and (most importantly) a TV set up with several video game consoles. Larry could play Mario Kart 8 Deluxe again, although he had played that game to death. Hmm… oh! He knew what he could play! Newer Super Mario Bros Wii! He had managed to successfully mod his Nintendo Wii, so playing that ROM hack sounded like a fantastic idea!

So, he left the room. He didn't run to the common room, but he did walk with an impressive speed while his excitement grew. He could play Newer Super Mario Bros Wii for a few hours, possibly until supper time. Then, after supper, it would probably be time for Fortune's Comet to pass over them. Larry did his best to decide on what to wish for. Eternal life? The ability to fly? The ability to play every game on every video game console that is, has been, and will be? Oh, that would be awesome! Maybe that should be his wish…

"I tip my hat to you, you brighten up my soul. While our love has a price, I am happy to pay the toll."

Larry blinked. He saw Ludwig, the superpowered musical genius with dark blue hair, coming up the staircase while singing a song to himself. Knowing Ludwig, it was probably a song that he wrote. It sounded really good, although Larry wasn't about to admit that out loud. He snickered as Ludwig reached the top of the stairs, an action that the special Koopa responded to by giving him a look.

"What?"

"Nothing." Larry continued to laugh. "I just find it funny. You managed to memorize each and every single one of your songs, even though they go in one ear and out the other for me." He smiled. "I guess you deserve a reward for being so dedicated."

Ludwig raised his eyebrow. "I can't tell if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult." He grinned. "But I will say, the song I'm singing right now is a very special one. Despite your sarcasm, it actually did win an award!"

All at once, Larry's heart welled with a new emotion. "R…really?"

"Mmhm!" Ludwig giggled, rising into the air as he did. "I won the reward for song of the year during the Annual Spiffy Awards! I think that means I've won… eight awards? Nine?" He shrugged while laughing. "I lost count. Either way, I'm supremely honored."

"I… I see." Larry hung his head, trying to name the emotion brewing about within himself. Whatever it was, it didn't feel good. "I… I'm glad that you've achieved so much."

Ludwig did a double take. "Thanks. I'm… I'm surprised you aren't being snarky about that."

Larry laughed, the sound hollow. "I have more modes than just being an unbearable smart ass."

"Evidently." Ludwig smoothed out the folds of his cloak. "Well… thank you for being supportive." He snorted. "For once."

"No problem." Ludwig flashed Larry one more smile before continuing on the path to his room. This gave Larry the perfect opportunity to continue his trek to the common room. The new emotion still brewed inside him, creating a toxic internal environment. He tried to push it away. As he arrived in the common room, got some cheese sticks out of the mini fridge, and booted up his Wii, he tried to tell himself that there was no reason to be upset like he was. Ludwig got an award; that was a good thing. It was a great thing, and there was no doubt within Larry's mind that his older brother deserved it.

And yet, pairing that fact up with the fact that he made a fool of himself earlier that day… well, it just seemed a little sour. How was it that Ludwig managed to do something great when Larry failed to do the same thing? Why was it that Larry looked so weak in comparison to his brothers? He didn't stack up to Ludwig winning an award. He wasn't good at winning a soccer match against Roy. Were there any accomplishments Larry had to show for himself? Was there anything he has done over the last few weeks… no, months… no, years that even made him look marginally good?

Larry sighed. Again, he shouldn't think about that. Still doing his best to ignore the nagging feelings inside, he booted up the Wii. His heart pumped when he got to the Newer Super Mario Bros Wii title screen. Man, it looked so good; so professionally made. Why wasn't this an actual game? It really should be.

"Hey."

Larry blinked, seeing his brother in the doorway. "Oh. Hey Morton." He pressed two on the Wii remote. "What have you been up to?"

"Oh, not much." His tone was actually elevated, something that Larry found weird. Not as weird as the fact that Morton smiled though.

"You're smiling. Should I be concerned?"

"Only if you're allergic to positivity," Morton said with a snicker. He came into the room, appearing so chipper that it only made Larry that much more weirded out. Before he could ask Morton what was going on, the dark-skinned Koopaling thankfully gave him an explanation. "I set up the plushie service again."

"The plushie service?" Larry asked, confused until it occurred to him. "Oh! Your Rainbow Mare plushie service?"

"That's the one."

"I see." Larry readjusted his position on the couch, now not paying any attention to the screen in front of him. "You didn't… you didn't attract the attention of thousand-year-old demons while doing that, did you?"

"Nope. Not this time." Morton laughed. "In fact, I've gotten an overwhelmingly positive response. More people have been purchasing my plushies than ever before. I wouldn't be surprised if Rainbow Mare's reboot had something to do with that." He walked closer. "Even still, I'm not complaining. Especially since I've managed to sell a thousand plushies."

"A thousand plushies?"

"In a week."

"In a week?" Larry asked, his eyes growing wide. "Holy crap, Morty!"

"I know!" Morton's smile grew bigger, now shining in a way that Larry had never before seen from him. "It's amazing, isn't it?"

"Uh… yeah." Larry's eyes diverted back to the TV screen. "I'm… happy for you."

"Thanks, Larry." Morton ran his hand over his bald head. "Oh man, I can only imagine how many more I can sell. I'll make a lot of young children really happy."

"Uh huh," Larry said, his voice threatening to fizzle out. "Now, uh… do you mind leaving? I want to play a video game by myself."

"Oh, sure sure." Morton turned back toward the door. "Make sure you have a fun time for me, okay?"

"Sure thing." Morton exited, allowing Larry to start playing the first level. His mood did manage to brighten up while playing, mostly thanks to the fact that the level in question allowed the player to ride Yoshi. There was no way that something as pure as a Yoshi wouldn't cheer somebody up, and thankfully, the mere sight of the adorable dinosaur helped Larry feel better. For a good time when playing the level, he actually felt pretty good.

Of course, the level was completed eventually. When it was, and when Larry waited to watch the animation of the second level opening up, the blue-haired Koopaling couldn't help but delve back into his own head. Morton sold a thousand plushies… you know what? Good for him. That was an accomplishment worth bragging about, an achievement one could be proud of. Seeing how achieving it helped the normally gloomy Morton smile, Larry was extremely happy that his brother reached that milestone.

But once again, Larry's mind traveled back to the soccer incident. He sighed out loud while thinking about it. It really sucks, he thought to himself. I mean, I'm just as cool as my siblings. In fact, I have some of my own accomplishments under my belt! Such as… such as… he thought and thought and thought, almost giving himself a headache. Unfortunately, it didn't matter how far back in time he went, he didn't find anything that he had to be proud of. All he found were more of his siblings' accomplishments, like Iggy building a time machine. Ludwig going back in time to save Frostwall. Roy being the first of the Koopalings to officially get a girlfriend. All good accomplishments… but none that made Larry feel good about himself. He was definitely happy for his family; he didn't want anyone to think he wasn't. But next to them, being the youngest and least accomplished, he felt… unremarkable.

Is there anything I've done? Larry sunk deeper into his chair. Heck, is there anything I can do? He thought about this before whimpering. I don't know. I don't really have any special skills. I'm just… Larry. He whimpered again. Am I doomed to being mediocre? Isn't there anything I could possibly do to help myself stand out amongst…

"KOOPALINGS, SUPPER TIME!" Bowser's voice bellowed from down the hall.

Larry perked up. Oh sweet, supper! Maybe that'll help me feel better!

…

The dining hall filled up pretty quickly, with each of the Koopalings coming inside as the room filled with the scent of basil and cheese. Even Iggy came in, probably reasoning that not even Fortune's Comet in all its glory could compete with the experience of eating. A fine viewpoint that Larry wasn't at all ashamed to admit that he was in one hundred percent agreement with.

Right as all the Koopalings got seated down, Bowser came into the room with the servants. Larry licked his lips as the parmesan basil chicken was set in front of him. Seriously, who thought of such a concoction; they deserved an award!

"I hope you enjoy your meal, everyone!" Bowser picked up a plate that one of the servants had given him. "I myself am going to deliver this to Jasper."

Larry's heart sank a little bit. Jasper Starfold, the Koopalings father. He had honestly forgotten that he was being held down in the Castle dungeon, which was probably for the best considering that Jasper tried to kill all seven of them as eggs.

"Why are you doing it?" Iggy asked with a raised eyebrow. "Don't the servants usually do that?"

"Yes. But tonight is a special occasion. I feel I need to do it myself."

With the plate in hand, Bowser left. Larry, as well as seemingly all the Koopalings, sat there wondering what the occasion was. Fortune's Comet? Maybe, but what did that have to do with Jasper?

Larry shook his head, deciding to just eat his meal. He mostly stayed silent, an oddity for him. Instead of talking, he listened to his siblings chatting away. Unfortunately, some… well, most of what they were saying didn't exactly lift Larry's mood.

"So, my latest song should be ready to play within the next few days," Ludwig said. Larry wondered why he was so quick to work on a new song after his previous one, but didn't say anything. "Unlike most of my previous work, it isn't intended to be played by a concert symphony. Rather, it is going to be played by a jazz band, which…" Ludwig chuckled as he telekinetically grabbed some silverware from across the room. "Well, that'll certainly be an interesting thing to hear."

"I'll say," said Wendy as she adjusted her bow. "I personally really like jazz. And it helps that I have the perfect outfit to wear to a jazz concert too!"

A sentence that would've usually garnered a lot of snarky comments from Larry only made him sink deeper into his chair. He looked down at his plate, consuming more food in an attempt to dispel all negative thoughts from his system.

"Ooh! You know, that makes me think," said Lemmy. The littlest, rainbow-haired Koopaling bounced up and down in his seat, not unlike the circus ball that he liked to ride on. "Maybe I could give you guys a performance before dinner tonight! I've been practicing sword swallowing, and I really want to show it off!"

Roy's jaw dropped. "Sword swallowing?"

"Oh yeah," Ludwig said with a nod. "Let me tell you; it's really difficult to get quality rest when your little brother is shoving a katana down his gullet on the other side of the room."

Lemmy giggled. "I may have caused some permanent damage to my throat." He beamed. "But it was worth it! Anything that can make me a better performer is definitely worth doing!"

The others marveled at Lemmy. Larry did the same thing, staring at Lemmy as if he had just performed the greatest magic trick the world had ever seen. He almost forgot about his own anxieties when looking at his brother and his goofy face. Almost.

"Woah!" Bowser Jr, King Bowser's only biological son, exclaimed. "That sounds sick; you gotta show me!"

Unlike Junior, people like Iggy and Wendy looked considerably worried. "Uh… you don't have to show us right now," Wendy said, her voice brimming with anxiety. "I mean, I'm not particularly interested in seeing you go to the hospital this evening, and I don't think you are either."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that!" Lemmy chirped. "It's fine! I know exactly what I'm doing!" He looked all around the table, making eye contact with each sibling at least once. "What do you say guys; should I swallow a sword?"

Iggy snorted. "Doing so, while impressive, would pose a substantial risk." He leaned back. "However, if you believe yourself capable of pulling off such a feat…"

Lemmy did a fist pump. "Yes! Let me go get my stuff!"

With that, he left. There was silence for a little bit, no doubt brought upon by everyone fearing for Lemmy's safety.

"Well," Iggy said, breaking the thick and heavy silence. "I feel I must inform you guys of what is going to occur tonight." He grinned. "Fortune's Comet is passing over the Mushroom World, and it has the power to grant wishes." Those who had been previously unaware of the comet all looked at Iggy with dropped jaws. "It only travels through our skies once every hundred years, so I would highly recommend you guys join me to watch it."

Wendy beamed. "That's amazing, Iggy! I'll happily join you!" She practically vibrated in her seat. "Oh, there's so much I want to wish for!"

"Me too," said Morton. "I think choosing one specific thing is going to be difficult!"

"Not for me; I'm wishing for a basketball!" Roy smiled, looking at Larry as he did. "And I hope to play so many games with my best bro!"

Larry cringed. He looked down at his plate, all at once not feeling hungry enough to finish the admittedly delectable treat. "Uh… yeah." He pushed his chair back and got up. "E…excuse me." With his siblings' eyes on his back, he walked over to the door. He was just about to exit when Lemmy arrived on his circus ball

"Oh!" Lemmy exclaimed once he saw Larry there. He giggled. "Man, you must be really excited to see me perform!" He reached into his hammerspace, pulling out one of the biggest swords that Larry had ever laid eyes on. "Well, don't you worry, Larry! I have every intention of delivering!"

"Good for you," Larry said, his voice monotone. This caused Lemmy's face to fall, which in turn negatively affected the energy in the room in such a powerful way. Larry hesitated for a second, wondering what the next course of action should be. All of his siblings were worried about him. All of his awesome… accomplished siblings…

"Larry…" Roy said.

Before anybody could say anything else, Larry walked away.