AN: Happy Mario Day everyone! :)

Chapter 5 Frustration

Larry leaned against his left hand, which Iggy had found a way to put back together the day before, as he sat in the Castle common room. He focused on the TV, doing something that was unusual for him and frowning as he watched the show play out. He drummed his fingers against the arm of the couch, hoping that he would forget about his building frustration at some point in the near future.

Alas, it wasn't that easy. He tried to get rid of it his feelings, he really, honestly tried. But they never seemed to go away. And now, as he sat in front of the TV, with Lemmy drawing something at the table while Ludwig observed his handiwork, Larry wanted to punch something. He really, honestly wanted to punch something. The only question he had was what would he be able to punch that wouldn't get him in serious trouble.

Nothing. That was the answer; nothing. So, he sunk deeper into the cushions, ignoring the little laughs Lemmy gave out as he sketched his "magnum opus" (he had called it that, although Larry had no idea if it was a joke or if his older brother was being one hundred percent serious). He let out a little grunt, keeping his eyes glued to the screen. Even though he wasn't the biggest fan of this particular show… actually, there was no positive way to finish that sentence. The show that was on sucked; it needed to be changed.

So, Larry picked up the remote and began searching. He searched the channels, he searched the streaming services. He was sure he would be able to find something to pacify him. He wanted to watch something new, something that Larry could find just as great as Meeting Myself (one of his favorite shows of all time). He tried a show called Thatcher, which apparently was a supernatural crime drama. That looked promising… until he heard the main character's voice. It was so scratchy and shrill, enough to make the Koopaling cringe. So, he turned off of that and tried a show called Business in the Burbs, a sitcom that focused on a family that moved from the rural countryside to the suburbs. Larry had tried to watch it before, but unfortunately thought it was boring and unfunny. It had been disappointing, but this show deserved a second chance, didn't it?

Well, it only took five minutes into an episode for Larry to realize that the show was just as unexciting as he had previously thought. He switched off of that, gritting his teeth. Was there nothing he could watch? Was there nothing he could play on the TV that would distract him from the elephant in the room?

"Greetings."

Larry turned his head toward the door, not knowing whether he should be relieved or disappointed to see Iggy. The bespectacled Koopaling walked into the common room, wearing a face that looked more curious than anything else. The sight of him made Larry think about his desire to punch someone again, as he knew that Iggy would be satisfying to... no, no, he really shouldn't do that. He was just about to greet the plant-haired Koopaling when Lemmy looked up from his work and smiled.

"Iggy!" He giggled, the sound just as happy as one would come to expect from Lemonade Natalie Koopa. "Oh Iggy, you're in for a treat!"

Iggy turned toward Lemmy, blinking as he did. "I am?"

"Yep!" Lemmy exclaimed. His giggling got louder, all while Ludwig buried his face in his hands.

"Please don't show him," he muttered under his breath (Larry wasn't one hundred percent sure that's what he was saying, but it sure sounded like it). "Please don't show him, please don't show him…"

Ignoring Ludwig's whispers, Iggy stepped closer to Lemmy. "Well Lemmy, what treat do you happen to be referring to?"

Lemmy beamed. "Well, ever since I wished on Fortune's Comet for better art skills, I've decided that I want to put those new skills to the best use possible!" Ludwig sunk deeper in his seat, and his mutters got faster and louder. Even still, Iggy and Lemmy ignored them. "So, I decided to work on a comic!"

"A comic?" Iggy asked. Even Larry had to admit he found this intriguing, so he turned his attention away from the TV. "That sounds nice; what is the premise of your comic?"

Lemmy chuckled. "Well, it's a superhero comic. It's called…" he paused, possibly to intentionally build up the suspense in the room. He stayed silent for a few minutes before grabbing hold of the papers on the table and displaying them to Iggy. "MOO MAN!"

Iggy blinked. Larry blinked too, trying to wrap his head around the words that had just come out of his brother's mouth.

"M…Moo Man?" Iggy asked.

Ludwig sighed. "Yeah. He made a comic about… Moo Man…" He sounded like he was about to die from secondhand embarrasment.

"Yep!" Lemmy somehow managed to look proud of myself. "I saw Larry's superhero escapades, and I thought to myself: "Self, maybe it would be best if I make a comic like this.' And… voila! Moo Man!"

"Moo Man…" Iggy looked like he was trying his best to wrap his head around this, but was failing miserably. "Dare I ask what it's about?"

Lemmy giggled, a sparkle appearing in his eyes that should probably have been reserved for a better activity. "Well, Moo Man is this cow who had a meteor crash into his pasture while he was grazing. He got exposed to the radiation, which ended up giving him superpowers." Lemmy puffed out his chest. "Now, he's Moo Man, the Man with the MIlk!"

Larry couldn't help but cringe at that title. Iggy gawked at Lemmy, looking at him like he had just said that unicorns exist.

"That's… dumb!" Iggy exclaimed.

Despite that insult, Lemmy still giggled. "I know. But I'm still making it." He turned back toward the table. "I'm gonna milk this idea for all it's worth!"

All three of the other present Koopas groaned, even Ludwig. Iggy shook his head as he sent a look towards his second oldest brother, who was laughing so hard he looked like he was about to fall out of his chair. "Lemmy… you… have… problems."

"I know!"

"You do?" Ludwig asked as he lifted his head. His eyes sparkled, sparkled most playfully and mischievously. "Lemmy, that's bull shit."

Lemmy laughed so hard it looked like he was physically hurting himself. "Oh man, that's a good one Ludwig!" He shook his head while smiling, and with that, Lemmy got right back into drawing. He seemed to be tuning out everything else as he worked on the stupidest superhero comic that the world had ever known.

Iggy took off his glasses and pinched his brow. "Aye aye aye…" he shook his head before turning toward Larry. "Anyway… Lawrence, I'm glad I found you." He stepped closer to him. "You are the exact person I wanted to see."

"I am?"

Iggy nodded. "I was wondering how your arm is functioning."

Larry looked down at his left arm. "Um… well, it's pretty good." He wiggled his fingers. "I'd say it works just as well as it did before."

Iggy smiled. "That's good!"

"Yeah!" Lemmy said, turning away from the comic with a grin. "I guess you could say there was no arm done!"

Iggy looked like he was about to scream and pull his hair out. He gritted his teeth and looked back at his youngest brother. "Lawrence… would you be so kind as to join me as I walk to… anywhere but here?"

Larry looked at the TV. "Well…" he remembered how he had so much trouble finding an actually decent show, so he turned off the TV and nodded. "Sure thing, Iggster."

Iggy smiled, and together, they left the common room. The two stayed silent for most of the walk, which Larry didn't mind. Iggy could be a little too much whenever he decided it was time to discuss his most recent projects, so the fact that he wasn't saying anything was actually kind of refreshing. Larry hoped this pattern would continue, that Iggy would be able to realize that blabbing away about his inventions was a total snooze-fest. At the very least, Iggy staying silent didn't cause the frustration in Larry's soul to get any more unmanageable.

Unfortunately for Larry, Iggy did eventually speak up. "I must say…" Larry held his breath, dreading the rest of that sentence. "I am ultimately happy that I was able to repair your dissevered limb. And recreate your arm so that it looks and functions like your old one."

Larry let out the breath; this wasn't the worst conversation topic in the world, thankfully enough. "Yeah." He smiled. "It's pretty nice."

Iggy chuckled. "Well, considering it was me who worked on it…" he smirked. "I think it turning out the way it did would be inevitable."

Larry's heart sank. Oh great, here we go. Now Iggy was going to go on and on about how great he was, how skilled he was in the lab, and how there wasn't a single other person in the universe who could accomplish what he accomplished. Larry wanted to turn around and head somewhere else. In fact, he almost did, but Iggy said something else that stopped him.

"But I will admit, I am perplexed." Iggy frowned as Larry turned back to look at him. "How is it that you were able to win the fight with your left arm missing?"

Larry blinked. "I didn't tell you already?" Iggy shook his head, which made Larry step closer to him. "Well… I probably wouldn't have. I was completely out of luck, as I didn't have any real weapons at my disposal. But…" he smiled. "But thankfully, Fiery Tempest showed up again."

"Oh!" Iggy grinned. "That's great to hear!"

"Yeah." Larry's heart sank, and he couldn't help but scowl. "Unfortunately, I still know absolutely nothing about her!" He shook his head, gripping his hand into a fist. "When I asked her questions about who she was, she said she wouldn't answer them!" He looked Iggy right in the eye. "She outright SAID that! Said that it wasn't 'proper superhero conduct!'" Larry felt like screaming all over again. "How stupid is that? How brain-dead do you have to be to think that's legitimate reasoning?"

Iggy scratched the back of his head. "Well… I think she has a point, Larry."

Larry stopped, holding back a snicker. Well then I guess that shows that you're brain dead too. He didn't say that out loud though; he didn't want to deal with the consequences of insulting Iggy in that way.

"How? What point could you possibly think she has?" he asked instead.

Iggy's frown got deeper. "Well, think about it. Superheroes have got to have secret identities, don't they?" Iggy hesitated. "I mean, I will readily admit that I myself have very little knowledge about superheroes." Again, Larry felt that he could insult him because of that statement, but held back. "But I at least know that secret identities are a common thing. And to be fair, it does make sense why they are. Secret identities protect the superheroes. They make it so that villains and the public in general don't know where to find them, as other people having knowledge about their life gives them ample opportunity to ruin it."

Larry looked away from Iggy. "I… suppose that's true…" he bit his lip, not sure whether to feel guilty or yell.

"So, I think that is the point FIery Tempest was getting at." Iggy stepped closer. "So, I wouldn't blame her too much."

"Right." Larry was silent for a minute before sighing. "But… well, I still wish I could know who she is. I mean… she was so cool. She saved my life! Twice!" He sighed. "It would be nice if I knew the name of the girl who was able to do that for me,"

Iggy stayed silent for a little bit. "I… I see your perspective, and I do sympathize with it." He put his hand to his chin. "Perhaps… perhaps you need to build up trust with her."

"Build up trust?" Larry asked with a blink.

"Yeah. Show her you're admirable qualities in the field of battle. Show her that you have her best interests at heart, and that you're willing to be there for her in any way she needs you to be." Iggy smiled. "I think that would be an excellent way for you to get you in her good graces. As long as you don't approach this in a perfunctory manner, of course."

Larry thought about this suggestion. "I… yeah." A smile grew on his face. "Yeah! That could work! If she trusts me on the battlefield, then she might find a way to trust me off of it too!"

"Precisely. You seem to understand what I'm saying."

"Oh, I do." Larry rubbed his hands together. "Believe me, I do."