Chapter 28 Reunited Traits

Iggy battled his emotions all throughout the ride back home. He didn't speak to Depression as a consequence, which was probably for the best because Depression had nothing to say. He just sat next to Iggy, looking down at the varied landscapes they flew over. At one point, Iggy turned, making eye contact with the trait. Depression blinked before clearing his throat and redirecting his attention. Iggy felt a pang when he saw this, doing his best to not let it bother him. He shouldn't let anything bother him; they had all five of Morton's traits back! Sure, they shouldn't have been separated in the first place, but still! All of them were uncovered, and now Iggy could rest and relax!

At least, for a little bit. He still had the question of what was the cause of Morton's depression. And honestly, he wasn't even one hundred percent sure if he wanted the answer to that now. A few days earlier, definitely, but now? Now, just thinking about what the possible cause could be filled him with anxiety. He even shook, wondering if it really was him. It… it couldn't be him, could it? It just couldn't! Mental disorders weren't caused by just regular people! They were caused by chemical imbalances and potentially past trauma!

Past trauma that Iggy might have spurred…

Iggy shook his head, feeling enough frustration to smash the Clown Car's control panel. It was a miracle he didn't.

After quite a bit of flying and after the worst series of thoughts he had to deal with in recent memory, the two of them finally saw Bowser's Castle in the distance. Iggy let out a relieved breath, even managing to smile. He turned toward Depression, whose jaw dropped.

"That's where we live?"

"It is indeed," Iggy said. He turned back to the castle. "The home of Koopa Kingdom royalty, where a lot of servants serve us and a lot of guards protect us."

"Wow…" Depression paused for a minute. "Wait, so… we're princes?"

"Ehh… sort of. We were adopted by King Bowser Koopa, so we technically count as part of the royal family. However, since it isn't a blood relation, we don't inherit anything."

"I see." Depression looked down at his feet, smiling a little bit. "But still. To think that I'm royalty… I never would've imagined I'd be considered so important."

Iggy didn't know whether to feel happy or hurt by that statement. "Yes. It is quite interesting."

Within no time at all, they finally arrived. Iggy parked his Clown Car in the garage, and Depression bounced out. As he wiped some dust off his front, he observed his surroundings. Iggy took note of his expression; his eyes were wide, and his jaw dropped. This struck Iggy as fascinating, as the garage wasn't even part of the main castle! It didn't have any of the ornate decorations or anything of the sort! If he was this impressed by the garage…

"Come with me, dear brother." Iggy reached out and took Depression's hand, much to the trait's surprise. "I will guide you back to your fellow traits."

Depression slowly nodded, and the two of them went inside. The theory that Depression would be even more impressed by the main castle was proven right almost immediately. He looked down at the scarlet carpets, the smallest traces of a smile on his face. When they got to the throne room, he actually gasped. He looked at the throne, constructed of pure gold. He looked up at the ceiling, so high that one had to crane their neck to take it all in.

"This place… wow."

"I know." Iggy chuckled. "I mean, I have gotten used to it, as did the person who you are a part of. But still, it's always nice to see outsiders take it in. Helps… humble me, I guess you could say."

"Huh. So, how many outsiders should we bring in to humble you permanently?"

Iggy's face fell pretty much immediately. He looked forward, seeing Sarcasm lean against the side of a doorway with a mischievous grin. He was accompanied by Determination, Lemmy, and Foodie, who were all giggling at Sarcasm's "sick" burn.

Iggy sighed. "I…" he tried to think about how to respond to that, but had trouble. Huh, that didn't happen often. "Never mind; that's not important right now." He gestured toward Depression, putting on a happy, proud grin as he did. "I have located our brother's final trait!"

"That's awesome!" Lemmy exclaimed. He approached and shook Depression's hand. "Hi, Depression! I know you don't remember me, but I'm your brother!"

Depression blinked. "So Iggy isn't my only sibling?" His jaw dropped. "How many do I…"

"Seven," Determination said. "Eight if you count Bowser Jr."

Depression's eyes grew wide. "Holy crap." He shook his head. "My whole probably feels lost in the shuffle…"

Iggy's heart hurt at that statement, and he tried to pinpoint the reason why. Was that an indication of what had been going on in Morton's head? Could that be the root cause of all of his suffering? He didn't know, but… well, he was willing to explore that possibility. It would be a much better reality than Iggy himself being the cause of Morton's strife. Leagues better, as a matter of fact.

"Yeah, that might be the case," Foodie said as he took a step forward. Iggy was so busy dissecting that statement that he didn't even notice Depression's jaw drop.

"You… you…" Iggy lifted his head, feeling a sort of joy when he saw Depression's confusion (and ignoring what exactly that said about himself as a person). "You're…" It took a little bit, but he eventually managed to smile. "It's nice to see you again, Foodie."

"It's nice to see you too, Depression." Foodie came up and put his arm around Depression. It was fascinating to see Foodie smiling at him, and Depression smiling back. Iggy didn't know if he would use the word "wholesome," but… actually, yeah! Yeah, he would use the word wholesome! This was very wholesome, and it made Iggy feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

"I imagine you guys are both relieved," he said.

Foodie turned back to him with a smile. "All of Morton's traits are relieved." He took a step toward the bespectacled genius. "Especially in terms of seeing you, Iggy. I mean… you went to jail!"

"Oh. Yeah, I… I did." Iggy scratched his head. "It is probably safe to say I will not be returning to Tostarena anytime soon."

"Oh shoot; there go my vacation plans," Sarcasm said, a statement that got an elbowing from Determination.

"Yeah, probably not the smartest idea." Depression directed his gaze down toward the ground. "I'm really sorry about that, by the way."

"Hey, do not think too much of it." Iggy flashed Depression a smile. "You managed to rescue me, so… all's well that ends well, I guess you could say."

Depression blinked, looking at Iggy with an expression that looked… shocked. He looked heavily shocked as if Iggy never in a million years would say stuff like that to him. It made Iggy squirm a little, and it made his thoughts become broody and dark all over again.

"Uh… anyway, what do you say we take you back up to the rest of the traits?"

"Oh, yeah!" Foodie said, smiling as he did. "They all would love to see you, Depression! Chattiness hasn't shut up about you ever since the four of us connected with you in the mindscape! And, I even went out of my way to make some chocolate chip cookies for you!" Foodie's face fell. "Morality has told me not to eat too many of them…"

Depression smiled. "Well, still, that's really nice. It's probably the nicest thing you could've possibly done."

Foodie blinked before beaming. "Thanks."

Iggy put on a smile of his own before gesturing for everyone to follow him up to Morton's room. As they walked, Foodie and Depression engaged in a conversation, which Lemmy would join in on from time to time. Admittedly, the lively chatter did help Iggy's own mood to lift just a little bit. Even Sarcasm gave the three of them an approving look.

"Well, I'm happy we got all five of them," Sarcasm said. He turned back around, scowling as he did. "I would congratulate everyone… but then I remember that getting the traits together is the easy part…"

Iggy's spirits sank. "True." He frowned. "Getting them back together will be a challenge."

"But we're willing to do it, right guys!" Depression grinned. "I know we can do it; we never let impossible odds get the better of us before!"

Sarcasm snickered. "I'm sure a certain plumber would readily agree with that."

Iggy's frown got even deeper. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Sarcasm was making good points left and right. He got another glance of Foodie and Depression, wondering what needed to be done to change them back. He knew it was possible, and Determination had been correct in saying that he wouldn't let the impossible odds get the better of him. But even with that assurance, and a firm resolve that didn't allow him to quit, how long would it take to fix this? A week? A month? Iggy didn't know, and the fact that he didn't made him upset. He didn't like not knowing things as a general rule already, but pairing that feeling with this oddly specific scenario just made his mood grow more dismal and dark.

As such, he mostly stayed silent as they continued through the east wing. The other Koopalings spotted Depression, and they all crowded to welcome him. It was a nice sight; Depression looked touched in the best possible ways to find out he had and interact with such supportive siblings. It was probably the single best moment of Depression's entire existence, and yet, Iggy didn't bother to comment on it. He mostly just kept to himself, trying to think about and dissect all of the impossible odds piling up in front of them.

That is, until they arrived at Morton's room. With all of the other Koopalings, including Ludwig's three other traits, crowding around, Iggy put his hand on the doorknob. He took a deep breath before turning back to everyone, specifically Depression. "Well… are you ready?"

"I've always been ready," Depression said.

Iggy smiled and opened the door. Inside, Laziness sat up in the bed while Morality and Chattiness turned away from Topaz cage. The bird in question squawked when she saw Depression.

"Five masters? When will it ever end?" Iggy was about to laugh at that before he noticed Depression sinking a little bit into the floor, so he stayed quiet.

"Depression!" Chattiness exclaimed. He rushed over to Depression, his eyes glittering as he began to talk. "Oh man, oh man, oh man, you have no idea how happy I am to see you! I've literally been watching the clock for the past day waiting for you!" He giggled. "I already felt well enough in the presence of only three of Morton's other traits. But now that we're all together… oh, I love it! I love it, love it, love it…!"

"Chattiness, settle down," said Morality as he walked up and put his hand on Chattiness's shoulder. "We don't want to overwhelm him." Chattiness nodded and backed up a little bit, all while his face noticeably fell. Morality looked at Depression and smiled. "Still, it's good that you're back."

Depression let out a breath. "I… I agree." He looked at his other traits. "I don't know what it is, but being in your presence… it feels good. I feel more comfortable, more like an actual person."

"What are you talking about, Morton?" Roy asked from right behind him. All of Morton's traits blinked as he stepped further into the room. "You are an actual person! All five of you are!"

"He's right," said Determination. "Don't ever label yourselves otherwise; you always have been and always will be an actual person."

Depression's face grew warm. "Um… right. Thanks." He looked back at Morality. "Still, I like being back home. I don't remember much of what life was like before, but for the most part, being here helps me feel better."

Iggy's mind latched onto that statement. For the most part? What did that mean? What aspects of his home life were here to make him feel worse? What exactly went on in Morton's mind that made him feel uncomfortable here?

"Oh, I know what you mean," Chattiness said. "I got amnesia before I was returned here myself, but when I was returned here, I felt so…" He noticed Morality giving him a worried glance, which made him back up a little. "I felt good. That's how I felt, good."

"Me too," said Foodie. He stepped into the room, all while holding Depression's hand. "And we all have the potential to feel even better once we're all put back together."

Iggy felt a pang. Once again, the unease and uncertainty caused by the Mortons' current state of existence made him squirm. Seriously, how was he going to do this? A lot of people were counting on him to fix this, but could he even do it?

"And you know what has the potential to help us feel even better still?" Foodie turned back to the other Koopalings with a grin. "Those chocolate chip cookies I made."

"Oh yeah, those are good!" Larry exclaimed. "The perfect treats."

Rage flashed him a glare. "You would know considering you've been an annoying asshole and scarfed them down."

"Alright, alright!" Iggy said holding up his hand. He stepped out of the room. "Now is not the time to fight." He turned back to the Mortons. "We will get the cookies, and we will return to your room to give you some."

"Thanks," Foodie and Depression said in unison. With a nod, Iggy closed the door. He took a deep breath, a void inside of him gnawing at his stomach. He put his hand to his forehead; he didn't usually get headaches from thinking, but considering the things he had been thinking about recently…

"Iggy, are you okay?" Wendy asked.

Iggy paused for a second. "I'm fine." He looked back at the closed door. "Let's just… go retrieve those cookies, shall we?"