Chapter 24 Here We Go Again

Ludwig, Kamek, and Iggy floated in the air, Ludwig with the use of his powers, Kamek with the use of his broom, and Iggy with the use of his Koopa Clown Car. They floated over Stonebrim, which Ludwig had deduced was where Lemmy was most likely to be. That was most likely where Lemmy had cracked the case, as it was the last location Ludwig and Lemmy had been to together.. As Ludwig's eyes scanned over the gray town, he hoped to spot his younger brother. He hoped to see the flash of color amongst the monochromatic sea, hoped that they could stop him before he did something he'd really regret.

"Oh man," Ludwig said as he sighed. He looked toward Iggy and Kamek. "This isn't good."

"No, it most certainly is not," Iggy said. "I just hope we can prevent a repeat of what occurred to Lemmy last time."

Ludwig shuddered as he recalled the sequence of events. "Yeah. That was… I don't even want to think about it."

"I can empathize with that viewpoint. The leaps of logic that someone experiencing a mental break goes through is terrifying." A tiny smile appeared on Iggy's face. "I mean, it's also really interesting. I'm sure that I could conduct a fascinating study on…"

"Iggy, stop!" Kamek said, flashing him a glare. "If you don't focus on what's actually important, then the only study you'll be conducting is the best way you can spend your grounding!"

The genius gave Kamek a sideways glance and sniffed. "Fine! Fine." He leaned forward in his clown car, making it go forward. "Well, I suppose we should not waste time."

"No, we most certainly shouldn't," Ludwig said.

With that, the trio split up and flew over the town, keeping their eyes peeled. Ludwig in particular wanted to be fully attentive and focused. He didn't blink for the better part of three minutes, all while his anxiety reached almost unbearable levels. He sweated as he recalled the first time Lemmy went off the deep end. He had been so determined, so stubborn. He wouldn't listen to anyone, even when he did things that weren't just questionable, but horrible. Even now, as Ludwig recalled the look in his eyes before he ran off, he couldn't help but compare that look to the previous Shellock Holmes incident. That expression looked just as bad if not worse than last time.

So, he picked up the pace. "Lemmy!" He called out. Sure, Lemmy was currently taken over (for lack of a better term) by the Shellock persona, so the likelihood of him responding to his real name was far lesser. But even with that said, Ludwig wasn't going to call him Shellock. He absolutely refused to do so. "Lemmy, where are you!"

The words might as well have been yelled in the middle of a thunderstorm, as they got no response and probably fell on deaf ears. Ludwig held back a groan. His mind wandered to some dark place without his permission, which in turn increased his anxieties. He didn't want to think about the state of mind Lemmy was currently in, but… what choice did he have? What choice did he have when Lemmy was on the verge of doing something awful? What choice did he have when it was possible that people's well-being was at risk?

Pushing back his worries, Ludwig didn't take his eyes off the town. He began sweating bullets as he did, and his stomach churned like butter. He got out his phone, hoping to see that Kamek and Iggy were having better luck than he was. They weren't.

"Damn it." Ludwig tightly gripped his phone, deciding that while it might not wield the results he desired, it would probably be best to call out Lemmy's name again. "LEMMY!" Just to make sure he didn't let anything go unnoticed, he flew closer to the ground. "LEMMY, WHERE ARE YOU?" People walking the streets looked up at him in concern, which Ludwig didn't blame them for. The pounding of his heart might as well have been digitally amplified, as it felt like it was surrounding him. Without sacrificing his searching, Ludwig swallowed several lumps and muttered multiple prayers to Grambi. Please, please help me find Lemmy! If he harms someone before we find him… oh, I don't even want to think about that. Grambi, please help me to locate him.

Then, thankfully, his prayers were answered. There was Lemmy, still donning the Shellock Holmes costume, scrounging around in the dirt yard in front of a house. Ludwig couldn't help but let out a breath of relief when he saw this. Sure, it was still unusual and concerning, but at the very least, Lemmy wasn't going out of his way to hurt people. And, hopefully, the Koopa family's intervention would prevent him from doing so.

Guys, I found Lemmy, Ludwig texted to Iggy and Kamek. After giving them the address of the house Lemmy was in front of, and after Iggy and Kamek said that they would be right over, Ludwig took in a deep breath. This was definitely not going to be easy, but he was going to do it.

So, he descended. "Hey, Lemmy." Ludwig used a gentle tone as if he was talking to a feral animal he had been tasked with approaching. Lemmy didn't look up at him when he spoke, just went on with his searching as if Ludwig wasn't even there. This frustrated him the tiniest bit, so he stepped closer to him. "Lems, what are you looking for?"

Miraculously, Lemmy actually answered that question. "The ring, Ludwig. I'm looking for that blasted ring."

Ludwig paused. Yeah, that made sense; he supposed he should've figured that Lemmy would dedicate some time searching for the ring. In fact, now that he thought about it, perhaps it would be best if the other Koopalings helped search for the ring. After they helped Lemmy come to his senses, of course.

"I see." Ludwig took another step towards his brother. "Well, that is a noble ambition, that much I know." His sweating returned, as did his nerves. "But I think it would be best if we leave this alone for a little bit."

Lemmy bolted upright, staring at Ludwig like he just admitted to carrying a gun. "Are you crazy? That ring is a major part of the case! It's an important and expensive treasure, so if it isn't returned to Celia…"

Ludwig felt a pang. "I… I get what you're saying." He wiped his brow. "Believe me, I know how important that ring is, but…" Lemmy raised an eyebrow, which caused Ludwig more distress. "But we need to be rational here."

"I am rational," Lemmy said. He didn't scream, didn't raise his voice; he just spoke that line with a firmness and a stubbornness. On some level, it was so unlike him. Him, the Clown Prince of Koopas and the happiest member of the Koopa family.

Ludwig bit his lip. "I know you think that, but try to look at this from my perspective. You just spent all of last night searching. Your mind went down a route that it hadn't been down since… well, since the last time you put on the costume." Lemmy's expression changed, at least a little bit. "I know you think you're operating at the most optimal level, and I understand why you think that. But don't you think that listening to others right now would be a good idea? There is the chance that others are thinking more clearly than you, after all."

"HA!" Lemmy guffawed. "I am the great Shellock Holmes. The possibility of people being better thinkers than I am is nonexistent."

Ludwig couldn't help but cringe at that. He prayed that Iggy and Kamek would get here soon. Because if he had to deal with this for much longer… well, he didn't know if he could. That was the problem; this was a serious situation, and handling it incorrectly wouldn't help anyone.

"Lemmy…"

"Will you stop calling me Lemmy?" Lemmy stood up, fully facing his brother now as he crossed his arms. "I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you treating me with kid gloves! I'm sick of the fact that you aren't taking this investigation seriously! This is a dark time, Ludwig, a HARROWING time as a matter of fact!"

"You think I don't know that?" Ludwig gave Lemmy a stern look. "One of the people who got attacked is my brother, and the other is a family friend! Do you really think I don't understand that? You think I relish in thinking about them, unconscious and wounded in a hospital on a night when the family as a whole should be celebrating?"

Lemmy's expression softened. Ludwig hoped that this was a good sign, that Lemmy was finally starting to see the reason he had put a lot of effort into ignoring. Ludwig also hoped that this meant he was coming to his senses.

Unfortunately, Lemmy merely sniffed at those words in the end. "Based on how you aren't as dedicated to this case as I am, I'd say those facts barely occurred to you."

Flames appeared around Ludwig's hands, which he tried to put out. It was pretty difficult to do so though, especially when he considered the lack of logic behind his brother's words. Of course, it occurred to him, he was the one who brought it up in the first place! The failure to think thoroughly on Lemmy's part would've been mind-boggling if it wasn't so very VERY sad.

That being said, Ludwig didn't feel sad thinking about this. He just felt frustration; frustration and anger. Part of him was tempted to just stop the conversation altogether, pick up Lemmy by the scruff of his neck, and drag him back to the castle. So what if he fought against him doing that; at this point, that's what made the most sense. Talking was getting them nowhere. Pouring out his heart was also getting them nowhere. There didn't seem to be anything doable that would get Lemmy to stop with this frankly disturbing charade.

At least, that was the case until Ludwig saw Iggy and Kamek flying down to him. Ludwig let out the biggest breath of relief when he saw them. Seriously, thank goodness they were finally here! Thank the stars in Heaven above that they had a good chance of turning this whole thing around.

Lemmy noticed the others approaching, causing him to stop scowling for a second and blink. "Uh… what are they…?"

Kamek landed on the ground, dismounted his broom, and took out his wand as he approached Lemmy. "Master Lemonade," he said, using a voice that made it clear he meant business. "This whole thing stops. Right here. Right now."

Lemmy's eyes grew even wider, possibly because he realized what was about to happen. "NO!" He backed away from them. "I HAVE to solve this case! I need to…" His breathing sped up. As it did, he turned around and broke into a run.

"LEMMY, STOP!" Iggy screamed. He got out of his koopa clown car and ran after him. Ludwig also decided to follow Lemmy, except he flew instead of running. As he did, he hoped he wouldn't have to use telekinesis to stop Lemmy again. He seriously hoped that wouldn't be the case… and fortunately, it seemed that his hopes weren't in vain. He caught up to Lemmy and grabbed him by the arms. The smallest Koopaling struggled against his hold as he held his arms behind his shell.

"LET ME GO!" He looked ready to tear Ludwig's eyes out, as well as Iggy's as he approached and held onto Lemmy himself. "LET ME GO RIGHT NOW, YOU DAMN LUNATICS!"

Again, those words would've been mind-boggling if they didn't inspire so much sadness. Ludwig looked toward Kamek, still approaching with his wand out. With no smile on his face nor any sign of amusement, he cleared his throat.

"Encantus Heerringu Nijiro MAZOH!"

Right before the blast of rainbow light could hit them, Iggy and Ludwig let go of Lemmy and jumped out of the way. Lemmy didn't get the chance to do that, which meant that the light engulfed him. A shimmering sound filled the scene, so beautiful in what it represented. Ludwig rose into the air, watching as it surrounded Lemmy. No doubt it was helping him feel a little better, even if it was only just a little bit.

And then, the light cleared. Lemmy lay unconscious on the ground, the Shellock Holmes costume in tatters. Ludwig and Iggy smiled when they saw this. Kamek tossed his wand up into the air and caught it with a cocky smile.

"Well. That's that."

"Indeed," said Iggy. He approached and picked up Lemmy. "Let's get him back to the castle. I'm sure he'll feel better when he actually wakes up."