AN as of 2024: Decided to edit this chapter in order to fix continuity and make the writing stronger. I highly doubt anyone would care, but... you know, just in case ;)

Chapter 8 Powerful Part 1

Iggy looked out at the gang. They consisted of a goomba, a Koopa paratroopa, and a sledge brother. He looked back at his siblings, who he noticed trembling a little. This struck Iggy as a little odd, especially seeing how goombas and paratroopas weren't the strongest enemies Bowser had in his army. He was just about to ask them about this when something occurred to him. A memory, one that he couldn't believe he had forgotten about.

A few months prior, all the Koopas except for Iggy had to fight a gang. With the exception of Lemmy and Ludwig, they had all come back bruised, hurt, and looking like they had received a thousand beatings. Iggy shuddered thinking about that. Iggy also shuddered as he recalled the Koopa Troopa servant who informed him of the existence of these thugs, how she said something along the lines of "those thugs you fought are back." It all made sense now; Iggy's siblings were probably shaking in their boots at the thought of fighting this sledge brother again! And really, who could blame them? Those injuries didn't look like anything that anyone should suffer through ever again. Sure, they had emerged victorious the first time around, but that was mostly thanks to Lemmy and Ludwig. And considering that the latter was upstairs sleeping...

Iggy let out a little whimper. He did not know for the life of him how they would be able to emerge victorious over them without Ludwig here. Just the thought of going against an enemy as strong as a sledge brother, especially a sledge brother who had emerged victorious over the highest-ranking officials in Bowser's army the last time he faced them, made Iggy feel sick to his stomach. Just thinking about the impossible odds stacking up against the five of them (six when Lemmy showed up) made Iggy's insides churn and his legs turn to jelly.

"Oh man," Roy said. He looked out at the gang, gulping as he saw the sledge brother pick their tooth with a toothpick. He only grew more frightened when the sledge brother leaned against the wall like it was just normal public property. "I am not looking forward to this."

"Me neither," Larry chimed in. He put his hand up to his scalp, rubbing it as though it had just acquired the nastiest bruise in the world. "With our best fighter sitting on the sidelines, and without any decent plan, it's possible that this might not turn out the greatest for us." He snorted. "Actually, it's more than possible; it's very likely."

Iggy had to concur with that assessment. Sure, he hadn't suffered any injuries when these thugs had previously made themselves known, but he could still visibly picture his siblings in pain. Whether it be Wendy sporting a big purple bruise, or Larry looking like his hair was on the frisk of falling right out, none of the mental images Iggy had within his mind really made him feel good.

Even with that said, and as foolish as this might be, Iggy still wanted to boost team morale. "Guys, it's fine! We can do this; I have perfect faith in our abilities!"

Despite those words, Wendy just whimpered. "That sledge brother destroyed us last time! How are we going to handle him now?"

Suddenly, Iggy heard footsteps approaching. He glanced behind and gawked in shock. He had to do a double-take, just to make sure he was actually seeing things correctly. It was Lemmy, and he was accompanied by…

"Ludwig? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the fight," Ludwig replied after yawning.

"For the...Ludwig, you need to rest!"

Ludwig, much to Iggy's surprise, laughed. "I'll be fine!" He grinned, the expression confident on the border of cocky. "I didn't get the satisfaction of beating these guys myself due to being swapped. Well, now that I'm in my own body, I'm sure I'll be able to take them down without so much as breaking a sweat!" He laughed, the sound perfectly mirroring the excited and confident expression he had worn while walking up. "Oh man, I can just imagine how satisfying that would be!"

Um... had Iggy wandered into Crazy Town by accident? Why in the world would Ludwig be thinking this? Why would he be going out of his way to avoid getting much-needed sleep just to fight? Sure, the fact that he was present did make Iggy feel a little better about the odds they faced, but still! Ludwig shouldn't be doing this! Like... what the actual fuck was he thinking?

Iggy looked over at the others, and he noticed they looked just as uncertain as he was. Even Lemmy looked at Ludwig with a furrowed brow. He probably wanted to talk Ludwig down from this, to tell him to take immediate action in caring for his physical needs. To be honest, Iggy didn't even know why he wasn't doing that. Like, he couldn't even begin to fathom a good reason why Lemmy would just remain quiet. Well, if Lemmy wouldn't try to talk Ludwig out of this, then Iggy definitely would!

He cleared his throat. "Ludwig." He tried to keep his voice level. He tried to not let the panic inside him bubble to the surface. He knew that Ludwig was less likely to respond to him if he was high-strung. "Ludwig, listen to me. You shouldn't be doing this. You probably realized that for yourself already. You should be back in bed, catching up on lost sleep so that you don't cause any more... incidents."

For a second, the confidence in Ludwig's demeanor broke. He looked at Lemmy. He looked at Iggy. He looked at the rest of his siblings. Eventually, he took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Look, Iggy, I understand your concern. But you've gotta realize that this is for the better! Our chances of winning are always higher if I'm accompanying you guys! And besides, I..."

Suddenly, Ludwig winced. He sucked air sharply through his teeth and put his hand to his head, almost like he was experiencing the symptoms of a migraine. After a second, he grunted and put his other hand up to his hair too.

"Ludwig, are you okay?" Morton asked, concern breaking through his dispassion.

"My head hurts!" Ludwig yelled. He closed his eyes, clearly trying to prevent himself from bursting into tears. Iggy's mind (as well as Ludwig's, if Iggy was willing to guess) entered panic mode. He was just about to go up to comfort his oldest brother (and give him another argument as to why he should back down) when...

Poof!

"Ludwig!" Lemmy shrieked. He bolted over to the space that Ludwig had previously occupied. "W... where did he...

Before Lemmy even had the chance to fully ask his question, Ludwig reappeared. Iggy gawked at the sight of his appearance, and everyone else took in his appearance with wide eyes.

"Dude," Roy said. "Why are you...?"

Ludwig was dressed like a Southern belle. His dress was sky blue, gaudy, and puffy like a cloud. A sunhat rested on his head, with roses, daisies, magnolias, and other types of flowers situated on the rim. He also had a fan, which he waved in front of his face.

"Oh, I do declare!" Ludwig said, his voice in a falsetto and bearing the accent one typically associated with the South. "That was even weirder than a lovebug without a mate!" He noticed the stares of his siblings and blinked at the sight. "What are you guys staring at? And what's wrong with my…" He looked down, shrieking and grabbing hold of his skirt. "WHAT IN THE WORLD. WHAT'S GOING...!" Before finishing with his shrieking fit, he disappeared again, without even being given the proper chance to react to this new development.

Roy scratched his head at the sight of this. "Uh, am I the only one who thinks Ludwig wasn't supposed to come back that way?"

Before Iggy could put his two cents in, Ludwig reappeared. Except this time, he came back as an astronaut. The silver suit sparkled in the sun, and his face was completely unseeable thanks to the helmet. He even floated around, as if gravity did not affect him whatsoever. He looked down at his hands.

"Houston, we have a problem," he said, his voice coming in through the radio. He stayed silent for a little bit before yelling at the top of his voice. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!"

"Try snapping your fingers," Lemmy suggested. "Maybe that will cause you to disappear again."

Once he gathered his bearings and stopped hyperventilating, Ludwig nodded and did just that. Miraculously, this suggestion produced the results he was going for! Or, at least, sort of. His appearance had been altered to that of a circus clown. He snapped his fingers once more, and he disappeared again. And again. And again. Each time he disappeared, he came back as something different. He came back as a Sprixie princess, an emo goth, a giraffe, and a piece of toast, to list off a few. When he finally materialized as his normal self, he looked immensely relieved.

"Oh, thank God!" he said. He laughed and stood up to his full height as if the previous display hadn't just happened. "Now, what were we talking about?"

"We were talking about how you need to sleep," said Wendy, her vocal delivery slow and cautious.

"And if anything, the fact that our conversation was interrupted in a way such as that only reinforces that statement," said Iggy. He took a step forward "Ludwig, you need to go back to your room. Immediately."

Ludwig shook his head. "I am not doing that, Iggster. These bozos nearly killed most of us last time we saw them, so I think a little revenge is in order. Besides, I know what I'm doing."

Iggy gawked. "But, but..."

"And who knows!" Ludwig exclaimed. "Maybe the fact that crazy things are happening with my powers will work to our advantage! You never know!"

Iggy shook his head. Was he crazy? Was he absolutely insane? How could one be so brazenly clueless, so blatantly careless? He needed sleep! Iggy knew that if he were allowed to fight in his current state, only disaster would be sure to follow. And maybe Iggy was mistaken, but Ludwig wasn't the kind of person to just cause chaos with his powers. The fact that he wasn't thinking through things now was a little uncharacteristic of him (it probably had something to do with his sleep deprivation, now that Iggy thought about it).

"Ludwig..."

"Iggy," Ludwig said, his voice just as serious and determined as his brother's. "It's okay. I promise I'll go back up to bed once I'm done. I just want to take this chance right now."

Iggy considered his brother's words. He really wanted to object, but knew his brother was determined. And once Ludwig was determined, there was nothing that could prevent him from reaching his goal, so...

"Alright," Iggy relented with a sigh.

Ludwig smiled. "Thanks, Iggster." He faced forward. "Come on guys! Let's go kick some ass!"