Chapter 18 Tell Me the Story

Larry laid in the hotel bed, staring up at the ceiling. Not that he could see the ceiling, as it was pitch black in the room. It was such a horrible feeling he had to deal with while lying here. He couldn't sleep. How could he be expected to when his mind was so full of worries? Of fears, of questions?

He couldn't get Junior off his mind. Honestly, this search had alerted him to the fact that he really wanted to have Junior back. He honestly never would've expected that he would be this emotionally distraught over his absence, but… hey, he was his brother. They weren't close, but Larry kinda wished they were now that he knew what it was like when he was absent. Larry was becoming increasingly aware with each passing second that he wanted to be a better brother. How sad was it that it took Junior running away to realize that?

Letting out a sigh, Larry began thinking. They had searched multiple towns in this Kingdom. Not every town, but the fact that they had checked a decent number (four to be exact) wasn't leaving him with a positive outlook on this situation. "Oh man," he whispered out loud.

"Larry? You're awake?"

Larry seized up. He turned on the light on the bedside table to see Iggy sitting up in his bed. His eyes adjusted to the light as he reached for his glasses and put them on. Larry bit his lip, unsure if he should feel guilty about this.

"What troubles you at this hour?"

Realizing he had no choice but to explain, Larry sighed. "I just…" he adjusted his position so he was sitting up. He pulled his legs closer to his chest, his nerves acting up even more than they did a few minutes ago. "I miss Junior."

"Oh." The emotion that was attached to that word was impossible to decipher. "I… I see."

Larry whimpered. "I just… why did he have to leave? For that matter, where is he right now?" He whimpered again and buried his head in his lap. "I know it's best to stay positive here, but… every time I think about him, I get anxious."

Iggy nodded while his mouth was in a firm line. "I perceive what you are communicating." He looked down at the covers. "I can say with full confidence that I am anxious as well. And I'm sure that if we were to ask our siblings about this, they would confess to harboring similar feelings."

Another whimper came out of Larry's mouth, this one louder and more pronounced than the rest. "I just…" Oh great, tears were welling in his eyes. He had wanted so desperately for Iggy to not witness his distraught mental state while they were out searching, but now he could be seen clear as day. He buried his head in his lap again. "I'm sorry."

"There's no reason to be sorry," Iggy said with a softer tone than normal. "I understand, Larry. I get what you're going through." There was a pause. "And, I want you to feel better, so…" he paused again before sighing. "Alright. I think it's time."

Blinking, Larry lifted his head. "Time for what?"

Iggy took in a breath. "I had said previously that I wasn't going to reveal this. However, after witnessing the emotions you are fighting, I think this might be a good distraction for you." Larry blinked again and scooted a little in the direction of Iggy's bed. Iggy bit his lip before turning to look at Larry. "I'll tell you our birth story."

Larry gasped. Actually, legitimately gasped. "Really?"

"Yes. Really."

While his worry and anxiety didn't disappear completely, the spike in excitement was enough to distract Larry from them (which he supposed proved Iggy's previous point of the birth story being a god distraction). He practically jumped up and down in the bed, giving Iggy a smile made out of pure, unadulterated enthusiasm.

"I will warn you though, Larry," Iggy said as he looked into Larry's eyes. "That if you're expecting me to reveal every single last detail you no doubt will ask about after I tell you this, I regret to inform you that I ultimately can't." He scratched the back of his head. "I don't have all the answers. None of us do, not even Bowser or Kamek." He paused. "Of course, we want the answers, but… well, there's no real way to obtain them." He looked back at Larry. "I hope you understand that going into this."

Larry hesitated before putting on a serious face and nodding. "I get it, Iggster. I definitely get it."

Iggy wiped some sweat off his brow. "Very good. Well… I suppose I shouldn't keep this information a secret for much longer." Larry couldn't help but smile when he said that. Sure, the words Iggy literally just said to him still rang loud and clear in his head, but… oh, how could he not be excited about this?

"So… the story begins on a starry night." Iggy fidgeted with the blanket covering him. "Bowser wanted to adopt some children upon the suggestion of Kamek. So, he went to an orphanage. Unfortunately… he didn't account for the fact that the children would be asleep in the middle of the night, and thus he couldn't pick one for him to adopt and bring home."

Larry snickered. "Typical Bowser."

"Yes. Indeed." Iggy adjusted his glasses. "He was about to leave empty-handed when he saw something in the corner: a burlap sack that had Koopa eggs in it." Iggy smiled. "There were seven in total. One had red speckles, another had purple, another chartreuse, and the others light blue, dark blue, pink, and orange."

Larry chuckled. "Hmm. I wonder who they could've been? I don't have a clue!"

Iggy chuckled right alongside him. "Yes, it's a complete and total mystery." His face fell back down. "Those eggs caught Bowser's eye, and he asked the orphan matron where they came from. And… well, the explanation is actually kind of disturbing."

Larry's eyes grew wide. "Disturbing? Disturbing how?"

Iggy cringed. "The sack with the eggs in it was found floating up the Rio Shroom in Sparksville. It was mere feet away from going into the ocean when someone found them and fished them out."

It felt like Larry had just been punched in the stomach. Hard. "What?" he squeaked.

"Yes. As for how it got there, I have no clue. They could've been dropped in by accident, or someone might've chucked them in intentionally." Larry's stomach churned at that last possibility in particular. "Either way, no one knew the origin of the eggs. The paratroopa who had gotten them out of the river went all over Sparksville, hoping that someone would claim them." Iggy's eyes looked misty. "No one did."

A silence befell the scene. "Wow," Larry eventually said. He looked down at his bed, all previous excitement over getting to hear this story completely gone. This was especially true because he couldn't help but focus on the last thing Iggy said. No one claimed the eggs. What did that mean? Did that mean no one wanted them? The people who laid the eggs weren't interested in the Koopalings coming into the world?

Oh God, Larry was starting to cry all over again. He wiped his eyes, feeling a dark feeling welling up in his heart. The tears fell faster and faster, and any attempt to dry them was a practice in futility.

Iggy sighed. "I'm sorry. It is a hard reality to swallow, that I will readily admit." He smiled. "But, for what it's worth, Bowser ultimately ended up taking us home! He was supremely interested in having us be part of his family! And, well, here we are today! Sons and daughters of the Koopa King, leaving life to the fullest and not letting where we originally came from affect us!"

Larry paused. "I… suppose that's true." He hung his head again. "But… I don't know." He sighed. "Why were we in the Rio Shroom in the first place? If our parents threw us in…" his words caught in his throat. He couldn't even finish that sentence, as it hurt WAY too much.

Iggy looked a little… no, VERY saddened upon seeing this. "Again, Larry, I can't tell you one way or another. How the eggs got in the river is a complete mystery, and probably will be for the rest of our lives."

"I know. I just…" Larry once again tried to wipe his tears away. "I just can't help but think… if our parents threw us in… then they didn't want us." He whimpered. "They threw us away because they didn't want us."

The silence that came over the room was horrible, easily the most horrible silence that Larry had ever experienced. The atmosphere was so… heavy. It felt like the sky was falling right on top of him.

"I really am sorry," Iggy said, his voice noticeably weak. "I… I probably shouldn't have told you, being fully aware of the story…"

"No no, it's okay Iggy." Larry sat completely still. "I would've kept bugging you over the course of the rest of the search if you didn't tell me, so… I think it was best that we just ripped the band-aid off."

Iggy chuckled. "I suppose that's true." He frowned. "I just… I want you to be okay."

"And I will be," Larry said. "It's just… it's a lot to process."

"That it is," Iggy said with a nod. He adjusted his position so that he was lying down in the bed again, all while another question popped up in Larry's mind.

"Hey. This might be a stupid question, but do we even know if we really are siblings? Like, biological siblings?"

Iggy nodded. "We are biological siblings. You were probably too young to remember, but I ran a test back in the day. The results showed that we are biologically related."

Larry snickered. "I don't know if that's the best news I've ever gotten or the worst news I've ever gotten."

Iggy snickered. "You are… you're just a little rascal, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged!" The Koopalings laughed before Larry leaned back against the headboard. "Still though, I can't help but wonder. Who are our parents? What were they like? Where did they come from? How did they meet? What led to their eggs floating towards the ocean in a sack?"

Iggy shook his head. "Again, Larry, I can't tell you."

"I know. I know you can't. And I don't even know if I necessarily WANT the answers, but… I'm still gonna ask the questions. You know?"

"I do. I completely understand. I myself have wondered about these questions at multiple points in my life."

"Yeah." Larry was silent for a little bit before he gave Iggy a tiny smile. "Thanks for telling me."

Iggy smiled back. "You are quite welcome." He adjusted his position in bed. "Do you feel better? Do you feel satisfied?"

"Satisfied? No. But I do feel better." Larry considered his statement for a minute. "How much better, I can't say, but… I have a feeling I won't have a lot of trouble trying to actually sleep tonight."

"Excellent." Iggy took off his glasses and put them on the bedside table. "Well… good night, Larry."

"Good night, Iggy." Larry reached out, turned off the light, and laid back down. He chewed on what Iggy told him for a few minutes. It… it was bizarre. Confusing, he supposed the best word to know was. But… ultimately, he was glad he knew. Sure, if what happened with Junior was any indication, it wasn't always a good idea to tell Bowser's children where they originally came from. But… he didn't know. He liked knowing. Despite everything, he felt knowing was for the best.

With that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.