Chapter 6 Morose

About a week later, on July 21st, all seven of the Koopalings made their way to the Shellturner Theater in Berrybark. Lemmy was at the front of the pack, and he smiled like nobody's business. For the first time since he had his dream, his head was full of entirely positive thoughts. Thoughts of enthusiasm, thoughts that imagined all the incredible ways that this contest would go. He felt as though the world was his oyster. He hadn't exactly been telling the truth when he talked to Bowser at the breakfast table that day, but now? Now, the world really was his oyster, and he was going to find the most beautiful, twinkling pearl in history.

"Oh man, Berrybark kicks ass!" Larry said as they passed by a particularly tall skyscraper. "Why didn't Bowser build his castle here? All the rich people live here; it would only make sense."

Iggy sniffed at him. "Berrybark is a hangout for actors and actresses, but it's actually struggling financially right now. I do agree that Bowser should've built his castle near an actual city, but I believe the best one to do so would be Neo Bowser City."

"Why? Just because it's the Kingdom's capital? Pfft." Larry waved his hand. "Talk about an unimaginative idea."

"I dunno Larry; sometimes the best solution is the obvious one," said Wendy. "I think there are a lot of benefits that could come from building a castle in the capital."

The other Koopalings said more, but Lemmy didn't hear them. He mainly focused on finding the Theater. He had never been to this particular theater, and one thing about Lemmy was that he LOVED to explore different theaters. He didn't know why, but comparing and contrasting theaters was so appealing to him. He didn't know if that was true for other people, but that didn't matter. It hit a certain spot for him, scratched a certain itch.

"You excited, Lemmy?"

Lemmy smiled at his older brother. "You know it?" He giggled. "I've got a lot of props and costume parts in my hammerspace right now, and I plan to use ALL of them!"

Ludwig laughed. "I would love to watch you do that." He let out a breath. "I am curious how this competition is going to go. A lot of people are going to be competing in it, especially since a famous actress is manning the whole thing."

"True." Lemmy thought about this. "Honestly, I think that's okay. I don't have to win the contest, I don't even have to enter the final round. Just the fact that I'm getting the opportunity for other people to see me is enough." He looked back at Ludwig. "I don't need victory. I just need joy, both to feel and to spread."

Ludwig gave him the warmest look in history. "That's really nice Lemmy." He paused before leaning down and whispering into his brother's ear. "But for what it's worth, I think you have the greatest shot at winning out of anyone."

"Thanks, Ludwig," Lemmy said, his face growing warm. He thought about those words, wondering how true they were. And… yeah, winning would be cool. There was a cash prize, which… wasn't that big a deal because he was royalty. He didn't need cash, and therefore didn't have that as a motivation. But there would also be a lot of exposure that came with winning an event like this. People all over the Koopa Kingdom would hear his name and know who he was. THAT was the real prize right there, as he had expressed to Ludwig a few minutes prior.

After about five more minutes of walking, they finally got to the Shellturner Theater. Just based on first impressions, it looked VERY impressive. Stairs constructed of polished marble led up to the entrance, with pillars standing in front of the door. It was almost like the theater was a national monument. A sign stood right above the pillars, saying "The Shellturner Theater" in glittering blue and white lights. Lemmy could feel his heart pounding in excitement just looking at this beauty, especially because… well, if the theater was this impressive on the OUTSIDE, it would be a real treat to see the INSIDE.

"Woah, that place looks sweet!" Roy said. "I bet a lot of fancy people come here."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Morton said. He walked up to the front of the pack to stand beside Lemmy. "You ready for this, Lems?"

"I was born ready!" Lemmy practically bounced over to the theater. His joy was so far away from fizzling out that it was unbreakable. What's more, it grew too, blossoming into its most beautiful and mature form as Lemmy made his way up the steps. By this point, the Koopaling's imagination was going into overdrive. This was going to be fun! There was no way in the world that this wouldn't be fun. What's more… maybe Lemmy could talk to and make friends with the other contestants! Sure, the fact that they would be competing with each other have potential to sour the interaction, but… eh, they could cross that bridge when they got to it.

"Oh man." Lemmy stopped right in front of the door. His whole body tingled, which was something that hadn't happened to him in a while. The same could be said about the butterflies in the stomach. They weren't the product of nervousness though, instead entirely embodying and conveying Lemmy's excitement. Letting out a breath, Lemmy reached his hand toward the doorknob, ready to get this show on the road…

When the door opened. Lemmy did a double-take when he saw a person standing on the other side before smiling. This was probably one of his fellow comedians! He couldn't NOT interact with them!

"Oh, hello!" Lemmy said as his siblings joined him at the door. "My name is Lemmy! I'm competing in the Ultimate Laugh-Off! Are you competing too?"

The person didn't respond, instead just letting out a long sigh. As if that action was some magical incantation, Lemmy finally noticed how… off this person appeared. Their shoulders drooped, their eyelids sagged, their frown was deeper than most. Lemmy blinked, looking at this person while his mouth hung agape. Were… were they okay?

"Uh… sir? Is everything alright?"

The person didn't bother responding. They just let out another sigh, as if Lemmy was both invisible and unhearable. Without any words, they dragged themselves out of the theater. And Lemmy really did mean dragged; the sound of their feet scraping against the floor was probably hearable from space. Lemmy couldn't take his eyes off this person as a result. His excitement faded away too; not entirely, but enough to be noticeable.

"Huh," said Roy. "Guys, is it just me, or did that guy seem a little… blah?"

Wendy cringed. "He did seem off." She looked confused as she looked between her brothers. "Do you think this is cause to be concerned?"

"Hmm," Iggy said. "Possibly, but I don't think we should get all up in a tizzy until it's absolutely necessary." He looked back down at Lemmy. "This is a time for excitement, and I'm sure none of us want to do anything to deflate that excitement."

"Yeah." Lemmy smiled, doing his best to push the odd feelings he had regarding that person to the side. "You're right, Iggy." His smile grew bigger as he turned toward the door. "Come on guys, we don't want to keep Rouge Albertine waiting!"

Iggy giggled in the strangest way possible. His face also turned a little pinkish. "Oh, I couldn't agree more." His giggling grew more frequent as they stepped into the building, and his breathing grew more noticeable. "I can't believe that I'm actually going to meet her! This is a dream come true!"

Lemmy beamed. "Oh, it's a dream come true alright," he whispered to himself.

The Koopalings walked through the theater, and as they did, Lemmy took in his surroundings. The theory he had, that the inside of the theater would be just as if not more impressive than the outside, was proving to be correct. The walls were aligned with what looked like gold and purple velvet carpets covered the floor. There was also this vibe to the whole place, a welcoming vibe that told Lemmy that this was where he belonged. This was a place where magic happened (literally if magicians ever performed here). This was a place where people could reach for their dreams and possibly achieve them.

And this was just the HALLWAY of the Shellturner Theater. The main area was bound to be GORGEOUS!

"Isn't this place great, guys?" Lemmy asked.

"It is," said Ludwig. He looked up at the ceiling. "Are those crystal chandeliers?"

Lemmy craned his neck to see what Ludwig saw, and he let out a happy laugh when he saw the chandeliers. Hanging high up, they were spaced a few feet apart and were bathing the halls in a type of light that was both soft and appealing.

"Wow," Lemmy breathed out. He giggled again (he was doing that a lot today, he noticed). "Now I KNOW this place is something special. You don't get much more special than a boatload of crystal chandeliers."

"Indeed you don't," Iggy said. "This place is indeed very ornate. Of course, seeing how this is a building in Berrybark, this is to be expected, but still." He put his hand to his chin. "Now that I think about it, it would be interesting to study the history of this theater. I mean, it is named after Jordan Shellturner after all." Everyone gave him confused looks, making him snicker. "One of the most influential filmmakers of the twentieth century. Dang, I was right on the money when I said you guys live under a rock."

Lemmy stuck his tongue out at Iggy before laughing. "Well, either way, this place is pretty neat." He turned back around. "Theaters in general are pretty cool, but this one is just… OOF!" That OOF was said because Lemmy had bumped into someone, falling to the floor. He hastily picked himself back up. "Oh, I am so sorry, ma'am! I should've watched where I was… going."

The lady who Lemmy had bumped into looked like she was the physical embodiment of depression and despair. Like the man who Lemmy had seen at the entrance, her shoulders slumped and her eyelids sagged as she sighed. She looked pretty with all the colors on her body, but thanks to her mood, she may as well be grayscale. It looked like nothing could reach her any more, like every positive thing in her life had been taken away from her and burned to ash.

"Uh… ma'am, are you alright?" Lemmy asked.

The lady didn't give any sign that she had heard him. Just like the man from earlier, she dragged herself away, appearing like the walking dead. Lemmy felt so strange looking at her. There… there had to be an explanation for this. Right?

"Woah," Roy said. "That's two people who are down in the dumps."

"Yeah," Larry said as he wrinkled his nose. "I thought the whole point of this competition was to make people laugh, not emotionally scar them."

"I think this goes beyond emotional scarring personally," Wendy said. She looked over at Lemmy, still battling his own round of confusion. "Maybe it would be best if we go home. I mean, something is definitely off about this whole thing, and things tend to go south when something is off."

Lemmy's stomach churned. "That is true…" he considered his options before sighing. Despite everything, he gave his siblings an optimistic look. "But I don't think we have anything to worry about. I mean… it's probably just a coincidence, right? For all we know, those people could have naturally down demeanors."

The Koopalings exchanged looks before Iggy stepped forward. "I agree with you, Lemmy. And besides…" his eyes glittered. "Why would we turn back when we finally have the opportunity to meet Rouge Albertine in person?" He giggled. "So those two people are incredibly morose. Like Lemmy said, that is probably some kind of coincidence. I mean, I do not know of anything that could artificially cause those people to feel troubled." He paused. "At least, not off the top of my head…"

"Right," Lemmy said. He turned back around. "So come on, everyone, let's get to the stage."

The others nodded, and they followed Lemmy to the stage. The SECOND they walked in, Lemmy was blown away. This theater… wow. The stage was huge, with the brightest spotlights in the world shining down on it. The sides were constructed out of gold, just like the hallways, and beautiful midnight blue curtains hung over it. Not only was the stage itself big, but the place for the audience to sit was big too. In fact, there were not one, but TWO balconies with even more chairs than just the ones on the main floor. THAT was how big it was. And… were those diamonds that the armrests were encrusted with?

"Wow," Lemmy exclaimed. This was, hands down, the most amazing theater he had ever stepped foot in. He wanted to live here. He truly did.

Lemmy's thoughts were interrupted when Iggy gasped. "Guys!" He pointed toward the stage. "There she is! She's right there!"

Lemmy looked. Indeed, Iggy was right. There, standing at center stage, was Rouge Albertine.