AN: Hey everyone! I know I haven't finished episode 41 yet, but I really wanted to start this one. I hope you all like it; I had a good time writing it!
Chapter 1 Countdown
"I hate the fucking car, I hate the fucking car, I HATE THE FUCKING CAR!"
Wendy giggled as she looked toward her brothers. "Guys, call me crazy, but I don't think Larry likes the car."
Larry rolled his eyes as all the other Koopalings laughed. "And you guys do? Don't lie; you all have gotta admit that the car is the worst Mario Party mechanic of all time." He grumbled and leaned closer to the TV, scowling as Roy, who was currently the captain, rolled the dice. "Everything about this game is wrong."
"Even the minigames?" Roy asked right as he rolled a four.
"Oh no, the minigames are pretty good." Larry growled. "Too bad we can never play them cause of the FUCKING CAR!"
Iggy chuckled. "Calm down, Larry. As soon as we're finished with Mario Party 9, we can play another game."
"Oh, that sounds great." Larry turned his gaze over to Wendy. "Of course, the soon-to-be birthday girl needs to give her blessing first."
Wendy chuckled. It was, in fact, the night before her eighteenth birthday. Yes, eighteenth. Wendy was about to become the fifth Koopaling who would cross the threshold and come of age. This was the reason why she and her brothers were playing Mario Party 9; she had requested that they all get together and cap off her childhood by playing games that she had intense amounts of nostalgia towards. In her opinion, that was the best way to commemorate the occasion. It was bittersweet in some ways, but overall very nice.
"Don't worry, Larry, we can switch games." She got up from her spot on the couch and went over to the TV, browsing through the Wii games they had on the bottom shelf. "Do you guys wanna play New Super Mario Bros Wii!"
Larry's face lit up. "Ooh, yes! That's the best game of all time!"
Morton snorted. "You're only saying that because it was the game that reintroduced us back into the Mario series."
"Wow," Larry said as he gave Morton a glittery-eyed look. "You act like the best thing to happen in the history of gaming is a bad thing."
Lemmy and Ludwig laughed together. "Larry," Ludwig said once he calmed down, " your logic… is flawless."
Wendy chuckled, enjoying pretty much every aspect of this. Yeah, yeah, this really was the best possible way to close out her childhood. It had a very conclusive feel to it, and best of all, it involved the Koopa Kingdom princess spending time with her favorite people in the entire world. After everything that the Koopalings had gone through, how could they not want to celebrate together?
"Okay," Wendy said, "we'll play Mario Wii… after we finish Mario Party 9."
Larry grumbled and tightly gripped his Wii remote while putting on a pouty face. "Oh great. I have to sit through more mental torture. That's awesome."
"Larry, if you hate it so much, I can always take your controller and play the rest of the game for you," said Lemmy.
Larry blinked before sitting up. His expression loosened up and he looked significantly less grumpy. "Okay, maybe it's not THAT torturous."
The others laughed as Wendy took her seat. "Whatever you say." Wendy looked toward the TV and rolled the dice. As the car drove through Toad Road, she let out a breath. "This feels so surreal."
"Really?" Ludwig asked. "You've been on this planet for almost eighteen years and you're still not used to Larry being a punk?"
Wendy gave him a look. "That's not what I meant. I just… I can't believe I'm gonna be eighteen in a few minutes."
Iggy chuckled. "Well, technically Wendy, you don't advance in age until you reach the exact minute of your birth. And considering you were born at three sixteen in the afternoon, you still have roughly fifteen hours before you officially come of age."
Wendy gave Iggy a blank look. "Wow. I feel so informed. The knowledge you have graced me with changes literally every single part of what I just said."
"HA!" Ludwig laughed. "I've never been so aware of my little sister taking after me and my snark until now." He laughed some more. "Forget the video games; dissing Iggy is the REAL way to cap off your childhood!"
Iggy let out a long sigh, and his form deflated as he did. "I am a fountain of knowledge and no one wants to drink from me."
Roy snickered. "I think I'd have an allergic reaction to your knowledge water, honestly."
Morton smiled. "Yeah. Or it could give us diarrhea."
Larry laughed. "Well, when you consider the fact that Iggy is full of shit, yeah, that checks out."
Iggy growled, his face turning red. "I am literally two seconds away from chucking my remote at the TV and storming out of the room."
"You don't have to do that, Iggy," Wendy protested. She turned to the rest of her brothers. "Tell you what, the birthday girl is issuing a new rule. For the next twenty-four hours, no one can make fun of Iggy. No matter what he says or does, you have to be kind and civil to him until midnight tomorrow."
Iggy flashed Wendy a grateful look as everyone else groaned. "That is actually very kind of you, Wendy! Such a gesture is immensely appreciated." He laughed and smirked at his brothers. "Don't forget that boys; I have immunity from criticism and harassment for the next twenty-four hours! If you don't follow that rule, you will be punished by… by…" he stopped, hesitating, before turning back to his sister. "Wendy, do tell; how exactly should the perpetrators of the law be punished? Should they not get cake? Do they have to skip the party altogether?"
Wendy smirked. "They get punished… by earning my disappointment and disapproval."
"That's it?" Iggy's face fell. "Well, that's not quite as severe as I would've liked."
"I dunno man, have you seen Wendy when she's disappointed?" Roy asked as he put his Wii remote down. "It hurts."
"It really does," said Lemmy. "I am not a happy clown when Wendy is disappointed in me. If anything, I'm a depressed clown, like that guy I hired to perform for my fifteenth birthday."
Ludwig chuckled. "Honestly, I like that guy; he was exactly my speed." Ludwig sat up. "And to his credit, he was amazing at making balloon animals."
"He was!" Lemmy beamed. "He was able to make me a poodle in six seconds! Talk about being a master…"
"Hey! Guys!" Larry exclaimed. "Depressed clowns are cool and all, but I don't want to ride in the FUCKING CAR anymore!"
Ludwig grumbled and shook his head. "Fine, fine. We won't talk until you finish this round." He looked toward the TV. "No matter how much that sucks out the fun."
"It's Mario Party 9, Ludwig," said Larry. "There's no such thing as fun."
Wendy rolled her eyes and focused on the TV once again. The next two turns were pretty simple; Wendy got a 4-5-6 dice block, and Larry got some mini stars (not that that made him any happier). Unfortunately, while the Koopalings being silent did help with Larry's mood, he was really the only one. Wendy really wanted to talk. Mario Party 9 might not be the most beloved game, but having lively chat with the people you were playing it with made the experience so much more enjoyable. And that was coming from a person who actually enjoyed playing it.
Thankfully, the mood would be saved within no time. For no more than five minutes after Ludwig forced the Koopalings to take a vow of silence, Bowser, Kamek, and Junior came into the room. Bowser wore what was possibly the proudest and happiest smile Wendy had ever seen from him. And considering that Bowser was often on top of the world when it came to his children, that was saying a lot.
"There you are!" Bowser extended his arms and went over to Wendy with a grin. "There's my baby girl who's no longer gonna be my baby girl!" He picked Wendy up and gave her a hug, squeezing her in the tightest way possible. Wendy chuckled despite the fact that she had trouble breathing.
"Okay Bowser," Kamek said. "You should probably let her go. Unless you DON'T want her to live to turn eighteen?"
Bowser giggled and let Wendy go. "I want her to live to be a million years old, which considering scientific advancements could very well be possible." He patted Wendy's head, making her smile. "How you doing, girly goo? Do you feel like an adult yet?"
"Not yet," Wendy said. "I still have about three minutes." She looked into her father's eyes, "And I'm gonna enjoy those three minutes."
"I know you will." Bowser sighed and wiped a tear from his eye. "I really can't believe you're turning eighteen. It feels like just yesterday that you hatched."
Junior giggled. "Well, technically, TOMORROW is when she hatched. Not YESTERDAY."
Bowser snickered. "Smart aleck." He turned his attention back to his one and only daughter. "Well… since tomorrow is such a special milestone birthday… I actually have very special plans."
"Special plans?" Wendy asked. "You mean as in when it comes to the party?"
High, fluttery giggles came out of the Koopa King's mouth. "Actually… I wanted to do something much more special." He beamed at Wendy. "What do you say we have a Daddy Daughter Day?"
It took a second for that question to sink in for Wendy. When it did, she gasped. "Are you serious?" When Bowser nodded, her face rose and she let out a happy squeal. "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness! We haven't done that since my tenth birthday!"
"I know," Bowser said. "Since you were becoming an adult, I figured it would be nice to do it now!"
Wendy giggled, and this time, SHE was the one who hugged BOWSER. "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"You're welcome, Honey Bunches." He gave her a quick hug before looking toward the boys. "Of course, that comes with a slight caveat. Boys, since I'm going to be out with Wendy, it's gonna be up to you to set up for her party."
The boys exchanged looks before Iggy nodded. "That is more than doable."
"Yeah!" Lemmy started vibrating in his seat. "Plus, that sounds like it'll be fun! I love planning parties!"
"Me too!" said Roy. "And we can each add our own little touches to it."
"Exactly what I was thinking," said Bowser. He let out a breath. "So, everything is all set up! We each have our plans for tomorrow! That's perfect!"
"I cannot help but agree," said Iggy. He pulled his phone out of his hammerspace, gasping as he did. "We have thirty seconds until midnight!"
"Oh, already?" Bowser backed up a little so he could look upon all his children. "Alright everyone, you know what to do!" He waited for a few seconds before he began counting down. "Ten… nine… eight…"
"Seven… six…" the others joined in. As Wendy listened to her family count down the final seconds of her childhood, a lot of emotions filled her. This was it. A new chapter was starting in her life. This was her opportunity to reach new heights, to be the calm cool adult that she always dreamed of being. Yes, it was bittersweet, but honestly, the bitter was less pronounced than the sweet. This was going to be amazing. Wendy was going to have the best life ever. She would personally see to that.
"Three… two… one… Happy birthday Wendy!"
Wendy beamed. Yeah, they were already off to a great start.
AN: I have extra information on my profile. Why don't you guys go check it out? :)
