Looping Lemmy

by autism_stoner

Summary:

Lemmy is trapped in a time loop on the deadliest day of his life.
Things will only get worse from here.
------------
Tags will be added as they become relevant.

Notes:

lemmy is my favourite, so he's become my mental stressball. i've been very stressed the past month.
my love of koopalings mixed with my love of time looping horror, and then this spawned in a word document.
though im not about torturing and tormenting small children through time.
so in this story the koopalings' ages have been increased.

Larry - 16
Morton - 17
Wendy - 17 ½
Iggy - 18
Roy - 18 ½
Lemmy - 19
Ludwig - 20

Chapter 1: Act 1 - Normal Everyday,

Notes:

so it begins.

It's a beautiful day in the Darklands, and Lemmy is bored out of his mind. It’s approaching noon, and he’s already finished his daily duties. Though, he skipped out on most of them since Bowser is not here.

The big boss himself is out on a mission, along with Junior and Kamek. They’ve been gone a few days now, leaving the entire Koopa Castle under the watch and care of the Koopaling Clan.

They have not been watching over the castle, but instead doing whatever they want now that nobody else is here to enforce the rules. Lemmy is no exception to this, preferring to practice his ball-balance and juggling skills, over his boring work duties.

He finds himself wandering down a corridor, doing a slight shuffle as he walks, unsure of what to do with himself. He thinks about his siblings as he goes.

‘Wendy is in her personal spa today… Morton and Roy are playing a painful game of dodgeball in the courtyard… Larry is personally overseeing the repair of his airship… Iggy and Ludwig…’

His thoughts come to a stop, and so does his walk. He regards the closed door now in front of him, large and imposing due to his small size. The door to the laboratory.

‘Iggy and Ludwig are in here, no doubt. Definitely on a Secret Quest.’

Lemmy had searched the whole castle looking for something to do with someone else, but everyone else he encountered was already busy. The only two he couldn’t find anywhere were Iggy and Ludwig.

Ever since the higher-ups took off on a mission, those two have been acting stranger than usual. Lemmy has been calling their odd excursions together ‘Secret Quests’, since they’re being so secretive about it. They clearly thought nobody would notice them, running around the castle and disappearing for long stretches of time, but Lemmy did.

He made the mistake of asking them about it yesterday. He followed them around, not very discreetly, trying to figure out what they were up to, but they noticed him. He sparked casual conversation, asking questions about what they’re doing, but Iggy gave vague answers while Ludwig flat-out ignored him.

The mistake came from pushing them too far, and Ludwig’s patience running out. It was incredible to see them work together so fluidly, even if it was at Lemmy’s expense.

That was before, and this is now.

Lemmy reaches out for the door, but stops when he notices it’s already slightly open.

‘That’s weird…’ Lemmy raises a brow.

Resuming, he carefully pushes it open more and peeks his nose inside, seeing nobody around. Seeing as there’s nobody immediately present, he sneaks further inside. He knows they’re in here somewhere, and he doesn’t want them to know he’s coming.

Lemmy doesn’t often set foot inside here, as usually the door is closed and locked. Out of the Koopalings, only Iggy and Ludwig can enter or exit freely. He takes in his surroundings as he tiptoes further in.

The inside of the laboratory looks how one would expect, except split in half. It’s clear which half belongs to who, as one side is a complete wreck and mess, and the other is neat and orderly.

On the right, gizmos and gadgets Lemmy cannot begin to describe are on every available surface. Various colourful fluids run through tubes into other smaller tubes, then into beakers and pots. Notes are haphazardly strewn on the walls written in barely legible scratches, which Lemmy can recognize as Iggy’s writing, but he cannot read it.

On the left, everything has a dedicated spot and is in its place. The same gadgets and gizmos are around, but are hung on the walls, labelled and aligned. There are a few lights of different colours, blinking in different patterns. There are numbered notes on the walls, strung together with red string. These ones are written in cursive. Incredibly fancy cursive, which Lemmy cannot read.

He ignores the rest of the lab when he hears voices coming from further inside the room, likely behind another closed door. Towards the back wall of the lab. He can make out the sounds of Iggy and Ludwig’s voices, but cannot tell what they’re saying.

A devious smile creeps on Lemmy’s face, as an equally devious plan forms in his mind. He continues tiptoeing slowly towards the back wall, getting closer to the closed door.

‘I’m gonna jumpscare them so hard, ha! That’ll teach them not to ignore me.’

Lemmy stifles a giggle as he reaches the door, hovering his hand over the handle. He’s so tiny folks can barely hear him coming, a trait he’s thankful for. Once he busts open the door, he’ll yell at them some words, hopefully surprising them both and scaring the lights out of them. It’s what they deserve for yesterday, at minimum.

While hesitating, he can hear them both inside more clearly now, though it sounds like they’re saying nothing. Not saying any actual words, but instead just making phonetic sounds?

He doesn’t think about it any further, nor does he notice the light from under the door, and acts on his plan. In one swift movement, he busts the door open with a bang and hollers out.

“HEY—”

He stops himself as he’s blinded by the bright light from inside the room. Stars imprint on his vision as he loses sight of the world around him. It’s like looking into the sun, but he can’t close his eyes. He can’t look away.

The other two Koopas shout in surprise upon Lemmy busting through the door. Lemmy smiles at the sound, his plan successful.

“LEMMYYY!” Iggy’s shocked voice rings out, rattling inside Lemmy’s head.

The blinding light quickly fades to reveal a cloud of sparkling dust shimmering around Lemmy, fading as fast as the light did.

His vision returning to him, Lemmy sees the shocked faces of Iggy and Ludwig staring back at him. They’re standing around something on the floor between them. He notices that they’re not angry, but… Even after the initial scare, they still look terrified.

“Hey guys!” Lemmy says casually. “What was that?” He asks with a hop, dramatically pointing between them both at where the light was coming from.

Ludwig’s face shifts, and he groans in annoyance.

“Nothing worth mentioning to you, now get out.” Ludwig quips, expression morphing into one of cold anger. 

He turns away from Lemmy and goes back to whatever is on the floor next to him. Iggy steps in front of him, now standing closer to Lemmy. A goofy smile comes on his face, not a hint of annoyance or anger in his gaze.

“We’re doing experiments!! It did!! NOT work!!” Iggy exclaims, giving an exaggerated double-thumbs up.

“Ooohh, really?! What flavour of experiment was it??” Lemmy bounces in place, excited by the response. This is interesting! He tries to look past Iggy, but Iggy matches his movements, blocking his view of Ludwig. Lemmy raises a brow, but Iggy keeps smiling.

Iggy opens his mouth to say something else, but Ludwig’s aggravated voice from behind him cuts him off.

“I said it’s nothing worth mentioning to you, now get. Out."

Iggy shrugs at Lemmy in an exaggerated manner. Lemmy pouts at him in an exaggerated manner. They both laugh a little.

Lemmy learned his lesson last time he pushed Ludwig’s buttons, so this time he heeds the warning and takes the cue to leave. He quickly sticks his tongue out at Ludwig, getting a snort from Iggy, then turns and dashes away, leaving the door open.

“Lemmy, you—” Ludwig’s voice sounds out after him, but Lemmy is too fast and escapes before hearing the rest.

He dashes out of the lab’s main door, and it closes behind him. He hears the lock click as it slides shut. He places his hand on the door and tries to open it again, but it doesn’t budge. Guess he’s not going back there anytime soon.

He’s still curious about whatever it is those two are working on together. Learning what their Secret Quest is about will have to wait, as now he’s locked out of the lab until they decide to come out themselves. Whatever.

At least he got to see something really cool! They're working on a new experiment of some kind. A really bright, sparkly kind. Lemmy figures he’ll ask Iggy about it next time he finds him alone.

Instead of going back down the corridor the way he came, facing the door he turns left and walks down that way. Far enough down, this hallway is lined with windows that have a direct view into the castle courtyard.

Lemmy comes to a stop at the window towards the far end of the corridor, before it leads into another one like a T. He leans against the windowsill and watches the sky.

Bright sunny weather is rare in the Darklands, as usually the black smog clouds are so thick they blot out the sky and leave the ground below dark like night. Hence the name Darklands. The flowing magma and lingering magic on the ground usually being the primary source of light. Today the clouds are instead like wisps, leaving the vast yellow sky clear and allowing the sun to shine through. It’s bright and warm outside, a picturesque day.

Looking down to the ground of the courtyard, he can see Roy and Morton outside, small like ants down below. They're playing another sort of game now. At least, Lemmy assumes it’s a game.

Morton is wielding a large hammer, smacking stacked spiked balls with it towards Roy. Roy, who is also wielding a giant hammer, is reflecting them back at Morton. They seem to be having fun.

How neither of them are getting hit is beyond him. One direct hit from one of those spiked balls would likely crush someone of Lemmy’s size. The strength of those two is not to be underestimated. He watches them go back and forth, mesmerized by the sheer speed at which they’re moving. His trance is only broken by the sound of rapid footsteps coming down the hall to his left.

He tears his gaze away from the two in the yard, and goes to peek around the corner of the corridor to see who’s approaching so quickly.

He learns quickly that it was a mistake to do that, as whoever is coming isn’t able to see him clearly, and rounds the corner at max speed, barreling into him.

Before Lemmy can fully fall backwards, someone catches his wrists and stabilizes him. After the shock of being bumped into, he realizes it’s Larry’s smiling face inches in front of him.

“Lemmyyy!!!” Larry exclaims, “Just the Koopa I was looking for!”

Larry leans back and pulls Lemmy back to his feet. He takes a step back, smiling wide.

“Larryyy!!” Lemmy matches his energy, also smiling wide, “What’s up!?”

“My airship repairs are all finished! Come for a joyride with me!” Larry exclaims, raising his hands into the air.

Lemmy also raises his hands into the air, mimicking Larry’s goofy pose. “Hell yeah! When?”

“Right now!” Larry says, grabbing Lemmy’s wrist once again and pulling him along down the corridor and towards the hangar.

‘Finally! Something exciting!’ Lemmy thinks as he runs along with Larry.

Chapter 2: Act 1 - Until

High in the air, gliding amongst the thin clouds, Larry’s airship soared proudly. Not a scratch remained on the inside or outside, the repair job done so well you’d think it was brand new.

Now that the ship is stable and flying steady, Lemmy bursts open the door to the top floor and scurries outside. The wind rushes against his face, smelling like smoke and sulphur even this high off the ground. The scent of the Darklands is the smell of home to him. Larry is quick to follow him up, pumping his fist as he goes.

“Haha, yes! Yeah! We’re back on air!” Larry exclaims with a giant smile, looking up at the crows nest and propellers high above them, spinning relentlessly.

“C’mon!” Lemmy waves him over, pointing to the horizon.

The two of them rush to the side of the airship, gripping onto the edge and taking in the view. It’s always fun going for an airship joyride. To have nothing on your mind as you float among the clouds and see the world sprawled out far below you like a tiny table map. It’s a sight Lemmy can never get sick of. To be taller than the whole world is a great feeling.

As Lemmy leans further over the edge, he notices Larry leaning away.

‘Is he…nervous? Around heights?’ Lemmy thinks, smirking deviously as a new mischievous idea comes to mind.

“Larry?” He asks innocently.

“Yah?” Larry smiles back.

“Watch this.”

Lemmy pulls himself up onto the edge. Larry's smile drops, and his body stiffens. Lemmy takes a few steps along it, arms out like he’s walking a tightrope.

“Incredible view!” Lemmy taunts, flipping into a handstand. He turns in place to look at Larry.

“Lemmy. Lem, my boy. My brother,” Larry jabbers, holding his hands out as if to grab Lemmy, though he doesn’t come any closer. “WHAT are you doing??” Fear is evident in his voice and posture.

“What im best at!” Lemmy says with a smile, standing on one hand to wave at Larry. “I’m balancing!”

“Yeah on the edge of DEATH,” Larry shouts, his eyes wide, “Stop it!”

Lemmy only laughs in response, hopping onto his other hand. The hop makes Larry jump in place. Larry doesn’t get any closer, afraid he might accidentally push Lemmy around, ruining his delicate balance.

There’s nothing Lemmy trusts more than his own skills at balancing on anything. Be it on his hands or feet, ball or sleet, he can keep on it. It’s entertaining to him, seeing Larry so on edge mentally while Lemmy dances on edge literally. He knows he won't fall, he’s the Balance Master after all.

“Lemmy, this isn’t funny!” Larry warns him, clenching his fists.

“It’s kinda funny, hehe!” Lemmy says, cartwheeling away from him.

He then spins away from Larry and holds himself up as high as he can with one hand, the nice air rushing past him but not pushing him. Being upside down, he looks upward to the sight of the great vast Darklands splayed out before him. The view of the world high above instead of far below is a wondrous sight. He loves it up here in the sky.

“Everything down below is so small, heheha!” Lemmy laughs.

“Lem, please!” Larry pleads, approaching him, “What if—"

Larry’s words are cut off by an abrupt impact to the ship, causing the whole thing to lurch. Like something large and heavy knocked into the side of it. Neither Koopa is expecting it, so neither are prepared. Least of all Lemmy, who was holding himself up essentially by his fingertips, balancing delicately on the edge of the airship.

Larry is abruptly knocked to the floor, while Lemmy is knocked forwards. He feels the world slip away from under his fingers. His vision of the Darklands far below him begins to spin.

“NOOOO!!”

He hears Larry’s voice, a high scream, fading quickly. Cold wind rushes past him, all around his body. He turns, no ground to orient him, and catches a glimpse of the airship now far above him.

Lemmy recounts the last few events in his mind, slowly grappling with his new reality.

‘I’m on Larry’s airship. I’m balancing on the edge to freak out Larry, just to tease him a little. Then, something rocked the ship aggressively, and it knocked me off balance, and now I... ...off balance?’

Turning back upside down, he looks straight up at the ground beneath him. It’s coming closer with each passing second.

He’s falling.

‘I’m falling.'

The realization hits him hard in the stomach.

He quickly pulls inside of his shell, to hide himself from the sight of the ground coming closer. He shrieks so hard his throat hurts. It’s unclear which is worse; to see the ground coming, or to not see it coming. Either way, the destination is set, and there’s no way off this ride now.

‘I’m going to die..!’

He grabs his head with his claws, feeling himself freefall and spin through the air. An imminent crash he knows is coming, even if he can’t see it.

There’s no surviving a fall from this height, even with his hardy Koopa shell. His magic isn’t specialized enough to save him now. There’s no hope of being caught midair by allies, as nobody but Larry knows where they are right now.

His breaths come quick and shallow, squeezing tears out of his eyes. In his last moments, he’s wracked with regret.

“I'M SORRY!!” He sobs and shouts to the air. “This wasn't supposed to happen!! It was a prank, a joke!! I shouldn't have..! I-I'm sorry! I’ll be more careful! Aaahh..!”

His cries do nothing to slow his descent. He’s unsure who he’s even talking to anymore. He’s just pleading for anything to hear him. To spare him this fate.

“LAAARRRYYYYY!!” Lemmy cries out desperately, “SAAAVE MEEE!”

His pleas for help are snatched away by the air rushing past him. He clenches his teeth and forces his eyes shut tight, curling into himself as much as he can, awaiting the inevitable crash. His claws dig into his head, leaving marks. This is the end of his life as he knows it. Losing it all over a joke isn’t worth it. This is not how he wanted to die. Not like this.

His shallow breaths and increasingly panicked sobs come to an end when his body hits the ground.

As he lives through the novel experience of crashing into the ground chest first, feeling his organs splattering and his bones shattering to powder through his body; stars fill his vision, and then-

Chapter 3: Act 2 - Accidents Occur

Notes:

Loop #1

-he’s inside his shell. Pain screams through his whole body, but he can tell he’s stopped moving through the air. Still clutching his head and holding his breath, he gently opens his eyes. Just outside his shell, he sees a red carpet before him.

‘Eh..?’

His body wracks with tremors as he remains rigidly in place. He tries to take a breath, but he can’t inhale. He stares blankly forward as his pain slowly fades out, and confusion sets in. He lets go of his head and tentatively reaches out his hand, gingerly feeling the carpet. It's a real carpet.

“ ...what..?” He breathes out quietly.

He then slowly comes out of his shell, standing wobbly upright and taking in his surroundings. He’s not outside anymore, but instead he’s inside the castle. Standing before the unmistakable laboratory door. He takes a deep inhale through his nose. He holds it, feeling it in his lungs. His bones and body are intact. He feels his heart beating in his chest, and exhales slowly.

‘How am I…here?’

His body slowly stops shaking. He closes his eyes, and sees the sight of the Darklands below him again. They fly open wide.

‘Did I…? Wasn’t I just…?’

He blinks a few times and looks at his hands, flexing them. He takes a few steps back, and looks around the unmistakable corridor he was in just hours ago.

‘I’m really back in the castle? Wasn’t I just…falling? Did I die?’

The thought makes his blood run cold. That makes no sense.

‘I did! I think…then how am I—?’

“Lemmyyy!!” A familiar voice cuts through his thoughts, calling to him from down the hall.

Lemmy jumps, and turns his head to the left. He sees Larry rushing down the hall towards him.

“Just the Koopa I was looking for!” Larry exclaims with a smile, skidding to a stop just before Lemmy.

Lemmy stares at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. That sentence feels very familiar.

“…Hi?” Lemmy’s voice comes out as a question, surprising both of them. Larry’s expression falters a bit at this response. Then it comes back in full.

“My airship repairs are all finished!” He reaches out a hand. “Come for a joyride—"

“NO!” Lemmy shouts, putting his hands out in front of him. A chill runs through Lemmy’s bones as he recalls falling. He shudders.

Larry recoils and pulls back his hand, the smile on his face now fully gone. He seems shocked, then confused and upset. That’s when Lemmy realizes what he did. He didn’t mean to shout at him.

“I um— I mean…” Lemmy looks to the floor, rubbing his hands together. He looks back up to Larry with a sheepish expression.

“Uhh…Remind me why your airship needed repairs again?” Lemmy smiles a little at him, scratching his face.

Larry crosses his arms and huffs, turning his head away from Lemmy. He taps his foot indignantly against the soft carpet floor.

“That wasn’t even my fault.” Larry grumbles. He turns back to Lemmy with a keen expression, “…but I get your point. Let’s do something else together, then!”

Lemmy smiles at him, glad his distraction worked. He does not want to set foot on any of the airships anytime soon. Not after that experience. He may have come back to life, but he still remembers the feeling of impacting the ground. A nauseating memory of a sensation you’re not supposed to experience and live with. He still wants to hang out with Larry though, so what else can they do…

They both stand there thinking in silence. Lemmy’s smile fades as he falls deeper into his thoughts.

“Uhh… Hmm…” Lemmy audibly thinks, finger under his chin, but nothing comes to mind.

His mind is still stuck on the fact he’s not dead. His thoughts dwell.

‘Larry and I on his airship… I fell off- No, something knocked me off… and then I hit the ground. I died, yet here I am in the castle, speaking with Larry. Again. He’s asking me to come for a joyride. Again. I died…why did I return here? Why did—’

A sharp clap of hands startles Lemmy from his wandering thoughts. 

“Okay times up, let’s play tennis!” Larry says with a determined look.

“Oooh, great idea!” Lemmy always enjoys playing sports with Larry. He shakes his body out, clearing away his previous thoughts. “Maybe we can get Roy and Morton to join us! They’re in the courtyard right now!”

“Fantastic! Okay we’re doing this right now let’s go!”

Without waiting for an answer, Larry grabs Lemmy’s wrist and starts pulling him along down the corridor.

Deja-vu strikes Lemmy hard as Larry pulls him along, but he lets it pass since they’re not going to the airship hangar this time, they’re going to the courtyard. They’re both staying firmly on the ground, which means Lemmy can’t fall to his death again. He’ll be safe this time.

As they run through the halls together, a thought crosses Lemmy’s mind. He regards Larry with suspicious interest, but keeps his pace. Larry does not notice, his gaze fixed forward.

‘Does he… remember? It doesn’t seem like it, but…’ Lemmy wonders. ‘Eh, whatever. I’ll ask him about it later.’

He turns his own gaze to the windows on his right as they run by, catching glimpses of Roy and Morton on the ground down below outside. They’re smacking those spiked balls back and forth with hammers. Hopefully they’ll be willing to change games and play tennis with the two smaller Koopas.

‘This will be fun!’ Lemmy smiles to himself.

---

Once Lemmy and Larry reach the bottom of the stairs, Larry races ahead of Lemmy towards the door to the courtyard. He turns back to look at Lemmy and sticks out his tongue playfully, making a snarky expression.

“I’ll race you—”

As soon as he starts talking, he trips over himself and tumbles to the floor. The tumble is comical and makes Lemmy smile, and he easily rushes past Larry who now lays splayed out on the floor, dazed from his sudden fail.

“HA! HA!” He laughs and points as he runs past Larry. “Race accepted!”

“OH come on!!” Larry calls out after him, scrambling back to his feet.

Lemmy keeps going forward and rushes through the doors, bursting out into the courtyard. He skids to a stop on the loose dirt path and turns back towards Larry, heaving and pointing dramatically.

“Hehe! I win!” Lemmy teases him with a cheeky smile. Larry looks past him at something else.

“LOOOK OOUT!!!” Roy’s voice suddenly booms across the yard.

Lemmy quickly turns around and looks up just in time to see a massive spike ball hurtling down towards him. Before he can react, it makes contact with him. He feels a spike drive right into his nose, then the crashing weight of the ball itself coming down on him and crushing his skull, upper body, and shell beneath it like a bug.

The sound of his bones snapping and shell crunching filling his ears. The feeling of his face being pierced and smashed in. The abrupt sound of someone screaming.

Stars fill his vision, and then-

Chapter 4: Act 2 - Stay Inside

Notes:

Loop #2

-he falls to his knees, eyes squeezed shut and claws clutching his nose and face. He can’t breathe in or out, his nose wracked with a piercing pain that reaches the back of his head. His upper body throbs and hurts like it’s still stuck under the weight of that ball.

‘Ow ow ow..! What just happened..!?’

The pain fades as his nerves catch up with his new reality. He’s not crushed or pierced by anything, he’s fine. He gently opens his eyes a little, but keeps his hands on his nose. It feels like it’ll start bleeding at any moment. His eyes snap open in full once he realizes what he’s looking at.

Before him is the unmistakable laboratory door. Once again.

He looks down to the floor. Familiar red carpet. He looks around. Familiar castle corridor.

‘Oh… I’m back here.’ He blinks twice. ‘Again. I’m back here, then…’

His hands slide from his nose to his mouth, stifling a scream.

‘I died ! Again!? What?!’

He breathes out, forcing all the oxygen out of his body. His mind is reeling at this information. He shakily gets off his knees and stands upright, leaning against the door for support. He takes long deep breaths, contemplating his situation. A realization dawns on him, causing a mischievous smile.

‘I…can’t die. I don’t stay dead! Haha! I can’t die!!’

He has a mini-celebration in front of the door and does a little dance. Abruptly stopping when another realization wipes the smile from his face and sucks the joy from his soul.

‘Well, I can die. I…died twice already. Today alone. And they hurt. A lot. I fell from an airship and got crushed by a spike ball. Uhh…’

He doesn’t like this train of thought, so shakes his head and focuses on the positives in this situation.

‘I died, but hey! The deaths don’t stick, and that’s a plus to me!!’

He gives a smile and thumbs up to the door. Then turns to his left and starts making his way down the corridor, idly watching the yellow sky through the windows as he walks past.

‘Larry is on his way, no doubt. I wonder if…’

He makes it to the end of the corridor, but pauses before turning the corner. He smiles to himself and waits, leaning against the wall and listening for the footsteps that will soon come rushing down the hall.

He perks up when he hears them coming, rushing fast towards him. He giggles and tenses up, readying himself to jump out.

‘Bro has no idea I know he’s coming!! Haha!’

Once he hears Larry is getting close, Lemmy jumps out from around the corner with his arms out and screams.

“BAAH!!”

“AAAH!!” Larry screams higher and attempts to dodge an attack that isn’t coming, causing himself to trip up and tumble to the floor. Much to Lemmy’s amusement.

“Haha, I got youu!” Lemmy claps and hops on each foot, very pleased with this result. He taunts Larry, standing over him and smiling. He offers Larry a hand.

Larry scowls and pouts, batting away Lemmy’s hand. He scrambles back to his feet himself. Larry’s pride is wounded, he hates it when Lemmy does this to him. He hates being scared, especially in front of others. He’s also embarrassed he fell over.

“Did not! Not fair!” Larry whines. Lemmy only laughs more.

“How did you even know I was coming?! I didn’t see you!” Larry huffs.

“You’re not that subtle when stomping down the hall, you know. Hehe, I just knew it was you coming.” Lemmy retorts with a quick boop to Larry’s nose. “I had to! It was so easy~!” He gives a cheeky smile.

Larry simply rolls his eyes, but also returns the smile. He can’t stay mad at Lemmy. As much as he hates being on the receiving end of a jumpscare prank, he can appreciate a well-executed one. Lemmy did get him good, but he wouldn’t admit that.

“Yeah yeah okay okay ,” Larry waves his hands in a dismissive motion, “More importantly, Lemmy, you were just the Koopa I was looking for.”

Lemmy twitches a bit hearing him say that, but keeps up his smile. Larry always says that to him. Those exact words are always followed by the same request.

“Oh, yeah?” Lemmy feigns ignorance.

“My airship repairs are all finished! Come for a joyride with me!” Larry exclaims, raising his hands into the air.

Lemmy does not want to do that. He raises his hands into the air as well, mimicking Larry’s goofy pose.

“Can we do anything else!” Lemmy says.

Larry immediately falters, confusion clouding him.

“What why? Don’t you like joyrides with me?” Larry asks, confused by Lemmy’s joyride denial.

‘I don’t wanna fall to my death again.’ Lemmy thinks.

He can’t just say that to Larry. So he says something else. Something that worked for him before to get out of this situation.

“Remind me why your airship needed repairs again?” Lemmy asks, poking his fingers together tentatively.

Larry crosses his arms and huffs, turning his head away from Lemmy. He taps his foot indignantly against the soft carpet floor.

“That wasn’t even my fault.” Larry grumbles. He turns back to Lemmy with a keen expression, “…but I get your point. Let’s do something else together, then!”

‘Wow, exactly the same response…’ Lemmy can’t help his eyes widening a bit, mildly surprised. ‘Least it works every time.’

“Yeah, okay! What about tennis?” Lemmy asks first this time, since he knows Larry will ask eventually anyway.

“Oh hell yeah! I love tennis!!” Larry is ecstatic at the suggestion.

Without waiting for further suggestion, Larry reaches out and grabs Lemmy’s wrist. He starts running down the hall, nearly dragging Lemmy along, excited at the idea of playing his favourite sport. Lemmy hops more than he runs, letting Larry do most of the leg work.

Lemmy glances outside the windows in passing and sees Roy and Morton down below. He cringes as he recalls stepping out into the courtyard and getting bodied by a stray spike ball. He doesn’t want that to happen again.

“Wait! Pause!” Lemmy exclaims, pulling his wrist free from Larry’s grip.

Larry comes to a stop and turns to face Lemmy, his eyes full of impatient curiosity as he regards him.

“What what what! What is it?!” Larry demands.

“What if instead we uhhhh—” Lemmy looks up, down and all around while trying to think of some way to play tennis without going to the courtyard. Then it strikes him.

“What if we played table tennis?! Inside instead??” Lemmy suggests quickly. Larry looks at him in wide-eyed silence. “I mean uhh, Morton and Roy are in the courtyard already so—”

“Great idea!!! Table tennis!!!” Larry abruptly shouts, causing Lemmy to startle. “I haven’t played in forever!”

“Okay! Great, me neither!” Lemmy agrees happily. Though his happiness comes not from the idea of table tennis, and instead the relief of avoiding the courtyard.

“That’s still all the way downstairs though, in the rec-room! Letsgoletsgoletsgo !!”

Without waiting for a response, Larry takes off towards the stairs. Lemmy is right behind him, though a bit slower as his legs are shorter. Not by much, but enough to be noticeable in a long term race.

In his palpable excitement, Larry jumps and skips multiple steps at a time. He needs to be downstairs three minutes ago, that’s how fast he is descending the steps.

He’s out of sight by the time Lemmy makes it down the first flight normally, but he can still hear him laughing as he goes further ahead.

“I’m winning!! Aha-ha!” Larry calls behind him, taunting Lemmy.

“No you ain’t!” Lemmy calls back to him, determined to catch up.

If Larry can jump and skip steps so easily, then so can Lemmy. It doesn’t look that difficult to do. Looks rather simple and easy actually.

‘Oh I’ll catch up, watch this!’

Lemmy psyches himself up to do what Larry’s been doing, jumping down the stairs and skipping steps. All for the sake of a race, it’s a huge time-saver after all. Larry’s already gone so far ahead.

Lemmy takes a breath and jumps forward, determined to win. He makes the mistake of letting go of the handrail, which Larry used each time to stabilize himself in the air. He doesn’t stick the landing on the steps, and twists his ankle.

“Gah!”

Unable to secure steady footing, he tumbles forwards down the steps. He rolls down the stairs, most of the blows being taken by his shell, though he lands on his arms a few times. As he rolls, he gains speed. He tries to twist his body so he’ll end up at the bottom feet first. Instead it twists the other way, and he lands on his head.

His neck twists in an odd direction, and a loud snap fills his ears. His body comes to a stop at the bottom stair. He can’t breathe, nor move his body. He feels a faint liquid trickling down his throat, stars creeping into his vision, and then-

Chapter 5: Act 2 - Not Your Fault

Notes:

Loop #3
this chapter took me three rewrites bruh but here it is

-he’s lying on the floor, and takes a sharp inhale. He flexes his hands, confirming to himself he can move once again. He quickly pushes himself to his feet, and expects to find himself at the bottom of the stairs.

Instead he finds himself in the upstairs castle corridor, standing before the locked laboratory door. There’s a painful crick in his neck. It aches to turn his head in any direction. He stands still in disbelief.

‘There’s no way. I did not just…’

Lemmy tenses up, and punches the door. He then shakes out his hand as it hurts. This door is metal.

‘I just fell and broke my neck!! Is nowhere safe?! Not even inside!?’

Closing his eyes and clenching his jaw and fists, he rests his head against the cold metal door and breathes. He doesn’t want to look at the corridor around him.

‘Why do I keep dying!! What is happening?!’

His hands start to shake. The world sways.

‘It hurts, it happens! Am I still dead? Is this a joke!? Am I a punchline???’

He takes a few harsh deep breaths, and then gently smiles to himself. The shaking slows to a stop in his hands.

‘Ah, I’m fine. I’ll come back. Death may hurt, but it can’t stop me…’

Lemmy feels a sharp jab on his left shoulder and jumps out of his skin at the sudden feeling. His attention snaps to his left, eyes wide.

Larry jumps back, startled. Lemmy’s equally startled, as he didn’t hear him coming down the hall at all. Larry got close enough to poke him real hard in the shoulder and he didn’t hear him coming.

There’s a pause between them.

“Lemmy?” Larry hesitantly smiles, “Aha, you’re just the Koopa I’ve been looking for.”

Lemmy stares at him. He forces a smile. “Hm?” He nods.

Larry hesitates before continuing.

“You uh, wanna hang out? My airship repairs are done.” Larry asks, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

“No- huh? Did you say it like that before?” Lemmy asks, not expecting the change in dialogue. He doesn’t even realize what he’s said to him until too late. His eyes widen a bit as his own words sink in.

“Did I say what before like who???” Larry asks, absolutely baffled by Lemmy’s words.

“Huh??”

“What??”

They pause for a moment, now just lost on what’s going on.

Larry looks around as if searching for anybody else who could’ve heard that conversation. Lemmy is just stunned. His head hurts. He can’t stay here anymore.

“Larry I gotta go bye,” He says quickly, turning away just as fast and speed walking down the corridor. The torch fire flickers on the wall for a moment, casting a greater shadow on the wall behind Lemmy.

“Uh, okay? Okay!” Larry calls after Lemmy, “I’ll catch ya… later…?”

Larry watches Lemmy go in silence, waiting until Lemmy turns the corner to leave.

Lemmy walks with his head down, his thoughts loop back to his deaths. He keeps walking down the corridor. Moving forward aimlessly.

‘I’ve died many times today…Err, uh, versions of today? I’ve fallen, been crushed, and now I’ve broken my neck… If the castle isn’t safe, then I’ll spend some time somewhere else…'

He claps his hands together as an idea comes to him. He knows where to go for now.

'I'll head to my airship! Alone, without Larry, and I won't take off so nothing will happen. Nothing will happen! I’m fine. I’ll be fine.’

And so, that’s just what he does.

 

---

 

Lemmy took the long way through the castle to the airship hangar, hoping to avoid walking past any of his siblings. He doesn’t want to be found for a while, he has to think about things.

“No better place than your personal flying war fortress to sit and think about death and how much you’ve died already in one day…” He mumbles to himself, walking while staring forward.

He paces around the cargo hold of his airship, the interior suggesting a party that’s come and gone already. This area is supposed to be for cargo and munitions, but over the years it became more like his personal storage.

One side holds actual crates of cannonballs. The other side is a mess. Covered in multi-coloured chalk drawings of himself and his siblings, neon stickers of weapons stuck all over the wall, a pile of rubber balls in the corner, and a busted magic fog machine that won’t turn off properly. It gives the cargo hold a slight smoky air, a thin haze that never goes away.

Across the ceiling in a spiral pattern, strung-up fairy lights blink lazily, mismatched colors like they’re arguing. On the floor below them is a soft multi-coloured spiral rug, swirling in the opposite direction of the lights. Lemmy stops and watches them blink for a few moments, imagining a tense conversation between them, before he resumes pacing around in a circle just under them.

“What’s happening to me today? Why am I dying so much? Three exceeds the normal amount of...death per life lived."

He grabs his head and tilts it back, giving it a quick squeeze.

"What is going ooonnnnuhhhhh? Ughhh…”

Questions with no clear answers spiral in his mind as he walks in circles. The foggy air spins with him as he walks, causing it to swirl in the room. He repeatedly counts on his fingers the three deaths he’s been through. Three too many.

“Falling, crushed, broken… falling, crushed, broken …I don’t want to know how I die next!!”

His walking slows and he heaves a deep sigh, causing the fog to billow around in the light. Speaking his thoughts out-loud usually helps, but it isn’t helping him with this problem. But that's all he can do about it.

“Aaughh, this sucks! I don’t like dying!!!”

He stops his steps. Thinking about it is hurting his head.

“Well… I’m alive right now, and… ”

He turns to the side of the room covered in items and things.

“For now… I’ll just be alive.”

 

---

 

He’s been in there for well over an hour now. Doing odd things just for the sake of doing them.

He juggled various small items while balancing on a rubber ball.

He played music on an old speaker system and danced to some lo-fi remixes of combat themes and weird circus samples he mixed. He made them with Larry’s help.

He sketched ideas in a spiral notebook—trap designs, comedy routines, dreams he half-remembers.

He didn’t think about his deaths, he simply lived his life.

He stopped sketching when it became just repeated spirals and stars. He covered an entire two pages worth in them. In the center of the pages is himself and Larry, standing in front of a closed door. He stared at it for a while before putting it away.

And now with the music off, he lies on his back in the center of the floor in silence, staring up at the spiral fairy-lights above him. His shell props him up, acting like a chair of sorts. He watches them blink and flash their colours, trying to nail down a specific pattern. He can’t find one.

Though he doesn’t think about death, that doesn’t mean death won’t think about him.

…and then it happens.

Something impacts the side of his ship with a tremendous thud, causing Lemmy to startle and jump up. It sends the ship tilting to the side slightly, the sudden shifting of the ground level just enough to cause a cannonball crate the size of Morton on the higher shelves to slide forward.

Sliding fully over the edge, Lemmy jumps out the way. It's not far enough.

He dodges instant death, but not grave injury. It crushes his lower half, his shell carapace breaking under the sudden weight. His chest is pressed into the floor as he loses feeling in his legs, his lower back a splitting pain.

“Ghhk..aahhh..!!!” Lemmy tries to scream, but blood comes out in place of words. The tang of iron is strong on his tongue.

His claws scratch and tear at the spiral carpet beneath him as he tries to pull himself away, the colour quickly soaking red.

‘NO! NOT AGAIN!! THIS IS WORSE!!!’ Lemmy screams in his head, his eyes wide.

‘THIS HURTS SO MUCH WORSE!!!’

The pool of red beneath him grows as the seconds tick on infinitely. He slowly stops scratching at the floor, exhausted and pinned down under crushing weight. Unable to hold his head up anymore, the right side of his face lies in the bloody carpet, feeling warm and wet. His eyes flick around the room. His left eye can see the fairy-lights, as they blur together into a taunting rainbow. Shadows dancing in the corners of his vision. It smells strongly of iron.

His heartbeat slow and loud in his ears, he becomes aware of something else outside of him. In the dead silence of the cargo hold, he hears in his left ear something directly above him, loudly walking on the floor above.

Then a familiar voice calls out to him.

“Lemmy?! I think you’re here at least… Hello??!”

Dread pierces his heart. It’s Larry’s voice, and he’s approaching quickly.

“Gllhk…!” Lemmy tries again to speak, to call out. It feels like shards in his throat.

‘No! Not Larry! Let me loop back first!!! Can’t I die any faster??? Loop back!!!’

He doesn’t want help. He doesn't want to be found like this. He wants to die and loop and be fine. The pain is unbearable and Larry is coming to witness his body. Behind his head Lemmy can hear Larry’s footsteps and voice come hurriedly down the stairs, laughing nervously as he approaches.

“I think I accidentally bumped you while trying to leave the hangar!! You in here?? Everything all good in here??”

Larry reaches the bottom of the stairs, and Lemmy comes into his view. The sound that came from Larry next hurt Lemmy more than the crate currently crushing him to death. A haunting cry that engraves itself into Lemmy's memory.

He hears Larry rush over and strain to lift the crate crushing Lemmy. His efforts are futile, but he keeps trying. 

“Oh no no no Lemmy no—” Larry cries, “Lemmy ahh…I’m so sorry! I bumped your ship, I-I caused this!! I’m so sorry!!!”

‘Larry no… not your fault…’

Larry gives up his efforts and hunches down in front of Lemmy. His hand grips Lemmy's and squeezes tightly, but Lemmy can't squeeze back. His vision blurs by the second, but he knows what he sees. Larry is leaning over him, and his expression is devastation. Lemmy looks over his face. He’s never seen Larry like this before. …It's awful.

“Oh!” Larry’s expression shifts, and he puts his other hand on Lemmy’s face. “Your eyes shifted!! You’re still alive!!?”

Lemmy slowly blinks at him, causing Larry to sob harder. His tears cascade down onto Lemmy's face. He can feel their warmth roll down his skin.

"I-I'm so sorry!!!" He squeezes his hand harder.

‘I loop… it’s okay… today is very lethal…’ Lemmy thoughts begin to fray as his senses drain further from him. His eyes flick around.

He tries to lift his arms but they don’t react, like lead weights by his side. He wants to give Larry a hug, and tell him he’ll be okay. Today just has it out for Lemmy's life. He tried and failed to avoid his death yet again. But seeing Larry like this, crushed by guilt, terrified, helpless— sobbing over Lemmy’s bloodied body, thinking it's his fault his brother is dying. It’s a different kind of pain. One the loop won’t erase.

Lemmy knows he'll loop back. Larry thinks this is permanent.

‘Not… your fault…’

The last thing he sees before his eyes drift shut is Larry, emotionally destroyed. His last sense being the feeling of Larry’s hand in his own and soft tears on his face. Larry’s cries turn into descending white noise, until silence.

Silence and darkness overtake him, but the stars don’t come right away. He lies still on the floor, unable to move or feel anything. Larry is gone and so is the weight of the crate, but Lemmy remains.

He feels weightless as stars fills his vision, and then—

Notes:

yoooo i just came into possession of Bowser Jr's Journey for my bday this is gonna be fire
cant wait for the knowledge i gain from this game about the koopalings

and sorry lemmy we're only on Loop 3. it gets worse before it gets better. my condolences king

Chapter 6: Act 2 - Dinner Hour

Notes:

Loop #4.
this chapter was real fun to write.

—he’s back at the checkpoint, laying face down on the carpet floor. He turns his head to the left to look down the hall from the door. He’s able to breathe again, as he’s now alive again. He remains in place and doesn’t move.

He waits for Larry. His face is still on his mind. The raw, unfiltered fear and guilt.

‘It wasn’t Larry’s fault. It was just the fault of today…It wants me dead.’

But that doesn’t change how much it hurts. Tears prick the corners of his eyes. He lies still and silent, trembling just slightly. Too exhausted to panic. Too haunted to speak.

And then down the hall like clockwork, Larry rounds the corner and calls out. This time it’s different again. His tone isn’t excitement. It’s concern.

“Lemmy? You good??” He makes his way down the hall towards Lemmy quickly.

Lemmy is lying on the floor still. He doesn’t want to move. Not until Larry’s hand is on his shoulder. He shifts slightly to look up at Larry.

“Hello??” Larry nudges him a smidge with a smile. “You fall over or somethin’??”

Seeing Larry’s gentle smile pierces Lemmy. Not even minutes ago he was bleeding out and dying a slow gruesome death listening to Larry’s throes of woe. Now it’s just Thursday again. Everything is fine.

‘No point in asking him about the loops…it’s clear now he remembers nothing.’

He sighs.

‘This memory is mine alone…’

“…mm jus tired.” Lemmy mumbles, slowly pushing himself upright. He doesn't notice Larry offering him a hand. He rises to his feet using the door to support him instead.

Larry’s smile is small. A thread of concern wrapping into it.

“Just tired, yeah? Nothing happened to ya?” Larry asks playfully, nudging Lemmy’s shoulder.

Lemmy doesn’t react. The question is a blow he didn’t see coming. He turns away from Larry, mostly to hide his face from him. He clenches his jaw tightly.

‘I just bled to death in front of you. You thought you killed me.’

“Yeah…I’m just tired. I’m going to my room now,” he says while walking away, refusing to look at Larry who’s following. “I’ll see you around…”

“Oh…yeah? Okay. Yeah,” Larry says trailing slowly behind Lemmy, the distance increasing with each word spoken. “I’ll see you later today, then…”

Lemmy trembles with each step. He can’t just walk away from Larry like this. Not after what he’s just been through. Not after what he saw.

‘I have to tell him.’

Lemmy stops walking. So does Larry.

“Larry.”

“Hm?”

There’s a pause. Lemmy doesn’t turn around. Larry doesn’t move. Moments tick on.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Lemmy says, puncturing the silence.

“Huh? What wasn’t??” Genuine confusion.

Lemmy hesitates, his body tensing up. Larry waits, not noticing. The shadows in the hall seem deeper. Even the torches hold their breath. Lemmy lets out his breath first, and relaxes his body.

‘…I can’t tell him.’

“Your airship getting damaged,” Lemmy lies.

“Oh! That’s what I’m sayin !!” Larry agrees with a smile, “Those repairs are fixed now though, if you wanted to go for a joyride with me later today?”

‘No.’

“...maybe tomorrow, Larry.” Lemmy resumes walking down the hall, faster this time.

Larry watches Lemmy leave, making no effort to follow this time. His smile is gone, but his eyes are soft. He wonders about something.

Lemmy turns the corner, and Larry turns around.

Out of sight, out of mind.

 

---

 

Lemmy retreats to his room and locks the door, slumping down to his knees with his forehead against the door.

‘Today is insane…I’ve died so many times to different things, all within such a small span of time. Am I destined to die today?? What’s preventing me from staying dead?? Not that I want to stay dead I just—Uaghhh…’

He softly bops his head against the door a few times. He’s tired of asking the same questions with no answers. He’s tired of today.

‘…I just…need some rest.’

He slowly rises back to his feet and turns toward his room.

First thing he sees is the giant orange lava lamp in the center of the room. It’s built into the floor and reaches into the ceiling, able to be turned on or off by a small remote. Being the primary light source, it gives the room a fluid, molten warmth.

He smiles despite himself, the familiar warm light soothing his soul.

His eyes then shift to the fairy-lights draped along the walls like vines and strung across the ceiling. They’re multicolored but set to a dim, slow-cycling glow, shifting gently between blue, pink, and yellow. They’re a bit hard to see against the intense orange light.

Underneath the sparkling lights on the left wall is a chaotic mess of posters, few real and most self-drawn. Some are even minorly magical, animated sketches juggling or spinning endlessly. Beneath them is his desk, where he drew them all. The chair is knocked on its back.

On the right wall taking up most of the space is a large chalkboard. Various doodles, performance ideas, nonsense poetry, and half-thoughts are written out in various colours of chalk. None of the words form a straight line. The fairy lights loop over the perimeter of it a few times, giving it a glowing outline against the black stone wall.

He walks further inside, mindful of some props and toys on the floor. He ignores the rest of the room and goes around the lamp and straight to the far wall, where curtains hang down in the center.

He pulls them apart to reveal a small soft spot in the wall. A little circular sleeping nook, cut-off from the rest of the chaos of his room. The bedding is all black, save for small white dots everywhere. Pillows of various shapes, sizes, and shades of blue line the outside forming a wall. The blanket is still parted from when he crawled out this morning, inviting him to crawl back inside.

He does so without further hesitation, slipping out of his shell and into under the blanket in one fluid motion. He curls up inside and reaches out one hand to grab the remote and turn off the lava lamp, then drags the curtain closed, encasing him in darkness.

The blanket is weighted and feels soft. The darkness here is comforting, the curtain blacking out the rest of the room. In here, nothing can reach him. Death won’t find him.

‘…I’m safe…in here.’

He snuggles further into the blanket, turning over in the process. His gaze drifts upwards to the domed ceiling barely above him. Various tiny glow-in-the-dark stars are scattered across it, forming a few random constellations only Lemmy understands.

As he looks at the stars, a thought comes to his mind.

‘Oh… Stars… I’ve been seeing stars a lot recently. Always right before the loop activates. Always when I…’

Always when death takes him away, the stars fill his vision. Then it’s back to the laboratory door. That door…

“Are you my friend?” He asks the stars above him, “…or my enemy?”

They continue to glow steadily in response. He blinks and turns away, pulling the blanket up and over his head.

“I hope…you’re my friend.” He mumbles, eyes falling closed.

He’s too tired to move his body anymore, but his mind still races.

‘I died four times. That's more of a physical and mental toll than most face in their entire lives. Most people only die once. Why am I…special? …whatever…’

His breaths slow down as sleep washes over him, whisking him away from reality. If only for a time.

 

---

 

“LEMMY!!! HELLO???”

A muffled yet booming voice cuts into Lemmy’s sleep, wrestling him back to consciousness. Lemmy sits up way too fast and his vision takes a second to follow.

The voice is followed by plenty of intense rhythmic banging on his bedroom door. He crawls out of the warmth of his nook and back into his shell, but doesn’t turn the lamp back on. He shivers, stumbling groggily through the darkness. The fairy lights illuminate the upper walls and ceiling, but their light cannot reach the floor. He trips up a bit on a few items hidden in the shadows. Whether his eyes are wide open or closed would make no difference here right now, so he keeps them mostly closed, sleep still tugging at him.

It’s easy to find the door in the darkness as the intense banging is easy to follow. The banging on the door is like a jackhammer to his brain.

He unlocks it with a click and the banging stops. He opens the door just a crack and leans against it to take a peek at who is there. The figure towers tall over Lemmy. He blinks against the sudden light coming through the crack, and sighs.

“Hey Morton…” Lemmy mumbles with his eyes barely open, straining against the light in the hall.

“LEMMY!!” Morton says with a big smile, “COME TO DINNER.”

“Huh..? Wha..?” He mumbles, rubbing an eye, “Dinner isn’t until…”

Lemmy stops. He perks up a bit further, fully awake now. Uncertainty clouds him.

“What…time is it?” He asks.

“DINNER TIME!! PAST SIX PEE AMM.” Morton’s voice vibrates Lemmy’s head, but he’s used to that by now.

‘I slept for six hours?! Damn! I was OUT.’ Lemmy thinks, mouth slightly open.

“LEMMY LATE!! MORTON COME GET.” Morton nods his head and offers Lemmy a hand.

Lemmy’s stomach churns at the idea of leaving his room, and also with how hungry he didn’t realize he is.

‘If I slept that long…and I haven’t eaten all day…’

He turns back to his room, looking inside. The fairy lights sparkle gently in the shadows. This is the one place he feels safe from today, but there’s no food in there.

‘One must eat to survive…’ He reluctantly thinks, slightly scrunching his face.

“COME.” Morton emphasizes his outstretched hand to Lemmy.

Lemmy’s heart hesitates at the idea of leaving his room, but his stomach commands him to do so. He can’t argue with it.

“...okay.” Lemmy agrees, taking Morton’s hand.

Morton lifts Lemmy up with one hand and places him on his shoulders. Lemmy wasn’t expecting that, but gets comfy on his right shoulder anyway. He holds onto Morton’s shell spike for stability.

“LEM LOOK TIRED. MORTON HELP!”

“…thanks, buddy.” Lemmy pats Morton’s arm with his free hand.

And so they set off to the Dining Hall, Morton’s hurried heavy footsteps echoing in the hall. Lemmy stares straight ahead, and tries to not focus on death.

‘Six hours is a new survival record for today…I hope my death…time…? Window? Whatever, I hope it’s passed already. I want to eat dinner in peace…I want to live today.’

Morton huffs and grunt as he goes, steadily gaining speed. Lemmy takes a slow deep breath, steadying his shaking hands. The hallway blurs around him. He closes his eyes, and focuses on the ride.

‘Everything will be okay.’

 

---

 

The Dining Hall is grand, designed for royalty. Its towering, vaulted ceilings arch high above in dark stone ribs, lit softly by wall sconces burning with enchanted flame, casting warm golden light that flickers against the obsidian walls. The floor is polished volcanic tile, black glass streaked with red, reflecting the glow from above like simmering magma. Along the walls are thick, stone-carved pillars that line the perimeter, each engraved with grand depictions of Bowser.

In the center of the room sits the banquet table. A massive rectangle, carved from a single slab of ash-dark wood reinforced with iron bands. It’s long enough to comfortably seat the entire Royal family, and then some, with plush crimson-backed chairs that are designed with spiked shells in mind. There was a table cloth once, long time ago, but it kept getting destroyed.

Above it all, suspended by thick black chains from the ceiling beams, hangs a monstrous chandelier. Layers of spiked iron rings larger than the table with red jewels strung between them; it’s the true center piece of the entire room.

It's shaped like an open maw, with black spiked teeth curving downward, and inside the rings are dozens of flickering red candles that burn without smoke. Occasionally, the chandelier creaks on its chains as if shifting its weight like a restless beast.

As Morton had mentioned, Lemmy was already late, so when they both arrived dinner was already in full swing. Dinner always starts at six, and by now it’s well past. It had started without them.

“MORTON GOT LEMMY!! WE GOOD!!”

Morton thunders his way into the room wearing Lemmy proudly on his shoulder. Lemmy waves with a soft smile as his siblings turn to look at them approaching the table. Only Larry waves back.

“Ah, there you are, Lemmy. Good job, Morton.” Ludwig notes his presence with a curt nod. Lemmy nods back, but Ludwig’s already looking away.

Ludwig is sat at the head of the table, in Bowser’s dedicated spot. The chair is too big for him, almost comically so. Built like a throne, Bowser’s spot stands out as the spot dedicated for a king. Ludwig's been seizing the chance to sit there, given the Bosses are absent.

Wendy is sat to Ludwig’s right, paying more attention to her claws than her food, and Roy is placed to his left, leaning back in his chair and chewing loudly. Larry is next to Roy, keeping his head down and absentmindedly poking at his plate. Iggy is next to Larry, straining to reach for something on the table he can’t quite get. The two spots across from them are empty, but not for long as Morton makes his way over.

Once close enough, Lemmy hops from Morton’s shoulder into the chair next to Wendy, and quickly gets comfortable. Morton takes the seat next to Lemmy, immediately reaching for items on the table. It's a grand carnivore feast, with every meat imaginable.

Wendy turns to Lemmy, a soft smile on her face.

“Glad you made it, Lemon Drop. It’s not like you to stay in your room all day.” She leans over and plucks a small feather from his hair, before blowing it back into his face. It’s teasing, but there's relief in her eyes.

“Heh, yeah, I was taking one helluva deep nap,” Lemmy chuckles with a smile, “Think I really needed it.”

“Yeah that checks out." Larry pipes up, continuing to poke at his food. "Explains why you never answered me…”

Lemmy looks at Larry across the table, and opens his mouth to ask about it, but is cut off by a huge pile of ribs being abruptly dropped on his plate. He jumps as some sauce splatters on his face.

“LEMMY FAVOURITE! MORTON GRAB SOME.” He says with a large smile and thumbs up. Then he goes back to annihilating his own plate of food, tearing into drumsticks like they personally wronged him.

Morton is right, ribs are Lemmy’s favourite. The sight of the sauced ribs makes his stomach growl. Loudly. Wendy gives him a knowing side-eye look, then grabs his chin with one hand and wipes off the sauce with a napkin in the other. Lemmy doesn’t resist.

“You forgot to eat today, huh? Again?”

Lemmy eyes look away from hers. He can’t turn his head as she still holds it in place.

“Mmaayybe.” He says with a cheeky smile.

“Ugh, you,” She huffs with a laugh, letting him go. “Well eat up now.” She glances at his stomach and makes a face. “You sound like you need it.”

He smiles at her and then digs in. The meat is sauced and seasoned just the way he likes it, and falls off the bone so easily. His teeth are small and hidden, not great for tearing into meat, but they’re sharp and ideal for chewing up softer items like well-cooked ribs.

Once a bone is cleaned, he deposits it onto Morton’s plate. He gladly picks them up and crunches them with ease like candy. It fascinates Lemmy how Morton can eat and digest bones, when nobody else in the family can. So he always gives his rib-bone scraps to Morton, as he enjoys eating those the most.

Morton raises two large bones in each hand high above his head.

“HAHA!! BONES!!!”

He exclaims with happiness, the emphasis on the B causing a bit of chewed something to fly out of his mouth. It lands directly on Iggy’s glasses, right on his right lens.

Iggy stiffens with disgust, looking at the invader on his lens.

“Thanks.” He says sharply, raising his pointer to flick it off with his claw.

It flies to Iggy’s right, landing squarely on Larry’s shoulder with a squelch sound.

“Brother EEWWWW!!” Larry panics and brushes it off with such vigor you’d think it’s burning him.

Lemmy can’t help but laugh at the occurrence, Wendy snickering a bit to his side. Larry says something to Iggy, then Iggy points at Morton. Larry tosses a small bit of food from his plate towards Morton as revenge, but Morton catches it midair and eats whatever it was immediately, causing Lemmy to laugh even harder.

Larry starts giggling at Lemmy’s uproarious laughter, his annoyance forgotten. Wendy smiles at them both. The situation warms Lemmy’s soul. It feels good to laugh in the company of his family. Eating a delicious dinner while antics happen around him.

‘This is lovely.’

This dinner is a welcome respite from everything else that’s been occurring to him so far. His mind doesn’t stray and think about death and the pain of how he’s died, instead focusing on good food and fun times with his family. He loves them dearly. He’s happy to be here with them. It warms his heart.

Ludwig stands up in his chair and raises his hands, but nobody turns to look at him. Everyone is focused on their own thing.

“Alright, attention!” Ludwig calls. Nobody looks.

So he clears his throat, straightens his posture, preps some magic, and-

“ATTENTION!” His voice booms, amplified by a spell.

The chandelier sways, jewels clinking.

Everyone freezes and turns to look at him. Some surprised, some annoyed.

“What in fuck do you want now?” Roy scoffs, somehow leaning even further back. Lemmy’s surprised he hasn’t fallen backwards.

“Language.”

“Fuck off.”

“Noted.”

“Oh Boo not another speech ,” Larry chimes in, rolling his eyes, “You do one every time!”

“I think you’ll like this one, Larry.” Ludwig says, raising his brows.

Larry narrows his eyes. “Bet.”

Ludwig pauses, waiting for any more interruptions to happen. Everyone is silent, save for the occasional crunch of Morton trying so hard to delicately chew a bone, the cracks echoing in the now silent hall. Lemmy turns to look at Morton with a Look, and Morton sheepishly stops mid-chew.

“Thank you. Now,” Ludwig begins, his hands animated and emphasizing certain words, “I know you’re all expecting some tedious lecture about duty or castle curfews or—Koopa forbid— table manners ." He takes a breath. "But not tonight.”

A few confused glances bounce around the table. Lemmy leans in a bit further, intrigued.

“Tonight, I wanted to say something a bit different. Something I’ve been thinking about.”

He stands tall with his chin held high and looks around the table, one sibling at a time. Everyone stares back silently.

“We may drive each other up the wall, Roy nearly through the wall, but there’s no denying one thing…we are the most dangerous, unpredictable, and brilliant family in the Darklands.”

Lemmy smiles and glances around the table, and notices the others doing the same. Roy nods his head smugly and Wendy poses cutely.

“YEAH!!” Morton cheers behind Lemmy, causing him to jump.

Ludwig smiles at them all, then continues. “And since no one else in the Kingdom’s got the spine to say it, I will. I’m proud of you lot. All of you.”

Ludwig puts his arms out wide, gesturing to everyone.

"Look at us. Look at this table. The strongest force in the entire Kingdom is sitting right here—and it’s not because of me, or our father, or our titles. It’s because of us .”

Some cheers from Roy and Morton. Larry leans in really fast and goes for a high-five with Iggy, who panics and hits him too hard. The slap sound echoing in the hall. Larry shakes out his hand, the smile never leaving his face. Lemmy giggles.

“So tonight, I want to say something about each of you. Because whether I show it or not, I notice. I always notice.”

Ludwig points dramatically at Wendy.

“Wendy, you are the fiercest diplomat I’ve ever met. Nobody can read a room or command a crowd like you. You don’t just walk into battles, you own them, with poise and glitter and terrifying accuracy."

Wendy, still seated, strikes a grand pose in her chair, thoroughly enjoying the praise. Ludwig then points across from her to Roy.

“Roy, you’ve got enough raw power to level a fortress, but it’s your loyalty that really makes you dangerous. With you around, it’s like having a tank with a heart.”

Roy pounds his chest with his fist twice, barking. Then he salutes, and Ludwig salutes back. Then he points to Larry.

“Larry, sharp as a whip, cooler than you let on. You see everything, you’re always ten steps ahead of the rest of us. You’re clever, you’re fast, and you never lose your edge. You'll make an incredible leader one day.”

Larry simply gives an exaggerated shrug and looks away, but he can’t hide the giant smile on his face. Lemmy’s never seen him happier. Ludwig then points to Iggy.

“Iggy, you're a walking engine of chaos, but it's a brilliance none of us can match. You make impossible things real. Your mind is terrifying, and I love it.”

Iggy sits upright and adjusts his glasses, giving a half-smile and curt nod to Ludwig. Ludwig points to Morton.

“Morton, you’ve got the loudest voice and the biggest heart. When you speak, the world listens. You care harder than anyone else here, and you’d throw yourself in fire for your family without a second thought. That makes you a hero in my book.”

“MORTON APPRECIATES THIS!!!” He shouts, smiling wide with his mouth open. He claps his hands a few times before settling.

Ludwig finally points at Lemmy, and they lock eyes.

“And Lemmy…” He hesitates, still smiling, while Lemmy trembles slightly. His heart is racing. He can’t look away.

“You’re the heart of the team, the soul of us all. Brings joy when things go dark. You remind us how to laugh. How to play. You make this castle a home, not just a war room. And no matter how weird or silly things get... you never stop showing up. Somehow makes us feel like a family, even when we don’t act like one.”

Lemmy smiles so hard his face hurts, and he can’t help but let out a small laugh. Wendy smiles at him, and Morton gently pats his arm.

Ludwig then points straight upwards, holding that pose.

“We’re not just Koopalings. We’re legends in the making. And no one—no kingdom, no hero, no storm in the sky—is going to shake that. Say it with me now!”

Lemmy can feel the energy in the room shifting as everyone prepares for what’s coming. The excitement simmers in the air around him, buzzing with life. A subtle blue glow comes around Ludwig as he prepares to amplify his voice once again.

“WE!”

“WE!”

The chandelier sways above, glimmering.

“ARE!!”

“ARE!!”

Their voices shake the room. The chandelier strains on its chains.

“KOOPAS!!!”

“KOOPAS!!!”

They all erupt into cheers, embracing the noise and chaos, high-fiving and slamming the table. None of them bother to look up. Even pure happiness can’t keep away the inevitable.

The last chant was the final straw, and the chandelier chain finally gave up and snapped apart. Like a beast descending down on its unsuspecting prey.

Lemmy feels it before he sees it. He’s mid-laugh when a long sharp fang of the chandeliers carved teeth digs deep into his head, the sharp point cutting down through him to his heart. The succulent taste of ribs washes away as his mouth overflows with the metallic tang of blood.

His head is split and body crushed. The horrific sound of crashing glass, splintering wood, and everyone screaming. The weight and pain of another death.

Stars fill his vision, and then—

Notes:

Lemmy i am so sorry (not really)
keep your chin up king there's more to come