(Hi everyone! Thank you all so much for 1K reads <3 I can't believe that this is the end! I should hopefully have more Ludwiggy content in the future, follow me for updates!! This chapter is a bit long, but I hope you enjoy it!)
Bowser took a step towards Mario and breathed a fireball at him. Mario dodged and kept his distance from Bowser, his minuscule fireballs barely hurting Bowser.
Here we go, Bowser thought as he leapt into the air, allowing Mario to pass through to the other side of the bridge. It'll only hurt for a moment.
Mario activated the axe-controlling switch, and the bridge began to collapse beneath Bowser, like many fights in the past, and Mario watched as Bowser fell into the lava below with a roar and disappeared into the scorching depths.
"Mario number one! Wahoo!" Mario cheered, and the stone wall he faced slowly opened, revealing another massive flight of stairs. He walked out towards the staircase.
Fuck this hurts so bad, they better get me outta here stat! Bowser's eyes were shut tightly and he held his breath as the lava encased him. Suddenly, the lava began to quake. Bowser's body began to feel strange. Kamek and Bowser Jr. had flown into the room to prepare Bowser for the next part of the battle using Kamek's magic. Unbeknownst to Mario, the setup with the bridge was just a temporary facade. The battle was only just about to begin.
Mario eventually made it to the top of the staircase and stood at the beginning of a long platform flanked by two stone pillars. A wide, seemingly-bottomless pit separated the platform from the watchtower, in which Peach currently resided. Peach saw her friend and cried out his name. Suddenly, iron bars appeared on the window. Peach and Mario both gasped, then Peach became completely out of sight when an iron plate with Bowser Jr.'s face on it covered her window. However, Peach was still able to see, and she tentatively pressed her face to the window to watch the battle take place.
Mario watched in horror as Bowser Jr. emerged from the pit in the Koopa Clown. Pure dread settled in his gut as Bowser leapt from the pit and landed on the platform. He was now about ten times bigger than before. Mario looked intimidated, but he prepared himself to fight the two.
"Good luck, Bowser..." Peach whispered from the watchtower.
Bowser let out an earsplitting roar. This was the real final battle.
Bowser's elephantine footsteps shook the ground as he slowly approached Mario. Mario attempted to hurt Bowser with his fireballs, but Bowser's now-giant size prevented Mario from doing so, as they were now even puny compared to Bowser. On the contrary, Bowser's fireballs had become even larger and less avoidable, making Bowser even more lethal than before. He breathed them out at Mario, one after another. Bowser Jr. wanted to contribute to the fight, so he chased after Mario in the Koopa Clown, and once he was above Mario, the clown spiraled to the ground at a rapid pace, attempting to crush Mario. However, Mario leapt out of the way, and managed to stomp on Jr.'s head while he was at ground level.
Stunned, Bowser Jr. fell out of the Koopa Clown with a cry of pain. Mario, thinking quickly, took advantage of his fall and hopped into the Koopa Clown. Surprisingly, it was not very hard to control, and as Bowser Jr. retreated into his shell, Mario flew up into the air. Bowser had no time to react, and by the time he looked up, Mario was hovering above him. Mario promptly slammed the Koopa Clown into Bowser's head.
Bowser roared in pain, and his massive body disappeared into his shell, which had now become even more large as well, especially compared to Mario. He swiftly spun across the platform, but he was still no match for the plumber's speed. You didn't get this far to fail, Bowser told himself. Get it together. He emerged mid-jump, shaking the platform beneath him as he landed. Bowser Jr. had gotten back in the Koopa Clown and was zigzagging through the air in an attempt to distract Mario, but it wasn't working. Mario's attention was fully on Bowser, who had leaned back enough to look up at the roof, and breathed out a row of large fireballs. Bowser was fully aware that these now-large fireballs could not travel far upwards due to their increased mass, and he slowly began waking towards Mario as the fireballs descended from the sky, littering the platform. Mario was still able to dodge them all, and Bowser Jr., enraged, reached into the depths of the Koopa Clown and pulled out two Bob-ombs. He chucked them at Mario, and Mario picked one up to throw out of his way before it could hurt him, but at that moment, Bowser had breathed a fireball directly at Mario. The fireball hit the Bob-omb instead of Mario, but the fire activated its fuse, and the Bob-omg exploded in Mario's hands. Mario recoiled in pain with a yelp, and his fire flower vanished.
Peach gasped from inside the watchtower as Mario took damage. I hope he's not hurt, Peach thought. But Bowser's hurt too. Worried, Peach clasped her hands together and continued to watch the battle, unsure who to side with.
Bowser Jr. let out an evil laugh, and spiraled to the ground in the Koopa Clown, attempting to hurt Mario a second time. But yet again, Mario dodged Jr.'s attack and knocked him out of the clown. As Bowser Jr. hid in his shell, Mario whizzed up towards Bowser in the Koopa Clown. Not this time, Bowser thought, and as Mario prepared the Koopa Clown to spiral, Bowser lifted his arm and hit the clown, causing Mario and the clown to fall to the platform below. But Mario recovered quickly, and Bowser Jr. came out of his shell to see Mario making a run for the Koopa Clown as Bowser breathed more fireballs at him. Bowser Jr. dashed towards Mario, but he was too late, and Mario hopped into the Koopa Clown and flew above Bowser again. He spiraled down, landing another hit on Bowser's head, before Bowser could even blink.
Another pained roar escaped Bowser's throat. His arms and legs were sore and tired, and he forced them, along with his aching head, inside his shell and spun across the platform, adding a small jump every so often. Why is this so fucking difficult? He's puny and powerless. You gotta kick his ass, Bowser thought as he tried to regain his strength from inside his shell. He finally emerged, and leaned backwards to breathe out another long row of fireballs, but as he did so, he noticed the watchtower.
The Princess is watching! I can't hurt him while she's here!
His fireballs began to rain from the sky, and Mario avoider them as Bowser moved towards him.
She knows how much I want to win this.
Bowser Jr. tried to throw two more Bob-ombs at Mario, but Mario had just moved out of the way to dodge a mighty fireball, and he just barely missed Mario.
The fireball rain had ceased. Bowser looked down at the puny plumber.
Goddamnit, I can't. Not with the Princess watching.
As if on cue, Bowser Jr. spiraled down in the Koopa Clown. Mario avoided the attack, and stomped on Jr.'s head just as the clown touched the ground. Bowser Jr. let out a pained wail and his body hit the platform. Laying on his stomach, he closed his eyes and caught his breath, dizzy and tired. Mario got in the Koopa Clown once again, and he flew up above the Koopa King. Bowser looked up and readied himself for the attack.
This is for you, my princess.
Mario spiraled down in the Koopa Clown, delivering the final blow to Bowser.
Bowser's vision clouded and his mind spun. His whole body felt heavy as he slowly staggered in place, attempting to stay balanced, but soon enough, with a loud roar of pain, his balance failed and he plummeted into the pit below.
Peach's breath caught in the back of her throat as she watched Bowser fall. "Goodbye, my King..." she said dismally. She then saw Mario, who was standing on the platform, jumping and cheering triumphantly, and let out a sigh of relief. She shut her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.
Bowser's roar had caused Jr. to get up from where he was laying. He peered over the platform and saw the faint outline of his father hitting the ground. He looked back at Mario, let out a defeated groan, and leapt into the pit in surrender. Mario began to run across the platform to retrieve Peach from the watchtower.
I'm sorry I let you down, kids...I truly have grown soft. Despite my hatred for Mario, he really isn't that bad of a guy. So...you're welcome, Mario.
You're welcome, Peach.
Bowser's eyes shot open as his son landed on top of him. He had shrunk back down to his normal size after the fall. He let out a pained growl and shot Bowser Jr. a stern look.
"Sorry, Papa," Jr. said softly.
Bowser sighed in annoyance. "I'm sorry too, Junior. Go outside and tell your siblings to get ready to go home."
Bowser Jr. hopped off of Bowser and back into the Koopa Clown, which had fallen into the pit as well. "Eew, there's Mario germs," he remarked in disgust, then flew off.
"Kamek..." Bowser called out. Moments later, the Magikoopa appeared beside Bowser. "Reverse the castle spell, then meet us at home. Not sure how many of us can fit in my ship."
"Roger that, sir," Kamek replied. "And nice work today, your Evilness. We may not have came out on top, but I think we had a very successful day!" With that, he disappeared.
"Yeah, right..." Bowser retorted. But he had to admit, this was one of his best schemes yet. He exhaled loudly, and began to push himself upright.
Meanwhile, Ludwig, Iggy, and Lemmy had just arrived at the castle. All their other siblings were already there, talking to one another.
"Finally," Roy remarked when the trio arrived. "We was startin' ta think y'all died or somethin."
"Nahhh, we're fine," Lemmy responded. "Just took the scenic route. Anyways, is King Dad done in there?"
Before anyone could respond, Bowser Jr. flew out of the castle towards his siblings. "Guys! I can't believe it! Stupid Mario beat us again!" he said angrily.
"Well, that answered my question," said Lemmy.
Kamek suddenly apparated outside. "Stand back, kids," he announced. He then waved his wand to undo the castle spell that had changed Peach's castle. The Koopalings all watched as the large purple haze surrounding the castle began to fade away, and the castle returned to its normal state.
Ludwig slipped his hand into Iggy's. Iggy gave Ludwig's hand a squeeze in return, and the two shared a smile.
Lemmy had stepped back to let his brothers have their moment together, his heart overflowing with cuteness.
Wendy elbowed Morton and used her eyes to gesture for him to look over at Ludwig and Iggy. Her face had an expression that read both I-told-you-so and look-at-how-cute-they-are. Morton, still annoyed at having to pay his sister, couldn't help but grin a little bit after seeing the two.
Bowser Jr. had not noticed his brothers holding hands, as he was too busy having a conversation with Kamek.
Larry was the last of his (biological) siblings to notice the two. He glanced at them, then poked Roy. "Are they...?"
"Just let 'em be, Larry," Roy told his younger brother. "Just let 'em be."
"Well, that's a wrap," Kamek said as his spell was completely undone. "Once Bowser gets out, you should all head home. I'll meet you there." He then disapparated.
"Home! Thank God! I need my beauty rest," declared Wendy.
"And Morton needs to pay you..." Morton mumbled so that only his sister could hear.
"Home sounds great and all," said Larry. "But how are we gonna get there? All our ships are destroyed."
"Not all of them," Lemmy answered. "King Dad's ship is still intact." But it looked to be in no state for flying. Mario had traveled through it, and he had dealt a lot of damage in doing so.
"Dat ain't gonna hold all of us," Roy stated.
"It's worth a try! C'mon, everyone!" Bowser Jr. said, and he led the way to Bowser's decomposing airship.
Peach had stepped away from the window and turned around just as Mario entered the watchtower.
"Princess! You're-a safe!" Mario exclaimed once he was in front of her.
"Thanks to you, Mario," she replied with a smile.
Mario removed his cap and drew it to his chest, his front knee bent and his eyes closed, as a chivalrous salute of service.
Peach looked down at the plumber. Better give him what he wants, she thought. Hope Bowser won't find out. She knelt down to Mario's height and planted a kiss against his forehead. Mario looked up and his cheeks turned a bit red. He then cheered victoriously and offered Peach his arm. She took it, and the two exited the watchtower and began to walk toward the main balcony.
"C'mon, Papa, we're all waiting for you!" Bowser Jr. exclaimed. The Koopa Kids had all boarded Bowser's airship, and they were all hollering and gesturing for Bowser to get on. Bowser had finally made it out of the castle and was walking towards the ship.
"I'm coming, I'm comi—hey, don't leave without me!" The ship had started its journey back home and was getting further away from Bowser. Before it could get too far, Bowser climbed on top of a pillar near the castle and leapt towards the ship. He managed to grab on to the back of the ship, but his weight disrupted the ship's trajectory and caused a gravitational stir amongst its passengers, causing most of them to fall over. Lemmy, the lightest of his siblings, flew off the ship and was now clinging to Bowser's tail with his life.
"She's going down!" cried Jr., and everyone braced for impact as the airship hit a mushroom mountain with a loud crash, stirring up a large cloud of sawdust from the ship as it was destroyed.
When the dust cleared, Bowser Jr. was flying away in the Koopa Clown. It was much stronger than the airship and could support a great amount of weight, and Bowser was clinging to the side of it. Lemmy was still holding onto Bowser's tail, and all of his siblings had grabbed hold of each other's tails and were now dangling in the air. The chain of Koopalings was filled with complaints, shrieks, and other colorful words, but the whole family was happy to be going home, and in one piece as well.
"Serves them right," Toad remarked, watching the chain of foes fly away into the distance. He, Luigi, and Toadette had all made it back to the castle and had been waiting for Mario and Peach. The two finally came outside, and their friends cheered at their arrival.
Peach giggled. "Thank you all for rescuing me!"
Toad bowed. "That's our duty, Princess!"
"Are you alright?" Toadette asked Peach.
"Yes, thank you. But I'm a bit tired. I think I need some rest."
"If there's anything you need, let us know!" Toad said, and the two escorted Peach inside.
"Way to go, Mario!" Luigi exclaimed.
"Thanks, bro! Now let's-a go home."
"Okie dokie," said Luigi, and the two brothers began to walk back to their house in the Mushroom Kingdom.
After a harrowing flight, the Koopa family finally made it back to the Koopa Kastle.
"Looked like a fun trip," Kamek remarked as everyone entered. He had prepared a few Shroom Shakes and left out some assorted snacks for the kids.
Larry grabbed a shake and went to his room. He plugged in headphones into Bowser's old MP3 player and rocked out by himself. Bowser Jr. took a shake and a bag of chips up to his room to play video games. Lemmy got two shakes, grabbed Iggy's arm, and pulled him into his room to have a private chat (mostly about Ludwig). Roy and Morton took shakes, and Wendy took a granola bar. The three walked to Roy's room, and on their way, Morton stopped in his room and handed ten golden coins to Wendy. After tucking them away safely in her room, Wendy climbed up to the top bunk of the bunk bed in Roy's room. Morton took the bottom bunk and Roy got in his own bed, and the three fell sound asleep. Ludwig was not hungry, so he poured himself a glass of water and shut the door behind him as he entered his room. He sat down at his piano and began to play to relax himself. And Bowser entered his throne room and sat on his large, golden throne, sipping a Shroom Shake and awaiting a call from the Princess.
As soon as Toad and Toadette left Peach's room so she could "rest", Peach took out her phone and dialed Bowser's number.
He picked up almost immediately. "Hello, darling," he said, his voice tired and a bit hoarse.
"Oh, my King!" she exclaimed lovingly. "Are you alright? Did you and the kids make it home safely?"
"Don't worry about me, my sweet. We're all fine. Most of the kids are napping right now. You're safe as well? Castle's back to normal?"
"Yes, everything's fine here too."
The line was silent for a bit.
"I miss you already, Bowser!"
"And I miss you as well, Peach. Only a few days until our kart race."
"I can't wait to see you again!"
Bowser snickered softly. "Well, I'm gonna go lay down for a bit. Mario did a number on me again, heh."
"Rest well, my King," Peach said. "I love you!"
"I love you too, Princess. I'll call you in the morning."
"Goodnight!" Peach hung up rather quickly due to a knock on her door. Toadette entered with a glass of water and an assorted bag of candy.
"Who were you talking to?" Toadette questioned.
"Oh, no one," Peach responded. "Just an old friend."
xxx
Time passed, and soon the sun disappeared from the sky. The moon replaced its spot, a silver crescent illuminating the dark sky around it.
Everyone had eventually eaten a little something for dinner, and mostly everyone was currently asleep.
Ludwig was in the midst of playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on his grand piano. A knock on his door caused him to stop. He got up to unlock and open his door and Iggy was standing outside.
"Hey," Ludwig said.
"Hey," Iggy responded.
Ludwig closed the door and watched as Iggy lay down on the foot of his bed. Ludwig smiled and sat back down at his piano. He lifted his fingers and continued to play Moonlight Sonata.
This was one of Ludwig's favorite compositions. It was one of the first songs he had ever learned how to play, and he had played it so much that his hands knew every note, and as his fingers danced across the keys, he began to reminisce about the day.
This was definitely one of his favorite battle days. He loved being in Meringue Clouds, and his hard work on his castle paid off spectacularly, as it was intricate and beautiful yet lethal. And yet, Mario was able to navigate through it, along with many more obstacles throughout six more precarious lands. It was so frustrating to Ludwig that no matter how much effort was put into their attempts to thwart Mario and crew, the "heroes" always came out on top. But he had enjoyed his battle with Mario and how much stronger he had become since the last time he fought Mario. And of course, the obvious factor that made his day better: Iggy. He couldn't believe that he finally found out how he felt, let alone had some form of feelings, and that Iggy felt the same way. It almost seemed like a daydream, that amazing feeling. He wanted to feel it again.
Ludwig began to zone back in. He played the last chord, and the song ended.
He looked over at Iggy, who seemed to be asleep. He came over to his bed, laid down next to Iggy, and pulled a blanket over the both of them.
Iggy stirred, and his eyes blinked open. "Luddy?"
"Sorry if I woke you."
"I wasn't really sleeping, don't worry."
The two were silent for a bit. Iggy could feel Ludwig's heart beating as he breathed.
"Luddy, what are we?"
Ludwig hesitated. "I'm not sure if we should label this yet. I truly care about you..." he trailed off.
"King Dad would probably flip if he found out, but I don't know. Our feelings are definitely mutual, that's for sure."
Ludwig gazed into his brother's eyes. "Perhaps it's best to just be doing...this...on the down low."
"Yeah." Iggy smiled. "That works for me."
Ludwig returned the grin. "Try to get some sleep for me, okay?"
"Okay." Stillness filled the air once more, until Iggy spoke again.
"Feeling better yet?"
A large grin appeared on Ludwig's face and cuddled up closer to Iggy. "God, I love you," he said, draping an arm around his brother.
"I love you too, Luddy," Iggy replied, removing his glasses and pressing his face into Ludwig's chest. He closed his eyes and his body began to recover from his pain earlier that day. And for the first time in a while, he fell sound asleep.
Never in my life would I have thought I'd be cuddling with my brother, Ludwig thought while Iggy slept.
But this is where I am. And I know, in my heart, that this is right. I love him. I love this. I...
I love.
Ludwig's eyes slowly closed, and he began to drift off. He was already beginning to feel better.