With Ludwig:
It’s been two hours since Ludwig had been locked in the underground prison, with no hope of getting free.
He had no wand, so he couldn’t use any magic.
And he was in an underground prison, someplace where nobody even remembered existed.
All he could do was wait until dawn, and the Koopalings would tell Bowser of what he had done.
They would show him the journal he had been writing in for the past few days, documenting his slow decline into madness.
They would also show him the lab, all the corpses, blood and organs littering the room. He didn't even know if the Boomerang Bro was still alive, having left him in the lab bleeding to death with multiple large needles puncturing his body.
Ludwig had remained where he was seated, unable to move due to the terrible feeling deep in his chest.
It was the betrayal.
The Koopalings, his siblings, had all betrayed him.
They had all chosen to lock him up in a prison cell and were more than willing to watch him die.
Bowser had made them a promise.
That he would execute whoever had been behind the murder of the Koopa Troopa.
Ludwig could still hear how enraged the Koopa King was when Kamek and Kammy had informed him of the second murder, and then the eight disappearences the day before.
Bowser had nearly burned down their planning room for the second time this month.
He hated to imagine what Bowser would do to him when he found out that HE had been the murderer, having killed all ten gaurds.
What bothered Ludwig the most was the fact that he had been hiding his Kooky side really well.
How could the other Koopalings find out so quickly?
He decided not to think about it.
He was surely going to die soon, so there was no point.
He had murdered ten guards, so he would have to be punished for taking away their lives.
He didn’t even THINK of the possibility that they had families.
He was so into the killing, the thought never even crossed his mind.
All he knew was that he was a murder, and he enjoyed it.
The oldest Koopaling lifted his head and looked down at the stone floor, resting his chin on his knees as he hugged them close.
Would his execution be public?
Or would it only be strictly within the castle walls?
Either way, his family was going to watch him die.
Either by gallows or the electrocution chair.
It didn’t matter to him which it would be.
He felt his head twitch slightly.
His siblings would be more than relieved to watch him die.
They were willingly allowing their eldest brother to suffer the consequences of what he had done.
He thought that maybe Iggy, Lemmy, Junior and Larry would be on his side, to at least try to understand what he was going through.
But they didn’t.
They had all listened to Roy.
The second largest, second eldest Koopaling, had turned them all against him.
Ludwig growled in anger, standing up and pacing.
Roy had come into his room and asked him some questions.
He should have found this suspicious, seeing as how the second largest Koopaling had been demanding answers, and he had lied with ease.
He should have been more careful about what he said and did, and then maybe Roy wouldn’t have suspected him.
Ludwig glared at the cell bars.
He had to get out of there.
If he didn’t, then he would get executed, and he didn’t want to give Roy the satisfaction of doing ‘the right thing’.
Roy had the tendency to brag when he was right, and he would surely do so after telling Bowser who the murderer was.
He had to get away from Dark Land, if only for a few days, just until things cooled down. He had to go somewhere where he wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone, allow him some time to figure out how to get rid of his Kooky side. He didn’t even know WHY his Kooky side had returned, or why it was making him murder innocent guards.
There was one thing he was certain of, though.
He needed to erase the evidence that he had left in his lab. AND he needed to get his journal, that way there was nothing pointing against him.
All he needed was time.
He needed enough time to deal with his Kooky side, to get rid of it once and for all.
If he had to do it alone, then he would.
The oldest Koopaling walked over to the cell bars, grabbing hold of two of them and closing his eyes, concentrating as hard as he could.
The cell bars were fireproof, so he couldn’t be able to melt them with fire.
He didn’t have his wand, and he had never used any magic without it before, so this was more like a first time experience for him.
As he concentrated as hard as he could, he could feel some zaps of electricity travelling all over his body, travelling down his arms to his hands as his grip tightened around two of the bars.
With all of his strength, Ludwig managed to bend the bars, allowing a gap big enough for him to fit through.
The adrenaline rush from bending the two bars wore off, causing him to hang his head and breath hard, relaxing for a minute.
That was the first, and probably last time he would use magic without his wand. He had been meaning to start learning, and it was a difficult thing to master. Not even Kamek and Kammy know how to use magic without a wand, and they were both older and much more wiser in Koopa Magic than he was.
The spell he had used allowed him to have extra strength, only lasting for as long as he needed, which had only been a few seconds.
He wasn’t as strong as Roy and Morton, the two largest Koopalings being stronger physically, but he was stronger when it came to using magic.
He managed to catch his breath after a moment, regaining his strength and energy.
He stepped out of the cell, clutching his head as he felt a small headache.
He shook his head, the headache going away as he quickly ran over to the large metal door that separated the prison from the castle.
He checked it over, knowing that there had to be a way to unlock it from his side.
There were three large locks that would slide into place, and there was no way to unlock them unless the user had the key.
He COULD try the other door, the one leading outside, but he couldn’t leave the castle without his wand.
He was useless without it, and he wouldn’t be able to get very far either.
He was startled when he heard the three large locks slide open, the door creaking open slowly after doing so.
Thinking quickly, Ludwig hid himself in the shadows near the door, watching closely as a lone figure walked into the prison.
He didn’t even have time to process what he was doing, feeling his eye twitch as he only thought of all the hateful things that his siblings said and done to him in the last few hours.
He heard the figure gasp, seeing two of the cell bars bent open, the prisoner who had been inside now gone.
Without thinking, Ludwig snarled and jumped towards them, quickly grabbing the figure from behind, wrapping one arm around their neck while holding his claws in front of one of their eyes.
He didn’t even hear the sound of his wand clattering to the floor, the youngest Koopaling having been carrying in his hands.
“L-Ludwig..!?” exclaimed Junior, clearly scared for his life, not expecting the oldest Koopaling to jump him from behind.
“What are you doing here? Are you here to MOCK me? To brag about how I’ve LOST and how you all manage to CATCH the real murderer?” hissed Ludwig, tightening his arm around Junior’s neck, causing the youngest to start gasping for breath.
“I-I….w-want...t-to….h-help….y-you!” gasped Junior, feeling the air in his lungs suffocating him.
Ludwig growled, not letting go.
“Oh REALLY!? Then what’s my name? How do I know you don’t think I’m KOOKY, huh? That’s what EVERYONE said when I asked them the same question. They said I was Kooky, and they all died” said Ludwig, growling.
Junior, with the last of his breath, managed to answer the question.
“B-Because….y-you’re……..n-not…...…..K-Kooky………” muttered Junior, feeling his vision blur and darken, about to go unconscious from the loss of air in his lungs.
Ludwig was taken aback by this, letting go of Junior, the youngest falling to the floor as he began gasping for breath, breathing hard.
Ludwig gasped, quickly crouching down and helping his youngest brother sit up, making sure he wasn’t hurt.
“Oh my gosch, Junior! Are you alright? I'm so sorry for almost chokink you to death...I don't knov vhat kame ofer me” admitted Ludwig, panicked as he quickly checked Junior to make sure he was alright.
Seeing that he was breathing normally and was looking around confused, Ludwig pulled him in for a tight hug, sniffing as he felt his eyes tear up.
“Ludwig? Are you alright?” asked Junior, clearly shocked by this sudden action.
Ludwig nodded, pulling away from the hug and wiping the tears away.
“Yes, I'm alright. I'm sorry for tryink to hurt you again…” muttered Ludwig, glancing away shamefully.
He then closed his eyes and shook his head, returning his attention to the youngest Koopaling.
“Vhy are you here?” asked Ludwig, clearly confused.
Junior grinned.
“Why else would I be here? I’m breaking you out!” exclaimed Junior.
Ludwig was frozen in shock.
Junior frowned, seeing this.
“Ludwig?” asked Junior, confused as to why his eldest brother hadn't reacted yet.
Ludwig shook his head, glancing away.
“You schouldn't be doink zis for me...vhat if ze others fint out? I'm a kriminal vho hat murderet ten gaurds. Are you sure it's vise of you to be helpink me? You're ze heir, ant helpink me eskape koult ruin your reputation ant chances in bekomink ze king” said Ludwig weakly, hugging himself.
Junior frowned, glaring slightly.
“Because you WEREN’T the one who committed the murders!” exclaimed Junior.
Ludwig was shocked by this, returning his attention back to the youngest.
“Vhat do you mean?” asked Ludwig, clearly confused.
Junior sighed, rolling his eyes.
“YOU weren’t the one who commited the murders. It was Kooky. You ARE NOT that same Koopa you once were years ago. I know that. Ludwig would NEVER do something like that, I know you wouldn’t. I barely knew what Kooky was like, but I have a general idea when I’ve seen the way you acted a few hours ago. Roy may be calling you Kooky, but I’m not about to do the same. That’s why I want to help you. It’s obvious you’ve been going through a lot lately, and on your own, too. I’m not letting you do this alone, I’m going to help you overcome your Kooky side so things can go back to normal” said Junior, smiling in determination as he grabbed Ludwig’s arm.
Ludwig was shocked to hear this, unable to believe what Junior was saying.
He had thought that ALL of the Koopalings had turned against him, betrayed his trust by willingly handing him over to be executed for his crimes.
He had thought that HE was the one doing this, having convinced himself that HE was Kooky, and that they were one in the same.
He was even more confused now.
Was he REALLY Kooky? Or was he still the same old Ludwig he knew he was?
Junior grinned, smirking.
“Besides, I’m the crown prince. It would be less suspicious if we got rid of the evidence and then we both left, leaving a note and telling papa that we were going to be away on a little mission as the two second-in-commands somewhere far from Dark Land for a little project you’ve been working on. Papa would understand if I’m going with you. We would just have to clean up your lab and make sure to burn the evidence before we do” said Junior, smiling.
Ludwig, still silent, felt tears in his eyes as he tried wiping them away.
He had no idea the youngest Koopaling would be willing to help him so willingly.
“Junior, I kan't beliefe you voult do somethink like zis for me...zank you…” said Ludwig weakly, hugging himself, trembling slightly.
Junior smiled, wrapping his arms around his eldest brother in a tight, comforting hug.
“I’m not a complete and total brat who only thinks about himself, you know. I still care about you all, no matter what. Family sticks together, even if one of us is a murderer who killed some guards…” said Junior, smiling at first, but then frowned awkwardly as he mentioned the last part.
The two were silent for a minute before Ludwig chuckled, hugging Junior back, feeling the love and support the youngest was expressing.
It gave him hope and confidence, knowing that at least one of his siblings was willing to help overcome his Kooky side.
Junior then pulled away, allowing the two to stand back up.
Ludwig brushed himself off as Junior picked up his wand, handing it back to him.
“Here, you’re gonna need this if we’re going to get out of here” said Junior, grinning as he handed Ludwig’s wand back to its rightful owner.
Ludwig smiled, nodding as he took his wand back, looking into the reflection of the polished red gem.
His hair was still a mess, making him frown, only reminding himself even more that he still had a part of Kooky inside of him.
Ludwig closed his eyes and shook his head, returning his attention back to Junior, the youngest Koopaling still grinning.
“Alright, let’s go” said Ludwig, smiling.
Junior smiled and nodded.
“Alright, Luddy. First things first, we gotta clean up your lab before we can go get your journal from your room. Then we can take my airship to make it less suspicious when we leave” said Junior.
Ludwig nodded in agreement as he stored his wand in his shell before the two ran off, leaving the prison and running down to hall, making their way to Ludwig’s lab.