A Family Reunion

By Lemmy’s Biggest Fan

Prologue

It seemed like a normal day in the Mushroom Kingdom. Mario was out with Peach, Luigi and Daisy were playing tennis, and Toad and Yoshi were hanging around the castle. It also seemed like a normal day in the Koopa Kingdom. Bowser and the Koopalings were plotting an attack against Mario. (Or at least trying to.)

But the next few days would be anything but normal. Lives would be changed forever and many unexpected things would happen.
 

Chapter 1: A New Boy In Town

It was a bright and sunny day in Toad Town. There were children playing and women working. But little did anyone know there was a boy lost nearby. He had no idea where he was or how he got there. He had short brown hair, brown eyes, white sneakers, a black T-shirt with flames on it, and black shorts with flames on them.

Boy: Where am I? What is this place?

The boy saw two people standing around a house that was shaped like a Mushroom. One of them looked like a man but the other also looked like a Mushroom. He decided he would ask them for details.

Boy: Excuse me, but could you tell me where I am?

Man: This is Toad Town, the largest town in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Boy: The Mushroom Kingdom? Guess that explains why everything is shaped like a Mushroom.

Man: Oh, you’re not from here, are you?

Boy: No, I’m not. I don’t know anything or anyone in this place.

Man: Well, welcome then! I’m Mario and this is my friend, Toad.

Toad: Nice to meet you.

Boy: Likewise. My name’s Randy.

Mario: Where are you from?

Randy: I don’t know. I was abandoned when I was a baby, so I don’t really remember anything about my past. I don’t even know my last name.

Toad: That’s too bad. Do you want to meet our other friends?

Randy: Sure! I’ve never had friends before!

Mario and Toad took Randy to the castle, where they met up with Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, and Daisy.

Mario: Hi guys!

Luigi: Hey Bro!

Yoshi: Who’s your friend?

Toad: This is Randy. He’s new here. Randy, this is Mario’s brother, Luigi; my boss, Princess Peach; her sister, Daisy; and our dinosaur, Yoshi.

Randy: Nice to- Dinosaur?

Yoshi: Yup. But don’t worry, I’m friendly.

Daisy: He even lets people ride on his back.

Randy: Really?

Yoshi: Sure do! You wanna ride?

Randy: Uh… okay!

He hopped on Yoshi’s back and Yoshi dashed off. About 10 minutes later, Yoshi and Randy returned.

Peach: How was it?

Randy: That was so much fun! Thanks Yoshi!

Yoshi: Anytime.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Luigi: Yoshi?

Yoshi: Wasn’t me.

Randy: Sorry. I must be hungry.

Peach looked at the clock tower. It was 12:30, lunchtime.

Peach: Would you like to join us for lunch?

Randy: Sure, I’d love to!
 

Chapter 2: Familiar Things

After lunch, everyone gave Randy a tour of Toad Town. They showed him all the shops, the inn, and all the other points of interest. After the tour, Luigi, Daisy, Peach, Toad, and Yoshi went back to the castle. Just then, Randy spotted another castle off in the distance.

Randy: Hey Mario, what castle is that?

Mario: That’s Koopa Castle. It’s in the Koopa Kingdom. You don’t want to go there.

Randy crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

Randy: Hmmmmm…

Suddenly Randy’s head started to hurt a little. In his mind, he saw what looked like someone being carried away from the same castle. Then, his head stopped hurting and the vision faded.

Mario: You okay?

Randy: Yeah, but I think I need to go check out that castle.

Mario: What? Why?

Randy: I just feel like I have to. Plus, it looks sort of familiar, almost like I’ve been there before. Don’t worry. I won’t go in, unless invited.

Mario: Well… okay. Just be careful.

Randy: I will.

So Randy left for Koopa Castle. It was a lot farther than he thought it would be. As he walked, the scenery began to change. The sun disappeared behind dark clouds, all the plants were dead, and there were erupting volcanoes in the distance. Strangely, he felt almost comfortable being around such things. When he got to the castle, it looked even more familiar. At the front gate, he saw two statues that looked sort of like turtles. They looked like they were wearing some type of armor. Just like the castle, they seemed familiar.

When he approached the gate, he was surprised at what happened next.

???: Hold it!

Randy looked around but didn’t see anyone.

Randy: Who said that?

???: I did.

Suddenly, one of the “statues” pointed the spear he was holding at Randy. Randy took a few steps back in shock.

Randy: What are you?

“Statue”: I am a Koopatrol. Now, state your business here!

Randy: Relax, would ya? I was just looking at the castle. I wasn’t gonna go in.

Koopatrol: You couldn’t have gone in even if you wanted to.

Randy: Why not?

Koopatrol: Read the sign.

Randy looked up and saw a sign that read “King Bowser Koopa’s Castle. Bowser, Koopalings and minions only. Uninvited guests will be killed on the spot.”

Randy: Oh, I see…

Koopatrol: That sign doesn’t lie. Now leave if you know what’s good for you!

Randy: All right, all right! Sheesh.

Randy turned around and left. After hearing the Koopatrol talk, Randy thought he sounded as familiar as he looked. Randy had walked about 50 feet when he tripped and fell.

Randy: Ow! That really hurt!

He picked himself up and saw that the item he’d tripped over was a yellow ball with orange stars. He picked it up and realized that it, too, seemed familiar.

Randy: That’s strange. I don’t remember this being here.

???: Hey, that’s mine!
 

Chapter 3: Randy Meets the Koopalings

Randy turned and saw a small turtle boy. He had an orange shell with spikes on it, spiky wristbands, and a rainbow Mohawk. He also had two orange stripes on one side of his face.

Randy: Oh, hello.

Turtle Boy: Hi. Can I have my ball back?

Randy handed the ball to him. He put it on the ground and jumped on top of it. Randy was impressed by how well he could balance.

Randy: Wow. You’re good at that.

Turtle Boy: Thanks. Say, I’ve never seen you before. You new here?

Randy: Yup. I just got here this morning.

Turtle Boy: Well, always nice to see a new face. My name is Lemmy. And you are?

Randy: I’m Randy.

They shook hands to make their friendship official.

Randy: Lemmy, if you don’t mind me asking, what exactly are you?

Lemmy: I’m a Koopa, but most people refer to me as a Koopaling.

Randy: Oh. So you must live in this castle, right?

Lemmy: That’s right. Big place, isn’t it?

Randy: I’ll say.

???: Oh Lemmy!

Another Koopa walked up to them. He was much bigger than Lemmy and he had a spiky purple shell. He also had a pink head rather than a green one like Lemmy, two fangs, no hair, and was wearing sunglasses. He had spiky wristbands too.

Lemmy: Oh great. He’s here.

Koopa: I’ve been looking for you. Who’s the boy?

Lemmy: His name’s Randy. Randy, this is my brother, Roy. He’s the one who kicked my ball over here.

Randy: Really? Why?

Lemmy: Picking on people is practically his hobby.

Roy grabbed Randy by his shirt and yanked him closer.

Roy: You got a problem with that, 5-year-old?

Randy: First of all, I’m 8. Second, get your scaly hand off of me!

Randy smacked Roy’s hand away but that just him mad, REALLY mad.

Roy: YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO HIT ME?!

Lemmy: Oh boy…

Roy suddenly calmed down and smiled grimly. Then he held out his hand.

Roy: You got guts, kid. I respect that.

Randy smiled and shook Roy’s hand. Their friendship was official now too.

Randy: Are you a Koopaling too, Roy?

Roy: You bet I am!

Randy: Are there more of you?

Lemmy: Yup. We have six more brothers.

Roy: For a total of 8.

Randy: Eight boys? Don’t you have any sisters?

???: We used to have a sister named Wendy, but she said she couldn’t handle being around so many boys and ran away.

Different ???: So they adopted another boy that was the same age.

Randy turned to see 2 more Koopas. One was rather tall with a spiky green shell, spiky wristbands, four fangs, and tall green hair and glasses. The other also had a spiky green shell and spiky wristbands but he was about the same size as Randy. His hair was red and looked like a small mane. His eyes looked like large black pupils. (He basically looked like a Koopa Kid from Mario Party, without horns.)

Tall Koopa: Hi there! My name’s Iggy.

Short Koopa: And I’m Junior. I’m the adopted one.

Randy: Nice to meet you. I’m Randy.

They shook hands. Now they were officially friends.

Lemmy: Randy, do you wanna hang out with us? You could meet our other brothers

Randy: Sounds like fun! Count me in!

They all went back to the front gate. The Koopatrol noticed Randy and pointed his spear at him again.

Koopatrol: I thought I told you to leave!

Lemmy: Relax. He’s our friend.

Koopatrol: … Okay. You can go in.

The Koopatrol reluctantly lowered his weapon and let the 5 boys pass. Randy noticed that the inside of the castle appeared even more familiar than the outside. He also realized that Lemmy, Iggy, and Roy looked like he had seen them somewhere before.

Randy: (Why do so many things here look so familiar to me? I feel like I’m supposed to know something about this place but I can’t figure out what.)

Iggy: Are you all right, Randy?

Randy: Hm? Yeah, I’m fine. I was just thinking.

They entered a large room that resembled a lounge. In it, there were 4 more Koopas: a light blue one with blue eyes, a dark blue one with one large fang in the center of his mouth, a young-looking one wearing a bib around his neck, and one that had brown scales instead of yellow and was even bigger than Roy. The dark blue one looked familiar to Randy.

Junior: Hey guys.

Light Blue Koopa: Hi Junior.

Then the young Koopa noticed Randy with them.

Young Koopa: And who’s this?

Lemmy: Our new friend.

Randy: My name’s Randy.

Light Blue Koopa: I’m Larry.

Dark Blue Koopa: I am Ludwig.

Big Koopa: My name is Morton.

Young Koopa: And I’m Bowser Junior.

Randy: Wait, Junior and Bowser Junior? Doesn’t that get confusing?

Bowser Junior: It used to, so most people just call me BJ for short.

They all shook hands to make an official friendship. Randy was now friends with all 8 Koopalings. What he didn’t know was how important their friendship was.
 

Chapter 4: A Night In Koopa Castle

After Randy became friends with all the Koopalings, they gave him a tour of the castle. They showed him their rooms, the gym, the playground, and pretty much everything else. Afterwards, Ludwig, Roy, Larry, Junior, BJ, and Morton went to their rooms. Lemmy and Iggy decided to stay with Randy in case he got lost.

Randy: Hey Lemmy?

Lemmy: Yeah?

Randy: I was just wondering… How come you ride on top of that ball? Don’t you know how to walk?

Lemmy: Well…sort of. You see, I started to practice balancing before I mastered walking. I CAN walk but I usually stumble a lot when I do.

Randy: How old were you exactly when you started to balance on that ball?

Lemmy: One.

Randy: One?! How were you able to learn that so young?

Iggy: Koopas aren’t like most species. We learn really quickly. In fact, most Koopas can learn all the basic stuff BEFORE they are one.

Randy: Wow.

Iggy: You know, Randy, you’re the first person who doesn’t mix me and Lemmy up.

Randy: Why would I? You two don’t look alike at all.

Lemmy: When we were little, Iggy used to look a lot like me. The only ways people could tell us apart were Iggy’s glasses and fangs. Almost everyone called us twins.

Iggy: Most people think we’re the same age but we’re really 2 years apart.

Randy: So I guess you’re the responsible one since you’re older, right?

Iggy: Huh? I’m the younger one. Lemmy’s older than me.

Randy: YOU’RE the older one, Lemmy?

Lemmy: Yeah. Of all the Koopalings, I’m the second oldest. Ludwig’s the only one older than me.

Randy: The second oldest? But you’re so… um…

Lemmy: So what?

Randy: Well… um… uh…

Lemmy: … Go ahead. You can say it.

Randy: Small.

Lemmy: I know. It misleads most people. Hey, you said before that you’re new here, right?

Randy: Yes.

Lemmy: Where are you from?

Randy: Don’t know. My parents abandoned me. All I know is my first name, my age, and my birthday.

Iggy: Does that mean you don’t have a place to live?

Randy: Yeah…

Iggy: Lemmy, should we ask King Dad if he can stay with us?

Lemmy: Great idea, Iggy!

Randy: King Dad?

Iggy: That’s what we call our father, out of respect.

Randy crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

Randy: Hmmmmm…

Lemmy: What’s wrong?

Randy: Nothing. It’s just… I feel like I’ve heard that before. But never mind that. Let’s go talk to him.

Iggy and Lemmy took Randy to a really big door. It was decorated with a bunch of scary things. Randy started to feel a little nervous. Lemmy knocked on the door.

???: Who’s there?

Lemmy: Lemmy and Iggy.

???: Come in.

The trio walked into the room. Randy was scared by what he saw. What stood before him was a huge Koopa, at least 8 feet tall. He had a big spiky green shell, spiky bands on his wrists, arms and neck, spikes on his tail, two sharp horns, bushy red eyebrows, and a red mane of hair.

Huge Koopa: Well, what is it?

Lemmy: We want to ask a favor and introduce our new friend.

Huge Koopa: What friend?

Lemmy noticed that Randy was hiding behind Iggy. Iggy moved out of the way so the Koopa could see him. Randy was shaking with fear.

Lemmy: This friend.

Randy: Uh… h-hello.

Huge Koopa: Boys, why have you brought a human into my castle?

Randy: Your castle? Are you King Bowser?

Huge Koopa: Yes, I am. And who are you?

Randy: My name is Randy.

Bowser: … Randy… *sigh*

Iggy: What’s wrong, King Dad?

Bowser: Nothing. Now, what about this favor?

Iggy: We were wondering if Randy could stay in the castle with us.

Bowser: Why?

Randy: Well, you see, I was abandoned when I was a baby. After awhile, I found my way here. So I don’t have a place to live.

Bowser: Hm. Very well. You may stay.

Randy: Thank you.

Lemmy: Come on, Randy. You can bunk with us.

Iggy: He can?

Lemmy: Remember that attachment to our bunk bed in our closet?

Iggy: Oh yeah!

Randy: Thanks guys! You’re the best!

They left Bowser’s room and went to tell the others Randy would be staying with them. Afterwards, they went to Lemmy and Iggy’s room. There, they attached the top bunk to the middle bunk. By the time they were done, it was 10:30 PM.

Lemmy: Okay, so here’s how it is: Iggy gets the bottom, I get the middle, and you can have the top, Randy.

Randy: Fine by me. The top bunk is my favorite!

Iggy: I’m beat. Let’s call it a night.

They all climbed into their designated bunks. Iggy took off his glasses and put them on the nightstand.

Iggy: Night.

Lemmy: Night.

Randy: Night.

Soon, all 3 of them were fast asleep. That night, Randy had a dream. But it was no ordinary dream. It would come across as a major shock and would raise too many questions to answer.
 

Chapter 5: A Dream or Something More?

The scene looked like a playroom. Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy and Iggy were playing but something was different about them. They were much smaller and looked much younger. Iggy looked almost exactly like Lemmy. Ludwig looked like he was 4, Lemmy 3, Roy 2 and Iggy 1. There was also a baby Koopa in the room who looked to be less than a month old, but Randy didn’t know who it was. He had a small patch of red hair, a tiny green shell with small spikes, tiny black eyes, and no wristbands.

Roy: I’m gonna pin you down, Iggy!

Iggy: No, I’M gonna pin YOU down!

They were play-wrestling. That is to say that they weren’t really trying to hurt each other (hard as that may be to believe). Ludwig was next to them playing a toy piano, and next to him was Lemmy balancing on his ball.

Ludwig: Will you two keep it down? I’m trying to write a song here!

Lemmy: Yeah! I need to focus or I might fall off!

Baby Koopa: Hahahahaha!

The baby Koopa was playing with some blocks VERY close to the wrestling match. He had just completed a tower when he turned to see Roy’s spiky shell coming right at him!

Baby Koopa: AAAAAAHHHH!!!

Lemmy: Gotcha!

Lemmy grabbed the baby and pulled him out of the way just in time. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at their brother shaking and sobbing in Lemmy’s arms.

Iggy: Is he okay?

Lemmy: He’s fine, but you two need to be more careful! Who knows what could’ve happened if I didn’t grab him?

Ludwig: I do. He would have been severely injured and would be screaming and crying.

Roy: Smartypants…

They went back to what they were doing, except for Lemmy, who was trying comfort his baby brother, who was still shaking and sobbing.

Lemmy: It’s okay. Don’t worry. Lemmy will protect you.

The baby calmed down and looked up at Lemmy and smiled. He was happy his big brother had helped him. But Lemmy didn’t know just how thankful he really was.

Baby Koopa: Lem…my.

Lemmy looked at him in amazement and shock.

Lemmy: You… You said my name! Hey, the baby said my name!

Everyone quickly diverted their attention to Lemmy.

Iggy: What?!

Ludwig: Really?!

Roy: He did not!

Lemmy: Did so! Say it again.

The baby just looked at his brother. He wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted him to do or say.

Lemmy: Come on. You can do it.

Baby Koopa: Lemmy?

Lemmy: Told you so!

Roy: I wish I saved him and not you.

Ludwig: You couldn’t have saved him no matter what.

Roy: Why not?

Ludwig: You were the one that was about to hit him!

Roy: Oh yeah.

Lemmy: You’re just jealous that his first word is my name and not yours, Roy!

Baby Koopa: R…Roy.

Everyone stared in astonishment but then Roy grinned.

Roy: Well, maybe my name’s not his FIRST word, but second is pretty good.

The baby reached out to Roy. Roy was curious why until he kept saying his name.

Baby Koopa: Roy! Roy!

Iggy: I think he wants you to hold him.

Roy: Oh. All right, hand him over.

Roy put out his arms and Lemmy handed the baby to him. The baby laughed and put his arms around his big brother. Roy smiled after seeing how much he liked him, and hugged him back.

Lemmy: Awwwwww. Isn’t that cute?

Iggy: Which name do you think he’ll say next? Iggy or Ludwig?

Ludwig: When he’s done hugging Roy, I’ll ask him.

The baby let go of Roy and stared at his other brothers as if he knew they were going to ask him something.

Ludwig: Well, which is it? Ludwig or Iggy?

Iggy: It’s probably gonna be Ludwig since you said it first…

Baby Koopa: Ig…gy.

Iggy: Hey! He said MY name! I stand corrected!

Baby Koopa: Iggy!

Ludwig: Aw, man! Oh well. At least he’ll have to say my name next. I AM the only one left.

Roy handed the baby to Iggy, who was very happy to hear him say his name. Just then, the baby grabbed Iggy’s glasses and put them on his own eyes.

Iggy: Where did everyone go?

Lemmy: We haven’t moved. He put on your glasses. And he looks good in them, might I add.

Iggy looked down and could barely make out his brother wearing his glasses. He and the others laughed at how silly he looked.

Iggy: Can I have those back?

The baby hesitated at first but gave the glasses back to Iggy. Then he turned to Ludwig and smiled. Ludwig began to smile too. He knew what was coming. The baby was silent for a few more seconds.

Ludwig: Well?

Baby Koopa: Ludwig!

Ludwig: It’s about time!

The baby leapt from Iggy's arms towards Ludwig. Ludwig caught him, though, and held him in his arms.

Baby Koopa: Ludwig! Ludwig!

The baby hugged Ludwig and Ludwig hugged him back. Once the baby let go, he yawned and lay down in his oldest brother’s arms.

Roy: I think all the excitement has worn him out.

Iggy: It’s 8:00 now. We should put him to bed.

Roy: How? You know he doesn’t usually go to bed on his own.

Lemmy: I have an idea. Ludwig, can you play a lullaby on your piano?

Ludwig: Of course I can.

Ludwig lay the baby on the couch, went to his piano, and started playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. The baby yawned again, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

Lemmy: Come on. Let’s bring him up to his room.

Iggy, being as gentle as he could, picked up his baby brother and carried him to his room, with the others following. As they arrived, Roy took him and lay him down in his crib. The four brothers went to leave the room. Lemmy turned the light off.

Lemmy: Goodnight… Randy.
 

Chapter 6: Things in Common

Randy: HUH?! WHAT?!

Randy sprang up from the bed and looked around. He was still in Lemmy and Iggy’s room. The clock read 8:00 AM.

Randy: That was weird.

Lemmy: What was weird?

Randy looked over the side of the bed and saw Lemmy looking up at him.

Randy: Oh, good morning, Lemmy. It’s nothing. I just had a strange dream, is all.

Randy started to climb down from the top bunk, but halfway down, he lost his grip and fell. Fortunately he landed on his feet (or so he thought), so he wasn’t hurt. The noise woke Iggy up. He reached over and put on his glasses.

Iggy: Ugh… Five more minutes, Dad…

Randy: Phew. That last step is a doozy.

He noticed that Lemmy and Iggy were staring at him.

Randy: What?

Lemmy: How are you doing that?

Randy: Doing what?

Iggy: Look down.

Randy looked down and realized he was standing on top of Lemmy’s ball. He was balancing perfectly.

Randy: I have no idea. I’ve never even tried to balance on anything before. Guess I’m just a natural.

He got off the ball and Lemmy got on. The three boys left the room and saw Junior, Ludwig, BJ, and Morton in the hallway.

Randy: Hey guys.

Junior: Hi Randy.

Morton: Sleep well?

Randy: Yes, thank you.

BJ: I wonder what’s keeping Larry and Roy.

Suddenly Larry leapt out from behind a statue.

Larry: BOO!

Randy: Yah!

Randy jumped up and grabbed onto the first thing he could. Larry laughed so hard, he fell over.

Randy: Larry, what’s the big idea?!

Turning his head, he saw that Roy was the thing he grabbed onto.

Randy: Oh, good morning, Roy…

Ludwig: Was that necessary?

Larry: No, but it was funny!

Iggy: Let’s get some breakfast before Larry gets any more ideas.

Randy: Sounds good to me. Uh, Roy? You can put me down now.

Roy: All right.

Roy dropped Randy onto the ground. He landed with a loud thud.

Randy: Ow…

He stood up, rubbing his head. He glared at Roy, annoyed.

Randy: That isn’t exactly what I meant.

Roy just shrugged. They all went downstairs to eat. After they all ate, the Koopalings went to do what they usually do. Randy decided to see if he was good at anything else the Koopalings were good at.

Meanwhile, back in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario was pacing back in forth in his house.

Luigi: What’s wrong, Bro?

Mario: Randy never came back from the Koopa Kingdom. I’m worried about him.

Luigi: Why did he go there?

Mario: He said he felt like he needed to. He also said that Koopa Castle looked familiar to him.

Luigi: Do you think Bowser captured him?

Mario: No. Bowser would probably have tried to take Peach in return for him by now if he had captured him.

Luigi: I’m sure he’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.

Back in Koopa Castle…

Randy: Hi Ludwig. What are you doing?

Ludwig: Hello Randy. I’m trying to get this device to work, but it won’t for some reason.

He held up a remote control of some kind.

Randy: Let me take a look at it.

Randy took the remote and opened the back of it. He looked at the circuitboard.

Randy: Oh, I see the problem. You used a LM555 chip for the motherboard, but that only works in a series circuit. This is a parallel circuit so you need an LM741 chip.

Ludwig just stared at him.

Randy: What?

Ludwig: How in the world did you know that?

Randy: I know a thing or two when it comes to electronics.

He gave the remote back to Ludwig. He noticed there was classical music playing in the room.

Randy: This is a really nice song. What’s it called?

Ludwig: It’s called United As One. You really like it?

Randy: Yeah. Who’s it by? Beethoven?

Ludwig: No.

Randy: Mozart?

Ludwig: Nope.

Randy: Then who?

Ludwig: Me. I wrote it. I’m not just an inventor. I’m also a composer.

Randy: You are? Wait, how old are you?

Ludwig: Twelve.

Randy: Wow. Impressive.

Ludwig: You’re the only one who thinks so. The others find my symphonies to be… irritating. Thanks.

Randy: Anytime, pal. I think I’ll go see what the others are doing. See you later.

Ludwig: See you.

Randy left Ludwig’s room and went to see what Junior was doing. He thought about Ludwig’s music as he walked through the halls.

Randy: (Ludwig’s a composer. Who knew? …Wait a minute…)

<i>Ludwig: Will you two keep it down? I’m trying to write a song here! </i>

Randy: (Maybe… No. It was just a dream.)

He kept walking through the halls and down the stairs. Upon reaching the lounge, he saw Junior playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl. He was on the final boss and couldn’t beat him.

Junior: Man, this guy is tough!

Randy: Having trouble?

Junior: Oh, hey Randy. Yeah, I’m having trouble. You wanna try?

Randy: Sure.

Junior explained the controls to him. After Randy memorized and mastered them, he took on Taboo. To Junior’s amazement, he won and only took 50 damage.

Junior: Wow, you’re good.

Randy: Thanks.

Junior: I think now I can beat him.

Randy: Why? He’s already been beaten. Why do you want to do it again?

Junior: I’m the kind of guy that likes to keep doing something until it gets done.

Randy: Really? So am I.

Junior: What a coincidence. Anyway, thanks for beating Taboo for me. Now that I know exactly what to do, I should be able to beat him on my own.

Randy: Good luck. I’m gonna go see what Morton’s doing.

Junior: Are you sure you want to do that?

Randy: Yes. Why?

Junior: You’ll find out when you see him.

Randy: Ok then. See you later.

Junior: Later.

Randy walked back up the stairs to where he thought he heard voices, and almost immediately saw Morton. He was with Larry and Roy. Larry’s shell was turned to Randy. Randy decided to get a little payback. He snuck up on him, getting as close as he could.

Randy: HI LARRY!

Larry: Aaaaah!

Larry leaped into Morton’s arms. Randy and Roy started laughing and gave each other a high five.

Larry: What did you do THAT for?!

Randy: Call it revenge for scaring me earlier.

Roy: You’re as sneaky as Larry.

Morton: That was funny, humorous, hilarious, comical, laughable- MPHHH!

Roy put duct tape over Morton’s mouth. Morton put Larry down and tried to take the tape off.

Randy: Why did you do that?

Roy: He has a habit of going on and on about pointless things and saying many things in a row that mean the same thing.

Randy: Oh, I don’t mind. I catch myself doing that sometimes, occasionally, once in while, every now and then, from time to time.

Larry and Roy glared at him. Morton tried to smile but the tape was too tight.

Larry: You did that on purpose, didn’t you?

Randy: Hehe. Maybe. Will you take the tape off his mouth now?

Roy: I would if I could. That tape’s so strong, not even I can pull it off.

Morton hung his head. Randy saw how sad he was. Randy thought that even if it was annoying to some, he should be allowed to do what he loves to do.

Randy: Oh, for Pete’s sake.

Randy walked over to Morton and ripped the tape off like it was nothing.

Morton: YEOUCH!!!

Randy: Sorry. You were saying?

Morton: I… huh. I forget. Anyway, how did you get that off my mouth?

Randy: I just pulled. I wasn’t even trying that hard. I don’t know why Roy said it was strong. It felt pretty weak to me.

Morton: You must be even stronger, tougher, burlier, brawnier, more powerful than Roy.

Roy: Ha! Like that’s possible. Even that outfit makes him look weak.

Randy looked at the flames on his shirt.

Randy: Coming from a boy who wears pink and purple.

Roy: … Touché.

Larry: I wonder what BJ is up to.

Randy: Let’s find out.

They found BJ with Bowser outside on the playground. He was on the jungle gym. Bowser was asleep on a bench nearby.

Randy: Hi BJ.

BJ: Hi Randy. What’s up? Whoa!

BJ lost his grip on the bar bar he was holding. Unfortunately that was the highest bar on the jungle gym. He fell toward the ground almost 20 feet below.

Randy: I got you!

Randy caught BJ just as he was about to hit the ground. One of the spikes on his shell cut Randy’s arm. BJ got to his feet and saw Randy’s wound.

BJ: Sorry about that.

Randy: It’s all right. It wasn’t your fault. It’s not a bad cut.

BJ: Uh…

Randy: What is it?

BJ: You might want to look at your arm.

Randy looked at his arm and saw that it was bleeding. But his blood wasn’t red; it was green. He grabbed his arm in shock. Roy, Morton, and Larry walked over and saw the wound.

Randy: Is that my blood?

Roy: Looks like it.

Randy: But I thought only reptiles had green blood.

Larry: They do. We’re reptiles, so we have green blood, but I’ve never heard of a human having it.

Morton: This certainly is strange, odd, weird, puzzling, bizarre, outlandish, eccentric, unusual, abnormal.

Bowser: *snore* Huh? I’m awake! What did I miss?

Larry: King Dad, is it possible for humans to have green blood?

Bowser: I don’t think so. Why do you ask?

Randy showed Bowser his arm. Bowser looked confused.

Bowser: That’s weird. I never thought that was possible. Are you sure you’re a human?

Randy: Pretty sure.

Bowser: Maybe I can find something about this in the study. Come along, BJ.

Randy: Why does he have to go?

BJ: I’m the most loyal of all the Koopalings. Wherever Papa goes, I go.

Randy: That’s funny. I’m pretty loyal myself. Mind if I come?

Larry, Morton, and Roy: Us too?

Bowser: Sure. The more help we have, the quicker we might find an explanation.

As they walked back inside, Randy suddenly thought about Lemmy and Iggy. It had been a long time since he saw them.

Randy: Hey, anyone know where Lemmy and Iggy are? I haven’t seen them since this morning.

Larry: They always stay together. Knowing Iggy, he’s probably practicing his magic and Lemmy’s probably watching him.

Randy: Iggy’s a magician?

Larry: No. Each Koopaling has a wand that they use when they need to do something magically.

BJ: Except me. I have a magic paintbrush.

Randy: A paintbrush? That’s… interesting. So, what do these wands look like?

Larry took his wand out of his shell and showed it to Randy. Randy’s head suddenly started hurting again, only worse. He had to put his hand on his forehead to cope with the pain.

Randy: Ugh…

He saw another vision in his mind. This time he saw someone using a wand that looked almost the same as Larry’s, on someone else. Before he could see exactly who it was, the vision vanished.

Larry: Are you okay?

Randy: Yeah. My head just hurt for a second. So, are all your wands the same?

Larry: They all look the same, but the color of the crystal on each one is different. Mine’s orange, Morton’s is red, Roy’s is black, Junior's is purple, Ludwig's is blue, Lemmy's is green, Iggy's is yellow, and BJ's paintbrush is rainbow.

Randy: What kinds of magic can you do with them?

Larry: Is your arm still bleeding?

Randy: A little. Why?

Larry: I’ll show you. Hold out your arm.

Randy stuck his arm out. Larry used his wand and made some gauze appear over Randy’s cut. It instantly felt a lot better.

Randy: Cool. Thanks, Larry.

Larry: Anything for a friend.

Bowser: We’re here, the study.

The group entered the study in hopes of finding an explanation for Randy’s green blood. Little did they know the surprise that was awaiting them inside.
 

Chapter 7: The White Wand

After entering the study, Bowser, Randy, Larry, Morton, BJ and Roy started looking for something to explain why Randy had green blood even though he was human. While he was looking, Randy saw there was a cauldron in the middle of the room.

Randy: What’s the cauldron for?

Roy: We use it whenever we need to make a potion or something.

Randy walked over to the cauldron and looked into it. Suddenly the green liquid inside it began to bubble. The bubbling grew more and more intense until Randy had to back away.

Randy: Uh, guys? Is that supposed to happen?

The others turned to see green mist coming out of the cauldron. It started to shake. Bowser realized it was about to blow. He had enough time to grab BJ, Roy and Larry, but not Morton or Randy. The cauldron unleashed a massive shockwave that sent Morton flying into Randy. Randy fell onto the ground and Morton landed on top of him. Fortunately, neither of them was hurt. Bowser let go of his 3 sons.

Bowser: Are you two all right?

Morton sat up on Randy’s stomach.

Morton: I’m okay. Thanks for breaking, cushioning, softening my fall, descent, plummet, drop, plunge, Randy.

Randy: No problem. Don’t mention it. Anytime.

BJ: Why did that happen?

Randy: I haven’t the slightest idea. All I did was look into it and it started going crazy.

Roy: I see why. Look what came out of it.

Everyone looked at the cauldron. Floating right above it was a wand. It looked just like Larry’s wand except it had a white crystal.

Larry: That hasn’t happened since I was born. I wonder why it happened now.

Randy: Um, Morton?

Morton: Yeah Randy?

Randy: As much as I really LOVE your tail being in my face, CAN YOU GET OFF ME NOW?!

Morton: Oh, sure.

He got off Randy. Randy stood up and dusted himself off. He was on his feet for less than 5 seconds when the wand floated over to him. He just looked at it, unsure of why it came to him.

Randy: Is this mine?

Larry: Take it and find out.

Randy grabbed the wand. The wand sparked a little on contact with his hand. Randy’s arm suddenly changed. A faded image of a Koopa’s arm appeared over his. Stunned, Randy dropped the wand. Before he could say anything, his arm returned to normal.

Randy: Did you guys see that?

BJ: See what?

Randy: My arm. It… Never mind.

He picked up the wand again and examined it. He saw that there were letters engraved on one side. The letters spelled out “Randy”.

Randy: Guys, are your names engraved in your wands?

Roy: Yeah. Why?

Randy showed them the engraving on the wand.

Larry: I guess that wand belongs to you.

Randy: But I’m not a Koopaling. Why would I need a wand?

Larry: I don’t know, but as long as you have it, you should learn how to use it.

Bowser: Iggy can teach you. He’s practically a professional.

Randy: Okay. I’ll give it a shot. Where does Iggy practice?

BJ: In the gym.

Randy: All right. I’ll go find him.

Larry: By yourself?

Randy: You were trying to find a reason for my blood being green, remember?

Larry: Oh, right. See you later then.

Randy: See ya.

Randy left the study and made his way toward the gym. He couldn’t stop thinking about the wand and his arm.

Randy: (I know I saw my arm turn into a Koopa’s arm. Why would it do that? I’m not a Koopa… am I? Even if I was, I’m not a Koopaling so I don’t see why I was given a wand.)

Upon reaching the gym, Randy saw Iggy shooting green blasts from his wand at targets about 50 feet away. Lemmy was sitting on his ball watching him. He was getting pretty close to hitting the bulls-eye. Randy put his wand behind his back.

Randy: Hey Lemmy. Hey Iggy.

Lemmy: Hi Randy.

Iggy: How’s it going?

Randy: Pretty good. Could you help me with something?

Iggy: Sure. What is it?

Randy showed Iggy and Lemmy his wand. They both had shocked looks on their faces.

Lemmy: Where did you get that?

Randy: The cauldron in the study gave it to me. I don’t get it either. But since I have it, could you teach me how to use it? I’ve heard you’re really good at using magic.

Iggy: You heard right. Sure, I’ll teach you. Wanna start with target practice?

Randy: Okay.

Iggy led Randy to the target area. There were 3 targets 25 feet away from them, and 3 more 50 feet away.

Iggy: Using a wand is actually pretty easy. All you need to do is focus your energy on what you want to do. Try hitting the targets. Focus your energy on shooting blasts from your wand.

Randy nodded, aimed his wand at one of the targets and focused on hitting it. A beam of white light came flying out his wand and hit the bulls-eye dead on.

Randy: Like that?

Iggy: That was perfect! Great job! Try hitting the others.

Randy fired at the 5 remaining targets. To Iggy’s surprise, he hit all five in just one shot! Iggy couldn’t believe how good he was.

Iggy: That was amazing! You’re a natural! I’ve never seen wand wielding like that!

Randy: Thanks. So, what’s next?

Iggy: How about levitation?

Randy: Let’s do it!

Iggy led Randy a large yellow block about 8 feet tall.

Iggy: To make something levitate, just focus on trying to make it float. The more you concentrate, the higher it will go. Try it with this block.

Randy aimed his wand at the block and focused. He slowly lifted his wand up and the block went up with it. After a few seconds, he put it down.

Randy: How was that?

Iggy: Fantastic! How about something a little harder?

Randy: Bring it on.

Iggy fired some sort of beam at the block. It glowed for a few seconds and then doubled in size. Randy was astonished at the sight.

Randy: How did you do THAT?

Iggy: In addition to the basics, each Koopaling has a special kind of magic only they can perform. Mine is making things bigger or smaller.

Lemmy: Mine is the ability to clone myself.

Randy looked at his wand.

Randy: I wonder what mine is.

Iggy: I’m sure you’ll find out eventually. Anyway, try making the block levitate again. But don’t expect it to be as easy. The bigger the object, the harder it is to move.

Randy aimed his wand at the block again and focused really hard. The block began to lift off the ground. Randy lifted his wand and the block followed. Iggy couldn’t believe his eyes. Randy put the block down.

Iggy: I must admit I’m very impressed. You might even be better than me. Ready for the last lesson?

Randy: Ready.

Iggy led Randy to a wall that had three holes in it. The holes were shaped like a Star, a Mushroom, and a Flower.

Iggy: This last lesson is about making objects appear. To do so-

Randy: Let me guess. I have to focus and concentrate on what I want to appear?

Iggy: Couldn’t have said it better myself. Try filling the holes in this wall.

Randy aimed his wand at the three holes and thought about what he wanted to fill them. In less then a second, all three holes were filled. To both Lemmy and Iggy’s surprise, the pieces that filled the wall looked just like a Starman, 1-Up Mushroom, and a Fire Flower. Randy looked at Lemmy and Iggy.

Randy: So how did I do?

Lemmy: I think you did great!

Randy: Thanks! What do you think, Iggy?

Iggy didn’t answer. He just stared at the now-filled wall. He appeared to be in a state of shock. Lemmy and Randy rolled/walked over to him.

Randy: Iggy? Iggy?

Lemmy snapped his fingers in Iggy’s face. It didn’t break him out if his trance. Randy crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and tried to think. After a moment, he got an idea.

Randy: I think I can wake him up. It might hurt him, though.

Lemmy: I guess so. If it’s the only way.

Randy whacked Iggy on the head with his wand. Iggy finally snapped out of it and began rubbing his head.

Iggy: Thank you… I… needed that.

Randy: You’re welcome. What was that about anyway?

Iggy: I was just so shocked when I saw you do that. Other than me, no one’s ever done that on the first try. You’re probably the best human to ever wield a wand.

Randy: Gee, thanks. That means a lot coming from someone as good as you.

Lemmy looked at a clock on the wall. It was almost 1:00, meaning they had been practicing for over an hour.

Lemmy: I think now would be a good time for a break.

Randy and Iggy: I agree.

They looked at each other. Realizing they had used the same catchphrase, they grinned and pounded their fists together. Randy put his wand in his pocket. The trio left the gym and ran into Larry, Roy, BJ, Morton and Bowser.

Randy: Hey guys. Did you find an explanation for my green blood?

Bowser: Only one. A mutation in your DNA, whatever that means.

Lemmy and Iggy curiously stared at Randy.

Lemmy: You have green blood?

Randy: Strangely, yes.

BJ: So how did the magic lessons go?

Iggy: They couldn’t have gone better! Randy’s as good at magic as me.

Larry: Really? That’s quite a surprise.

Lemmy: It may be surprising but it’s true. Iggy actually went into a state of shock!

Morton: I wish I could have seen that because seeing people go into shock is funny and I would probably laugh until my gut hurt because it would be so funny and I bet it was funny how he woke up and-

Roy: Shut up!

Randy got angry after hearing this so much. He had heard Roy say it several times earlier while he was with Junior.

Randy: Why don’t YOU shut up?!

Everyone grew wide-eyed.

Roy: What did you say to me?!

Randy got up in Roy’s face.

Randy: You heard me! I’m tired of you always telling Morton to stop talking! If it’s what he likes to do, he should be allowed to do it! Does him talking hurt you? No! If anything, YOU’RE the one who should be told to stop all the time!

Roy: What’s that supposed to mean?

Randy: Oh, come on! You know what I’m talking about! From what I’ve been told, you always pick on and beat up your brothers for no reason! But they never tell you to stop because they know it’s what you like to do! So you have no right to deny Morton to talk if he wants to!

Roy raised his fist and wound up his arm, as if he was going to punch Randy. No one wanted to see their friend get beat up so they turned away. But at the last second, Roy lowered his arm, hung his head, and walked away. Everyone stood in disbelief.

Iggy: Never thought I’d see that.

Randy: Someone stand up to Roy?

Iggy: Well, that and…

Randy: And what?

Iggy: You tell him, Morton.

Morton: No one has ever stood up for me before. Everyone just thinks I’m a pest, bother, annoyance, nuisance, irritation. Everyone except you, that is. Thanks Randy. You’re the best friend, buddy, pal, chum I’ve ever had.

Randy: You’re welcome, Morton. I’m glad to stand up for my friends. And it’s about time someone stood up to Roy about his bullying.

Randy looked in the direction Roy walked in.

Randy: (Maybe I was too hard on him. I hope I didn’t hurt his feelings. He IS my friend, after all.)
 

Chapter 8: Rivalry Revealed

As the day wore on, Randy learned more and more about the Koopalings. He learned what their special magic abilities were. Whatever BJ draws comes to life (if he wants it too), Larry can control plants, Morton can control rocks, Junior can control water, Roy can control sand, and Ludwig’s attacks home in on their target. He also learned their ages and hobbies. Lemmy’s 11 and does tricks on his ball, Roy’s 10 and works out a lot, Iggy’s 9 and sometimes works out with Roy, Junior’s 7 and likes playing video games, Morton’s 6 and gives speeches, Larry’s 5 and grows plants, and BJ‘s 4 and likes to paint with his brush.

As the sun began to set, Randy decided to take a walk around the kingdom. There was a lot going through his mind.

Randy: (All right. Let me get all this straight. The castle looks familiar to me. The guards look and sound familiar to me. Lemmy’s ball looks familiar to me. I have one thing in common with each Koopaling. I have a wand and green blood like them. And those names… Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy and Iggy. I know I’ve heard them before. And that baby Koopa I saw in my dream… I know him. I can feel it. And now that I think about it, even Bowser looks and sounds familiar to me. I’m starting to think meeting them was more than just a coincidence.)

???: Hey! Randy!

Randy looked to his side and saw Yoshi sprinting up to him. He was breathing heavily.

Randy: Hi Yoshi. Why are you all out of breath?

Yoshi: Because I’ve been looking for you. Mario got worried when you didn’t return from Koopa Castle, so he asked us to help look for you.

Randy: Mario’s worried about me? I guess I should go find him and tell him I’m okay.

Yoshi: Hop on my back. I’ll get you to him quicker than walking.

Randy climbed onto Yoshi’s back and the two of them dashed off. After crossing the border to the Mushroom Kingdom, the duo saw Mario by the inn. Randy got off Yoshi and approached him.

Mario: Randy! I’m so glad to see your all right!

Randy: I’m fine, Mario. What were you so worried about?

Mario: I thought maybe those Koopas captured you or something.

Randy: Why would they do that? They’re my friends.

Mario and Yoshi stared at him upon hearing that. He looked from one to the other.

Randy: Why are you two looking at me like that?

Yoshi: The Koopas are… your friends?

Randy: Yes.

Mario: Is that why you didn’t come back?

Randy: Yeah. Since I don’t have anywhere to live, they’re letting me stay with them. What’s wrong with that? Do you two have something against them?

Yoshi: Put it this way. We don’t exactly get along with them. Most people in this kngdom don’t. We’re sort of rivals.

Randy: Oh. I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I-

Mario: Don’t worry about it. We can still be friends, even if you are friends with the Koopas. Right, Yoshi?

Yoshi: Right. Hey, what happened to your arm?

Randy looked at the gauze on his arm.

Randy: Oh, this? One of the spikes on BJ’s shell cut me. But it was just an accident.

Yoshi: BJ?

Randy: Bowser Junior.

Mario: Oh. Well, we’re just glad you’re safe.

Randy: Thanks for being concerned. I should probably go back to the castle before the Koopas start to worry. I’ll see you guys later.

Yoshi: Okay. See ya.

Randy walked back towards Koopa Castle. After Mario was sure he was too far to hear him, he started talking to Yoshi.

Mario: You don’t think he’s secretly working for Bowser, do you?

Yoshi: I doubt it. He’s a nice kid. More importantly, he’s our friend. I think he’s trustworthy.

Mario: Yeah. I guess you’re right. But still, there’s something strange about him.

Yoshi: What do you mean?

Mario: I just feel like there’s more to him than meets the eye. I guess it’s not that important, though. We should go tell the others what Randy told us, just to make sure they’re okay with it.

Yoshi: I think they’re back at Mushroom Castle.

The two of them returned to the castle. Sure enough, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and Daisy were there. Mario and Yoshi told them what Randy had said. At first they were a bit shocked, but they all agreed he was trustworthy and that they would remain his friends.

Meanwhile back in Koopa Castle, Randy was thinking hard about what Mario and Yoshi had said. Ludwig happened to be in the same room as, him and noticed this.

Ludwig: Something troubling you, Randy?

Randy: Oh, hi Ludwig. Sort of, yes. I’m not sure I should tell you, though.

Ludwig: Randy, I’m your friend. You can tell me anything.

Randy: I guess. But first, promise you won’t get mad or make any assumptions.

Ludwig: I promise.

Randy: By any chance, would you and the others happen to know Mario?

Ludwig waited a moment before answering.

Ludwig: Yes, we know him, but we don’t get along with him or his friends. We’re rivals.

Randy: Funny. Yoshi said the same thing about you guys.

Ludwig: Are you… friends with them?

Randy: I… um… well… sort of. I met them before I met you and the others, so…

Ludwig: It’s okay. That doesn’t bother me.

Randy: It doesn’t?

Ludwig: No. You aren’t like them. You appreciate everything for what it is. They don’t. So I have no problem with you knowing them.

Randy: Thanks Ludwig. I knew I made a good decision.

Ludwig: In what?

Randy: One of my best friends.

Ludwig: Best friends? You really mean that?

Randy: Absolutely. You guys took me in when I had nowhere else to go. If that isn’t grounds for best friendship, I don’t know what is.

Ludwig: I… I’ve never really had a best friend before.

Randy: Really? That’s terrible. Everyone should have at least one best friend. It doesn’t matter now, though. You’ve got me, buddy.

Ludwig felt happier than any other time in his life. He really did have a best friend, after waiting 12 long years.

Ludwig: Thanks Randy. I’m really glad to have met you.

Randy: Same here. Hey, what time is it?

Ludwig looked out the window.

Ludwig: Judging from the low amount of light, I’d say about 9:30.

Randy: I think I’m gonna go to bed now. I’ve had a really long day. Goodnight, best friend.

Ludwig: Goodnight.

Randy walked up the stairs to Lemmy and Iggy’s room. When he got there he saw the two of them were already asleep. Looking at the clock, he saw it was exactly 9:30.

Randy: (Wow. Talk about being dead on.)

He quietly climbed up to the top bunk, making sure not to wake the others, and went to sleep.

Ludwig was about to go to sleep himself when his stomach growled. He ran to the kitchen to grab a chocolate bar before bed. Suddenly Larry came out of a different room. He had been listening in on their conversation.

Larry: Randy’s friends with the Mario Gang? Ludwig seems okay with it. He doesn’t look like he’s up to anything, so I guess I’m okay with it too. He’s pretty cool for a human.

Back upstairs, Randy was having another dream. This one was just as strange as the first and would raise even more questions that could not be answered.
 

Chapter 9: Another Dream or Something More?

This time the room resembled the lounge in the castle. Once again, Ludwig, Iggy, Lemmy and the baby Koopa were there, but Roy wasn’t. The baby looked a little different, though. He had a little more hair and the spikes on his shell were longer. He was also a little bigger. He now looked to be about 3 or 4 months old.

Lemmy: What a great morning! Wouldn’t you say so, Iggy?

Iggy: You bet I would, Lemmy! What do you think, Ludwig?

Ludwig: I concur.

Roy then walked into the room. He looked half asleep.

Roy: Morning.

Baby Koopa: Morning Roy!

Roy: Morning, little guy.

Baby Koopa: Ludwig, am I little?

Ludwig: Well, you’re smaller than the rest of us.

Iggy: But you might catch up to Lemmy soon.

Lemmy: Hey!

Baby Koopa: Good one, Iggy!

Iggy: I try.

Roy: I’m hungry. Let’s go get breakfast.

They all got up and walked (or in Lemmy’s case, rolled) to the kitchen, including the baby. That was a big deal because he had never walked before. He was a bit wobbly at first, but after a few steps he got the hang of it.

Baby Koopa: Look! I can walk!

Lemmy: Wow! You sure are a fast learner! You might be even smarter than Ludwig when you’re older.

Ludwig: I highly doubt that.

Once they got to the kitchen, Roy helped the baby into his highchair. He thanked Roy with a hug. Bowser came in shortly after.

Baby Koopa: Morning Daddy!

Bowser: Good morning.

Roy: Guess what, King Dad? The little guy just learned how to walk!

Bowser: Really? I’m so proud of you, Son!

Baby Koopa: Aw, thanks.

Iggy: Would it kill you to call him by his name, Roy?

Roy: Yes.

Iggy: … Whatever.

Ludwig: So, what’s on the agenda for today?

Roy: Agenda?

Baby Koopa: That means list.

Everyone looked at him. Not even Ludwig knew what that meant at that age. How could such a young Koopa learn so quickly? The baby was learning unusually fast, even for a Koopa.

Baby Koopa: What?

Lemmy: How did you know that?

Baby Koopa: Guess I’m even smarter than you thought!

Bowser: He must get it from me.

Ludwig: Hm. Maybe you WILL be smarter than me someday.

Baby Koopa: Bet I already am!

Everybody laughed. Roy gave his baby brother a high five.

Iggy: Anyway, let’s eat breakfast.

Baby Koopa: YUM!

Roy: You know you’re still too little to eat regular food.

Baby Koopa: Grrr…

After they finished their breakfast and the baby finished his bottle, the boys went outside. They decided it was a perfect day for the playground. Roy and Ludwig played on the jungle gym while Lemmy, Iggy, and the baby were playing in the sandbox. After awhile, the baby got bored.

Baby Koopa: Will one of you push me on the swing?

Iggy: Sure, I’ll do it.

Baby Koopa: Thanks Iggy!

The baby climbed onto the swing and told Iggy he was ready but not to go too high. Iggy said he wouldn’t and started pushing him. About 5 minutes later…

Baby Koopa: Ok, Iggy. You can stop now. I wanna try it by myself.

Iggy: Are you sure?

Baby Koopa: Yup.

Iggy left the swing set and went back to Lemmy in the sandbox. The baby kept swinging for a little while by himself. After about 5 more minutes, he felt like playing with Ludwig and Roy. He stopped swinging (which took a long time because his feet didn’t reach the ground) and jumped off. But his tail got caught on one of the chains and he fell on his face.

Baby Koopa: OW! WAAAAAH!!!

Bowser and the others came rushing over. Bowser picked up his crying son and tried to calm him down. It took awhile but the baby finally stopped crying.

Bowser: Why weren’t any of you watching him?! You know he’s too young to be on his own!

Ludwig: But King Dad, we-

Bowser: I don’t want to hear your pathetic excuses!

Baby Koopa: Daddy, don’t be mad at them. I told them I wanted to be by myself.

Bowser: Ok, I won’t punish you… this time. But next time, you four had better keep a close eye on Randy!
 

Chapter 10: Randy’s True Identity

Randy sprang up from the bed again. He was about to cry out when he saw it was only 2:00 AM. Not wanting to wake the others, he was somehow able to suppress his scream.

Randy: (It happened again. A dream about the Koopas in the past. Why does that baby Koopa keep appearing in my dreams? More importantly, why am I having these dreams in the first place? The Koopas’ past shouldn’t be of any concern to me. Still, I can’t shake the feeling that baby Koopa and the dreams have some sort of importance to me. I’ll worry about it later.)

He lay down in the bed again and fell back asleep. At about 9:00 AM he heard voices and woke up again. Rubbing his eyes, he identified the voices as Ludwig and Larry.

Ludwig’s Voice: So you overheard our conversation last night?

Larry’s Voice: Yeah. I was a little suspicious at first but I decided I’m okay with it too.

Randy quickly climbed out of bed and ran out of the room. He nearly bumped into the two of them.

Larry: Hey Randy. So I-

Randy: I know. You didn’t tell the others, did you?

Larry: No. I wouldn’t do that to my best friend without his permission.

Randy: Thanks. You’re a true friend. And I give you my permission. But do me a favor and don’t tell your dad. No offense, but he doesn’t look like the most understanding guy.

Ludwig: He isn’t. If he found out, it would spell big trouble.

Randy: Oh…

Larry: Don’t worry. We won’t tell him and we’ll make the others promise not to tell him.

Randy: Much obliged. Speaking of the others, where are they?

Ludwig: I think they’re downstairs waiting for us, actually. Let’s go join them and afterwards, Larry and I can tell them in private.

Randy: Okay. That sounds good.

The three of them went to join the others for breakfast. After they all ate, Larry and Ludwig called their other 6 brothers into the lounge. They told them about Randy being friends with the Mario Gang and how they weren’t bothered by it. Some of them, like Junior, were fine with it right away. Others, like Roy, needed a little convincing. Eventually they all agreed that Randy could be trusted and this wouldn’t ruin their friendship. After the conversation, the Koopalings went to do their daily activities. Randy decided to go and talk to Roy. On his way to find him, he ran into Bowser.

Bowser: Hey there, Randy. Are you enjoying living at the castle?

Randy: Very much, yes. Thanks again for letting me stay, King Bowser.

Bowser: You’re welcome. And just call me Bowser.

Randy: Oh, all right. Have you seen Roy?

Bowser: I believe he’s in the gym working out.

Randy: Okay. I’ll see if he’s still there.

He started walking in the direction of the gym. After a few steps he turned back around.

Randy: Um… Bowser?

Bowser: Yes?

Randy: The other day, when I told you my name, you seemed kind of upset. Is there something about my name that bothers you?

Bowser had to think for a minute before answering.

Bowser: The thing is I used to know someone named Randy. But I only knew him for a very short period of time before he disappeared one day. It’s been almost 8 years since anyone’s seen or heard from him. So hearing that name again made me think about him.

Randy: Oh my. I’m so sorry.

Bowser: It’s okay. It’s not like it’s your fault. I just hope he’s safe. When he vanished, he was way too young to be on his own. Hey, if you want to talk to Roy, you’d best go now.

Randy: Okay.

Randy headed off to the gym. On his way he thought about what Bowser had said.

Randy: (Bowser’s friend was too young to be on his own. The poor guy… Hang on…)

<i>Bowser: Why weren’t any of you watching him?! You know he’s too young to be on his own! </i>

Randy: (I wonder if… No way. That can’t be possible.)

Randy finally reached the gym. When he went in he saw Roy lifting weights.

Randy: Hey.

Roy: Hey.

Randy: Mind if I join you?

Roy: Knock yourself out.

Randy picked up a pair of weights that were the same weight as Roy’s, and started curling them. After a couple of minutes, he spoke up.

Randy: Listen Roy. About yesterday, when I sort of freaked out on you, I wasn’t trying to be mean. So, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.

Roy stopped lifting the weights and turned his attention towards Randy. He put them down and walked over to him. Randy put his weights down too, unsure of what Roy was going to do. What Roy did was put Randy under his arm and give him a noogie.

Roy: Don’t sweat it, buddy. It takes a lot more than that to hurt MY feelings.

BOOM!

The entire castle was suddenly shaken by a powerful explosion. Roy and Randy ran to where they thought it came from. They wound up in the upstairs hallway just outside Ludwig’s room. The other Koopalings were already there, minus Ludwig.

Randy: What in the world was that?!

Iggy: Ludwig must be experimenting again.

As if on cue, Ludwig walked out of his room, charred and bridled.

Ludwig: Note to self: Don’t mix Carbon Monoxide with liquid Nitrogen.

Roy: Oh, nice one! Real smooth, Kooky!

Randy: Kooky?

Ludwig: Do NOT call me that! … Bully!

Randy: Bully?

Roy: Why you little!

The two of them started fighting and pushing each other. Randy was a trifle confused why they had called each other by those names.

Randy: What was up with that?

Larry: Before Junior and BJ were part of the family and when the rest of us were really young, everyone called us by our middle names. As you may have guessed, Ludwig’s is Kooky and Roy’s is Bully. Mine’s Cheatsy.

Iggy: Mine is Hop.

Lemmy: Mine’s Hip.

Morton: And mine is Big Mouth.

Randy: Those seem suitable.

Roy and Ludwig’s fight was becoming rather intense. Roy punched Ludwig so hard, he went flying backwards into a bookcase. Many books fell off but one in particular hit Randy on the head.

Randy: Ouch! Stupid book! Did it leave a mark?

Lemmy: No, you’re good.

Randy picked up the book that hit him. It was red and black with a lock on one side.

Randy: What is this? Some kind of journal?

As Randy was examining the book, a page fell out. It landed face down on the floor. Randy picked it up.

Randy: I can’t put this back in without unlocking the lock. Should I read it?

BJ: It doesn’t belong to any of us so I guess you can.

Randy turned the paper over and started reading it.

Randy: “November 10, 1999. Today marks the fifth anniversary of when my ninth son went missing.” This must belong to your father. But hold on. Ninth son? I thought there were only 8 of you.

Roy and Ludwig stopped fighting when they heard what the page said.

Roy: We used to have another brother 1 year younger than Iggy, but he went missing less than a year after he was born.

Randy: What was he like?

Lemmy: We don’t remember. It’s been so long, we don’t remember anything about him.

Randy: Not even his name?

Iggy: Nope.

Randy: Oh… Well, maybe it says something about him on this.

Randy scanned through the page to find information on their ninth brother.

Randy: Let’s see. No… No… Here we go. It says his name is… is…

Randy’s expression turned to shock. His hands started to tremble and the page fell to the floor, face up this time. Wondering what the problem was, the Koopalings looked at the page to see what it said. The name listed was Randy Koopa.

Iggy: Does that say…

Roy: I think it does.

Randy: My last name…

Junior: What?

Randy: I remember now. Koopa… That’s my last name. My name is Randy Koopa.

Lemmy: It… could just be a coincidence.

Ludwig picked up the page and looked through it for more information.

Ludwig: Well, maybe you have the same name as him, but you certainly don’t look like him. It says here that he looked like-

Randy: Don’t tell me. Red hair? Green shell? Black eyes?

Ludwig looked up from the page.

Ludwig: Yes. How’d you know that?

Randy: My dreams…

Larry: Huh?

Randy: Okay. I know this is gonna sound crazy but for the past two days, I’ve had dreams about what this place was like in the past. Back when Ludwig, Lemmy, Roy, and Iggy were little and before this supposed ninth son disappeared. When each dream was ending, someone called that Koopa, Randy. At first I thought it was just the kind of random stuff that occurs in dreams, but then I realized that they don’t seem like dreams. They almost feel like… memories.

Lemmy: Even if they didn’t, don’t you find it strange?

Randy: Find what strange?

Lemmy: That you have so much in common with us.

Randy crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

Randy: Hm… Ya know, now that I think about it, you’re right. It is pretty strange that we have so much in common.

Lemmy: And that, that thing you do.

Randy: What?

Lemmy: Crossing your arms and closing your eyes.

Randy: What about it? I do that whenever I’m thinking hard about something.

Lemmy: So do we. All of us. Even our Dad.

Just then, Bowser came upstairs and saw the group.

Bowser: What are you all doing?

Randy: Bowser, that person named Randy that you said you knew. He was your son, wasn’t he? Your son who vanished when he was a baby, right?

Bowser: You… You know about him? How?

Ludwig: He claims he’s been having dreams about him.

BJ: And that he has the same last name as him.

Bowser: Your last name is Koopa?

Randy: Yes. It came back to me when I read the page from your journal.

Iggy: Well, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the same person. What else does it say, Ludwig?

Ludwig: It says he disappeared when he was 5 months old.

Randy: That’s how old I was when I thought I was abandoned.

Ludwig: He was born June 10, 1994.

Randy: That’s MY birthday.

Ludwig looked up from the page again.

Ludwig: If you know all of that, and if you have the same name and birthday, it’s probable that you’re the same Randy this page is referring to.

Randy: But if that's true, then that means…

Randy turned towards Bowser with a hopeful look.

Randy: D...Dad?

Bowser: Randy, is it you?

Randy smiled and his eyes began to well up.

Randy: Dad!

Randy ran towards Bowser. Bowser opened his arms and Randy flew into them. They hugged each other close. They both looked like they would start crying.

Randy: I can't believe it's really you.

Bowser: I thought I'd never see you again.

The Koopalings were confused. They had no idea what was happening. Why were Randy and Bowser acting as if they were family?
Morton: King Dad, what's going on?

Bowser: Boys, meet your long lost brother.

Read on!


 
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