Lemmy's Circus

Prologue

⚠️PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE CONTINUING; TW ⚠️

This story is not intended for audiences younger than 14. This story will contain themes of multiple types of abuse and lots of violence, including heavy gore. If that sounds like something you'd rather not read, it would be best for you to skip out on this one. Take care of yourself and thanks for stopping by 💖

     If there was one word to describe the fallen kingdom, Darkland, it would be dead. Death was everywhere, everything from the trees to the dehydrated ground to the inhabitants themselves. It was unsurvivable for any living creature, and the unforgiving heat that scorched everything it came in contact with only mocked the unlucky beasts that called this place home. Even the monstrous nobility that ruled over the withering kingdom found themselves struggling. The only thing shading them from the constant heat was the abandoned, crumbling castle that sat shamefully in the heart of Darkland that the royal family had infested and claimed for themselves. Their only saving grace was tiny sliver of forested area Princess peach had gifted the koopas as a hunting ground, though any wildlife that had once been there quickly learned the area was a hot spot for starving koopas, and they soon all migrated deeper into the forest where the koopas wre not permitted to enter. But the koopa's loss turned into the gain of the mushroom people who set up traps in the heart of the forest for star bunnies and monty moles. After the koopas had pushed the wildlife deeper into the forest and forced them into the trapper's zone, the mushroom kingdom saw a boom in the meat industry at the expense of the dying reptiles. 

     The king and his 7 offspring (plus one more who was too young to cause too much trouble yet) ensured that Darkland was as safe and secure as it possibly could be from nosey outsiders who'd try to get a peek at the monsters that lived there. Bowser Koopa's children were the subject of much debate throughout the mushroom world. If Bowser himself didn't strike enough fear in the mushroom people, his 7 hell spawns certainly did. Under the leadership of the eldest sibling, Ludwig, the others for the most part followed suit in his violent nature. Aside from one, which was Lemmy Koopa. It was clear from the very beginning that there was something off about Bowser's second son. He hatched after only 4 months of incubation, a huge jump from the typical 6 month incubation time. Hatching prematurely, his size was significantly smaller than was normal and his chances of surviving the first night were little to none. Despite the odds, Lemmy had pulled through, but that didn't mean he was free of any health complications. Lemmy had only 4 small teeth, being his top and bottom canines. His spine was curved and his hips were crooked, along with his left leg being misshapen, making walking a challenge. Of course his size never caught up to normal. He was only half the size a koopa his age should be, and he'd be lucky if he grew to be a quarter of Bowser's size when he reached the age of Dragon Koopa adulthood at 50.

     Learning to navigate the world with his disabilities was an even greater concern. He walked with a very obvious limp, and he found it easier to hop instead. Even so, getting around was a tiresome task and he opted to hitch a ride on the shell of one of his larger siblings instead (which they never complained about of course). Due to his lack of teeth he couldn't chew through flesh and bone like the rest of his siblings, and his diet consisted mainly of vegetation and bugs. His size made him incredibly vulnerable outside the safety of the castle walls, and he had to be accompanied by someone everywhere he went. He generally didn't mind the constant supervision, but he began to feel more and more self conscious of the burden he was on the others, whether they thought of him as one or not. But despite all of his physical ailments, his personality and temperament was by far the strangest thing about him. Koopas are violent by nature and nothing short of heinous towards those outside of their clans. The koopalings certainly didn't fall short of that description, each of them earning the notoriety they were given by the rest of the mushroom kingdom. All aside from Lemmy of course.

     Lemmy had become increasingly docile throughout the years. He was snippy as a kub just as every koopa is, but with his diet and constant protection from his family, his drive to attack was little to nothing. Much to Bowser's dismay, Lemmy was known as very curious and friendly by the mushroom people who dared to get close enough to interact with him. As the koopalings lurked in the shadows looking for anything they could eat whilst hissing and snapping at anyone who came too close, Lemmy was known to walk right up to people to sniff at them curiously.  He wouldn't say he was particularly fond of the mushroom people, but he didn't seem to mind them and certainly didn't have any desire to attack them. Although Bowser was mortified by the mushroom people's lack of caution towards Lemmy, he couldn't help but feel charmed just as everyone else seemed to be by the tiny koopa's happy-go-lucky personality. It was a jarring contrast to Darkland's hardened and volatile nature. Even so, the king felt heavily offended that the mushroom people would treat one of his offspring with such nonchalant disrespect. But no matter how many times Bowser pushed Lemmy to be more aggressive, or his siblings tried to engage him to learn how to fight, the koopaling wouldn't get up to anything more than meaningless mischief every once in a while.

     Lemmy was generally well liked by everyone, and unfortunately would be noticed by someone who had plans that weren't  created with the koopaling's best interest in mind.