A Koopa Tail

Chapter Seven: Captured by a Koopa

Luigi must've been knocked out, he thought, because now he awoke from a dreamless sleep having no idea where he was. He knew why though, and it gave him a heavy, sinking feeling in his stomach: he had been caught by Morton and Larry Koopa after observing the incident with Bowser Junior. His mind began to spin as he thought about what might happen to him, or where Mario is, or what the Koopas plans are, or what the princess would think when, or if, he returned.

It was then he snapped out of his thoughts and looked around to see where in the world he was.

To be honest, he couldn't recognize it at all. All he could infer was that he was in some weird glass bubble somewhere in the Koopa Kingdom. He squeaked when he saw a Goomba and a Koopa Troopa pass by. "H-hey! You! Where am I?" Luigi called, banging on the glass. The Goomba raised an eyebrow and hopped over to them. "Hmm? Oh, you're that guy... Luigi! Heard you were sneaking around the castle. That was dumb. You're inside Bowser's secret weapon: a ghost force field. No one can go in, or leave, except Boos. So have fun." He waddled away. The troopa kept giving him unamused and condescending looks. He followed the Goomba when he left.

And Luigi was left alone again.

Hours passed, and nothing happened. He had tried escaping, but that didn't work, he tried begging, no avail, he tried making conversation with the guards, which seemed to be only a way to waste time. But he did find out that brown hair dye was trending among Koopa Troopas and that a pink yoshi was born on Lava Lake. Nothing useful, just bits of gossip. That was it. Nothing happened. Luigi had worried about Mario more than enough, but by now he had worried himself out and was simply quietly resting inside his bubble, trying not to think about it.

It was then the very man he had been worrying about had been thrusted into the bubble with him, his hat toppling off his head and revealing messy brown hair. Mario's cheeks were red as if he'd been running, and a bruise was on his shoulder from when he's been hit by a hammer bro by surprise. Luigi squeaked. "Mario! It's really you!" He said, going over to him. Mario, panting for breath, nodded. "K... Koopa caught me... And threw me in here... But I saw one of the Koopalings when I was looking around... Lots of blue hair, and he looked like he was older than the others..." He said. Luigi gasped. "Ludwig. We fight him in Sky World, remember? And it took us a million and two tries to get past him..." He sighed. Mario nodded again.

"It is rude to talk about people behind their backs," said a deep, slick voice. Mario and Luigi both jumped to see the source. The infamous Koopaling himself. Ludwig Von Koopa. Big, lustrous blue hair topped his green scaly head, and a dark blue magic wand was in his hands behind his back. His shoulders were relaxed and his posture was perfect. He looked proud, to say the least. "Why are you here?" Mario barked. Ludwig sneered, revealing sharp fangs.

Ludwig let out his iconic cocky chuckle. "Oh. I need a reason to watch my father's enemies writhe in hopelessness? He OWNS you. Shortly, the Mushroom Kingdom territory will be all ours." He hissed. He was definitely one of the darkest and most conceited of the Koopalings. He was quick as a whip, wrote his own symphonies and was advanced in Koopa magic- needless to say, this person was a downright genius. If he was the heir rather than Bowser Junior,  the Mushroom Kingdom would be sent into turmoil in seconds. But neither of them admitted that. Odds are, he probably already knew.

Luigi got an idea. He stepped as close as he could to Ludwig and spoke to him. "Yup. You're right. You need no reason to taunt us." He said. Ludwig squinted and his cocky smile faded into a suspicious frown. "What are you suggesting...?" "Oh, nothing... Just that you are probably one of, if not the, smartest Koopa in this kingdom." Luigi commended. The eldest Koopa prince smirked again and ran a hand through his thick blue hair. "It puzzles me as to why you can't be the heir." Ludwig scoffed. "Idiot, Bowser is not my actual father. Bowser Junior is his only biological son, and hence he is the one who receives the throne and grandest inheritance. Not that you would-or should- care." He put his hand to his chin, once again resuming his mistrustful scowl. Luigi smirked. Was this idea stupid? Yes. Would it work? Probably not. Do they have any other options? Nope.