Chapter 7: In-laws
Mario grumbled as he limped towards the mailbox. He felt stupid
for trying to call the hotel on Yo'ster when he knew full well that Luigi would
most likely stay with Yoshi. He wrote a letter for the Parakarry service.
Hopefully when Luigi received the letter he wouldn't be too upset and cancel
his vacation time.
"Mario," one of the more familiar of
the Parakarrys flew towards him. "You have mail." The blue-shelled
Koopa held up a handful of letters in his hand.
"Hey," Mario greeted. "Talk
about good timing." He held up the letter he had written earlier. "I
have a little something for you."
"Thanks," Parakarry said as they
exchanged mail. "So this is to Yo'ster? That is interesting. One of the
letters for you is from Yo'ster."
"Thanks," Mario thumbed through his
mail. He received the usual: Bank statement from First National Fungus, cable
bill, and a letter from Luigi.
"Are you feeling all right?"
Parakarry asked. "You look like you were limping."
"Just a muscle pull," Mario rubbed
his sore leg. "I'll be fine."
The Parakarry nodded. "I hope you heal
quick."
"Thank you," Mario waved at his
friend while the friendly Koopa flew off. "Ok Weege, what have you been up
too?" He opened the letter.
Dear Mario
I made it to Yo'ster a little later than
expected. Yoshi and his friends are well, already rode him in a Mushroom Derby
game, and we won.
Something else has happened, something
that I can't quite tell you in a letter, but when I will see again I will be
able to explain.
Love, Weege
"Something that he can't explain?"
Mario scratched the top of his head. He didn't want to dwell on that fact. He
wasn't completely honest in his own letter. He didn't mention that he got hurt.
Yo'ster Island
At first Wendy felt like she had to fight to
keep up the friendly pretense when she was near that Yoshi. She could never
fathom why he was given that name. It was the same as his species, then again
Toad was named after his species and her last name was the same as her species.
She tried not to let that part get to her, not when she was using every bit of
restraint to keep from expressing her disgust at staying at Yoshi's little hut.
She almost called it quaint upon their
arrival, but knew it would upset Luigi if she had used such a term, and instead
chose cute, and in a way it was cute as well as small. Yoshi had mentioned it
was his summer home, and she had to wonder what his real hut would have looked
like, or if it would smell as earthy. The bed they used was soft and the
material strong enough to not puncture from their spikes. They would sleep on
it while Yoshi curled up on a pile of feathers and straw.
The food was also a bit questionable, most of
the lizards didn't know how to actually cook, and prefer to eat their food raw.
Some did know how to bake breads and cookies and they made shish kabobs out of
fruit and bugs as well as various soups. Wendy refused to eat the insects and
Luigi only ate one to be polite. Mostly they just dined on the fruits and baked
goods and some fish that was caught from the sea.
Wendy did find some fun in the various
activities. She was surprised that she did enjoy riding on the back of the
Yoshis. She always sought out Boshi to ride. He was different from the others,
he had a sense of attitude, it set him apart, made him appear more appealing,
and if she understood Yoshi correctly, he thought she was cute.
She also enjoyed playing mini gold, and would
try to at least play one game a day with Luigi. She loved watching as he
wiggled his hips and shook his tail before he swung his club. Swimming in the
ocean was also fun as was just sitting on the beach and having her husband rub
lotion on her skin. She also agreed to go on Yolei's little sight seeing tour,
despite the fact the yellow dinosaur annoyed her.
"Ready to go home?" Wendy asked as
she and Luigi packed up the few things they had brought along on their
vacation.
"I am ready," Luigi nodded. "My
new home?"
"We don't have to stay in Dark Land
forever," she could sense he was nervous about living in the castle and in
a way she could understand. "I use to be frightened as well. When I was
little I would only stay in certain parts of the castle and I wouldn't think of
stepping a foot outside."
"I'm not afraid of Dark Land," Luigi
said. "It's your father."
"Don't worry about Daddy," Wendy
laughed weakly. She didn't know how her father was going to react.
Luigi felt a new kind of fear, as the sky grew
darker, due to the smoke that rose from several of the volcanoes. It wasn't the
usual fear he had felt when He and Mario would storm the fortress in the past.
This fear was a new one.
"Don't be scared," Wendy held his
hand. "Knowing Daddy, he is moping around in his bedroom.
"That means he is in a bad mood,"
Luigi swallowed.
"You faced against him when he was in a
bad mood before," his new wife reminded him.
"I know," Luigi stared up at the
looming castle. "I wasn't part of his family before." He heard about
the horror stories from friends when they had to deal with their in-laws.
"Just take a deep breath and relax."
Luigi did take a deep breath and coughed. The
air was tangy and peppery. He had noticed before, but now the smell was even
more powerful and he was thankful there was no hint of sulfur in the air.
He had always liked Dark Land to Mordor, and
the rocky dark landscape was similar to the frightening area in the books. The
constant clouds of smoke and strange vapors blocked out most of the light. The
only things that seem to grow were thick brambles, piranha plants and
mushrooms.
Bowser's Keep was as ominous as Luigi last
remembered it. The stones used in the construction were as dark as obsidian,
but not near as glossy. Several pipes lined the grounds outside where piranha
plants of various species slept. In the past they would have lunged at him with
their snapping jaws, but now that he was a Koopa they did not notice. There was
a dark moat, encircling the fortress where several cheep cheeps kept jumping.
Shyguys, Troopas, Spikes, and Buzzy Beetles patrolled the outside while
Paratroopas and Paragoombas flew overhead.
"Mistress Wendy returns," A Shyguy
shouted to Sledgebrother across the moat and a few seconds later a drawbridge
came down.
"Thank you," Luigi said to the
Shyguy as they walked past him and onto the bridge. It felt odd that they were
welcoming him. Then again he was with Wendy and he was a Koopa.
Music filled Luigi's ears as soon as they had
entered the main hall, pipe organ music to precise and it did not take a genius
to figure out it was Ludwig. He could also hear the sound of a violin being
played in the background.
"They are a good match," Luigi said
after he had listened to the performance for a few minutes.
"Yes they do." Wendy nodded. "I
wonder where everyone is."
Her question was followed by the grunts and
groans. Roy entered the hall with a defeated expression his face and a tennis
racket in one of his hands. He was not alone.
"Are you sure you are not injured?"
A female Koopa followed behind Roy, also carrying a tennis racket. She was one
of the most unique looking Koopas, Luigi had ever seen. Her skin was a pale
green color, mottled with darker green spots. Her head was pale blue, matching
the small dress that she wore. Her shell was black and devoid of spikes. It
resembled leather. Instead of horns on her head she had what appeared to be
fins that framed her white hair that was gathered in a braid. Her feet were
long and flat, resembling the flippers of a sea turtle.
"I just need a few minutes in a nice hot
tub," Roy massaged the back of his neck. "Hey, the newlyweds are
back."
"Oh," the female Koopa turned to
them. "Welcome back Wendy, and congratulations."
"Thank you," Wendy embraced Luigi.
"Tethys this is Luigi, Luigi this is Tethys."
"Hello," Luigi held out his hand.
"Hello," Tethys took his hand. There
was translucent webbing between her fingers.
"Tethys is a Prairnet," Wendy
explained. "And a princess of the Prairnet kingdom."
"Forgive me," Luigi gave the
princess a courteous bow.
"So he is one of the polite ones,"
Tethys said in a slight annoyed tone.
"Do you know where everyone is?"
Wendy asked.
"Morty, Larry and Junior are in Larry's
room," Roy said. "I heard they were playing some video games. Iggy is
in his lab, you can hear where Ludwig and Dru are, and Lemmy is in his room,
chatting with his girlfriend."
"Where is our father?" Wendy grabbed
onto Luigi's hand. She must have sensed how nervous he was feeling.
"On the throne," Roy pointed to up
with his racket. "I gotta warn ya. He is in a pretty bad mood. We
mentioned how you got hitched already-"
"What?" Wendy cut him off with her
screech. "What did you say to him?"
"I just said you got married. I didn't
mention to who, or the fact Luigi got better looking, or anything like
that."
"You think he got better looking?"
Tethys tickled Roy under his chin. "Do I have to worry about becoming
jealous?"
"Naw, you are the only one for me,
babe," Roy pulled her close and winced. "Sorry."
"Lets get you to that hot tub,"
Tethys took him by the hand. "I guess we will see you at dinner."
"That is if Luigi survives," Roy
said as the two of them turned down a different hall.
"Roy," Wendy hissed. "Ignore
him."
Luigi couldn't remember the last time he was
in the throne room of Bowser's castle, and if he was he never took the time to
appreciate the room. Long thick red carpets clothed the floor. Paintings and
tapestries decorated the walls and large chandeliers with both candles and
crystal prisms hung from the ceiling.
Bowser himself was sprawled across large oak
throne at the end of the hall, his thick legs hung over one side while his head
rested on the other arm. His arms were across his chest and stomach. He was
staring at the ceiling and only seemed to be half listening to what Kamek had
to say.
Kamek was pacing around in front of the
throne, flipping through several notes. Several Goombas surrounded him.
Kammy stood in the middle of the room, flanked
by Troopas. She was the only one who noticed Luigi and Wendy. "There he
is." She pointed at Luigi. "Get him."
"What?" Luigi held up his hands in
defense.
"It is not what you think," Wendy
said.
She was right. The turtle like soldiers were
carrying tape measures, pens and notepads. They surrounded Luigi and wrapped
the tape around his middle, taking in both his shell, and another measurement
where they slid the tape between his back and his shell, followed by his
height, width of his legs, his arms.
"Hold your arms apart," One Troopa
instructed.
"Okay," Luigi held up his arms and
looked to Wendy for an explanation.
"They are going to make you some new
clothes," Wendy explained. "I have a feeling you would like a new
shirt and some new overalls."
"Thanks guys," Luigi smiled at the
sewing team as they finished taking his measurements and wrote things down.
"We already made you this," one
Troopa held up a hat. It was the same light shade of green as Luigi's old hat,
and included the L on a white circle in the middle. There were also two holes
that were made, perfect for Luigi's horns.
"Thanks again," Luigi placed the new
hat on his head.
"So my daughter has returned,"
Bowser said. He was no longer sprawled across his throne, instead he was seated
up and both he and Kamek were staring at the couple.
"Hello Daddy," Wendy greeted before
she skipped up to her father. "How are you today?"
"Lousy," Bowser growled. "Mario
got the best of me again, and you and most of your brothers were not here to
help."
"It was my wedding day, Daddy,"
Wendy said. "And even if we where here, Mario would have defeated
us."
Luigi suppressed a chuckle. She was right Mario
would have defeated everyone; well he wouldn't be by himself. Luigi would have
joined his brother in the rescue, well he would have if wasn't on his little
vacation. It is a bit of an odd twist that instead of fighting against Wendy he
was now married to her.
"I see," Bowser ran a head through
his mane of red hair. "Couldn't have waited to have your own father walk
you down the isle?"
"It was a quick wedding," Wendy
said. "And I promise to have another one, a larger one, and you will be
there to walk me down the aisle."
Another wedding? Luigi raised an eyebrow. Well
he wouldn't mind having another one if it meant that his friends would attend.
Mario would be the best man of course, and Toad and Gadd would be some of the
groomsmen and Peach and Daisy…how was Daisy going to react? She was a good
friend. He enjoyed spending time with him, but they hadn't moved on to the next
level yet and he wasn't exactly sure how she saw him.
"This is my new son in-law?" Bowser
studied Luigi. "There is something familiar about this Koopa. Is he a
prince?"
"No," Luigi coughed into his hand.
"I'm not a prince. I'm a plumber."
"A plumber?" Bowser slid off his
throne and made his way to Luigi. "You're a plumber, you sound like that
green guy, you even smell like him, except better. You even have the same
moustache and that hat. If I didn't know better I would say that you were him,
if he were transformed…into a…Koopa." His eyes widened. "Please tell
me you aren't the green guy. You are not Mario's brother."
"Luigi," he tried to keep from
glaring. Why couldn't Bowser ever remember his name?
"You are him," Bowser's voice grew
thin. "And you married my daughter?"
"Yes we have," Wendy embraced Luigi.
"He is now Luigi Koopa."
"I see," Bowser's voice turned into
a squeak. He took a deep breath and walked outside the room.
"He took it better than I thought,"
Luigi said. He thought Bowser was going to roar at him and send his fire breath
after him, and there was no telling what he was going to do with his claws
"No he didn't," Kamek was trying to
step away from them, but was held fast by Kammy.
"WENDY OLIVIA KOOPA," Bowser stepped
back in. His eyes were fierce, hands held in fists and wisps of smoke were
trailing out of his mouth. "How could you? He's the enemy remember."
"Not anymore," Wendy stood in front
of Luigi and crossed her arms. "He is now my husband."
"He is Mario's brother," Bowser
pointed at Luigi. "Did you forget how many times he fought against
us?"
"We are a couple now," Wendy kissed
Luigi's cheek. "And nothing you are going to say is going to change
this."
"My only daughter," Bowser grabbed
his hair. "Married to a hu-that's right. He isn't human anymore."
"That's right," Luigi puffed up his
chest. "I'm a Koopa." He waved his claws at Bowser and growled, and
jumped back immediately after. Did he actually make that sound?
"He's one of us now," Bowser asked.
He tilted his head to the side while he studied Luigi. "He is one of
us?" A smile broke out on his snout, a smile that brought fear to Luigi's
heart "Does your brother know?"
"Not yet," Luigi shook his head.
That was the first thing he was going to do the next day.
"He's going to be devastated when he
finds out his brother is a reptile," Bowser laughed again. "Even more
when he finds out little Luigi switched sides. I'd pay to see the look on his
face."
"Actually I-" He was about to tell
his father in-law that he hadn't switched sides at all, but Wendy held up her
hand.
"Let him think what he wants for
know," she whispered.
"Okay," Luigi shrugged. He was going
to let Bowser know the truth the next time the Koopa King decides to overtake
the Mushroom kingdom, hopefully that won't be for a while.
"The Green Thunder is now part of the
Koopa Troop," Bowser said in a smug tone. "He can begin his training
tomorrow, but there are few things he needs to do first."
"Like what?" Luigi raised an
eyebrow.
"One of the toilets on the second floor
is backed up," Bowser listed. "The shower head in Iggy's bathroom is
leaking. The third floor bathtub is clogged. There is also something wrong with
the sink in Morton's bathroom, and there are a few leaky pipes in the
basement."
"Daddy," Wendy rolled her eyes.
"He can wait till after dinner for the
basement pipes," Bowser said.
"No problem," Luigi chuckled. No
matter what species he was, he was still a plumber. "I'm just going to
need some tools."