Lemmy’s Day with Morton
A Lesson in Koopa Marching
Written by Outlaw88
Lemmy Koopa is my favorite Koopaling and Mario character in general. I also liked the odd family dynamic he and all the other Koopas shared and thought it would be fun to come up with some stories based around them.
My head cannon is a bit different than some of the others I’ve seen. To me their ages have been somewhat left open to debate as well as their relationship with Bowser and each other. Since Bowser and Mario are fairly close in age I can go along with the idea that the original Koopalings are not his biological children. However that doesn’t mean he couldn’t have adopted them. Only Bowser Jr. is his son by blood. Speaking of which, I also go along with Ludwig being the eldest but in my head, Lemmy would be the youngest of the original seven due to his size and childlike nature. He and Bowser Jr. would be very close in age to me. I’ll do character traits and further explanations of things as I go along, otherwise I’ll never get to the story at hand. Just keep in mind that I’m writing this for fun and I’ll try to fill in any gaps as I go.
The idea behind this story and some of the other ideas I have will focus on Lemmy trying to spend a day with each of his older siblings. Due to his silly and energetic nature the others sometimes ignore him and tend to do their own things, when they aren’t picking on him for being so small or course. Lemmy knows that it’s all in fun and simply wants to play and build his relationship with his siblings. Though he knows it may be a challenge since some of them get more involved in their activities than others. Ludwig for example is very into music and can spend all day in his room practicing the various instruments he can play, while Iggy tends to get caught up with his mechanical studies and work.
Intro over. On to the story!
Lemmy was running down one of the huge halls of the castle where he lived with much excitement. He had just come up with the best idea ever! He was going to spend all day with somebody and… He hadn’t actually thought it all the way through but it was a good start. He was sure there was more to it than that but he would figure it out as he went. Now all he had to do was find one of his brothers or sister. When not on missions for their Dad they have been spending less time around each other lately.
“No fun in that. I wonder how come that is?” Lemmy asked aloud.
He stopped to think of where they all might be today. As he did this he magically summoned his favorite toy, a large ball with a star pattern on it. Without hesitation he hopped on top of it and found his balance with ease. He was very acrobatic and did this like it was second nature.
Hmm. I think Wendy and Pom Pom went shopping today. Roy’s probably in the gym. Maybe Iggy is…
Before he could finish his thought the sounds of shouting grabbed his attention. That’s right! Morton was in the courtyard training the Koopa Troopas! It was kinda weird that their Dad put Morton in charge of it but if anyone could yell loud enough for an entire army to hear it would be him. Maybe Morton would like some company? Or maybe he would have time for a game of catch? Only one way to find out! Lemmy got the ball rolling.
He went down a flight of stairs and found himself on the higher section of the area. Below in the main area was a fairly large group of Koopa Troops who were either doing some kind of exercise or walking back and forth. In front of him stood Morton and Boom Boom who were watching them and shouting commands. Their backs were to Lemmy so they hadn’t yet noticed the little Koopas arrival.
“BOOM BOOM!” Lemmy yelled in delight as he rushed over to the large Koopa.
Both Morton and Boom Boom turned in surprise. What in the name of the Mushroom Kingdom was Lemmy doing here? Boom Boom, who was normally so serious, couldn’t help but smile and open his big arms wide. Lemmy bounced off his ball and flew at his large friend.
“Lemmy! How’s my little buddy?” He said catching the youngster and giving him a hug. He liked Lemmy quite a bit. Though he was a goof he was by far the nicest of the Koopalings and was always a joy to see.
“I’m good. More than good! I came up with something great!” The little one chimed. He was so happy to see Boom Boom that he hadn’t noticed that Morton was looking at him with a mixture of annoyance and anger.
“Your brother and I are a bit busy right now.” He said while still holding Lemmy in his arms.
“I know, but…” Lemmy started to say.
“Lemmy. What are you doing here?” Morton growled. It was bad enough that their Father assigned him to this job. He didn’t need this on top of it.
“I want to spend the day with you! We never get to play together and…”
“Play?! You think I’m playing?! Do you have any idea what I’m doing?!” Morton said with a snarl.
“Um… No actually. What are you doing?” Lemmy asked as Boom Boom put him down.
Morton put his hand to head and slid it down his face. He motioned for Boom Boom to take over watching the troops as he walked over to Lemmy. The size difference between the two was really a sight to see. Morton was nearly the size of Bowser himself and was easily taller and larger than Boom Boom. Next to Lemmy he seemed like a giant.
“Listen shrimp, Dad put me in charge of training this group. I don’t have time to mess around with whatever weird thing you came up with. Go and bother someone else.” Morton said sternly.
“But it isn’t weird at all. I just want to hang out with you. You don’t look like you’re having fun anyway so maybe I can help!” Lemmy said excitedly.
“This isn’t supposed to be fun. I didn’t ask to do this you know.” Morton said as his annoyance grew.
“Then why are you doing it then?” Lemmy asked confusedly.
“The King felt Morton was getting too lazy.” Boom Boom remarked. He had turned his attention away from the troops and was watching the two of them. Lemmy snickered at this.
“SHUT UP AND A BOUT FACE!” yelled Morton. Boom Boom quickly turned around.
“It has a star on it!” Lemmy said with a smile.
“What?” Morton said as he returned his attention to the little Koopa.
“You said about face so I said something about your face.” Lemmy had no idea why but Morton was starting to look really angry.
“That means turn around. Which is what you should do right now. Turn around and go back up those stairs and leave me alone.” Morton said while looking even more annoyed.
Lemmy was persistent though. He just knew he and Morton could have fun somehow and he was determined to follow his idea, though he was still trying to figure out the second part of it.
“Come on Morton, please? This all looks so cool! You just yell things and they do it?” Lemmy asked while trying to look at both Morton and the activity below. Morton signed.
“Something like that. We’re working on marching in full armor today. I give the commands for what direction they march, how fast, when to turn, and when to stop.”
“Neat! Can I help?” He asked while wagging his tail excitedly.
“How could you possible help? You didn’t even know what we were doing a few minutes ago. Just get…” Morton was trying to say.
“You could show me! Yeah! You could teach me about marching and stuff!” Lemmy said with a jump. At first Morton continued to look at Lemmy with his arms crossed and anger on his face. But soon an idea came to him which made him show an evil grin.
“You want to learn how to march? I think we can make that work.” He then turned to Boom Boom and the troops.
“Company Halt!” He yelled. The troops did as they were told instantly.
“Everyone front and center and back in formation. You can be at ease until I give you further instructions.” Morton called out.
While the troops were moving Morton grabbed Lemmy by his little arm and led him down the steps onto the main courtyard. Boom Boom followed them with a worried look.
“Ok Lemmy, I’m going to quickly show you the basics on how to march and what commands mean what. Boom Boom, while I’m doing this go and get the smallest set of armor we have.” Morton commanded with a stern voice.
“Yes sir.” Said Boom Boom. He didn’t like where this was heading but knew better than to question things.
As he walked away Morton returned his attention to his younger brother who was looking up at him with a big smile.
“We’ll start with standing at attention. When I say attention, this is how you stand.” Morton then proceeded to demonstrate. Lemmy followed along.
“Now, normally you can’t move from that position until I say so, but for now we’ll just run through what you need to know.”
Lemmy proved to be a fast learner. Morton went through the steps on how to turn and how to march saying the commands for each and Lemmy seemed to be picking it up with relative ease. There was some snickering heard from the troops watching. It was amusing to see the tiny Koopa emulate the larger one.
Lemmy was quite pleased with himself. Who knew this could be so much fun? Morton seemed to be cheering up too which made him very happy.
“Not bad Lemmy. Not bad at all. But of course, this was just the warm up. The real fun begins now.” He said while pointing at the returning Boom Boom.
“This was the smallest I could find, but I don’t think it will fit him.” Said the large Koopa.
In his hands was the armor set the rest of the troops were using. Due to their shells, Koopas rarely need protection for their backs, so a standard set of Koopa armor usually consists of a helmet, gauntlets, and a vest.
“Don’t worry, we’ll make it work. All right ya little runt, let’s get you suited up.” Morton said as his grin widened.
This will drive the crazy kid away for sure once he feels how heavy all this stuff is. Morton thought as he took the armor from Boom Boom.
Lemmy eagerly walked over to Morton and held out his arms to his sides. This was so cool! He was going to look like a Koopa Troopa too! Morton was such a cool big brother for… This thought was interrupted as Morton put the helmet on Lemmy’s head. Though in this case “put” is a nice way of saying he nearly dropped it on him.
As Boom Boom feared the armor was far too big for the boy. The helmet nearly covered his eyes and the vest went past his knees. The only reason the gauntlets stayed in place was because Morton tightened the straps right away. He then proceeded to tighten the straps for the rest of the set. Morton made no effort to hide that he was being anything but gentle in this process.
It was almost comical to see Lemmy dressed as he was. It looked like a set of armor had come to life and was standing on its own. You could hardly see his feet or arms and the only reason you could see part of his face was due to him leaning the helmet back a bit so that he could see.
“What do you think?” Morton asked with a grin.
At first Lemmy wasn’t sure what to say. The armor was heavy but he didn’t think it was too bad. Maybe it was because he was always so active or something but he felt like he could handle this. Kamek always said that he was “deceptively strong” whatever that meant. What really hurt was the straps. They were so tight! But the armor would fall off otherwise, and besides, Morton did it so he must know what he’s doing.
“Well?” Morton said impatiently.
“It’s great! I’m like a real Troopa!” Lemmy said with excitement.
“And that’s the idea. You are going to be a real Troopa.” Morton said as he then turned to face the on looking troops.
“Attention! Koopa Troopas make room for our new recruit for the day. Get in line Lemmy!”
As soon as Morton gave the command the troops got ready as well as made a space for Lemmy in the back row.
“Huh? But I thought…” Lemmy tried to say.
“GET IN LINE! ON THE DOUBLE!” Yelled Morton at the top of his lungs.
Lemmy gave a surprised gasp and tried to run to his place in line. This proved to be far more difficult than he anticipated. He got halfway to his spot but tripped and fell. The vest was very front heavy and he wasn’t used to the extra weight. The helmet kept blocking his sight too.
“No laying down little Troopa!” Morton bellowed with a laugh.
Lemmy got to his feet and joined the line. He stood between two red shelled Troopas who were staring ahead and waiting for the next command. Lemmy stood at attention as Morton and Boom Boom went back up to the ledge to make sure they could see everyone.
“Ok troops listen up! I’ll be watching your movements carefully. Boom Boom will be instructing you so make sure you don’t mess up.” Morton yelled.
“Are you still sure you want to spend the day here Lemmy? You can always go back.”
Lemmy shook his head. “No way! I’m ready big bro!”
Morton gave Boom Boom a nod.
“FORWARD MARCH!” Boom Boom yelled and with that things began.
Right away Lemmy began having problems. He was able to find the rhythm of the march alright but since he was so much shorter than the others he kept falling behind. He was looking at his own feet to make sure he was marching in time with the others the first time it happened and only when he looked up did he realize he had fallen several paces back. He almost tripped again as he tried to run and catch up but was able to rejoin the line. He found he could stay in formation a little bit then have to run when he began to fall back. His little legs simply couldn’t keep up and he kept having to tilt his helmet back from over his face.
“RIGHT TURN!” Came the next command.
Lemmy made a good attempt at it but was unable to pull it off without falling down again. It kind of hurt but was also a little embarrassing. He was normally so good at balancing. He was glad he was a pace or so behind when the command was given, otherwise he would have toppled onto one of the other troops. He got back up as fast as he could and ran to catch up again. Unfortunately his helmet once again blocked his vision and he ended up running into the back of a Troopa. Thankfully he didn’t hit him hard and everything seemed to be ok.
“LEFT TURN!” Boom Boom roared.
This time Lemmy was ready and was able to turn correctly. He still couldn’t keep up with the troops though and now the weight of the armor was starting to get to him. However this seemed like a minor thing compared to the straps. One under his chin to keep the helmet on, two straps per gauntlet and who knows how many for the vest, all he knew was that they all hurt. His shoulders in particular were really bothering him.
“Still time to give up Lemmy!” Morton called with a laugh. Lemmy was too busy keeping up to respond.
“You’re being too hard on him.” Boom Boom said. He was growing concerned.
“Who asked you?” Morton said with a snort.
“Besides I’m sure he’ll quit soon. Especially after I take command again. Tell them to stop.” He said with a sneer.
“COMPANY HALT!” Yelled Boom Boom.
Everyone stood at attention though Lemmy’s version of it wasn’t exactly right. He couldn’t help it. He was out of breath and panting slightly from all the running and his legs were getting tired. Spending time with Morton was a lot more work than he thought. Speaking of Morton he was once again heading down the steps to be at the same level as the troops. Lemmy wondered what was coming next.
The two troops that flanked his sides knew of course. They looked down at the little Koopa and then at each other and gave a nod.
“One last chance before things get really tough pipsqueak.” Morton said as he got to his spot. Lemmy just shook his head.
“Ok. I warned you. READY? DOUBLE TIME MARCH!” “He roared.
Double time? Oh no! How am I going to keep up now? Lemmy thought in a panic. But as soon as the command was given the two troops on his sides both hooked their arms under his. They brought him up to their height and had no problems supporting him as they quickly marched in formation. Lemmy looked at them in confusion.
“Don’t worry. Just focus on moving your feet in time.” Said one
“No Troopas left behind.” Said the other.
“Thank you!” Lemmy said and began to move his dangling feet.
They continued like this throughout all of Morton’s commands. Lemmy once again was able to find the rhythm and was able to watch his legs match up with the troops around him.
“COMPANY HALT! STAND AT ATTENTION!” Morton yelled.
The two troops put Lemmy down and quickly stood straight. Lemmy did the same and waited to see what was going to happen next. Both Morton and Boom Boom were heading his way.
“Good work Troopas. Well done. However, one among you failed to keep up several times and needs discipline. Lemmy! Front and center!” Morton said sternly.
Lemmy did as he was told. He was almost afraid to adjust his helmet to be able to look at his older brother. He was also worried that looking up might make him fall over again.
“You fell out of line, as well as disrupted your fellow troops by running into them and making them carry you. You owe me ten pushups.” Morton said.
“But.. But I…” Lemmy stammered.
“NO TALKING BACK! TWENTY PUSHUPS! DROP!” Morton screamed.
Terrified, Lemmy fell to his knees and got into the pushup position. There was a slight murmur from the troops as they watched this unfold. Boom Boom tried to put his hand on Morton’s shoulder to try and get him to let up. Morton shrugged him off.
“Start on my mark. Unless, of course you want to give up.” He said.
This had to be it. No way that the shrimp could want to keep going now. Morton thought. However, Lemmy simply shook his head.
“Begin.” Morton said and watched as the tiny Koopa began to do the pushups.
Lemmy was able to get through the first three fine but visibly began to struggle soon after. He was tired, the armor was heavy and he was hurting. But he had to do it. He just had to!
I’m past five now. Ok here comes six. I can do this. I can…
Just as he finished his seventh his arms gave out. He fell to the floor with a thud. Morton laughed loudly.
“Ha! Is that all you got? Come on, get up!” Morton called. He took a few steps towards the little Koopa.
“I said get…”
Before he could finish he spotted Lemmys face. He could see the beginnings of tears forming in his eyes. Maybe Boom Boom was right. Maybe he had taken things too far. He leaned down and got in close.
“Lemmy. It’s ok. This is a lot for a little guy like you. There’s no shame in quitting.” He said softly.
“I.. I just wanted… To spend time with.. sniff… you. Lemmy managed to say. The tears were now beginning to flow.
“I wanted to s-show that… I’m glad we’re brothers.” Lemmy squeaked as he tried in vain to fight back the tears.
Morton was stunned. Lemmy put up with all of that just for him? Morton began to feel like the world’s biggest jerk. He looked over at Boom Boom who only shook his head in sadness. He then noticed that Lemmy was still struggling to do another pushup. But before he could react one of the troops spoke up.
“Sir! I will gladly do the remainder of my fellow Troopas pushups!” He yelled. Another stepped forward.
“Sir! I too would gladly do the rest!” Several other Troopas began to volunteer.
“Back in Line! I didn’t say you could be at ease!” Morton yelled.
“But sir!”
“Shut Up! No one will be doing the rest of his pushups. No one except me. You can stop now Lemmy.”
At this Morton bent down and helped Lemmy to his feet. He then proceeded to do the full twenty that he had called for. Once done he knelt before his little brother.
“Looks like I was the one who really needed the discipline. I think I went a little overboard there. Uh… Sorry.” He said while wiping away some of the tears on Lemmys face.
“It’s ok. I thought you were having fun.” Lemmy said having regained his composure.
“No. I wasn’t. Like I said this isn’t supposed to be fun. But I think we can make it that way.”
Morton took Lemmys hand and led him out in front of the group. Boom Boom followed and the three of them stood ahead of the troops. Morton then put Lemmy out in front.
“Listen up! We’re going to do some marching songs and we’ll be going at Lemmy’s pace. Understood?” Morton bellowed.
“YES SIR!” The troops responded with force.
“Marching songs?” Lemmy asked. Boom Boom nodded.
“We’ll show you how it’s done. You’ll get it real quick.” He said.
“When I give the command, just march normally. Don’t worry about us or the troops, we’ll adjust to your speed. Ready squirt?” Morton said. Lemmy gave an excited nod.
“MARCH!” He yelled.
Lemmy began marching and to his surprise his brother and Boom Boom were following his lead. Not only that, Morton was right about the troops being able to match his speed. He didn’t have to worry about keeping up with anybody at all! Then he heard Morton start to “sing” and soon Lemmy began to understand what marching songs were.
“I don’t know what I’ve been told.” Morton started and the Troops repeated.
“Kamek sure is getting old.
He will never ever clean your room
Cuz he only flies on that broom.”
Lemmy giggled. Now this was fun!
“Sound off!” and the troops responded “One two!
“Sound off!”
“Three four!”
“Sound off one two… Three Four!” they all sang together at this part.
Boom Boom then began a song about how they were going to pummel Mario and Luigi. Lemmy sang along with this one and was really getting into it. Once it was over he called out to Morton.
“I think I got it. Can I do one?” Lemmy asked.
“Sure, go for it!” Morton replied. Lemmy then sang out in a high clear voice:
“I don’t know what I’ve been told.
Morton’s stare is mighty cold.
He’s big and strong and real tough too.
So watch out or he’ll clobber you!”
As he sang he began to lead them back to where they had started having gone all the way around the courtyard.
“Sound off!
One two!
Sound off!
Three four!
Sound off one two… Three four!” As they finished Morton raised his arms.
“Company! Halt!” He then walked in front of the troops.
“At ease and dismissed! Great job everyone!”
The troops gave a cheer. This was an unexpected way end to their usual training and they were glad for it. Many were impressed at the determination of the little Koopa who was still standing in place, unsure of what to do next.
“At ease means you don’t have to stand like that anymore Lemmy.” Said Boom Boom with a grin.
Lemmy ran over to Morton and gave him a hug as soon as he reached him.
“Great marching song little bro.” Morton said as he returned the embrace.
“I meant it too. You taught me a lot today. I had no idea…” but before he could finish Morton cut him off.
“Oh no. If anything I learned from you today. No matter how hard I made it for you, you just wouldn’t give up. And despite how mean I was you stuck with it because… Well, you did have a nice idea after all. And hey, you showed me that I can make this fun if I try.”
Lemmy smiled at his brother. He was about to say something but his helmet slid down over his face.
“Can I take this stuff off now?” He asked.
Morton chuckled at this and began to help Lemmy remove the heavy armor. What a relief! His colorful Mohawk sprang back into place the moment the helmet was removed. Once it was all off Lemmy felt much better if not a little sore. Boom Boom began to gather up the pieces from Morton.
“I think it must be dinner time. I can smell the food from here. You two go on back. I’ll clean up here.” Boom Boom said before adding.
‘Well done Lemmy.” And gave the tiny Koopa a gentle pat on the head.
“Thanks Boom Boom.” Lemmy said with a smile.
As he was about to turn towards the entryway Morton picked him up instead and began walking up the stairs.
“I think you’ve marched enough for right now. How about I carry you to the dining hall and you can sing that song about me again?” Morton said as he made his way into the castle.
Lemmy gave a laugh and began singing again with Morton repeating. They continued like this until they were just outside the great dining hall. Here Morton put Lemmy down and they made their way to their seats.
King Bowser Koopa always insisted that no matter what he and his children were up to during that day, they all gather for dinner at night. This way if they had any news to report about Mario and the Mushroom Kingdom, or if they had made any advances with their magic or machines, they would all hear it. But usually they just talked about the things they did that day which was just fine too. Morton, being the loudest and more longwinded of the group often went first. Lemmy was normally quiet during dinner since he felt that he should let the older ones with important things to say do the talking.
“Well Morton, how’s training the Koopa Troopas going?” Bowser asked while looking at his largest son.
“It went great today!” Morton started.
He then went into extensive detail about his day, exaggerating some points while overlooking others. He told of how Lemmy just had to learn from a master and how effortless it was for him to pass on his knowledge. He didn’t mention how many times Lemmy fell down or that he nearly made him cry his eyes out. The other Koopalings were actually very interested in hearing about all this. The thought of their little brother marching around with the troops amused them. Morton was quite enjoying all the attention.
“Was he really able to wear all that armor?” Roy asked amazed.
“Yeah! It was a tad too big but he did it just fine. He’s a lot tougher than he looks.”
“What made you decide to put him out in front?” Asked Wendy inquisitively.
“Well, I figured he deserved a reward for doing a good job.”
“And you sang?” Larry said while giving Morton an odd look.
“Must have been like nails on a chalk board.” Added Iggy.
“I bet Boom Boom wished he had ear muffs.” Laughed Jr.
“Heh. Yeah my singing is pretty terrible. But you should have heard Lemmy. I had no idea he could sing so nice.” Morton replied while scratching the back of his head.
“Really? Hmm. Very interesting.” Mused Ludwig.
“He even made up a song about me. Hey, Lemmy! Sing that song again! Uh… Lemmy?”
They all turned their heads towards the end of the table. Lemmys head was resting on the table with his eyes closed and uneaten dinner pushed aside. His soft breathing was the only sound he made as he slept. Everyone turned their heads back towards Morton.
“Must have worn him out.” Commented Bowser as he surveyed the scene.
“I guess I did. I’ll bring him to bed. I’ll be right back.”
Morton then got up and went over to where Lemmy was sitting. He gently lifted the younger out of his booster seat and placed him on his shoulder. As he left the dining hall and began to make his way to Lemmy’s room he began to notice the beginnings of several bruises forming where he had strapped the armor in place. He really hoped the others hadn’t noticed that. He would have to think of something to tell them later. He soon reached Lemmy’s bedroom and walked in. He pulled down the sheets and gently placed the little Koopa in bed. Just as he was about to leave he heard Lemmy stir.
“Morton? I had a good time today. Thanks for letting me hang out with you.” Lemmy said sleepily.
“You did good little bro. You’ll have to sing that song for them tomorrow.” Morton said with a chuckle.
“Sure.” Lemmy said. Barely keeping his eyes open.
“Get some sleep squirt.” Morton said with a smile as he began to leave the room.
“Morton? I love you.” Lemmy said softly as he began to drift back off to sleep.
Morton paused slightly before answering.
“Love you too.”
With that Morton exits the room, closing the door behind him. Lemmy smiled. His best idea ever really worked. He couldn’t wait to try it out with the rest of his family. He was soon sound asleep with dreams of fun and happiness dancing in his head.
Andrew's Brain. 