Chapter 20 Completely Normal Morning

The Koopalings sat at the table, taking bites of the chocolate chip waffles that had been served to them. Each one of them was in a different mood, and what mood they were in determined what perspective they had about the news they had received about the body swap yesterday. Speaking of which, Lemmy and Ludwig came into the dining hall. Lemmy had a grin that could cause solar glare.

"Morning everybody!" he exclaimed.

Everyone did a double take. That voice wasn't Lemmy's, but rather, Ludwig's. Each Koopaling exchanged a look.

"Did….did you guys switch back?" Wendy asked.

"No, we didn't," Ludwig said with a sigh. When he spoke, he used Lemmy's voice. "Lemmy and I decided to use the voice transfer spell so we don't freak out the servants." He massaged the right part of his head. "Although, I personally don't see the value in that idea, considering that when it comes to my voice, Lemonade doesn't exactly have the best track record!"

Lemmy gave Ludwig a look. "What? They know now; it's not like I can do anything stupid!"

"Oh, I see! So if they didn't know, you'd continue to ruin my life! Thanks Lems; good to know!"

Larry, who was sitting on the left hand side of the table in the seat closest to the head, furrowed his brow. "Man. Learning that you guys swapped bodies was weird enough, but hearing you speak with each other's voices is REALLY trippy."

"Yeah, just feel lucky Lawrence," Ludwig said as he looked at him. "Believe me, I would love to be an outsider looking in right now." With that, Ludwig made his way over to his usual spot; the spot on Larry's right. Unfortunately, Iggy was already sitting there.

"*Ahem*"

Iggy turned. "What?" Ludwig gave him another look, which caused Iggy to become annoyed. "Oh, now you're saying I can't eat in the dining room now? Ludwig, there are chemicals in my lab; I'm not bringing my food in there!"

"Actually, I was going to say that's where I usually sit." Ludwig glared at the middle child. "But that is a good point; why aren't you in the lab right now?"

Iggy let out a frustrated sigh. "Ludwig, I haven't eaten in two days. I can't exactly help you and Lemmy get your bodies back if mine is falling apart at the seams." He took a bite of waffle.

Ludwig exhaled. "Okay, fine, you can stay here. But as soon as you're done, can you please get back to the lab?"

"Don't worry; that's what I intend to do."

"Positive?"

Iggy turned around, his frustration seeping into his expression and body language. "Yes; I'm positive! I did say I would try to be more productive, and that's what I intend to do."

"Okay," Ludwig relented. There was a pause before he spoke up again. "Really wasn't kidding about that chair though." This sentence caused Iggy to role his eyes and move to the head of the table. Once Ludwig was seated, he studied the room." Hey, where's Bowser?"

"He had things to do this morning," said Morton.

"Yeah," said Roy, who was to Ludwig's immediate right. "I think he and Kamek are setting up another kidnapping mission."

"Oh, surprise, surprise." Ludwig shook his head. "I wonder how well that's gonna go."

Roy looked confused. "Oh come on; I'm sure the mission will work out fine. There's no need to worry, Lems."

Ludwig's brow scrunched up. "Roy! I'm not Lemmy, I'm Ludwig! We told you about this yesterday!"

Roy's jaw dropped in realization. "Oh. Right." He shook his head. "I was thinking it was a dream or something."

Ludwig snorted. "Well, I guess that makes two of us." Right at that moment, the koopa troopa servants came out with some waffles for Lemmy and Ludwig. "Thanks," Ludwig said when his plate was laid in front of him.

"Yeah, thanks!" Lemmy exclaimed.

The koopa troopa who had handed it to him smiled. "You're welcome, Master Ludwig."

Ludwig's servant also beamed. "Enjoy your breakfast, Master Lemmy."

"Oh, I will," Ludwig said. With that, he got right into eating.

Lemmy, however, did not. Instead, he gave Wendy (on his left) and Morton (on his right) a glowing grin. "So, since I didn't get to officially interact with you guys over the past few days, I must ask. How are you doing?"

Morton smiled a tiny bit. "Well, after the duplighost fight, I made some cookies."

Lemmy's eyes grew wide. "Cookies? Were they the spicy kind?"

"You mean the double chocolate chip chipotle cookies?" Morton grinned. "Yep."

"That's awesome! Do you have any left?"

Morton reached into his hammerspace and pulled out a bag. "I saved you a batch."

Lemmy laughed. "Awesome!" Morton threw him the bag, which he caught perfectly. "Thanks Morty, you're the best!"

"You're welcome." He pulled another ziploc bag out of his hammerspace. "Ludwig, I also made a batch for you too." He slid it across the table.

"Thanks Morton." Ludwig picked it up and tucked it away. He resumed eating his waffle just as Larry started to speak up.

"It's so weird how you and Lemmy switched bodies."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Ludwig placed a bit into his mouth.

Larry smiled a little as Ludwig chewed. "Now, tell me Ludwig, because I'm curious. Do you…?" He chuckled just as Ludwig swallowed. "Do you like Lemmy?"

Ludwig flashed Larry the glare to end all glares. "DO YOU LIKE BLACKEYES!"

"Hey, I'm just asking!" Larry said, the grin still stuck to his face like a sticker. "I mean, I'm not the one who moved into the stable when I found out Lemmy was going to be in my room."

Ludwig closed his eyes. "Stop it!"

"I'm just saying! Considering the history you two have, the fact that you're him right now must really hurt!"

Ludwig groaned. "Larry…" There was a pause before Ludwig's cold exterior was replaced by a look of discomfort. "Yes it does; it really does."

Larry chuckled at that response. Ludwig, now feeling even more like he wanted to drop dead, cut another piece of the waffle. Right as he finished was when another Koopa troopa came into the room.

"Excuse me, Master Larry? Kamek wishes to speak with you in the library."

Everyone at the table blinked. "Me?" Larry asked.

"Why would Kamek want to see Larry?" asked Roy.

"Well, he didn't say Larry specifically, he said 'the one with the rainbow hair.' I assumed he meant Larry."

The Koopalings exchanged incredulous looks. "That's Lemmy," Wendy said.

The koopa troopa reeled back. "Wait, Lemmy's the one with the rainbow hair? Well then who's the one with the tramp stamp?"

Another round of incredulous looks circulated around the table before Iggy dropped his jaw at the servant. "There isn't one."

There was a pause. The troopa didn't move for the better part of a minute and a half. "Ohhhh…" he finally said. He slowly made his way out of the dining hall.

Once he was gone, Lemmy blinked. "Wait a second, Kamek wants to see me!" He put his hand to his forehead. "Oh man, Kamek never wants to see me."

"Don't worry about it," said Wendy, "it's probably not that big of a deal. Maybe he wants to tell you about something you might find interesting, or help you plan a party!"

"Precisely," Iggy said. "Ludwig's birthday is coming up."

Lemmy shook his head. "Kamek and I never talk about stuff like that; whenever he does want to see me, it's usually because I'm in trouble." He whimpered. "Oh, I can't remember doing anything bad recently. At least, not before the swap."

Ludwig pushed the chair back and stood up. "Don't worry Lems; I'll go down there and see what he wants. I'm used to Kamek; I'm pretty much an expert when it comes to dealing with his bullshit. If he tries to diss you, I'll just give him a caustic retort. I have been told that's my specialty."

Lemmy, despite his worried look, nodded. "Thanks Ludwig. Can you just be careful to not say or do anything stupid?"

"You mean don't do what you would normally do? Gotcha covered." With that, Ludwig stepped out of the room.