Chapter 21.02 Shell Mart

Stonebrim looked as drab as ever, and the people even drabber. Ludwig seriously wondered why this town wasn't being used as some kind of prison, because it seemed that nobody who lived here enjoyed living here. They walked around with permanent bags under their eyes, hunched over as if they carried an invisible weight on their backs.

But that didn't matter right now. The taste of Lemmy's mouth grew nastier than more time it remained unbrushed, so Ludwig couldn't waste any time. He and Lemmy rounded the corner to come across Stonebrim's Shell Mart, a place that more or less sold everything under the sun. Ludwig couldn't help but let out a breath of relief when he saw it.

"Okay." He turned to Lemmy. "We're just gonna go in, buy the toothbrushes, then get out. Hopefully, we can do that without drawing too much attention to ourselves."

"Sounds good," Lemmy said with a nod. Ludwig took one step forward, and when he did, Lemmy gasped. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!"

Ludwig sighed. "What now?"

Lemmy put his hands on Ludwig's shoulders, jumping up and down and grinning from ear to ear as he did. "Ludwig, can we go to that store when we're done?" He pointed down the street, to a store that had mannequins wearing various costumes displayed in the window. "That's where I bought my clown suit! I love that place!"

Ludwig sniffed. "No."

"No?" Lemmy's face fell. "Oh, why not?"

"Because I'm not going to try on the atrocious costumes that you want to buy. I have standards. Besides, we are here for a reason."

Lemmy's shoulders drooped. "Oh…"

With that, the two entered the store. It was the strangest feeling walking through this place. Sure, Ludwig had walked into Shell Mart countless times, and he had never experienced butterflies in his stomach and a very noticeable embarrassment. But then again, he had also never walked into this place while in possession of someone else's body. Even though he knew it wasn't the case, he felt like everyone here, customer or employee, was staring him down. Every time someone talked, it was about the swap. Every time someone laughed, it was because Ludwig von Koopa was in his brother's body.

Whimpering, Ludwig picked up the pace. Buy the toothbrushes, get out. Buy the toothbrushes, get out. This little internal mantra didn't do much to console him though. It just made him more nervous. Sweat formed all over his nee body, accumulating into droplets that resembled morning dew. He picked up the pace even more, so much so that he was practically running. His heartbeat quickened as well, pumping so much blood that Ludwig half expected it to flub up and give him a heart attack.

Finally, Ludwig got to the toothbrush section. He let out a breath of relief. Not only was he here, but there were no other people present. He could relax in the empty aisle, allow his body and soul some time to relax. He let out a happy breath before examining the merchandise.

"Hmm…" he tapped his finger against his chin. "I don't want anything that'll tear up my gums…" he noticed some soft toothbrushes on the top shelf, which caused him to smile. "Bingo." He stood on his tiptoes, reaching up his hand as high as it would go. To his frustration, he couldn't reach the toothbrushes. He tried a little jump, but that only allowed him to graze the bottom.

He growled. "Darn it. Why did I have to be the one to get the short body during the swap?" He turned around. "Lemmy, do you think you can…"

Ludwig blinked. He looked from left to right, his heartbeat speeding up again as he did. Lemmy was gone, nowhere to be seen.

"Lemmy?" Ludwig's mind immediately entered into a panicked state. Where was Lemmy? What was he doing? He had to be in the store, as he was with Ludwig when he came in. But where exactly in the store? This place was huge; it would take forever to find him!

"Lemmy!" Ludwig left the toothbrush aisle and began searching. He checked the food aisle, clothing, and book, but still, Lemonade was nowhere to be seen. Just as Ludwig's heart began pumping extra fast again was when something occurred to him. He knew Lemmy pretty well. And there was one place in Shell Mart that Lemmy just couldn't resist…

Ludwig turned on his heel. The longer he walked, the more frustrated he became with his brother. He wasn't full-on angry just yet, but he was getting close. He prayed he was wrong, that Lemmy hadn't done what Ludwig thought he did. Unfortunately, he soon discovered that his fears were true. When he turned the corner, he gripped his hand into a fist and growled.

There was Lemmy, riding a rocking horse in the toy section.

"Why that little…" Ludwig's growls were so deep that they sounded unbefitting of Lemmy's voice. He felt like he would explode as Lemmy continued with the rocking horse.

"Whee!" The second eldest stopped with the horse when he gasped. "No way! Hula hoops!" He dismounted the horse and made his way over to the hula hoops. He picked one up and twirled it around his waist. He laughed like a loon as he did, completely and utterly oblivious to Ludwig's presence.

With his hands still gripped into hard and angry fists, Ludwig made his way over. "AhEM!"

Lemmy grinned when he saw his brother. "Oh. Hey Ludwig." The hula hoop still stayed circling around his waist as Lemmy continued to gyrate.

Ludwig grit his teeth and glared. "Lemmy, what's wrong with this picture?"

Lemmy blinked. "What do you mean?"

Ludwig gawked. "Excuse me? Have you completely forgot about our conversation before we left?"

The hula hoop slowed down ever so slightly. "You mean the conversation where you said that people have certain expectations of you while in public?"

"Ding ding ding!" Ludwig sharpened his glare. "So why then are you in the toy section?!"

"Because toys are fun!" Lemmy laughed. "Besides, people won't mind me being here."

As if that was some sort of cue, a koopa mother and her little boy (no more than four years old), walked around the corner. They paused when they saw Lemmy, not daring to move for the better part of two minutes.

"Mommy," the boy said, "why is that man playing with the hula hoops?"

The mother cringed. "I don't know." Gripping onto the child's hand, she started backing up. "Keep walking, keep walking; don't let him see you." They turned and broke out into a full on run.

Ludwig growled again. Lemmy stopped hula hooping and chuckled sheepishly as Ludwig sent a scalding hot glare his way.

"S…sorry Ludwig."

"Oh, you better be!" Ludwig massaged his temples, the anger inside him close to reaching its boiling point. "Lemmy, I specifically told you that we are hear to buy toothbrushes and…HEY!" Lemmy was now holding a sock monkey, turning this way and that as he examined it and its many features. "Are you even listening?"

Lemmy giggled as Ludwig walked over. "Oh, I so want this monkey! He would make an awesome addition to my collection." He put his hand to his chin. "I think I'm gonna call him…"

As Lemmy mused, Ludwig batted the monkey out of his hand. The second eldest Koopaling gave him a disappointed look.

"Hey."

Ludwig's face grew hotter and hotter. "LEMMY! WHAT IN THE WORLD IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?" He noticed people staring at them as they passed by the aisle, but he didn't care. "WHY ARE YOU TRYING TO RUIN MY LIFE?!"

Lemmy looked hurt. "Ludwig, I wasn't trying to…."

"CAN'T YOU DO ANYTHING RIGHT? FIRST YOU TAKE WENDY ON AN EXTREME FLIGHT PATH, AND NOW YOU PLAY WITH TOYS? IN PUBLIC?!" He sharply exhaled. "SERIOUSLY! YOU KNOW THAT I HAVE A REPUTATION TO UPHOLD. I TOLD YOU!"

Lemmy hung his head. "Sorry."

Ludwig shook his head. "You're so lucky you're in my body, otherwise I would have killed you by now." An idea befell him, causing him to grin. "But you know what? Two can play at that game." He turned and started walking away. "I'm going to make sure you know how your life being sabotaged feels."

Lemmy blinked. "Ludwig? Where are you going?"

Ludwig chuckled, the sound dripping with evil. A swap isn't a swap if it doesn't involve at least two people. And since Ludwig was currently in Lemmy's body, he was going to ruin his brother's life just as badly as his brother had ruined his.