AN: Hey everyone! Been a LONG time since I updated this story, eh? Well, the more I considered it, the more I realized that this story could REALLY improve the original Soul Swap's narrative? How? Well, it could help certain events be built up better. And I'll explain one example of that when I get to the end of this chapter.

Chapter 21.06 Internet Trouble

Lemmy and Ludwig didn't bother talking after getting kicked out of Shell Mart. They thankfully managed to find another place where they could buy the toothbrushes, but after the absolute clusterfuck that the two had brought upon themselves, that brought very little comfort. Ludwig in particular felt so aggravated, so grumpy, and so irritated. He didn't even bother looking at Lemmy. Yes, he was so mad that he couldn't even look into his own face; how insane was that?

Eventually, the two of them got back to Bowser's Castle. Ludwig heard Lemmy let out a breath of relief as they walked through the door, and despite everything, Ludwig fully empathized with that. Now they were back somewhere comfortable. Now they were hidden from the rest of the world, the world that would cause a heap load of trouble for them if it discovered the truth about their current circumstances. While here, Ludwig didn't have to worry about what happened at Shell Mart. He could just go up to his room, brush Lemmy's teeth, and relax.

Unfortunately for him, he soon came to discover that something was wrong. The servants that he and Lemmy passed in the hallway were acting… strangely. They either had their eyes on their phones or were giggling at Ludwig and Lemmy walking past. This threw Ludwig for a loop. What was going on? Why weren't the servants doing their job? Why were they giving him and Lemmy this special level of attention?

Well, the answer would be found when Ludwig and Lemmy got to the common room. Ludwig's intention was to walk past the common room without even bothering to go in. He didn't even bother looking in either. He was so determined to get to his room, so determined to get to sleep so he could forget about all his problems…

"Hey, there are our celebrities!"

Ludwig blinked. He and Lemmy turned to see Roy and Larry coming out of the common room. The faces they wore were so… punchable. They looked so smug and oddly amused that it rubbed Ludwig the wrong way.

"What are you talking about?" Ludwig asked, not even bothering to hide how miffed he was.

Larry and Roy did their best to suppress their giggling (they failed, by the way). "You guys are famous!"

Lemmy hesitated. "Famous? We've always been famous."

"Yeah, but right now you guys are REALLY famous!" Roy giggled and looked behind him. "Shelldon! Come bring your phone over here!" Shelldon came running over, and Roy took his phone with a noticeable level of glee. "You guys are going down in the Internet Hall of Fame!"

Ludwig's stomach churned and his heart sank. "No." He stepped closer. "Please don't tell me that…" embarrassment claimed him when he saw what was on the phone screen. It was a WarpTube video. It showed what had happened to Lemmy and Ludwig when they were in Shell Mart. Ludwig cringed the mother of all cringes when he saw himself kissing the complete strangers at the checkout counter.

"Huh," Lemmy said. "I… didn't expect someone to record that."

"You might not've, but I'm SO glad you were!" Larry laughed his butt off. "I thought the whole point of the swap was that you guys DIDN'T want to call attention to yourselves!"

Rage boiled up in Ludwig. "That WAS the point!" He gave Lemmy a glare. "Wasn't it?"

Lemmy looked like he wanted to bury himself. "Ludwig… I didn't know this would happen! I really didn't!"

Ludwig gripped his hands into fists. "Well, it WOULDN'T have happened at all if you just stayed close to me and not called attention to yourself! Like I told you!"

"But… but the toys looked so fun…"

"Oh, don't even go there! You can play with toys at any other time; why'd it have to be this time?"

With that, Ludwig and Lemmy jumped right into an argument. They went back and forth, with Lemmy doing his best to defend his actions and Ludwig feeling like he was going to explode. Ludwig's heart pounded extra fast, his face grew warmer than Bowser's fire breath. But he didn't care. He would yell at Lemmy until the cows came home. He would…

"Ahem."

Ludwig and Lemmy paused. They looked to see none other than Kamek standing right beside Roy and Larry. He had this smirk on his face, the kind of smirk that told Ludwig that he and Lemmy were REALLY in hot water.

"I hate to break up your lovely and worthwhile conversation, my Little Internet Stars." He giggled. "But I'm afraid a certain Koopa King wants to see you in the throne room. Immediately."

Ludwig seized up. Oh NO!

…

Within five minutes, Lemmy, Ludwig, and Kamek arrived at the throne room. Bowser was already there, and… well, Ludwig had seen Bowser angry before. He had seen him miffed and annoyed before. He had seen his adopted father at his absolute lowest and worst point. And yet, those other instances paled in comparison to right now. Right now, Bowser looked like he was experiencing all those previous emotions in addition to one more. That one emotion was soul-crushing, and it made Ludwig feel smaller than he actually was. That emotion was disappointment.

"I'm not gonna beat around the bush," Bowser said as he looked at his two oldest sons. "You two know EXACTLY why you're here."

Ludwig felt a pang as he stepped forward. "Bowser, if I may…"

Bowser held up his hand. "You may NOT! Okay? You may NOT!" He let out a breath. "I… I have SO many things to say to you two… IMBECILES, but before I do…" he turned to Kamek. "Kamek, would you be so kind as to remove their voice transfer spell?"

Kamek snickered. "Of course, my King." He pointed his wand at Lemmy and Ludwig. Unfortunately, Ludwig was so worried and scared that not even his voice being returned to him brought any form of relief. As such, when his voice was given back to him, he didn't say anything. Neither did Lemmy, for that matter. They just looked up at Bowser with furrowed brows.

Bowser sighed and rubbed his temples. "Okay. Now that that's taken care of…" he rubbed his temples some more before giving the Koopalings a look that went BEYOND a glare. "Do you two have ANY idea what you've done?! ANY IDEA?"

Lemmy whimpered and stepped forward. "Bowser, it was an accident…"

"I DON'T CARE! You two made complete fools out of yourselves! Wait, no, you didn't just make fools out of yourselves; you made complete JACKASSES out of yourselves!" Bowser took a minute to catch a breath. "Do you even realize what you two have done? Not only did you make yourselves look bad but you also made the Koopa royal family as a whole look bad!"

Despite himself, Ludwig snickered. "As if kidnapping a princess doesn't do that already…"

"Oh, don't even START with me, Ludwig!" Smoke rose out of Bowser's mouth, telling Ludwig that he should probably shut up and stand still. "You embarrassed your siblings! You embarrassed ME! You can use this body swap as an excuse if you want, but it's NOT! It's REALLY not! You two are better than this!" He gestured to Ludwig. "You! You are going to become an adult just next week! And you…!" He gestured toward Lemmy. "I expected better from you, Lemmy!" He shook his head. "I expected better from BOTH of you! You two are my oldest sons, and as such, I expect you to act like it! I expect you to act maturely and do the right thing! Not do something so stupid that you end up on the Internet!" He glared at them again. "And don't even THINK about pointing fingers at each other! You are both equally to blame! You BOTH took things too far!"

Ludwig felt a pang. By his side, Lemmy bit his lip, clearly trying to hold back tears. While Ludwig didn't feel that bad, he could at least see where Lemmy was coming from. He hung his head.

"I'm sorry, Bowser. Both of us will do better."

"I hope you do!" Bowser sighed, sat back down on the throne, and rubbed his temples again. "You two can go now. I need some time to think of what your punishment should be."

Ludwig felt another pang but didn't say anymore. He and Lemmy made their out of the throne room, not even bother turning back in Bowser's direction. Honestly, Ludwig couldn't remember the last time he had felt this shitty. He was usually on Bowser's good side, so the fact that he wasn't now…

The two exited the throne room, the door slowly closing behind them. Ludwig and Lemmy stood in place for a little bit before Ludwig let out a breath. "So now we have a punishment hanging over our heads." He shook his head. "That's fantastic."

And then… Lemmy broke down. Ludwig turned toward him, actually feeling a little guilty as he watched his younger brother cry. Lemmy wiped his face, clearly trying to contain himself, but it was hopeless. He probably realized it was hopeless just as much Ludwig did.

"I… I'm so sorry, Ludwig!" He wiped his nose and looked down at his older brother. "You're right! I should've stuck by you! I shouldn't have gone to play with those toys, and I DEFINITELY shouldn't have put on that clown act! I reflected poorly on you, and I…" he whimpered and sniffled. "I'm so sorry!"

Ludwig stood in place for a little bit, digesting these words, before sighing. "I… I'm sorry too." He scratched the back of his head. "I… went overboard. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. I crossed the line when I kissed those people, and I only left the line further in the dust when I made you look like a racist prick on the intercom." He shook his head. "As much as I hate to say it, Bowser was right. We're both equally to blame here."

A moment of silence hung in the air. As it did, Ludwig ran through the scene in Shell Mart in his head. He… he did make a fool out of himself, didn't he? Actually, no, he didn't make a fool out of himself; he made a fool out of Lemmy. He had originally wanted to do that, but now that he was looking back with the power of hindsight… even if he hadn't been yelled at by Bowser, he probably would've felt guilty about this at some point.

"Well… if it makes you feel better…" Lemmy wiped his face again. "I accept your apology."

Ludwig hesitated. "And… I accept yours." He looked up into Lemmy's eyes. "And… I think we can both agree to NEVER do something like this again."

Lemmy nodded. "Yes. Yes, definitely."

Despite everything, Ludwig managed to smile. "Good." He let out a breath. "Well… let's go up to our room. I really am looking forward to brushing your teeth."

Lemmy smiled.

AN: Yeah, this is one way. In Chapter 22 of Soul Swap, Hikaru the Koopa Troopa servant tells Ludwig and Lemmy that Bowser is making them fight the gang "as punishment." Before, there really wasn't something concrete enough that they could be punished for, but now? Now, they do. I know it's a small detail in the grand scheme of things, but... I dunno. I think it improves things. And it won't be the only way that I improve the story.

Anyway, I'll see you guys in the next chapter (which DEFINITELY won't take three years to come out lol).