Chapter 41 Love is the Answer

The light coming in through the bedroom window told Lemmy one thing; it was morning. A beautiful time of day that he was no stranger to cherishing. He smiled at the sunshine before sitting up. He stretched his arms to the ceiling and yawned,

"GRAWHEBAWABAB!"

He lowered his ams. It was time to start a new day. He recalled what Ludwig had said the previous night, how he wished that today would be better. He wished that too; he very sincerely wished that. He was just about to get up and start this new day when he noticed something. Something…peculiar.

"Ludwig's bed?"

Lemmy didn't remember falling asleep here. In fact, he remembered falling asleep in his own bed, with Ludwig falling asleep in this one. He looked across the way to see if Ludwig was in his bed.

And that's when he gasped.

He looked down at his hands, which in turn caused his heart to pump. They looked familiar. Extremely familiar; the type of familiar that something can achieve if you see it all the time. Over the course of your life.

He hopped out of bed and went to the mirror. Part of him didn't want to get his hopes too high, for reality could easily bring them crashing back down. But this time, reality came through. When Lemmy looked in the mirror…

He saw himself.

"No way," He gasped. A big, infectious smile grew on his…yes, HIS face. "No way!" He turned toward his brother, still asleep in his bed. "Ludwig! Ludwig, wake up!"

Ludwig groaned and wrapped his arms around the pillow, all without opening his eyes. "Lems, five more minutes."

"No, Ludwig, you've gotta wake up! You've gotta see this!"

Ludwig sighed and lifted himself up. "Lemmy, what is so important that I have to see…." He stopped talking when he spotted his brother, his eyes growing wide. He rubbed them, and when he finished, he gawked at Lemmy. "Am I seeing things? Lemmy, you're…you're you!"

"Yes, I'm me!" Lemmy exclaimed. He did a little twirl so Ludwig could see him from every angle. When he finished, he grinned at the oldest and gestured toward the mirror. "And that's not all."

Ludwig's eyes grew even wider than before. Not even daring to examine himself, he just headed straight toward the mirror. His footsteps were nervous, but his reaction when he saw his own reflection was anything but. He gasped, his hands flying up to his mouth.

"I…I'm back?"

Lemmy beamed as Ludwig stared at himself. While he couldn't read his mind anymore, he didn't need to. Ludwig's joy as his face rose was loud enough on its own.

"I'm back! I'm back!" He let out a heavy sigh of relief, one that released all of the troubles he had been carrying during the swap. He let out a joyous laugh before looking down at his hands. "I never thought I'd see these hands again!" He looked back into the mirror. "And my face, my hair!" He grabbed hold of his cloak. "My cloak, my tooth!" He took a deep breath and rose a good foot into the air. "My powers!" He did a little twirl before landing back in front of the mirror. He let out a sigh. "Oh, I missed it all!" He lowered his head and placed his right hand on the mirror's surface. "I missed it all so much!"

Lemmy grinned. He had never seen Ludwig so happy. Heck, he himself had never felt this happy. At least, he hoped Ludwig was happy. He was starting to cry, which to Lemmy indicated that something was wrong.

"Ludwig, are you okay?"

When Ludwig lifted his head, he had a smile on his face along with the tears. This told Lemmy that everything was indeed okay.

"Yeah!" Ludwig exclaimed. "I'm better than okay; I'm back!" He looked at Lemmy once he came over to the mirror. "We're back!"

Lemmy nodded, feeling a little misty eyed himself as he looked at his own reflection. "Yeah. We're back."

Ludwig smiled at his reflection, looking like he wasn't going to turn away from it for a long time. However, his face fell when something occurred to him.

"But wait, how did this happen?" he asked.

Lemmy hesitated. Honestly, he had been wondering the same thing. "I…I don't know." Oh, what if this was all a dream?

"Perhaps I can offer an explanation."

Lemmy gasped. He and Ludwig turned toward the door to see the royal magikoopa vizier standing there with a grin.

"Kamek!" Lemmy exclaimed. He took a step forward. "Did you do this?"

Kamek laughed. "Oh no. My magic isn't capable of doing something like this. Ludwig, you know this; I already told you."

"Yeah, you did," Ludwig said. He looked ultra confused. "So, if you didn't do it, then…who did?"

Kamek's grin grew bigger. "Well, before I can answer that question, I have to ask you one." He walked over to Ludwig. "Do you remember that day in the library when I told you that there were more powerful forces in this universe than magic?"

Ludwig blinked. "Yeah, I do. I think you said one of them was…love."

Kamek's grin grew even bigger. "Exactly."

Ludwig's jaw dropped a little as he and Lemmy looked at each other. "So…that means…?"

"Yes," Kamek said. "Duplighost magic is so dark that love, brotherly, familial, or otherwise, can easily extinguish it's power." Kamek's eyes sparkled. "You two had the power to break the spell all along. All you had to do was express it."

Ludwig looked down at his brother. Tears welled in his eyes as he gave Lemmy the biggest smile he had ever seen. "Lemmy…" He got down on his knees. "You're amazing!"

Lemmy chucked a little and scratched the back of his head. "I…I'm really not."

"Yes you are! You're amazing, Lemmy!" Ludwig wrapped his brother in a hug right as the tears began to flow. "You gave me my life back!"

Tears grew in his own eyes as Lemmy hugged Ludwig back. "And you gave me mine!"

So, they held each other. Lemmy couldn't help but think about how different this hug felt in comparison to the one the night before. While that one had been sweet, this one was a million times sweeter. Maybe it was because both parties were overjoyed. Maybe it was because Lemmy was actually hugging Ludwig as opposed to himself. Or, perhaps it was a combination of both. Either way, they held onto each other for a good long while. Lemmy couldn't help but feel a little saddened when it was over.

But then, a thought occurred to him as he looked into Ludwig's face that brought his spirits right back up. "Wait! We have to tell the others!"

Ludwig gasped a little. "You're right! Oh, they're going to flip out when they see us!" He rose to his feet and ran out the bedroom door. "GUYS! I'M ME AGAIN! I'M ACTUALLY ME AGAIN!"

Lemmy chuckled. He turned toward Kamek. "Thank you."

Kamek chuckled. "Why are you thanking me? I didn't do anything." He smiled as he approached. "If there's anybody you two should thank, it's each other."

Lemmy nodded. "Yeah. You're right." He walked out into the hall, where Ludwig was opening up Morton's door. "Ludwig?" Ludwig turned toward him. "Thank you."

Ludwig smiled. "No. Thank you, buddy."

AN: Don't go away! There's one chapter after this, so stayed tuned!