Let's Try This Again, Shall we? (A SPM Swap AU)

Rain and Stars

~ Present ~

~ L̵̖̻̀̂͆u̷̡̲̇̈́̾̊́i̵͔͒͛͌g̴̢̰̖̯̖̐͐͠͝ì̵̛̮̩ ̷̤̭͈͂̅̍P̸̱̼͙̀͜ͅO̵̡̧̥͌V̵̢̢̼̮̅̋̇͜͝ ~

"And so then I told the ghost that he was crazy. No way this was all fake," I explained to the Mushroom Kingdom's best therapist while relaxing back in a comfortable chair.

Yup. I went to a therapist.

Well, what did you EXPECT me to do? What would you do in my situation?! I saw a weird ghost man who told me everything I knew was fake! Clearly, I needed therapy. And lucky for me, the Mushroom Kingdom's got the best of the best! Mario really is lucky. Not that I don't love Sarasaland with all my heart, because I do! It's just... we're not as popular and we don't have nearly as much money.

"Uh-huh..." The toadette replied, holding a clipboard, an almost blank expression on her face as she clicked the pen in her hand and read over her notes. "And this... ghost... he looks like you?" She questioned.

"YES!" I replied, sounding louder than I meant to. "I-I mean... yes. He looked just like me. E-except for his outfit and his eyes." I clarified in a much more gentle tone.

She hummed and nodded as if this was all very normal and nothing to be worried about. Then, she lowered the clipboard and offered me a small smile. "Hmm, well it sounds like he's your conscience. Perhaps you're feeling overwhelmed. You're worried about all your friends, plus on top of that, you're running two kingdoms at once. So it's natural for your mind to come up with these crazy scenarios." She explained.

"Huh? Oh, No, no, no, no! But this ghost is real. He's-" I started when suddenly interrupted me.

"You seem stressed, your highness. I recommend you take a small break. Try to relax." She suggested with a calm voice, setting her clipboard down. "It would be deeply beneficial to your mental health."

"But I-"

"Luigi?! What are you doing?!" Mr. L asked me, suddenly reappearing behind the therapist, floating just behind and above her head. 

I could feel my eyes go wide as I excitedly pointed at him. See, I KNEW he wasn't fake!

"Look! See! There he is! I told you he was real!" I exclaimed, a big smile spreading across my face.

The therapist raised an eyebrow, then turned around to face the direction I was pointing, looking right at the ghost. I crossed my arms and put on a smug smile, thinking that I had proved myself right. It was not often that I got to be right! It felt pretty good.

"See! I told you!" I beamed, when she turned back to me, a concerned look on her face. 

"Your highness... no one's there..." She trailed off, in an almost worried tone.

"Huh?! No, look! He's right there! I see him!" I exclaimed, pointing again. "He's literally right there."

"She can't see me, dim-wit. What on earth are you doing?" Mr. L asked with an annoyed tone, crossing his arms as if I was doing something incredibly stupid. 

I don't know why he was acting all mean. I was literally doing what any sane person would do in my situation! Why did HE have such a bad attitude about it? "W-well... I'm getting therapy! What's it look like I'm doing....?" I replied, gesturing to the therapist.

The toadette gave me a very concerned look, almost as if she thought I was insane. I guess talking to an invisible ghost no one else can see does make me look a little... how do I put this... weird? Crazy? Mad?