Categories > Games > Mario > Bittersweet
Everyone gasped in shock.
Immediately, Mario realized what he had done. He stepped back nervously, his heartbeat going into hyperdrive. He was in so much trouble now, he knew it.
Hot tears stung his eyes as he tried to speak, tried to apologize. But no words would come out.
The pie fell from Harold's face to the floor. The Toad slowly raised his hands and wiped some of the whipped cream off. The death glare he gave Mario was so infused with anger that it could have easily burned a hole in the wall.
Not to mention the judgmental stares from all these surrounding Toads...
Silence...
Pure, deafening silence...
The little wolf couldn't handle all this pressure. He let out a soft cry and ran out of the dining hall as fast as his legs could carry him, not daring to look back.
Immediately after that, all the Toads started talking at once.
"Oh, sweet shrooms, did you see that?"
"Harold, are you okay? That looked like it hurt..."
"Who does Mario think he is, striking one of us?"
"Not only has he gotten fat, he's gone crazy!"
+++
"Daisy, I've already told you, don't get the green and yellow banners, they're not part of the color scheme. Yes, I know we don't know the baby's gender, but it doesn't matter. Just get the pink and the blue ones, I know Mario won't mind-" Luigi was saying when he suddenly heard a loud clamor in the dining hall. This made him concerned, so he politely told Daisy he was leaving and quickly headed out.
"What's going on?" Luigi asked loudly, over the voice of the Toads. He could see one Toad standing in the middle, his face covered in red goo and whipped cream. But he did not see his brother anywhere. "And where's Mario?"
"Mario threw a pie at Harold!" one of the Toads called out in response. Immediately after that, the clamoring began again.
"Hey, hey, calm down!" Luigi had to shout. Once all the simultaneous chattering stopped, he continued. "What do you mean, he threw a pie?"
Harold walked up to Luigi, wiping away the pie remains on his face. His body was trembling and he seemed very feeble. "I-I was only talking with Mario for a second, when he stood up in anger and shoved that pie into my face!" he cried. He gave a little sniffle as he wiped more whipped cream off his face.
"Oh, goodness..." Luigi said to himself quietly, his eyes looking down at the floor. Would his brother really have done a thing like this? He looked up again. "Where is he?"
"He ran out of the dining room...h-he wouldn't even bother to apologize!" Harold continued, pointing towards the dining hall entrance.
"Okay, I'll go find him and talk to him," Luigi said. "You...uh, get cleaned up."
He turned and went out of the dining hall, leaving Harold to "grieve" with the other Toads, telling everyone how bad-blooded Mario is.
+++
Luigi trekked up the stairs quickly, wondering where his brother was. With the baby inside him, he probably didn't go too far. Still, Mario was pretty quick on his feet when he wanted to.
"Mario, where are you?" Luigi called as he reached the top of the stairs and looked around.
Of course, there was no answer, but Luigi did see that the only door that was closed on this floor was Mario's. The younger sibling quickly headed over and opened it. "Mario?" he called again.
The room seemed empty, but Luigi sensed that someone was here; he could feel a presence. He walked in and checked under the bed, but only the dust bunnies greeted him. Then he checked the bathroom, but no one was there. Finally he opened the closet door, and there, sitting in a huddled ball among the hanged clothes and shoes, was his teary-eyed brother. "Am I in trouble?" Mario asked in a tiny voice.
Luigi sighed with relief that he had found him. "No, you're not in trouble," he assured, "but we will have to talk about this after the doctor's appointment."
+++
"Is the baby's development progressing nicely? It is!" Dr. Toadley said happily as he moved the transducer wand around Mario's rounded belly. The black-and-white images moved around on the television screen, aligned with the doctor's movements. The fetus definitely looked like a human now, even with the tiny tail and animal ears. It seemed to be sleeping right now, as its movements were slow and calm. The tail had tucked in between the legs, so the gender of the baby was still unknown.
The most notable part was that the fetus had positioned itself in the head-down position, so that meant the spores had indeed made a birth canal. Natural birth, it is.
"Now, since the day of conception wasn't...recorded, finding out the due date was a little harder than usual, but have I gotten it? Of course I do!" Dr. Toadley continued as he grabbed a folder from a nearby desk while still keeping one hand on the transducer. "According to my research, the child should arrive in 5 weeks, five days."
Luigi counted the days. "That'll be the 15th of June."
"Are you correct? You indeed are," Dr. Toadley said. "However, if the child arrives before that time, you must notify me immediately. A premature infant requires great care, as its lungs may not be fully developed. And since Mario's pregnancy is three times the rate of a normal one, there may be more complications."
"What if the baby's late?" Luigi asked. "It shouldn't be a problem if it is only a few days late, but if the baby has not arrived within a week or two, notify me as well. Mario's body isn't built to carry a child, especially in his wolf form, and there is a chance the womb might perforate if the baby stays in too long."
Mario did not understand the word perforate, but when he saw his brother's eyes widen, he grew a little nervous.
"But do not worry, my given due dates are usually very accurate," Dr. Toadley reassured. "Of course, there have been a few cases in which the babies were born earlier or later. Also, it's normal for Mario to experience Braxton-Hicks labor pains from now to the actual birth date. But do not worry too much. As long as the pain goes away when he moves, they're false."
Luigi suddenly remembered something from the last visit. "So where will the baby come out?" he asked. "I know there's a birth canal, but where...wh-where does it lead...?"
There was an awkward moment of silence before the doctor answered. "Well, Luigi...I know for sure that the birth canal will not intercede with any of Mario's reproductive organs, since they can't connect...so my best guess would be that it will lead in between."
"In between...ohh," Luigi said sheepishly, understanding. It was a bit awkward to talk about such subjects, but he knew it would be better to know than to not know at all and be unprepared.
"Do I know how any of this makes sense? No, not a clue. But once Mario's water breaks and the cervix begins to expand, we will have a better understanding."
"Water breaking?" Mario asked, curious.
Dr. Toadley shared an uneasy look with Luigi before turning to the elder brother. "Yes, Mario," he said. "Since the spores have built a womb and a birth canal, would it make sense to also make an amniotic sac? Yes, it would. Your baby is currently surrounded by the "water", giving it a sort of protective barrier. When the baby is ready to come out, the water will come out, though it might seem a bit uneasy for you. Within the next 24 hours, the labor pains will begin."
Immediately, Mario realized what he had done. He stepped back nervously, his heartbeat going into hyperdrive. He was in so much trouble now, he knew it.
Hot tears stung his eyes as he tried to speak, tried to apologize. But no words would come out.
The pie fell from Harold's face to the floor. The Toad slowly raised his hands and wiped some of the whipped cream off. The death glare he gave Mario was so infused with anger that it could have easily burned a hole in the wall.
Not to mention the judgmental stares from all these surrounding Toads...
Silence...
Pure, deafening silence...
The little wolf couldn't handle all this pressure. He let out a soft cry and ran out of the dining hall as fast as his legs could carry him, not daring to look back.
Immediately after that, all the Toads started talking at once.
"Oh, sweet shrooms, did you see that?"
"Harold, are you okay? That looked like it hurt..."
"Who does Mario think he is, striking one of us?"
"Not only has he gotten fat, he's gone crazy!"
+++
"Daisy, I've already told you, don't get the green and yellow banners, they're not part of the color scheme. Yes, I know we don't know the baby's gender, but it doesn't matter. Just get the pink and the blue ones, I know Mario won't mind-" Luigi was saying when he suddenly heard a loud clamor in the dining hall. This made him concerned, so he politely told Daisy he was leaving and quickly headed out.
"What's going on?" Luigi asked loudly, over the voice of the Toads. He could see one Toad standing in the middle, his face covered in red goo and whipped cream. But he did not see his brother anywhere. "And where's Mario?"
"Mario threw a pie at Harold!" one of the Toads called out in response. Immediately after that, the clamoring began again.
"Hey, hey, calm down!" Luigi had to shout. Once all the simultaneous chattering stopped, he continued. "What do you mean, he threw a pie?"
Harold walked up to Luigi, wiping away the pie remains on his face. His body was trembling and he seemed very feeble. "I-I was only talking with Mario for a second, when he stood up in anger and shoved that pie into my face!" he cried. He gave a little sniffle as he wiped more whipped cream off his face.
"Oh, goodness..." Luigi said to himself quietly, his eyes looking down at the floor. Would his brother really have done a thing like this? He looked up again. "Where is he?"
"He ran out of the dining room...h-he wouldn't even bother to apologize!" Harold continued, pointing towards the dining hall entrance.
"Okay, I'll go find him and talk to him," Luigi said. "You...uh, get cleaned up."
He turned and went out of the dining hall, leaving Harold to "grieve" with the other Toads, telling everyone how bad-blooded Mario is.
+++
Luigi trekked up the stairs quickly, wondering where his brother was. With the baby inside him, he probably didn't go too far. Still, Mario was pretty quick on his feet when he wanted to.
"Mario, where are you?" Luigi called as he reached the top of the stairs and looked around.
Of course, there was no answer, but Luigi did see that the only door that was closed on this floor was Mario's. The younger sibling quickly headed over and opened it. "Mario?" he called again.
The room seemed empty, but Luigi sensed that someone was here; he could feel a presence. He walked in and checked under the bed, but only the dust bunnies greeted him. Then he checked the bathroom, but no one was there. Finally he opened the closet door, and there, sitting in a huddled ball among the hanged clothes and shoes, was his teary-eyed brother. "Am I in trouble?" Mario asked in a tiny voice.
Luigi sighed with relief that he had found him. "No, you're not in trouble," he assured, "but we will have to talk about this after the doctor's appointment."
+++
"Is the baby's development progressing nicely? It is!" Dr. Toadley said happily as he moved the transducer wand around Mario's rounded belly. The black-and-white images moved around on the television screen, aligned with the doctor's movements. The fetus definitely looked like a human now, even with the tiny tail and animal ears. It seemed to be sleeping right now, as its movements were slow and calm. The tail had tucked in between the legs, so the gender of the baby was still unknown.
The most notable part was that the fetus had positioned itself in the head-down position, so that meant the spores had indeed made a birth canal. Natural birth, it is.
"Now, since the day of conception wasn't...recorded, finding out the due date was a little harder than usual, but have I gotten it? Of course I do!" Dr. Toadley continued as he grabbed a folder from a nearby desk while still keeping one hand on the transducer. "According to my research, the child should arrive in 5 weeks, five days."
Luigi counted the days. "That'll be the 15th of June."
"Are you correct? You indeed are," Dr. Toadley said. "However, if the child arrives before that time, you must notify me immediately. A premature infant requires great care, as its lungs may not be fully developed. And since Mario's pregnancy is three times the rate of a normal one, there may be more complications."
"What if the baby's late?" Luigi asked. "It shouldn't be a problem if it is only a few days late, but if the baby has not arrived within a week or two, notify me as well. Mario's body isn't built to carry a child, especially in his wolf form, and there is a chance the womb might perforate if the baby stays in too long."
Mario did not understand the word perforate, but when he saw his brother's eyes widen, he grew a little nervous.
"But do not worry, my given due dates are usually very accurate," Dr. Toadley reassured. "Of course, there have been a few cases in which the babies were born earlier or later. Also, it's normal for Mario to experience Braxton-Hicks labor pains from now to the actual birth date. But do not worry too much. As long as the pain goes away when he moves, they're false."
Luigi suddenly remembered something from the last visit. "So where will the baby come out?" he asked. "I know there's a birth canal, but where...wh-where does it lead...?"
There was an awkward moment of silence before the doctor answered. "Well, Luigi...I know for sure that the birth canal will not intercede with any of Mario's reproductive organs, since they can't connect...so my best guess would be that it will lead in between."
"In between...ohh," Luigi said sheepishly, understanding. It was a bit awkward to talk about such subjects, but he knew it would be better to know than to not know at all and be unprepared.
"Do I know how any of this makes sense? No, not a clue. But once Mario's water breaks and the cervix begins to expand, we will have a better understanding."
"Water breaking?" Mario asked, curious.
Dr. Toadley shared an uneasy look with Luigi before turning to the elder brother. "Yes, Mario," he said. "Since the spores have built a womb and a birth canal, would it make sense to also make an amniotic sac? Yes, it would. Your baby is currently surrounded by the "water", giving it a sort of protective barrier. When the baby is ready to come out, the water will come out, though it might seem a bit uneasy for you. Within the next 24 hours, the labor pains will begin."
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