Hiccups in Multimedia

by PrincessSara1998

Thanks to King Dedede's newest prank, people all around Multimedia are getting the hiccups. But Lumpy, Tootie and their friends seem to have them worst of all... Can any of them find a way to make their hiccups go away once and for all? Based on the SpongeBob episode Hiccup Plague. Lumpy's Crossover Adventures.

It was a lovely morning in Multimedia - the sun was shining, the sky was blue, the birds were chirping, and the air was growing warmer with every passing hour. That being said, just because the weather was good didn't mean that the ruler of this town wouldn't be up to some mischief…

King Dedede made his way down the halls of his castle, wondering to himself what he would do today. Soon he was in the throne room, where he made his way to his throne and sat down on it. He pushed a button on the armrest, and a TV screen appeared from the wall before switching on. The screen faded into view, revealing Customer Service.

"Good morning, King Dedede," he greeted him. "What can I do for you?"

"I was thinking of causing some trouble here in this pathetic town," said King Dedede. "What've ya got?"

"Well, we've just got our hands on a sentient little something that makes a great practical joke." Customer Service reached his hands to the side, then pulled out a jar filled with strange green bubbles. "What do you think?"

King Dedede looked a bit baffled. "What do I think? The real question is, what the heck're those?"

"These are Hiccup Bubbles, sire," said Customer Service. "When one of these little rascals finds their way into someone's body, it'll give that person the hiccups. But they're not just any hiccups - they're strong enough to make them lose control of whatever they're doing, and you never know what'll be enough to make them come out. Not to mention, one bubble can affect several people, and if there's two bubbles at once, they'll multiply until there's no more room for them. But if one makes it out of their victim's body and can't find anyone else in less than a minute, it'll disappear for good."

"Hiccups, huh?" Dedede didn't look convinced. "Never thought'a that."

"We've got lots of these, so I can send you a free sample so you can try them out."

"Well, alright," King Dedede said with a nod. He wasn't sure about what Customer Service was talking about, but at least receiving something for free was always better than having to pay for it. "Send some over."

"One free jar of Hiccup Bubbles, coming right up!"

Not long afterward, the machine that summoned King Dedede's monsters began to glow, and with a bright flash of light, a jar that was about as large as a jar of peanut butter appeared. It was filled with the same green bubbles that Customer Service had shown the king not too long ago. King Dedede made his way over to the jar to have a closer look.

"You may want to watch out, Your Majesty," Customer Service said, "once one of these Hiccup Bubbles finds their way out of the jar, they'll give anyone hiccups - even you."

"Well, if anyone can get caught by one of these, I might as well try them out on someone!" said King Dedede.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you."

King Dedede picked up the jar with both hands, then brought it with him as he walked away from the machine. In less than a minute, he'd made his way out of the throne room and out onto one of the balconies of his castle. Down on the ground below, he saw Lucretia and FruFru talking a walk together, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

"Okay, Hiccup Bubbles…" Dedede held the jar in front of him, then placed his hand upon the lid and pulled it off with a pop. "Let 'er rip!"

Just like that, a single Hiccup Bubble, as green as the other bubbles that had been in the jar, emerged from the jar and made its way down to the two girls from Harvey Street. Just as it got close enough to them, however, they stopped where they were - not because they'd just seen the bubble, but because Lucretia felt a sneeze coming on.

"Aaah… Hah-chew!" She brought her upper body forwards as she released a mild sneeze, which blew the Hiccup Bubble away from her and FruFru. Lucretia then sulked a bit as she rubbed her nose with her forefinger.

"Bless you," FruFru said politely.

"Thank you." Lucretia smiled as she continued to rub her nose.

King Dedede made a dismayed face to himself, then turned and made his way back into the castle. Perhaps there was someone else he could prank with these bubbles.

Not too far from Lucretia and FruFru, however, Lumpy was taking a walk around Multimedia. The moose had earned quite a bit of money over the last few days, mostly from helping all of his friends around town as well as recycling bottles and cans, so today he'd decided to reward himself with an opportunity to get some fresh air.

He stopped in his tracks, however, when he saw the Hiccup Bubble from before approaching him. He didn't know what it was or where it came from, but he just watched in curiosity, briefly wondering to himself what would happen if it popped. When the bubble got close enough to him, it did pop, and Lumpy winced in surprise.

"Hey, what was that?" Lumpy asked, but then he winced again, his feet briefly leaving the ground as an odd sound emerged from his mouth. "Hic!" Once he'd landed safely back onto the ground, he stood where he was, still having his expression of surprise. "And what was THAT? Hic!"

Once he'd made that odd sound again, Lumpy placed both of his hands over his mouth, blushing a bit in embarrassment. But it was no use - he made the sound again, then again a few moments later.

"Oh no! I've got the- Hic! -hiccups!" said Lumpy, his expression turning from embarrassment to concern. "I've gotta find- Hic! -someone who can- Hic! -help me get rid of them! Hic!"

As fast as his legs could take him, Lumpy ran into town to get some help. But he couldn't help but hiccup a few more times along the way, which made him worry even more. Eventually, however, he was able to make it to Dr. Mario's office, where he hastily signed in at the reception desk before sitting down in one of the chairs that happened to be empty.

Lumpy panted a few times, trying to catch his breath now that he'd gotten there, but then another hiccup slipped out. "Hic!"

"Ugh… How the heck did I get these hiccups?" Lumpy held his stomach with his hands, but it didn't feel like it was aching. He hadn't eaten anything today, but that probably didn't have anything to do with his hiccups. "Well, at least Dr. Mario will- Hic! -know what to do."

As if on cue, the door opened, and Dr. Mario's voice called for him. "Lumpy? You're next."

"Oh, thank goodness! Hic!"

Lumpy gave another hiccup, which practically propelled him from the chair he was sitting in. As quickly as he could, he headed into the hall to explain his problem to the Italian doctor.

"Dr. Mario, you've got to help me! Hic! I've got the- Hic! -hiccups!" said Lumpy.

Dr. Mario looked at him for a few seconds, his eyes wide with disbelief at first, but then he chuckled.

"Oh, Lumpy. It's just a case of the hiccups!"

"Aren't I gonna need any serious care?" Lumpy asked, tapping both of his forefingers together before wincing with another hiccup. "Hic!"

"Of course not!" said Dr. Mario. "You're not the first one to ask me for help just because of hiccups."

"Hic!" Lumpy hiccuped again, but the doctor let him do so before he resumed.

"Lucretia once asked me to give her a surgery just because she hiccuped once or twice-"

"Hic!"

"-but instead, I gave her a little something to surprise her, and just like that, her hiccups were gone."

"Hic!" Another hiccup from Lumpy. "Well, at least Lucretia didn't actually get surgery…"

Dr. Mario gave another chuckle. "My point is, hiccups are nothing to worry about. But why don't I try my little trick out on you to see if it works? It won't cost you a cent."

"Well… okay. Hic!" Lumpy looked a bit nervous, but he braced himself as he closed his eyes in anticipation. "Go for it."

With a bit of a playful expression upon his face, Dr. Mario moved his head up to the side of Lumpy's head, waited until he least expected it, and then gave a barely audible, "Boo."

Lumpy's eyes popped open for a second, but then he jumped as he screamed for a couple of seconds. "AHHHHH!"

The moment he lost his breath, the green Hiccup Bubble emerged from Lumpy's mouth. That same bubble made its way over to Dr. Mario, and then disappeared with a pop before he could notice it was there. Lumpy stood where he was, his eyes wide with surprise, but then smiled.

"It worked! No more hiccups!" Lumpy said in joy. "Thank you, Dr. Mario!"

"You're- Hic!" Dr. Mario flinched as an odd sound emerged from him, which caused Lumpy to wince in surprise, "-welcome, Lumpy. Excuse me."

Now that he'd heard his hiccup, however, Lumpy's joy quickly turned back into concern. "Uh-oh. Are you okay, doc?"

"Yes, why?" Dr. Mario asked, but then he gave another hiccup. "Hic!" He placed his hand over his mouth, his eyes wide and his face red. "Oh, my!"

"It seems I've come down with- Hic! -the hiccups myself!"

"Oh no… Not you, too!" Lumpy looked quite concerned. "Should I help you get rid of them?"

"Thank you, but that's alright. I'll be- Hic! -fine," Dr. Mario said, although Lumpy wasn't sure about that. "Now, run along, Lumpy."

"Um, okay." Lumpy made his way out of the hall and back into the waiting room. He signed out at the reception desk, then headed out of the doctor's office. He was still worried about Dr. Mario, but the fact that he was over his own hiccups brought his smile of relief back to his face.

As Dr. Mario made his way back through the hall, he found himself flinching again as another hiccup found its way out.

"Hic!"

"Oh, hiccups," he said with a chuckle, waving his hand in a shrugging-off gesture. "Who hasn't gotten them once in a while? Hic! I'll just take a break and let them run their course."

He made his way into the break room, hiccuping a couple more times as he went. Once he'd gotten there, he made his way over to one of the chairs and sat down on it. He gave another hiccup, then another.

"Dr. Mario!" a female voice called. Dr. Mario turned his head toward the door, just as it opened. There stood Nurse Jigglypuff, one of the doctor's office part-time employees; she was even wearing a white nurse cap upon her head. "I don't think you should be taking a break right now. We've got people to take care of!"

"I know, but- Hic!" Dr. Mario winced once more, then moved both of his hands over his mouth. "Excuse me. I've come down with hiccups, so I thought I'd- Hic! -unwind a bit."

"Hiccups?!" Jigglypuff winced in horror. Despite her good intentions, she was a bit eccentric; she couldn't help but think that hiccups were a sign of serious illness. "But that's impossible! Doctors don't get hiccups, they just cure them!"

"Don't be silly, Jiggly- Hic! -puff. As annoying as hiccups can be, everyone gets them sometimes, and- Hic! -I'm no exception," Dr. Mario reassured her. "But in the meantime, I'm going to wait until they- Hic! -go away."

With Dr. Mario's final hiccup, however, the Hiccup Bubble emerged from his mouth and floated over to Jigglypuff. She looked on in disbelief as the bubble floated over to her, but then flinched as it popped.

"Ah! What the fluffy bunnies just happened?" Jigglypuff asked.

"I'm not sure… Ah, well." Dr. Mario shrugged, a smile of relief upon his face. "At least my hiccups are gone. I'll just go back to-"

"Hic!" Jigglypuff involuntarily jumped into the air as an odd sound emerged from her. Then she slowly floated back down to the floor, shaking her head a bit once she'd landed. "Ugh! What the… Hic!" She jumped again, then floated back down to the floor, just as slowly as she had the first time.

Dr. Mario chuckled in amusement. "Well, will you look at that? You've got them, too."

"WHAT?!" Jigglypuff cringed again, this time in horror as well as. "I can't have hiccups! I've got- Hic! -work to do!"

"Not to worry; I'll take care of what you have to do. In the meantime, you just relax, and-" Dr. Mario didn't get to finish his sentence.

Nurse Jigglypuff turned and ran out of the break room, as fast as her little feet could take her. As she went, she gave another hiccup, causing her to propel herself upward. She let herself float back onto the floor, then opened the door to the waiting room. Before she could call the name of whoever was next to be treated, however, another cute hiccup slipped out, and the Hiccup Bubble emerged from her mouth.

"What's the matter, nurse?" Tootie wanted to know. She'd been sitting on one of the chairs in the waiting room, waiting for an appointment with Dr. Mario. But when she saw the Hiccup Bubble floating toward her, she immediately changed the subject. "Hey, what's this bubble?"

When the bubble got close enough to her, it popped, leaving Tootie in both surprise and slight confusion. But then she cringed as she gave a hiccup of her own.

"Hic!" Tootie threw both of her hands over her mouth, her face turning red in embarrassment almost immediately. "Oh, my gosh! I think I've got the- Hic! -hiccups!"

"Tootie?" Dr. Mario called. "You're next. Would you like me to cure those hiccups for you?"

"Yes, please… Hic!" Tootie looked a bit worried. "What are you gonna do?"

"I would suggest you hold your breath for a few seconds," said Dr. Mario.

Tootie nodded in understanding, then took a deep breath. She could only hold it for about five seconds, however, before another hiccup slipped out.

"Hic!" Due to this hiccup, she had to exhale, and then she sulked. "It's not working…!"

"Ah, well. I wouldn't worry too much," Dr. Mario said. "Just relax and go about your day, and they'll go away by themselves."

"You think so? Hic!" Another hiccup from Tootie, and Dr. Mario nodded. "Well, okay…"

Tootie got up from the chair and made her way out of the doctor's office, hiccuping again as she did so. Dr. Mario and Nurse Jigglypuff watched her go, and then looked at each other in confusion.

"Well, at least I don't have the hiccups anymore…" said Jigglypuff. "But don't you think it's a bit weird that both of us and that girl have gotten hiccups on the same day?"

"You know, it is," said Dr. Mario. "Lumpy had them, too. I think something strange might be going on around here, but I can't put my finger on it…"

Tootie walked away from Dr. Mario's office, giving another "Hic!" as she did so. She then threw both of her hands over her mouth again, blushing in embarrassment.

"I wonder if Putt-Putt could do something about- Hic! -these hiccups," Tootie said to herself.

Luckily, she could see Putt-Putt's place from less than a foot away. She made her way over to it, hiccuping again along the way. As she pushed the door open, she saw Putt-Putt, serving a couple mugs of soda to Yin and Yang; the mug he gave to Yin was filled with pink soda, and the mug he gave to Yang was filled with blue soda. Close to them, Bessie was playing some sort of board game with Gumball. Tootie made her way up to Putt-Putt as Yin and Yang drank their sodas.

"Hey, Putt-Putt. Hic!" She had just enough time to greet him before another hiccup slipped out.

"Hey, Tootie," Putt-Putt replied. When he heard her hiccup, however, he turned to look at her in concern. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, but- Hic! -I've got the hiccups," Tootie lamented. "Do you suppose you could- Hic! -help me get rid of them?"

"Oh, sure," said Putt-Putt. He made his way over to one of the soda taps, used his antenna to bring a clean mug underneath it, and filled it almost to the top with a brown-colored soda - it must have been cola, or diet cola. He then drove back over to Tootie and offered her the soda.

"Thank you. Hic!"

With another hiccup, Tootie took the mug in both of her hands, then took a few long sips of the beverage that was inside. As she did this, she swallowed every few seconds, until the mug was completely emptied. She then gasped a few times, trying to catch her breath, but just then, she gave another, "Hic!"

"I hate to say this, Tootie, but I don't think soda makes a good hiccup cure," Putt-Putt mentioned.

"He does have a point," Yin said in agreement. "Don't you know the bubbles in soda can prolong hiccups for more than a couple of hours?"

"I should know," Yang agreed. "I had the hiccups once, so I drank some cola, and then I couldn't stop until dinnertime!"

"I know, but I- Hic! -I had to try some other- Hic! -some other way to get rid of them," said Tootie. "Thanks, anyway, Putt-Putt. I'll just- Hic! -find someone else..."

As she turned away from Putt-Putt, however, she saw that Bessie and Gumball were in this building, too. Their eyes were wide and pupils were slightly shrunken in astonishment; they'd heard every hiccup she'd emitted. She made her way over to their table.

"Hey, Bessie, Gumball? Do you suppose- Hic! -you could help me get rid of these terrible- Hic! -hiccups, please?" Tootie asked.

"Oh, sure, Tootie," said Bessie. "Though I should probably warn you, I don't have much experience in curing hiccups."

"Yeah, me neither," Gumball agreed.

"It's alright. I just- Hic! -really wish they would leave me alone," said Tootie. "Got any- Hic! -ideas?"

Bessie thought for a moment, but then smiled as she got an idea. "Okay, first, hold your breath."

Tootie took a deep inhale through her mouth, which she then closed.

"Put your foot on your leg," Bessie continued.

Tootie raised one of her feet and placed it on the side of her leg.

"Then raise one of your arms out in front of you, and the other arm over your head."

She raised one of her arms up over her head, and the other arm out in front of you. Before five seconds had gone by, however, another hiccup slipped out, causing her to lose her breath. Her foot slipped off her leg, and that same leg left the ground, and then she landed on the floor. She stood back up, rubbing her head with her hand.

"I don't think that worked," Tootie stated, as if Bessie and Gumball couldn't tell. "I think all that did was make me look stupid."

"It kind of did, but I've seen stupider," Gumball said. "But I think I know what'll get rid of those hiccups."

"You do? Hic!" replied Tootie.

Gumball nodded, and then began to tell her a joke. "So I'm watching that 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie, when I get to the part where Mike got himself into the TV. The Oompa-Loompas sang this epic song about how you shouldn't let your kids watch TV."

"Yeah? Hic!" Tootie asked.

"The funny part was, I wasn't even watching it on TV." Gumball paused as he looked at her with a bit of a smirk. "I was watching it on my dad's phone!"

Tootie couldn't help but laugh over his punchline. "Wow, that's actually pretty funny! Hic!"

With her next hiccup, however, the Hiccup Bubble emerged from her mouth. Bessie and Gumball both looked at the bubble with expressions of surprise upon their faces, but before either of them could ask something about it, it popped.

"What just happened?" Gumball asked.

"I don't know," said Bessie. Just then, she winced with an odd sound. "Hic!"

She threw both of her hands over her mouth, her eyes still wide. Not long afterward, Gumball cringed, too, as an odd sound emerged from his mouth as well.

"Oh no! We've got- Hic! -the hiccups, too!" Gumball said.

Bessie looked at Tootie with an almost dismayed expression on her face. "Tootie, did you just- Hic! -give us your hiccups? Is that even- Hic! -possible?!"

"I'm so sorry, guys!" said Tootie, looking a bit guilty. "I just couldn't help it…"

"Are you sure you couldn't?" Bessie asked, and Tootie nodded. "I don't quite believe you, but if you really couldn't- Hic! -I guess I can't be that mad at you. Hic! Ugh…" Bessie sulked, then got up from her chair. "I'll be right back, I gotta- Hic! -clean my glasses or something… Hic!"

As she ran to the bathroom as fast as her legs could take her, Tootie and Gumball looked at each other, with the latter giving another hiccup.

"You're not mad at me, are you, Gumball?" Tootie asked, sounding a bit worried. Gumball gave another "Hic!" before he responded.

"No, but maybe you should- Hic! -try keeping your hiccups- Hic! -to yourself," Gumball stated. Each one of his hiccups made him jump a couple of inches off his seat, but he landed safely back on it. "I didn't even know you could- Hic! -give them to someone else…"

"Neither did I." Not long after Tootie had responded, her eyes widened for a brief moment. She brought her neck back for a moment, then shot it forward with a sneeze. "Haaah-chew!"

"AH!"

Gumball cringed once more, this time with a brief scream; the sneeze had caught him off-guard. In the process, the Hiccup Bubble emerged from his mouth. As Tootie rubbed her nose cutely with her forefinger, the bubble floated over to her face. Just as she noticed it, however, it popped, and not long afterward, she gave another, "Hic!"

"Sorry, Tootie," Gumball apologized. "I guess your sneeze startled me a little. Bless you."

"Thank you… Hic!" Tootie had just enough time to thank him before she hiccuped again. She then looked dismayed, even as she continued to rub her nose. "I think I'm gonna go now. Maybe someone else can- Hic! -help me get rid of- Hic! -these hiccups."

"Okay. See you later."

With that, Tootie pulled her forefinger away from her nose, then turned and made her way out of Putt-Putt's Place, giving another hiccup every few seconds as she went. By the time she'd made her way out of the door, Bessie came back into the main area and back to where Gumball was. She was panting a few times and had one hand on her chest.

"You alright?" Gumball asked, and Bessie nodded.

"Yeah. I'm alright," she claimed in between gasps. "I'm a little exhausted, but it was worth it to get rid of my hiccups."

"That's cool," Gumball replied with a smile as Bessie slumped back down into the seat in front of him. "What'd you do?"

"I held my breath for one hundred straight seconds, and then I drank water straight from one of the sinks until my tummy was full," Bessie explained. "When I was done, this weird green bubble came out of my mouth, then popped after it got to the mirror I was in front of. I don't know what the heck it was or where it came from, but I guess that doesn't matter now that my hiccups are gone…"

Gumball didn't know what kind of bubble she was talking about, either, but he was also glad that Bessie's hiccups had been cured.

"Maybe something from the Burger Joint will help me feel better… Hic!" said Tootie, walking away from Putt-Putt's Place.

With that, she made her way to the Multimedia Burger Joint, but not without turning her head this way and there to check if she was going the right way. Once she'd gotten there, she pushed the door open to find SpongeBob, handing someone their order and accepting the money they gave him. He turned his head to see that Tootie had arrived at his restaurant.

"Oh, hi, Tootie!" said SpongeBob with a smile. "May I take your order?"

"Hic!" Tootie winced as she hiccuped again, jumping a bit as she did so.

"Sounds like someone's got the hiccups!" SpongeBob said with a little laugh.

"Yeah, I do," Tootie admitted. "Should I eat or drink something to get rid of them? Hic!"

"Well, I don't see why not!" said SpongeBob. "And I know just the thing."

He made his way into the kitchen, where he picked up his spatula and got to work at the grill. In less than a minute, he'd prepared a delicious-looking cheeseburger, which he placed on a clean plate that he handed to Tootie.

"Here you go, Tootie! One plain cheeseburger, free of charge. Enjoy!"

"Hic!" Tootie gave another hiccup, then smiled. "Thank you, SpongeBob."

She picked up the burger with both of her hands and began to eat, one slow bite and a few slow chews at a time. As she ate, however, she couldn't help but hiccup a few more times. Once she'd finished the last bite of her burger, however, she gave one last hiccup, which caused the Hiccup Bubble to emerge from her mouth. It floated over to SpongeBob, then popped, and he winced in surprise.

"Hey, what just happened?" SpongeBob asked.

"I'm not sure…" Tootie replied. But then her eyes widened as she realized something, something that made her smile. "Hey, my hiccups are gone!" Just after she'd said that, SpongeBob smiled as well. "Thank you, SpongeBob!"

"No need to thank me, Tootie," said SpongeBob. "Grilling is my- Hic!" Before he could finish his sentence, however, he jumped involuntarily as he gave a hiccup of his own, and Tootie's eyes widened in surprise. When the sponge landed, he put both of his hands over his mouth, his eyes wide with horror. "Uh-oh."

"What's wrong, SpongeBob?" Tootie asked, an expression of concern upon her face. "Are you okay?"

"I think I've- Hic! -got your hiccups!" said SpongeBob.

Tootie gasped in worry. "Oh, I'm so sorry, SpongeBob! You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Of course not," SpongeBob said, kindly. "It's not like you could help yourself, and that's- Hic! -nothing to worry about. But I think I might've- Hic! -had this happen to me before."

"What, hiccups?"

"Not just that, but- Hic!" Another hiccup from SpongeBob. "-getting hiccups from someone else."

"That's weird…" Tootie took a minute to try and think about how this was happening. She couldn't come up with a good reason, however.

"Hic!" SpongeBob hiccuped again, and the Hiccup Bubble emerged from his mouth, which he again covered with his hands. The bubble floated over to Tootie, who winced as it popped.

"Ah! …Hic!" She gave another hiccup, then gained an expression of dismay. "Aw, not again!"

"Sorry, Tootie!" SpongeBob apologized. "Should I make you another cheeseburger?"

"No, thank you. Maybe someone else can- Hic! -help me with these hiccups," said Tootie.

"If you say so…" SpongeBob sounded worried about his friend.

With that, Tootie turned and walked out of the burger joint, giving another hiccup as she went. After she'd crossed the street - making sure to look both ways as she did so - she turned her head this way and that, then smiled as she spotted Lumpy. He was at the Multimedia Park, sitting on one of the benches. As quickly as she could, Tootie dashed to the park, not letting any of her hiccups slow her down.

"Lumpy!" she called. "Lum- Hic! -py!"

Her familiar voice as well as her hiccup were enough to capture Lumpy's attention almost immediately. He turned his head to where he thought he'd heard his friend, and he smiled as he saw her running up to him. When Tootie got close enough to him, she slowed to a stop before panting a few times, trying to catch her breath. A hiccup slipped out in the process, followed by another.

"Hey, Tootie," Lumpy greeted her.

"Hey… Lumpy… Hic!" Tootie replied.

"What's the matter? Do you have the hiccups, too?" Lumpy wanted to know.

"Yeah…" Tootie replied with a weak nod, then gave another hiccup. "Hic! Ugh…"

"It's funny you say that," said Lumpy, "I had them earlier today. But would you like me to help you get rid of them?"

"Hic! Yes, please."

Lumpy thought for a moment, but then smiled as he came up with an idea. "Why don't I tickle you?" he suggested.

"Well, I guess that's worth- Hic! -a try…" Tootie stated.

Once she'd regained her breath and stopped panting, Lumpy held both of his hands up for Tootie to see. Then he placed them on her sides - one hand on her left side, and the other hand on her left. He then began to wiggle his fingers around, and her reaction was near instant.

"Hahahaha, hahahahahaha! Hic! Hahahahehehehe! Hic!" Tootie laughed, but not without giving an occasional hiccup in between her giggles. "Hehehehe, it ticklesss! Hahahahaha- Hic!"

"Hmm, I don't think it's working…" Lumpy stated. After about a minute, he pulled his hands away from Tootie, and she held her sides. She was blushing as she panted a few more times, trying to catch her breath again.

"It's okay, Lumpy… Hic!" Tootie gave another hiccup, but smiled at her best friend. "At least that was fun…"

"Yeah, but if that didn't work, we'll have to try something else," Lumpy acknowledged. Just then, the sight of three familiar girls caught his eye, and he smiled. "Hey, look! It's the Harvey Girls!"

"Where? Hic!"

With another hiccup, Tootie turned her head to look where Lumpy had, and a smile appeared upon her face as well. Indeed, Audrey, Dot and Lotta were here at the park, and they were all playing a game of tag together. When they all looked up to see that Lumpy and Tootie were here as well, however, they all stopped and waved.

"Hey, Lumpy! Hey, Tootie!" the Harvey Girls greeted them in unison.

"Hey, Harvey Girls!" Lumpy and Tootie replied, although Tootie hiccuped again after she'd greeted them.

Audrey, Dot and Lotta all made their way up to their two best friends. "How are you guys doing?" Audrey asked when they got close enough.

"I'm doing alright," Lumpy replied, "but there's a problem on our hands, and it's kind of a big one."

"Hic!" Tootie gave another hiccup, then covered her mouth with both of her hands for a second. "I've got a terrible case of the- Hic! -hiccups, and if that's not bad enough- Hic! -these hiccups can go from one person to another!"

"What?!" Audrey's eyes were wide and pupils were shrunken with disbelief, as with Dot and Lotta's eyes and pupils. "You're joking!"

"Could you girls- Hic! -help me get rid of these hiccups- Hic! -before they get any worse? Hic! Please?" asked Tootie.

"Well, I suppose we could try," Lotta said.

"Besides, there are multiple ways to cure hiccups," said Dot.

"I should know. I had them once!" Audrey added with a chuckle.

Before any of the Harvey Girls could suggest a way to get rid of Tootie's hiccups, however, all four of them as well as Lumpy were caught off-guard by a familiar laugh.

"HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH-HEH!"

"AH!" Tootie jumped a bit with a brief scream, and the Hiccup Bubble emerged from her mouth. That same bubble floated over to Audrey, Dot and Lotta, and then disappeared with a pop.

"Hey, what the heck was that?" Audrey wanted to know.

"I'm not sure exactly…" Dot replied.

"Me, either," said Lotta. But then she winced as she gave a sudden hiccup. "Hic!"

"Hic!" Audrey hiccuped as well, bringing both of her feet off the ground for a brief moment.

"Hic!" Dot also hiccuped, which also made her feet leave the ground for a moment. When she landed, she placed one of her hands over her mouth.

"Uh-oh…" Tootie blushed in guilt as she moved her own hand over her mouth.

"Are you okay, Harvey Girls?" Lumpy asked in concern.

"Hic!" Audrey, Dot and Lotta gave another hiccup in near perfect unison, to the surprise of both of their best friends.

"Thanks a lot, Tootie!" Audrey cried in dismay. "Now we've- Hic! -got your hiccups!"

"Oh, my goodness! I'm so sorry, Harvey Girls!" Tootie apologized, looking guilty.

"Well, you did try to warn us that- Hic! -these hiccups were contagious," Dot pointed out.

"What are we- Hic! -going to do?" Lotta asked, sounding worried.

Lumpy and Tootie took a minute to think about how to cure the Harvey Girls' hiccups. Luckily, both of them were quick to come up with an idea, although Lumpy decided to let Tootie suggest hers first.

"Hold your breath?" Tootie asked.

Audrey, Dot and Lotta nodded, then each took a deep inhale. They then held their breaths for a few seconds, trying not to let any of the air in their lungs slip out. But Lotta couldn't help but give another hiccup after five seconds had gone by, and the same thing happened to Dot not long after; they both had to exhale afterward. Three seconds later, Audrey exhaled, then panted a few times as she tried to catch her breath. But then she hiccuped again, and she gave a dismayed groan.

"Well, THAT didn't work!" Audrey complained.

"Then why don't you drink some water?" Lumpy suggested.

"Okay. Good thing there's a water fountain in this park," Lotta said, before another hiccup slipped out.

With that, the Harvey Girls headed over to the water fountain, and each took turns drinking from it. Dot went first, then Lotta, and finally Audrey, and all three of them took care not to let their lips touch the rather unhygienic nozzle of the fountain. But their respective intakes of cold water weren't enough to cure their hiccups - as soon as Dot had swallowed her share of the cool liquid, another hiccup slipped out. Lotta hiccuped as well, and so did Audrey.

"It's no use!" Lotta said as she, Audrey and Dot made their way back to Lumpy and Tootie. "We still have the- Hic!"

When she gave another hiccup, however, her Hiccup Bubble emerged from her mouth. Just one second after that, Dot hiccuped as well, and her Hiccup Bubble emerged from her mouth. The Harvey Girls watched in disbelief as the two Hiccup Bubbles floated over to Lumpy and Tootie. Both of them were a bit worried about what was going to happen, but while Tootie covered her mouth with both of her hands, Lumpy's eyelids lowered as his nose twitched. For some reason, his nose had selected this exact moment to feel a sneeze coming on, and it was a bit too strong for him to hold back. He had to let it go.

"HaaaAAAAHHHH- CHOO!"

Lumpy shot his neck forwards as he released the sneeze, blowing both of the Hiccup Bubbles away from him and Tootie as well as away from the Harvey Girls. All four of the girls were in surprised awe and disbelief as they watched the bubbles float away, and Lumpy rubbed his nose with his forefinger.

"Holy Super Mario… Hic!" Audrey managed to say. But then she and her friends looked at Lumpy with grateful happiness.

"I, don't, believe it!" Dot said in joy.

"Lumpy, you did it! You saved yourself from getting hiccups!" Lotta cried.

Tootie reached up to give Lumpy a hug, causing his eyes to widen a bit in surprise. "Thank you so much, Lumpy!"

Lumpy smiled, forefinger under nose. "You're welcome. But, uh… aren't you missing something?"

"Oh, right." Tootie let go of Lumpy, and then she and the Harvey Girls blessed him in unison.

"Bless you, Lumpy!"

Lumpy kept his smile, rubbing his nose just a bit more. "Thank you!" he replied.

"Hic!" Audrey gave another hiccup, which sort of ruined the mood. All of her friends turned to look at her as she threw both of her hands over her mouth again. "Ugh!"

"Oh, wait, you still have the hiccups," said Lumpy.

"Why don't you try holding your breath again?" Tootie asked.

"Oh, alright." Audrey then took another deep breath.

Unbeknownst to Lumpy, Tootie and the Harvey Girls, Lucretia and FruFru were making their way into this same park. The gentle breeze pushed both of the wayward Hiccup Bubbles to them, and then they popped; one popped when it was closest to Lucretia, and the other popped when it was closest to FruFru. The two gave a brief squeal of surprise as they flinched a bit, then stood where they were with wide eyes.

"What just happened?" FruFru asked.

"I was hoping you'd know," Lucretia mentioned. She then emitted a hiccup, one that sounded like a squeak. "Hic!"

"Oh!" FruFru winced in surprise as both of Lucretia's hands went to cover her mouth. Before she could ask if she was alright, however, she winced again as she gave a hiccup of her own. "Hic!"

"Oh, dear! We've got the hiccups! How- Hic! -embarrassing!" FruFru lamented, her face turning red after her next hiccup. "What are we going to do?"

"Hic!" Lucretia gave another hiccup, but then saw that Lumpy, Tootie and the Harvey Girls were at this park. "Hey, look, it's the Harvey Girls! And- Hic! -there's Lumpy and Tootie, too! Maybe they can- Hic! -help us!"

"I just hope they don't embarrass me even- Hic! -more," FruFru replied.

That being said, she and Lucretia made their way over to Lumpy, Tootie, Audrey, Dot and Lotta. Along the way, Lucretia couldn't help but hiccup a couple of times, and neither could FruFru. By the time they'd gotten there, Audrey was holding her breath again, trying to get rid of her hiccups. But before she could exhale, she gave another hiccup, which caused her to expel the air from her mouth.

"Oh, come on!" Audrey cried in dismay. "You know, these hiccups are- Hic! -really getting on my nerves!"

It wasn't long after she'd said that did Lumpy and Tootie notice that two of the Harvey Girls' friends had arrived.

"Hey, Lucretia. Hey, FruFru," Lumpy greeted them.

"Hey, guys- Hic!" Lucretia and FruFru replied, in near unison. They then moved one of their hands over their mouths, with the latter's face turning a bit red once again.

"Hey, girls. Don't tell me you've- Hic! -got the hiccups, too," Audrey said.

"I'm afraid we have," FruFru admitted.

"Do you suppose you could- Hic! -find a way to cure us?" Lucretia asked.

"I suppose," Dot replied. "This one time, I claimed that I could cure hiccups by performing surgery on the person who had them."

"Yeah, Dr. Mario told me about that earlier today," said Lumpy.

"Oh, I remember!" said Lucretia. "Not to mention, I- Hic! -asked you for one just because I hiccuped a couple of times…"

"I wouldn't recommend that, Lucretia," Lumpy added, not noticing as Audrey hiccuped again. "It's no fun to have surgery, you know; it can be pretty scary…"

"It's not much fun to have hiccups, either," FruFru snarked. She gave another hiccup to prove her point.

"Yeah, you're both not wrong. Hic!" agreed Lucretia.

"Don't worry, Lucretia; we'll help get rid of your hiccups," said Tootie, "and we'll help you, too, FruFru."

"Yeah, and you won't need surgery," Lotta reassured her. "Now, why don't we never talk about this whole getting-surgery-to-get-rid-of-hiccups thing ever again, and start looking for ways to get rid of these hiccups?" She could tell by the look on Lumpy's face that he agreed, especially with her former idea.

"Okay. Hic!" said Lucretia and FruFru.

"Why don't you take a few deep breaths, or hold your breath for a few seconds?" Dot suggested.

The two girls did as they were told; Lucretia took a deep breath that she then held, while FruFru inhaled and exhaled a few times, slowly and deeply.

What the group of seven didn't know, however, was that King Dedede was watching them from behind a tree, which was a few feet away from them. He laughed to himself, holding his closed jar of Hiccup Bubbles in both of his hands.

"Heh-heh-heh-heh! If I knew these Hiccup Bubbles was gonna work as well as they did, I would've bought some more to go with my free sample!" said King Dedede.

After a few seconds, Lucretia exhaled, while FruFru stopped taking her deep breaths - but then she hiccuped again, and Lucretia followed not long after. Then Audrey was next to give another hiccup.

"Ugh! It's bad enough you girls have got hiccups- Hic! -I still haven't gotten rid of mine!" said Audrey.

"Don't worry, I think I've got a plan," said Lumpy. "Dot and Lotta, you help Lucretia and FruFru, and me and Tootie will help Audrey."

"Very well, then," said Dot.

"Good idea," Lotta said in agreement.

With that, Dot, Lotta, Lucretia and FruFru walked about a foot away from the moose, with the latter two hiccuping with every few steps. Lumpy and Tootie, on the other hand, stayed with Audrey, who jumped with another hiccup.

"Are you sure whatever you're gonna do is gonna- Hic! -cure my hiccups?" Audrey didn't seem convinced that Lumpy's plan was such a good idea.

"I'm sure of it," Lumpy replied with a nod.

"Alright, but- Hic! -don't make me laugh," said Audrey.

"Sorry, I've gotta." Lumpy placed both of his hands on Audrey's sides and began to wiggle his fingers around, tickling her. Audrey quickly began to laugh, wiggling around as she did so.

"Hahaha, hahahahahahaha! Hic! Ahahahahahaha- Hic! -hahahahahahaha!" In spite of her laughter, however, it was clear that Audrey's hiccups weren't going away. "S-stop it! Hahahahaha- Hic! -ahahahahahaha!"

"Come on, Audrey," Lumpy said, still moving his fingers here and there. "Didn't you ever hear anyone say that laughter is the best medicine?"

"Yeah!" Tootie agreed. "Here, why don't I help you out?"

She waited until Lumpy had pulled his hands away from her belly, and then she brought one of her hands over to one side of Audrey's ribcage. As she rubbed it gently with the palm of her hand, Audrey continued to laugh and hiccup for a few seconds.

"W-would you c-cut it out, Tootie?! Hahahahaha- Hic! Hahahaha, hahahahahahaha!" Audrey laughed, her face looking red. Was she embarrassed from being tickled by someone other than Dot or Lotta, or was it from how hard she was laughing? It was hard to tell.

Either way, Lumpy couldn't help but giggle to himself as he watched Tootie tickle Audrey. "I gotta say, this is actually pretty adorable," he thought to himself.

When the three least expected it, however, one of Audrey's hiccups caused the Hiccup Bubble to emerge from her mouth. Before any of them could comment on it, however, it floated up to Tootie before popping, which made her wince in surprise. She gave another "Hic!" and stopped tickling Audrey, pulling her hand away from her ribcage.

"Oh no… not again!" Tootie lamented.

"What's the matter?" Lumpy wanted to know. "Did you get the-" Before he could finish, Tootie hiccuped again, at which point he decided that was enough to answer his question. "Aw, you got them again."

Audrey panted a few times, trying to catch her breath. Luckily, she regained it sooner than she expected, so she spoke as well.

"Well, look on the bright side; at least I'm not hiccuping anymore. Thanks, Tootie!"

"Hic!" Another hiccup from Tootie, but then she smiled at her friend. "You're welcome."

In the meantime, Dot and Lotta were still trying to stop Lucretia and FruFru's hiccups. Dot had suggested that Lucretia take a few slow, deep breaths, and Lotta had simply held FruFru's mouth shut with her hands for a few seconds - the opposite of what they'd tried earlier. Neither of them were working, however.

"Perhaps you should drink some water from the water fountain," Dot claimed, sounding defeated.

FruFru gave another hiccup, although it was muffled by Lotta's hands, which she then pushed away from her mouth.

"From that cootie-covered thing?! No way!"

"I don't think I want to drink from it, either. Hic!" Lucretia replied with another hiccup. "I'd much rather buy a water from the Penny Waters- Hic! -machine than drink from that yucky water fountain."

"Oh, right. Point taken," said Dot. "But there must be something that can get rid of those hiccups…"

"Should I find some flowers and have you smell them?" Lotta suggested.

But Lucretia and FruFru just looked at her, expressions of confusion upon their faces.

"I did that to Audrey, once, and she sneezed so hard, she got rid of her hiccups," explained Lotta.

"I'd like to believe you, but sadly, I wasn't there," said FruFru. "Hic!"

"Yeah, me neither," Lucretia said. "Hic!"

Lumpy and Audrey were thinking to themselves, looking down at Tootie in concern. Every few seconds, she gave another hiccup, her eyes widening each time.

"Hmm, you've tried holding your breath, letting me tickle you…" Lumpy acknowledged. "What else is there?"

Just as he finished asking that, an idea came to Audrey - her eyes widened, and a smile appeared upon her face.

"Why don't we make you sneeze?" she asked Tootie. "This one time when I had hiccups, Lotta cured me by giving me these flowers. They made me sneeze, but then the next thing I knew, I wasn't hiccuping anymore!"

"Haah-chew!" Lotta doubled over with a mild sneeze, one that didn't even have any visible spray. She then stood back up, placing her forefinger underneath her nose in embarrassment.

"Gesundheit," Dot said. "Do you suppose someone was talking about you just now?"

"Gee, I don't know about that…" Lotta stated, rubbing her nose cutely.

"And do you suppose we could- Hic! -talk about this later?" FruFru asked.

"Oh, right." Lotta pulled her forefinger away from her nose. "Lucretia, why don't you stand on your head for a while, and FruFru, why don't you try dancing like a ballerina?"

"Hic!" Lucretia and FruFru each gave another hiccup before looking at each other, but then decided to give Lotta's ideas a try.

To their astonishment as well as Dot and Lotta's surprise, it worked; both of the Hiccup Bubbles emerged from their mouths and floated away from the group of four. Lucretia immediately stood back up and gave Lotta a hug.

"Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" said Lucretia.

"Indeed, thank you, Lotta!" FruFru said in agreement. She wiped her forehead with her hand. "Thank goodness that's over."

"You're welcome, girls," Lotta replied.

"Thank goodness, indeed," said Dot. "With all honesty, I was not expecting either of Lotta's ideas to succeed, let alone both of them…"

"Me neither," Lucretia agreed, and FruFru nodded her head in agreement. The smiles on their faces, however, told Dot and Lotta that they couldn't be happier.

Unbeknownst to the four girls, the two Hiccup Bubbles were making their way to King Dedede, who had been laughing over what he'd seen. He stopped just in time to realize this, however, so he opened up the jar and trapped the Hiccup Bubbles inside it, which saved him from the risk of getting hiccups himself.

Lumpy placed his forefinger upon the tip of Tootie's nose, then began to wiggle it here and there. Tootie didn't react, however, except for an occasional hiccup that caused his finger to slip off her nose.

"I don't think this is working, L- Hic! -Lumpy," Tootie stated.

"Yeah, I can tell," said Lumpy. He removed his finger from Tootie's nose. "I wish we had something soft to tickle your nose with…"

"Hey, look!" Audrey pointed to something. "A butterfly!"

Lumpy and Tootie turned their heads to look at what she'd seen, and she was right. A single yellow butterfly, just big enough to fit in the palm of Tootie's hand, was fluttering around the park.

"Wow, that- Hic! That is one pretty butterfly," Tootie said.

"It sure is," Lumpy said in agreement.

"You think it knows about your hiccups?" Audrey asked as the insect got closer. "I mean, if it landed right on your nose, and that makes you sneeze…"

Just as she said that, the butterfly did land on Tootie's nose, to her surprise as well as Audrey's and Lumpy's surprise.

"It's gonna make you sneeze, isn't it?" Audrey finished.

Tootie gave another hiccup, wincing slightly as she did so, but the butterfly remained on her nose. After a few seconds had gone by, Tootie felt a tickle in her nose, which twitched around slightly.

"Aaah… Ahhh… Haaaaah…" Tootie inhaled, her eyelids falling closed even though she kept her head still.

Lumpy and Audrey looked at her with anticipating expressions on their faces, then reached up to cover their ears. Lumpy plugged his ears with both of his forefingers, while Audrey pressed her hands against hers instead. That was when Tootie sneezed - but it wasn't as loud as they thought it'd be.

"Haaaah-tchewww!"

Tootie shot her neck forwards as she released the sneeze, with the Hiccup Bubble emerging from her mouth as she did so. The butterfly was propelled off of her nose in the process, but thankfully wasn't injured in the slightest. Just then, however, the Hiccup Bubble made its way over to Lumpy and popped, causing his eyes to widen and pupils to shrink for a brief moment. Then it happened again.

"Hic!"

"Gesundheit," Audrey said as Tootie rubbed her nose with her forefinger.

"Thank you," Tootie replied. She looked over at Lumpy, who was now covering his mouth with both of his hands. "Um, are you okay, Lumpy?"

"Yeah, but I think I've- Hic! -got the hiccups again! Hic!" Lumpy lamented.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Tootie apologized, sounding a bit guilty.

"It's alright. I can't- Hic! -be mad at one of my best friends. Hic!"

"Should we make you sneeze, or tickle you or something?" Audrey suggested.

"Hic! No, thanks," Lumpy disagreed, sounding defeated. "I think I'll just tough these- Hic! -hiccups out."

Just then, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around, only for his eyes to widen and pupils to shrink in surprise. Dot, Lotta, Lucretia and FruFru were all looking at him - and so were Dr. Mario, SpongeBob, Gumball, Bessie and Putt-Putt. He hadn't seen any of the latter five arrive at the park, but he could already tell that they were here to help solve his problem.

"Don't give up, Lumpy!" Dr. Mario said.

"We'll get those hiccups out of you one way or another!" SpongeBob promised him.

"Yeah!" Gumball and Bessie replied in unison.

"You think so? Hic!" Lumpy cringed with another hiccup, then threw both of his hands over his mouth. That was when Tootie and Audrey moved to join the crowd of Lumpy's friends. "Well, okay."

"Allow me," Dr. Mario said to the rest of the group.

He reached behind his back and pulled out a mask that had the face of a Boo - a kind of ghost from the Mushroom Kingdom. He moved it over his head so that it covered his eyes, then made his way over to Lumpy, only stopping when he was right in front of him. He closed his hands for a moment, then opened them.

"Boo."

After a brief pause, Lumpy jumped as he screamed again. "AHHHHHH!"

Once he'd landed back on the ground, Dr. Mario reached up to pull the mask off his face.

"Sorry, Lumpy," he apologized. "I thought giving you another scare would cure your hiccups. It did work the first time, after all."

Lumpy was about to accept his apology, but before he could, he gave another, "Hic!"

"Here, Lumpy, try one of my burgers!" SpongeBob suggested. He offered Lumpy a hamburger that he'd made and brought here.

With a nod of understanding, Lumpy took the burger and started eating it, one bite and a few slow chews at a time. As he did, however, he kept hiccuping every few seconds, which caused him to wince again each time. By the time he'd finished the hamburger, it was clear that he still had his hiccups. Putt-Putt, Bessie and Gumball chose that moment to mention what they each thought Lumpy should try next.

"Why don't you drink some water?" Putt-Putt suggested.

"Or drink it upside down?" Bessie added.

"Or hold your breath?" Gumball added.

Lumpy nodded, and then Bessie handed him a bottle of water. Without even asking where she'd gotten it from, Lumpy sat down on the ground, then placed his hands on the ground in front of him before bringing his legs up. Holding himself up with one hand, but not without giving another hiccup that thankfully didn't make himself fall, he poured the water into his mouth, swallowing as much as he could every few seconds. Just as he'd finished the last drop, however, another hiccup slipped out, so he put the bottle aside. As he used his free hand to keep holding himself upward, Lumpy took a deep breath and held it, trying not to let any air escape from his mouth and nose. But as he did so, another hiccup slipped out, and he finally fell down. He wasn't hurt, but he looked like he was in a slight daze; his friends could see his pupils darting about, even as he sat up and rubbed his head with one of his hands.

"Uh, Lumpy? I didn't say you had to hold your breath upside down," Gumball pointed out.

"Sorry. Hic!" Lumpy replied. "Any other ideas?"

Tootie thought for a moment, then smiled as she got an idea. She made her way up to Lumpy, placed both of her hands upon his sides and began to wiggle her fingers about. Lumpy gasped in surprise, but then began to laugh as he twitched around, even though he still hiccuped every few seconds. As she quickly realized this wasn't working, Tootie pulled her hands away from her friend, and he held his sides as he laughed just a bit more. As he then tried to catch his breath, another hiccup slipped out, followed by another.

FruFru brought out her smartphone, turned on the screen and tapped one of the apps she had to open it up. Once she'd found what she was looking for, she looked up at Lumpy and turned the phone toward him.

It was a looping GIF file of a clip from some sort of anime series, and it consisted of a black and white kitten pressing the keys on an electric keyboard with both of its front paws.

"Awwww…" Lumpy smiled as his eyes sparkled. But then he hiccuped again. "Hic!"

He threw both of his hands over his mouth, and FruFru sulked as she placed her smartphone back in her pocket.

"Well, at least I've always wanted to show you that GIF," FruFru stated. She then moved back into the crowd, allowing Lucretia to make her way up to Lumpy.

"Here's one for you, Lumpy," said Lucretia. "Why do some fish live in salt water?"

"I don't know, why? Hic!" Lumpy asked with another hiccup.

"Because if they lived in pepper water, they'd never stop sneezing!" replied Lucretia.

Lumpy laughed over her joke, but was then caught off by yet one more, "Hic!"

"I'm sorry, guys…" the moose apologized. "I guess there's- Hic! -no way to get rid of- Hic! -these stupid hiccups."

"Permission to disagree?" Dot asked, and Lumpy turned his head to look at her, as well as Audrey and Lotta.

"Every case of hiccups has to end at some point," said Dot.

"Yeah," Lotta said in agreement. "But luckily, I think we know just how to get rid of your awful hiccups."

"Hic! You do?" Lumpy looked at them hopefully, and all three of the Harvey Girls nodded. That was when Audrey reached behind her back, but when Lumpy saw what she pulled out, his eyes widened and pupils shrunk in instant realization. "Is that… pepper? Hic!"

"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't," Audrey responded. Just after she'd said that, her eyelids lowered as her nose twitched a few times. She turned away from her friends, tilted her neck back for a second, then brought it forward with a sneeze. "Aaaah-choooo!"

"Gesundheit," Dot said as Audrey rubbed her nose with her forefinger.

"Yeah, Gesundheit," Lotta said in agreement.

"Thank you. Sorry, I always sneeze when I handle this stuff." Audrey gave a light sniffle to make sure her nose was completely satisfied, then pulled her finger away from her nose. She turned back to Lumpy as she resumed her explanation.

"Anyway, since we know sneezing is one way to get rid of the hiccups, we decided the only way to get rid of your hiccups is by making you sneeze."

"Oh… Hic!" Even though Lumpy hiccuped again, it was pretty obvious that he wasn't sure about the idea. "Are you sure about this, guys?"

"We're sorry, Lumpy, but they say desperate times call for desperate measures," said Lotta.

"If it makes you feel better, if this works, we'll all bless you instead of cheering," SpongeBob said.

With another hiccup, Lumpy nervously reached into his pocket and pulled out one of his white handkerchiefs, which he then held rather tightly in his hand.

"Okay. Go for it…!"

Audrey stepped up to Lumpy, then reached her free hand up to cover her nose. She turned her pepper shaker upside down as she held it over Lumpy's nose, then shook it up and down four separate times, causing a stream of black pepper particles to fall into the moose's nostrils.

It was safe to say that Lumpy's reaction was near instant. His eyes widened, and his pupils shrunk until they could barely be seen. His nose froze for a moment, but then began to tremble here and there, and his nostrils began to grow and shrink over and over. He lowered his eyelids as his mouth fell open, and his breath began to hitch. He was about to sneeze.

"Aaaaah… Haaaaaah… Aaaaaaaah…" inhaled Lumpy.

He could hear his friends gasping in shock, likely as they realized what was going to happen, but he couldn't concentrate on that. He just moved his neck backward as his eyes fell closed, and his nose and nostrils continued to twitch and wiggle.

"Haaaaaahhhhh… AaaaaAAAAH… HaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHHHH…"

As Lumpy continued to prepare himself for the upcoming sneeze, which he was more than certain was going to be a big one, Audrey pulled the pepper shaker away from his face. That was when all of his friends who happened to be here took a few steps back to get out of the way, and then they each prepared themselves as well. Audrey, Tootie and Bessie plugged their ears with their forefingers; Dot, SpongeBob and Gumball covered their ears with their hands; Lotta, Lucretia and FruFru covered their eyes with their hands; Putt-Putt drove to the back of the crowd, and Dr. Mario brought his arm up to shield himself.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-" Lumpy gave a final dramatic inhale, tilting his upper body as far backward as he could, and at last, he exploded. "CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Lumpy's entire upper body snapped forward as he released a huge and loud sneeze, with a good amount of saliva being released from his mouth, and a small amount of clear mucus being released from his nose. Fortunately, none of the mucus hit any of his friends, although the sneeze was audible enough to echo all throughout the park, as well as quite a few of the outdoor buildings around it. But even more fortunately, just as Lumpy let out the sneeze, the Hiccup Bubble that had been giving him so much misery emerged from his mouth, and the air that he expelled blew it far, far away from him as well as away from his friends.

After almost ten seconds had gone by, Lumpy finally finished releasing the sneeze, even though he lost almost every bit of his breath in the process. He sulked as he placed his forefinger underneath his nose, his eyes half-closed and nose slightly runny. Once it occurred to his friends that he was done exploding, they pulled their hands away from their ears and eyes - except for Putt-Putt, who simply drove back into view. As Lumpy began to rub his nose, they blessed him.

"Gesundheit!" said all three of the Harvey Girls in unison.

"Bless YOU, Lumpy!" said Tootie.

"Yeah, bless you!" said Lucretia and FruFru, also in unison.

"Salute, Lumpy!" said Dr. Mario, being Italian.

"Wow! Bless you, Lumpy!" said Putt-Putt.

"That was awesome! Bless you!" said Bessie, not believing her ears.

"Dude, bless you!" said Gumball.

"Bless you, Lumpy!" said SpongeBob.

Lumpy managed a little smile, even as he continued to rub his nose. "Th-thank you…"

He brought his handkerchief up to the end of his snout, then blew his nose, causing the cloth's edges to flutter for a couple of seconds. He quickly lost his breath again, however, but he kept his smile as he wiped his nose with the handkerchief.

"You okay?" SpongeBob asked, and Lumpy nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He turned to look at the Harvey Girls, still keeping his smile. "Thank you, Harvey Girls…"

"Don't mention it, Lumpy!" said Audrey.

"Judging by that smile on your face, I'd estimate releasing that massive sneeze was enough to cure your hiccups," Dot said, and Lumpy nodded to confirm that.

"Oh, joy!" Lotta cried in happiness. "Should we do something to celebrate?"

Lumpy sniffled, wiping his nose just a bit more with his handkerchief. "That's a good idea, but I think I'd rather wait until I don't feel so tired out anymore."

"Very well, then," Dot said.

"Okay. I understand," said Lotta.

"Yeah," everyone else said in agreement.

Unbeknownst to them, the Hiccup Bubble that Lumpy had sneezed out floated over to a certain castle. The wind blew it into one of the windows into the throne room, where King Dedede was sitting on the throne. He was laughing heartily to himself over his prank that he'd pulled, as well as the cases of hiccups that had been going around Multimedia - he thought they were simply hilarious.

But when he least expected it, the Hiccup Bubble made its way over to his face, then popped. He stopped laughing right there, but when he opened his eyes, all he could see was some green fluid spattering in the air.

"Huh?! Uh-oh…"

The next thing King Dedede knew, he'd let out a hiccup, which was forceful enough to make him jump off his seat for a brief moment. And less than a second after he'd landed, he hiccuped again, and the result was the same. In fact, he found himself in a constant barrage of hiccups, causing him to hop off of and land back in his seat over and over. The odd sounds were echoing throughout the throne room as well as the hall that led to it.

Escargoon heard the noises as he was walking down the hall, so he made his way to the throne room to find out what it was. When he saw King Dedede hiccuping like crazy, he couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll be worried later. Right now, this is almost as funny as what happened on King Dedede's One Minute Cooking!" Escargoon said to himself.

King Dedede couldn't comment on what he said; he couldn't even hear it over his uncontrollable bout of hiccups, anyway.

In the snail's defense, however, it was quite funny to watch Dedede hiccup as much as he was now. The king considered it quite the opposite, of course, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he'd gotten what he'd deserved: if Customer Service hadn't told him about the Hiccup Bubbles, he wouldn't have asked for the free sample he'd gotten, and Lumpy, Tootie and their friends wouldn't have gotten their hiccups. Besides, this definitely wasn't the first time karma came back to bite him after he'd given the town he ruled such a hard time, and it was more than likely that it wouldn't be the last.