-Chapter 37-

Mary Pat in Mushroom World

Toad Town

In the Toad Town mall, MP looked over her new outfit in the mirror. It consisted of a magenta T-shirt with the word "Hi" on the front, and "Bye" on the back, a teal zipper hoodie, and some comfortable jeans plucked from the men's section for their pockets. They had contemplated some new sneakers, but quickly discovered that she needed the Thwomp Stompers to keep up with her brothers.

"I can't believe they had clothes in my size," she mused as she slid her cap onto her head.

"They ship outfits from New Donk City," Mario explained, stacking some coins on the check-out counter.

"New Donk City…" Mips wracked her brain, trying to remember the geography lessons she'd received. "That's... Oh! The Capital of the Metro Kingdom."

Luigi nodded. "Where we first emerged in this world."

"Lucky you. How different is it from Manhattan?"

"Not very, actually," Mario replied. "So, now that our horrific incident of terror is over, how 'bout we give you the Toad Town tour?"

Mips rolled her eyes. "Horrific incident of terror? We were clothes shopping. Unless you want me to be walking around in busted overalls and a stained collared shirt."

Mario shrugged. "I never liked clothes shopping."

MP smiled. "But yeah. I never really got a good look at the place when I…. y'know."

"Follow us, then.

MP followed the two into Toad Town, where she takes in the sights. Off to the side, multiple Toads hit coin blocks, withdrawing money like an ATM.

"Huh," MP mused. "One coin at a time. Those little guys must get massive headaches when they need big deposits."

"That's generally why they use their fists." Mario said as he caught a dropped coin, handing it to the Toad in question.

They passed by a pet shop with Cheep-Cheeps, one customer carrying one out in a bag. MP found her attention grabbed by an antique shop, where a younger Toad was buying an NES cartridge.

"Does this thing work?" the customer asked.

"Yes, of course," the salesman assured. "You just have to blow into it."

"Oh wow," Mips let out. "I know Iggy made most of his tech out of old video game paraphernalia, but actually seeing it here… You think they have a Switch I can buy? I wanna redo my Animal Crossing Island, or maybe play that Cult of the Lamb game."

"Once payday rolls around, maybe." Mario replied. "So… how about lunch?"

"Oh absolutely, I'm starving. "

"What was food like in the Dark Lands?" Luigi asked.

"Well, I had a lot of soup and tea." Mary Pat grimaced. "Probably so Kamek could better hide the Lame Brain potion. But Junior did make me some sandwiches that tasted pretty cool. I just didn't ask what the meat was."

"I know just the place to eat." Mario led them to a rustic-looking place, a sign reading "Toadstool Cafe" swinging over the door. They took seats, picking up menus and looking them over. MP cringed at the sight of what was on it.

"Mushrooms… mushrooms… Everything on this menu has mushrooms as the main ingredient. Like, come on."

"Not everything," Mario insisted. "Besides, you gotta stop with the pickiness."

"You know I hate mushrooms!" MP immediately backpedaled at the gasps from several Toads. " Edible mushrooms! Edible! You guys are adorable!"

The Toads relaxed, nodding.

"Picky eater, eh? Challenge accepted!"

They turned to see a Toad with a red cap with white spots, dressed in a chef outfit.

"Mario! Luigi!" he greeted. "How are my best customers doing?"

"Oh great, Chef Toad," Mario replied. "This is our sister, Mary Pat."

"Call me MP, or Mips," MP insisted. "Everyone does."

The Chef nodded. "Alright, MP. Don't like mushrooms, huh?"

"Nope," MP shook her head. "Hate the taste, hate the texture. I'll eat them in sauce though, provided it's thick enough to mask the taste."

"Well, let's see if we can change that." The Chef thought before snapping his fingers. "I believe I have just the thing. The specialty of my house."

MP soon found herself looking over a Super Mushroom styled -x-like a pizza bowl. The red cap had been cooked to a golden brown crisp, and flaked off to reveal it had been stuffed with pizza ingredients.

"The Super Mushroom Pizza Bowl," the Chef boasted. "My secret recipe."

"Mama Mia… this looks delicious!" MP slid the crust lid off, breaking off part to scoop up a healthy bite of the bowl. She took a bite, and nearly went cross-eyed. "My compliments, Chef! This is Sorprendente! (1)"

The Chef smiled. "I knew you'd like it." He turned to Mario and Luigi. "The usual for you two?"

Mario nodded. "Please."

The Chef departed, coming back with a bacon cheeseburger topped with mushrooms, with a side of fries and tomatoes, and a green Koopa shell-shaped calzone, setting them before Mario and Luigi respectively. "Bon appétit!"

They all ate with gusto.

"I'll say this much," MP mused. "I'm looking forward to trying the unique cuisine. It's one of the benefits of being isekai'ed."

-X-

After paying, MP turned to her brothers while folding her arms behind her head.

"Could we go to the castle next? I… kinda owe Princess Peach a major apology."

Mario nodded. "She has been asking us about you, so it works out."

They headed out, stepping atop a yellow platform as safety bars fell before it.

"And up we go!" Luigi declared.

"Up we- WHOA!"

The platform shot up, depositing them on the next floor. Mario and Luigi walked ahead, only for MP to stop short to see the way forward was two similar yellow platforms floating and moving back and forth.

"Oh sweet mother of platformers…" she gasped. "Mario? Lu…"

"Right." Luigi knelt down before her. "Hop on."

She climbed onto his back. "The worlds I visited as Blue Hood didn't have this crazy stuff."

"Some do. Some don't," Mario replied.

They hopped across the platforms with practiced ease, before going across a path of Brick Blocks floating ahead.

"Word of advice," Mario cautioned. "Don't look down."

"Yeah, after someone pushed me off a beanstalk, I have a thing for heights."

Luigi gave her a look. "We didn't push you. You tripped."

"Semantics," Mips teased, sticking out her tongue for a bit before getting serious. "Though I have to ask, how are these bricks just floating? Is this Minecraft?"

"Just don't question it," Luigi told her. "You'll drive yourself nuts."

-X-

"And here we are," Mario said at last. "Peach's Castle."

"Wow, it looks… a lot grander from this angle." She slid off Luigi's back. "And they've already repaired the damage from my assault? Wow, these Toads work fast."

Her face fell slightly and she grew a bit nervous.

"You don't think she's upset with me about the whole… y'know…"

"Not at all," Luigi assured. "You were brainwashed. You weren't yourself."

"Maybe…" She rubbed the back of her head. "Doesn't change what I did."

They head into Peach's throne room at that. MP winced at the sight of Peach's face; her black eye was fading and the cut on her lip was almost completely healed.

"Hello, boys," she greeted before turning to MP. "Mary Pat. I hope you're settling in well."

"As well as I can," MP grimaced. "Look... I wanted to apologize for… well, for everything. How I treated the Toads, what I did to you… Calling you a puttana…"

"Kamek was brainwashing you," Peach insisted. "It's not your fault."

"Doesn't mean I don't feel bad." MP bowed her head. "I'm sorry."

Peach placed a hand on her shoulder. "You're forgiven."

MP sighed with a smile. "I hope I can make up for my actions while under Kamek's control, though I doubt there's much I can do. Unlike my brothers, I'm nothing special." She blushed. "Lu had to carry me across the platforms just to get here, even with my Thwomp Stompers."

"Is that so?"

MP nodded. "Yeah. Everything I did as Blue Hood was my Koopa Soopa Suit. Well… except for the boxing. That I learned from Papi. the running, jumping, crazy stuff… that was the suit."

"Well, perhaps we can work on that."

"Seriously?"

Peach smiled. "Follow me."

They were led to a balcony behind the castle. Peach pressed a button on the balcony, and they watched as a massive ? Block emerges from the water, unfolding into an obstacle course

"Whoa…" MP let out in awe. "That is... so cool!"

"The Training Course," Peach explained. "All of my best soldiers went through it at least once. Mario, would you care to do the honors?"

"Absolutely." Mario tipped his cap, then took off.

They watched as Mario ran into the course, leaping over spikes, kicking off walls, ducking under Fire Bars, dodging Piranha Plants, dashing over collapsing platforms, bouncing off Bullet Bills, and finally smashing through a wooden cutout of Bowser before reaching the Goal Pole, doing a perfect handstand on it before sliding down.

"Show off!" MP playfully jeered as she applauded.

"Thank you, thank you," Mario bowed.

MP perked a bit, realization. "Wait... how am I supposed to do all that? I only have the boots, not the full suit."

"This should help." Peach hit a ? Block next to them, depositing a power-up that MP caught... only to recoil when she saw it was a Super Mushroom.

"Seriously? What is this?"

"Super Mushroom," Peach replied.

"And you expect me to eat this… raw?"

"It actually doesn't taste like one," Luigi insisted.

"Wait, really?" She bit into it, then gagged and spat it out. "You liar!"

"Go on," Peach told her. "Get it over with."

MP went to eat it, but stopped. "Does this have to be a mushroom? Cause I just hate mushrooms and..."

She saw Peach glaring at her to hurry up. "Okay, okay." She cleared throat and tried to eat it again. "Are you sure there's not like a–"

"Just hold your nose while you eat it," Mario told her. "You won't taste mushrooms then."

"That doesn't work! I tried that and it doesn't work!"

"Look, if you eat the thing and make it through the course, I'll make you one of my world famous cakes," Peach offered.

"Her cakes are to die for," Mario confirmed. "I definitely recommend 'em."

Mips gave him the side-eye. "Like Ma's cakes?"

Luigi leaned in. "Better."

Wide-eyed, Mips was sold. Taking a deep breath, she shoved the mushroom into her mouth, quickly swallowing it before the taste could linger. She still gagged and shook out her tongue, but she managed to finish it.

"So gross…" she shuddered before she felt the effect take hold. She grew taller, feeling stronger. "Whoa! What the heck?!"

"Super Mushrooms increase your strength." Peach set out a Brick Block. "Test it out."

MP hesitated for a minute before punching the block, smashing it into shrapnel. She let out a shocked laugh, looking at her fist in surprise.

"Whoa! It's like I'm wearing the suit! Man, if we had mushrooms that could do this back home, I'd eat Mom's gratin more often."

"I know, right?" Mario replied.

"Alright... let's do this." MP tapped her feet on the ground, stretching before running out and jumping with all her might... only to miss her landing and plummet, crashing into multiple brick platforms and landing in the water, Mario and Luigi wincing and cringing all the while. A second passed before the curved Warp Pipe next to them spat a sopping wet MP out.

"Ow…" she slowly sat up. "I forgot just how much I suck at platformers… even that stupid Wii Fit obstacle course was a challenge."

"You've also got to re-up your Super Mushroom," Peach informed her, handing her a new one. "All power ups fade once you're hit."

"Lame!" Mips exclaimed before reluctantly downing the second mushroom.

-X-

The next several hours saw MP repeatedly trying to clear the course, enduring failures like hitting a Brick Block, overshooting a platform, falling down a Donut Lift, being chomped by a Piranha Plant, smacked by Fire Bars, and launched by Bullet Bills. Each time, she got up to try again, eating another Super Mushroom... before she gagged and knelt over the balcony, barfing it out as Mario patted her back and Luigi held her hair away from her face.

Finally, as day broke, the Bros. and Peach woke up to see MP running through it again, busting through Brick Blocks as she ran and performing much like Mario did his first round... only to be caught by a Piranha Plant just as she leapt for the flagpole.

"Oh for-!" Her words were muffled as she was shaken around before slammed hard into the water. She was spat back out by the pipe, but she didn't get up this time. "I was right there! Stupid plant!"

"You almost got it that time, though." Peach pointed out.

"Yeah," Mario agreed. "No one gets it right away."

MP raised an eyebrow. "Really? How many tries did it take you, Mario?

"Uh... so many," Mario said. "Like, too many to count. I was bad at it. Even worse than you."

"You got it on the first try, didn't you?" Mips deadpanned.

"...I got it on the first try."

"Lu?"

"Took me seven."

"Ugh..." Mary Pat flopped back.

"But to be fair, we're actually from this world," Mario countered. "Guess I'm just like a duck to water."

"Okay, now you're just trying to make me feel better."

"No, of course not!" Mario insisted before going silent for a moment. "Is it working?"

Mips cracked a small smile. "...A little bit, yeah."

They laughed, leaning on one another

"Huh," Peach mused. "I see it now."

"See what?" MP asked.

"The family bond."

MP smiled at that. "Yeah. No blood ties required."

At that moment, Mario checked his watch. "Oh wow... we've been gone for a long time. The Builders' Union should be done with the basement by now."

"Builder's Union?" MP repeated.

"Eyup," Luigi bent down, pulling Mary Pat onto his back. "You didn't think we'd be having you sleep on the couch forever, did you?"

"It was good meeting you," Peach told her. "Don't be a stranger."

MP nodded. "It was nice to meet you too. For real this time."

Back at their house, Mario led MP down the steps, the girl's eyes closed as Luigi stood at the basement door.

"Alright… now."

MP opened her eyes and gasped in amazement. The entire basement had been converted into a cozy room for her, complete with her own bathroom. She had a bed with a colorful comforter and several pillows, a large bookshelf with some books and a new Switch already on the charger, as well as a desk with a comfortable chair and some tasteful artwork on the walls. Her Soopa Suit was set up in a corner, and Kiwi was curled up on a little pet bed next to her own. She even had a small couch with a TV for her personal use.

"Guys... this is... I love it!"

Luigi smiled. "We thought you would."

"The books are copies of some of the ones you had back home," Mario added. "They didn't have everything, but we did what we could."

She hugged them both, squeezing them tightly. "Thank you… so much…"

Author's Note:

(1): Amazing

Nice little wrap-up, eh?

Chef Toad and his cafe are from the Super Nintendo World theme park, and yes, the training course and the like came from the movie.

Voice cast for this chapter:

* Chef Toad - Patton Oswalt (Remy in Ratatouille, Professor Dementor in Kim Possible)

Please R&R. Until next time!