[Mary & Rose]

The earth trembled and rocked underneath Mary's feet. Children screamed as the earth turned and the tunnel walls of the subway they were hiding in cracked. A terrible wind could be heard blasting through the tunnels, narrowly missing them in their little hideaway, a little storage room off to the side. Crack! Crash! People were thrown. Their world--it was being torn apart.

...Or at least, that's what it felt like anyway. Soon enough, things settled down. Mary was the first to check outside to see what had happened, mostly because all the boys who were normally a bit braver suddenly needed a change of pants. And in all fairness, Mary wasn't exactly in a good place right now either. She was sore from being thrown about, and silently kind of terrified of what she'd find. The power was understandably out, and she was forced to use a flashlight to see around.

...What she found was indeed horrifying, but maybe not in the way she expected. The entrance to the subway tunnel... was buried under tons of dirt. Caved in entirely. There was no way out.

No way, except...

Mary returned to the other children who found themselves trapped with her, shining her flashlight at them to get their attention. “We have to leave. We've been buried down here.” Mary explained rather simply. "...What? But all our stuff..." one of the other kids remarked amidst whines. “Grab what you can. I don't know if we have air down here anymore. Hold hands. We have to walk across the tracks...” Mary explained. "But... can't we just dig our way out?" one of the other kids asked. “No!” Mary quickly snapped, annoyed with their resistance. “It's a lot of dirt. We can't move that much. Trust me...” she more gingerly added after a moment. Sometimes she needed to be assertive to get people to listen, and it worked.

Soon enough, they were walking along the subway tracks. Mary knew the tracks were sometimes still in use, but surely not after a quake like that... The children talked as they walked, and Mary did her best to keep people moving and comfort them. She didn't exactly have an education, but she knew that remaining in control was important. It felt like they walked for hours and hours. Their legs began to hurt. She wondered if their flashlights would die on them before they found another train station. Eventually, they had to stop and rest.

Mary 150/150 HP 50/50 Shield

[Mari]

BIxMyifQp_1d30+3 (How many hours did Mary manage to keep the other kids walking for...)
p_1d20+12 (Everyone takes 22% damage from the forced march)

...As the group of children settles down to rest, right before the last of them drips off to sleep, the sound of a train horn echoes out through the tunnels, followed by a wicked cackle. Sitting in the conductor's seat of the phantom train barreling toward them wearing a conductor's hat was Marx, tugging on the cord for the horn with one of his hands. “Now now, you aren't tired already--are you..? Ready for a rest?? I wouldn't recommend it!”

p_1d4 (1d4; A one results in someone being immediately hit by the train and killed.)1d30+3·1d20+12·1d4

[Mary & Rose]

Mary all but jumped to her feet as a train horn scared the living daylights out of her. She instinctively began looking around to see who needed help, pulling a girl who seemed a bit out of it and overwhelmed up onto her feet and dragging her out of the way before the train could get to them.

“Come on!! Run, run!!” Mary shouted in a panic. She had no idea how they were supposed to outrun a train, but they had to try. There was nowhere else to go. Who was that crazy ...thing chasing them?! This didn't look like any of the subways from her world. It looked much more like an old fashioned train, one she frankly didn't recognize. That was when she saw it. The windows on the side of the train were open. It also wasn't moving nearly as fast as she thought it might be. They were almost outrunning it--but not quite.

Mary megamerged, turning about and brandishing her broom. With a bit of practice, she used it to vault into the air, launching herself at the train window, throwing out her feet first and aiming for Marx!

nsanWDvap_1d20+1 (Mary's dropkick!)

Mary 128/150 HP 50/50 Shield

1d20+1

[Mari]

xqhJAhc5p_1d20+5 (Marx's Dodge; Success)

Mary... misjudges her attack so badly that she not only misses Marx, but she misses the window, instead slamming into the windshield with enough force that she shatters it, and then slamming into the back of the cabin wall.

((Mary takes 30% damage from that little stunt.))

“...Well aren't you a little troublemaker. Is that really what you wanted? To sacrifice yourself for your 'friends'? ...Well, wish granted~!”

Marx promptly snapped his fingers, a hole in space appearing beneath Mary, attempting to cast her down onto the tracks beneath the train.

p_1d20+7 (Marx's hit by an actual fucking train; Does 500% Damage)

p_1d4 (1 results in the train catching one of the fleeing kids...)1d20+5·1d20+7·1d4

[Mary & Rose]

Mary gracelessly bounced off the cabin wall, her dress torn and uncomfortably large amounts of blood streaking down her legs and across her arms. Oh man, that hurt. That was a really stupid idea, come to think of it. Tears streamed down her face as she got back up. This was... probably the worst pain she'd felt in her entire life. Regardless, she forced herself to continue. There was only one way to save her friends.

QPHvOFulp_1d20+0 (Mary's Dodge; Success)

Mary lunged forward for Marx before he could drop her onto the tracks, broom raised over her head. She attempted to clock him over the head with it, hard! “No--I'm here to beat you up you stupid giganto-grape-clown!!” Mary snapped as she attacked.

p_1d20+3 (Mary's Broom Smash; Does p_3d8+9 damage)

She then made a dash for the emergency break...

p_1d20 (Mary's attempt to get to the emergency break before Marx recovers)

Mary 98/150 HP 50/50 Shield

1d20+0·1d20+3·3d8+9·1d20

[Mari]

ncEhEHB4p_1d20+5 (Marx's Dodge)
p_1d20+5 (Marx's Attempt to stop Mary)

It takes quite a bit of effort, but with the aid of her biometal Mary is able to pull the emergency break! The train screeches to a hault somewhat violently, the other children continuing to flee. Mary. As you stand there, a little pool of your own blood beginning to form at your own feet, Marx sorta hesitates a moment before floating forward to enter your field of view, peaking over your shoulder with a stunned expression on his face. He shook his head slightly in disbelief.

“...You saucy little minx. You've ruined my mischief!!” he scolded, grabbing Mary by her shoulders and forcing her to face him. His form suddenly shifted to more closely resemble marx soul, emitting a horrible scream at her that, at point blank range, hit her like an explosion and tore through the fabric of space, launching Mary straight through the tunnel wall and inadvertently ejecting her out onto the surface like she'd just been shot out of a cannon.

((Marx's Final Smash; Mary takes 150% damage))

...Mary lands near a river in the mushroom kingdom.1d20+5·1d20+5

[Mary & Rose]

...Weird. She'd kind of expected the world to stop looking creepy after she escaped the Forest of Illusion. A pink yoshi named Rose meekly waddled her way out into Toad Town. However, seeing that it was seemingly in ruins she... chickened out and decided to go search somewhere else. Clearly she'd taken a wrong turn somewhere.

aXI_bsORp_1d4-1 (How many hours does it take Rose to find Mary)

...Rose discovers this bloody, unconscious girl laying in the dirt, her biometal desperately trying to keep her from dying by staying merged with her. She looked around for a moment in alarm, discovering no one else nearby. She quickly moved in closer. ...She looked awfully small for a human. Was this what a baby human looked like? She took a good long moment to check Mary over, sort of debating what to do. It took her a bit, but she eventually realized... this girl was alive! Oh!

...She swallowed her anxiety, and then she swallowed Mary, laying her in an egg. It was the only way she knew how to try and save her. Hoisting the egg onto her back, she began carrying Mary off in search of civilization.

(Rose is using her eggs restorative properties to heal Mary!)

Mary -52/150 HP 50/50 Shield Inside an Egg

Rose 150/150 HP 50/50 Shield

1d4-1

[Mari]

For now, there is no response from the egg. Mary is too injured to respond to being eaten. Eventually as Rose wanders though, she encounters a monster snake in her path!

"Oooh~! What'cha got there? An egg..? I could really go for an egg. Gimme!"

The monster snake attacks! It attempts to lunge for the egg and steal it from Rose.

QBMDdu|gp_1d20+3 (Snek Steals)1d20+3

[Mary & Rose]

(It isn't possible for Rose to fail that dodge roll, even on a nat 1)

Seeing the snake lunge for her and her egg, Rose's mothering instincts kicked in and she bounced backward, glaring at the snake. She then bounced back at it, attempting to kick it into submission!

etH|zhWqp_1d20+2 (Kickening)

"Yo-shi!" she defiantly remarked.

Mary -52/150 HP 50/50 Shield Inside an Egg

Rose 150/150 HP 50/50 Shield

1d20+2

[Mari]

"--Ow!! Ow! Quit it you big--"

The monster snake attempts to bite Rose to get her off!

W|OJEvRhp_1d20+3 (Snek Bite; Does 20% Damage)

p_1d20+3 (Snek Double Bite; Does 20% Damage)

"I'm starving over here. Just gimme the egg!!"

1d20+3·1d20+3

[Mary & Rose]

OTnSnyCBp_1d20+4 (Bite Dodge; Failure)
p_1d20+4 (Bite Dodge; Failure)

Rose cried out in pain as she was bitten twice in quick succession, doubling back and lightly hissing at the snake in a hostile manner. A moment later though, the egg on her back began to wobble. “H-Huh..? Where am I..?” Mary asked.

Mary -52/150 HP 50/50 Shield Inside an Egg

Rose 110/150 HP 50/50 Shield

1d20+4·1d20+4

[Mari]

"...Huh? Wait. That's your--...There's a baby in there?"
"...I don't want to eat your baby. I'm a mom too, y'know. Hehe, that egg looks pretty big. It must've been hard on you. ...Sorry about that."

The monster snake reluctantly retreats, leaving Mary and Rose to meet each other properly.

[Mary & Rose]

EXpatGKLp_1d50+100 (How much Mary healed for in the egg over time)

Rose paused as the snake reluctantly slid away. ...Huh. Well, she guessed that worked out! She hadn't really much wanted to fight anyway. Whoever knew being a mom could save your life? She shifted the egg from her back and plopped down on the ground to lightly embrace it, holding it in place. She didn't want it to roll away or anything. “H-Hey, let me out!” Mary blurted out, mildly spooked by well--being unborn. She then began to squirm and kick a little within her egg.

p_2d60 (How long does it take Mary to get out.)

...But she proved to be a little too weak to break the egg all that easily. It took her several long minutes before the egg finally gave, the top shattering open. She poked her head out of the egg to see a dinosaur staring at her and promptly ducked back in, the shattered top of the egg falling back into place. Rose snickered in amusement. Man, it would certainly be helpful if she could speak common instead of just understanding it. After a few moments, Mary ever-so-sneakily lifted the broken egg top slightly so that her eyes could peak out. To her surprise, this wild creature seemed to have very little interest in biting or otherwise attacking her. ...She was also prettier than Mary had initially gathered in her brief panic. Rose was watching her, and for a good long moment, Mary watched back.

...Rose gently lifted the broken egg top and carefully placed it aside, leaning in to get a better view of Mary. “Yoshi~!” she greeted. Mary was momentarily spooked by this. However, she quickly began to gather that something was wrong here. Or rather, right but very much strange. This creature's body language was overtly communicating a lot of friendliness that she'd never expect from a wild animal except maybe an exceptionally friendly dog. “...Hi~” Mary meekly offered, unsure if the yoshi understood her. In response, Rose fondly waved at her. Mary tilted her head slightly in confusion, but it was good enough for her to conclude that the yoshi apparently did. “...Did you put me in this egg?” Mary asked, squirming and wriggling until the egg fell over and then crawling out. She stood up to inspect herself, curious about the... distinct lack of major pain now that she had some light. A lot of her more serious wounds had 'magically' healed during her time in incubation, and frankly though she was a bit less dry than she wanted to be she was considerably cleaner too. That is to say, there was no blood. Her biometal had unfused with her once she stabilized to allow her to rest easier, leaving her in a raggedy patchwork dress instead of the pretty red one she wore whenever she merged.

“...You've been taking care of me?” Mary curiously asked, able to put two and two together despite being terrible at math. The yoshi eagerly nodded. Mary blushed slightly in confusion at the circumstances. She still didn't understand how she got in that egg, or why this creature was helping her at all. But she knew the important bits, ...probably. “Th-Thank you... But I have to go find my friends.” she very meekly replied, turning about and running off to do just that. Before she got far though, Rose jumped in her path and waved her arms back and forth in a cut gesture. Mary halted, looking up at the yoshi in wonder. What could she be wanting to tell her... Mary had no idea, but she did have faith that this yoshi wanted to help her. So maybe... “...Do you want to help me find them? We got separated earlier and something strange is going on. I'm worried that if I don't find them, they'll get hurt or...” Mary very softly explained. At this, Rose hesitated. She'd only meant to warn Mary not to run off alone, because she wasn't sure babies should be left alone period, but hearing Mary explain her situation did make her reconsider her intentions. There were ... others? And they needed help? Perhaps she'd underestimated this girl's age a bit. She sounded a bit more grown-up than she'd initially given her credit for.

Rose offered Mary her hand to shake. Mary was a bit put off by the weirdness of the handshake, but took it after a moment. A moment later, she was pulled onto Rose's back! This wasn't a handshake at all! “Yosh~!” Rose encouragingly remarked, doing her best attempt to say 'yes' without practice. She then began carrying Mary around in search of her friends! Mary was initially quite flustered by this, however Rose was also immensely faster than she was and she still hadn't fully recovered from her fight with Marx. Wrapping her arms and legs around Rose for security, she clung onto her! To her delight, there was a distinct comfort to the warmth of being close to her like this. She hadn't realized just how instinctively she'd ignored the cold until just then. ...This would do. She began attempting to describe the other kids as they rode, getting a feel for riding all the while. It did result in her words getting cut off by a bounce of Rose's steps every so often.

Mary 87/150 HP 50/50 Shield

Rose 110/150 HP 50/50 Shield

1d50+100·2d60

[Mari]

GgmaCTDSp_1d6 (How many hours it takes to find the other kids)

As the two girls, united now, wandered around in search of Mary's friends, they do hear some screaming children in the distance.

p_1d4 (Has anyone died? A 1 means yes...)

However, as they try and pursue the sound, a troop of infected koopa kingdom enemies present themselves in their path, turning to stare at them as they notice the pair of girls! They then began marching toward them, intent on infecting them both.

(Mary and Rose, there are 12 enemies between you and the end of the level. Roll dexterity to test your platforming. For every 3 under 20, Rose takes 20 damage and Mary takes 10. If you roll 10 or below, fall into a bottomless pit!)1d6·1d4

[Mary & Rose]

“--Huh?? That sounds like Carol!” Mary announced. “Hm!” Rose softly grunted. She didn't know what these goonies and bandits and shy guys and goombas wanted, but she could tell they were looking for trouble. Rushing forward, she attempted to carve a path through the infected forces!

PWK|juhHp_1d20+4 (Critical Success; Rose' experience pays off)

Stomp. Cronch. Nomf. Rose's experience babysitting the Fearsome Five proved to prepare her quite nicely for this fight. A good five enemies were eaten and egg laid, mildly startling Mary as she watched and felt what was going on. However, Mary wasn't just sitting back and letting Rose do all the work either. As infected tried to come at Rose from the side and flank her, Mary produced a frying pan and began smacking them as they got close, warding them off long enough for Rose to get them or in a few cases knocking them silly!

As they reached the end of the infected forces, the last enemy turned out to be a Fat Guy. Or rather, a very obese Shy Guy. “...I don't think he can catch uuuuh--” Mary began, only to trail off as Rose yanked the Fat Guy into her and swallowed him whole, the force of her expanding belly pushing off the ground and up into Mary popping Mary up into the air briefly. “--Holy cow!” Mary remarked, thoroughly flustered by Rose's appetite. She hadn't thought she could even fit a Guy that big in her belly! Rose paused and glanced back at her, lightly patting her leg in a reassuring manner before laying the Fat Guy as a giant egg.

Mary glanced behind her now that the fighting was done, staring at the bouncing pink yoshi eggs for a good long moment. Hold on... Two plus two equals ... Two plus six equals ... “...Did you eat me??” Mary asked, suddenly realizing how she'd gotten into an egg. Rose took a moment to consider the rather unusual question. (Yeah, why?) she asked, not that Mary could understand her. Mary did, however, understand her tone. Her nose wrinkled slightly. “Eww... You pooped me!” Mary remarked somewhat indignantly, very lightly smacking Rose's shoulder in a sore fashion. Rose barely felt the slap, but she was slightly more hurt by the remark. Huh?? Why was Mary mad at her?? What had she done??

Mary sorta pouted at Rose for a good few moments before she noticed that Rose was giving her a confused and kinda insulted look that suggested she'd hurt the yoshis feelings. The very much human idea that being eaten is weird or exceptionally bad compared to other forms of violence was not only lost on Rose, but entirely alien to her. All she saw was someone complaining about having their life saved and protected from thugs who wanted to hurt them. From her perspective, it might as well have been insane. “...Uh--Not that I don't appreciate being rescued and taken care of or anything. ...Thanks, by the way. You were actually really incredible eating up all those bad animals.” Mary meekly added after a moment, not wishing to offend her new friend. She really was impressed by what Rose had done. It mostly her own being eaten that disagreed with her. This seemed to satisfy Rose, who passed the thoughts of confusion and offense from her mind. It probably wasn't a big deal anyway, right?

Mary 87/150 HP 50/50 Shield

Rose 110/150 HP 50/50 Shield

1d20+4