Mimi and all characters and events from Mario games do not belong to me. They are the property of Nintendo.

I am nothing, no one, and I belong nowhere.

I've forgotten how long I have roamed these worlds. The days blur together, possibly to form years. How many years, however, I could not possibly guess.

My memory was spotty at best. I have a few memories, the most prominent of which was just a vision of fire. It is a blaze that was wild and untamable, that formed walls higher than anyone dared to traverse. People ran to and fro, begging, pleading, screaming. Some seemed to know it was in vain, and sat as the sky came falling down. The bells tolled and thunder shook the ground. The most piercing screams and wails had pierced the air. I remember heat and then the burn, the smell, the pain. Then, there was a shrieking whistle that met my ears and all goes black.

That was my clearest memory. The rest before that was unclear to me. Those memories were glimpses of people, of places. The more I tried to make sense of them, the more they seemed to slip from my grasp. Men and women appeared in my dreams, though I didn't know them. Days pass by as I roam, struggling to grasp any semblance of my past.

I was nothing, no one. I belonged nowhere. Yet, here I was.

I had been sitting at the very edge of the street, sheltered from the most part from the pedestrians that would soon crowd the streets. I had tapped my metal fingers idly on the wood of a vendor stall, occasionally running them over the grooves in the wood. The utilitarian magic that thrummed through my body allowed me to feel the rough texture of the stall. I watched the skies fade from a deep indigo into dawn, with lilac and orange beginning to paint the morning sky. I knew, from sitting here for some while, that this place, this world, was a beautiful place that radiated life and color even at night.

I pulled my fingers away from the stall to survey them. They were just as I had come to remember them. A dark grey metal with only a little bit of sheen in the light, jointed and sectioned off much like a wooden doll's body would be. The fingers were pointed and sharp, a bit spider-like in appearance. I glanced at my feet, which rested on the worn cobblestone streets. Dark metal, jointed, and a bit pointed, similar to knight's armor. I did have toes, however. They had been carefully sculpted and separated, though they would ultimately be unnoticeable unless one looked closely. The carefully made toes would certainly allow me to wear cute sandals, though. Should I ever get to a point that I could get a pair or two. Or ten.

I watched silently as the citizens of this small town in this very big world exited their homes and made their way down the street. The goods they carried were in wooden boxes and baskets, ready to be placed on the counters and in the bins of the vendor stalls on this market street. I watched as more and more people gathered in the marketplace and began to start the day anew.

The magic unfolded before my eyes.

Item after item filled the vendor stalls. In one, jewelry of all kinds was carefully displayed. Beads, gems, precious metals all woven together to make lovely bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and rings. In another, cloth bags were being hung and displayed. Tonics, potions, soaps, and perfumes were set out for customers to try. Glass ornaments lined the counter of a stall far away from me while the one across from it appeared to have various trinkets. A young boy stood, proudly showing off his collection of items that granted various abilities; Fire Bursts, Shooting Stars, Mighty Tonics, and Courage Shells, amongst other things, lined his counters along with a stack of Catch Cards. One man was displaying his rugs as a young woman began to stock various sorts of candies in her stall. The smell of baking bread and sweet sugar met my nose as someone I assumed to be the baker walked out from a small building and started to set up their own stall just outside of it. A butcher carefully displayed options for meat in front of his shop. A rather large stall had begun to put ripe produce, colorful fruits and vegetables, into bins and bags for display. A small part of me hoped that tangerines would find their way into one of the bins, the sweet juicy fruit surfacing to the front of my mind from my scattered memories.

The cozy town's marketplace had begun to explode with life as the sun rose and the people did as well. Even through the smell of pastries, I could smell the spices that were in bowls just a few stalls down. It seemed breakfast had approached, as more scents of cooking meat, baking bread, and the faint smells of cooking peppers reached my nose. If my stomach could properly growl, it likely would. The rumble caused by the magic in my core, however, echoed the feeling I vaguely remembered. Hunger. Breakfast could wait just a little while longer, though.

I turned my attention to another vendor with several women crowded around it to prepare it. What I saw stopped my magic metal heart.

Dresses. Dresses upon dresses upon dresses. Pink, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red in all shades. Silvers, greys, golden hues, whites, blacks, and browns joined the rainbow assortment of clothes. Some were short, others long. Sheer dresses, flowing dresses, thick wool dresses. Tulle, silk, velvet, wool, linen, cotton, satin, and chiffon dresses. Intricate patterns, delicate embroidery, flattering cuts of cloth. They were all beautiful.

Much unlike the shapeless grey tunic I wore now. It barely reached my mid-thighs and it was not, in any way, beautiful, luxurious, or even flattering. How comfortable it was could be put up for debate as well.

I sighed. I was vain, and I couldn't deny it. It was vanity that caused me to so desperately want one of those lovely dresses. No, I yearned for one. What was the harm in a little vanity, anyway? Just one dress. Just one beautiful thing to own and be proud of. Just one thing out of all of my nothing.

I sank back, leaning against the stone wall of the building behind me. I was surrounded by jewels, dresses, and sweets. A slow smile spread across my face as I briefly pushed the thoughts of dresses from my mind and surveyed the citizens. There were several boys around my age, or what I assumed to be around my age since I still could not quite remember it, were scattered throughout the market. Many were attractive, to say the least, some of them tall with memorable faces, broad shoulders, and strong arms in addition to smooth voices.

I was surrounded by jewels, dresses, sweets, and hot boys.

Perhaps I could find a way to stay for a while.

I sat there quite a while longer, simply content to watch, until the sun was high in the sky, climbing towards the very top. Eventually, I pulled myself up to stand. My metal legs and arms creaked at the sudden movements. I then began to walk down the cobblestone street, my feet making minimal noise against the stone. I'd taught myself to walk gingerly on hard surfaces, to avoid the clanking of my feet against the ground.

I glance over at the window of the bakery. I see my reflection staring back at me as well as various sorts of bread that sat on the other side of the glass. My face was still the light shade of green, just like my slender neck as well as my thin torso, which was hidden beneath the blob of grey fabric that was my dress. My hair was still a darker green, untied and long enough to hit my shoulder; it was a little tangled, but that was to be expected with hair that curled in wild patterns and odd angles. My eyes were large and black, my nose small, and my lips plump and a slightly darker green than my face. My slender limbs were long and a dark grey, jointed like a doll's.

I surprised I didn't look worse, didn't look dirtier. I certainly felt like it. I looked forward to a bath, or at least a chance to wash off the grime that had appeared on my form.

"Terrance! Get out here!"

I whirled around to face the door of the bakery, where the older man I had seen setting out pastries before was beckoning for someone to come to the door. Likely whoever this Terrance was.

A teenage boy in plain clothes and an apron came to the door, a confused expression on his face. He stepped outside as the older baker jerked his head in my direction and lightly pushed him towards the vendor stall. The older man in white then quickly stepped inside, giving the boy an encouraging smile and a thumbs up before swiftly shutting the door.

The boy looked over at me, giving me a clear view of his light periwinkle skin as well as his long, messy indigo hair tied into a ponytail and eyes of the same dark hue. He was decently tall and he appeared to be older than my estimate of my age, based on the strong jaw and broad shoulders. He gave me a nervous smile as he awkwardly shifted from foot to foot. This Terrance was very, very cute.

Then it hit me. Was this because of me? Did the older man shove this boy out her to talk to me?

Perhaps this was my lucky day.

I flashed him a pretty smile before approaching the counter where the pastries and bread were displayed. I shoved down my worry over the grey cloth that swallowed my body, the grime that had started to appear on my face, and my tangled, messy hair. I had a boy to woo, and I wasn't going to let those things stop me, even if they should.

"Hi," I said after a moment, still smiling. I'd give him the one thing that I always knew about myself, without any doubt regarding it. My name. "I'm Mimi, but you can call me Mimikins if you want. What's your name, cutie?" I asked with a giggle, despite knowing it already. I absentmindedly twirled a lock of my dark green hair around my finger, momentarily forgetting about the fact that my limbs were metal.

"Terrance," the boy said before a dark blush formed over his cheeks. He must have realized I called him cutie. I was definitely being honest, though. I savored that blush on his face as he continued. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mimi."

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," I replied, coyly tilting my head and batting my eyelashes at him.

He seemed to be realizing I was far too much for him as the blush spread to the very tips of his ears. He started to stammer before finally being able to get an intelligible sentence out.

"U-uh, is there s-something I-I can get for y-you, Mimi?" he asked.

I almost froze entirely. I'd forgotten how little money I had. I only had a few coins to spare. Coins. I hated coins, especially when there were very, very few of them. I had decided some time ago I much preferred a currency that could pay for lots. Unfortunately, I had no such thing on me.

But pastries and cute boys would be so worth it. There were few better things, especially when they were in the same place.

"How much for a cinnamon roll and a croissant?" I asked. I figured pure sweets shouldn't be the first thing I ate today. Hence the croissant.

"Usually that would be 25 coins," Terrance started to say. Oh. Oh. I don't think I have that much. Before I could balk at the price or say anything else, however, he continued. "But I don't think my boss will mind too much if I give them to you at half price, 12 coins."

I blinked in surprise. I could pay 12 coins. I might even have a few left over.

"I…Are you sure?" I asked after a moment.

"Of course. You're a pretty lady, and you can consider it my gift to you," he said, wearing a slightly more confident smile.

I smiled and blushed despite myself as I fished out the coins form the pocket of my dress (the only good thing about it is the pockets) and place them on the counter for him. He then slid a croissant and a cinnamon bun towards me.

"Have a great day," Terrance said with a small wave as I scooped them up, readying myself to devour them as soon as I wasn't in front of the bakery boy.

"You too," I answer, starting to walk away. I start to make my way down the street when I hear his voice again.

"Wait! Mimi!" he called and I turned around to face him. "Will….Will I be seeing you around again?"

I smile coyly once more as I start to turn, looking over my shoulder. "I certainly hope so."

A wide grin settles on his face even as a deep blush covers his cheeks once more.

I walked away from the bakery stall, devouring the croissant as well as the cinnamon roll as soon as I was out of the boy's sight. When I had finished, I had a feeling I made some very obscene smacking noises as I sucked the last bit of cinnamon and frosting from my fingers. That was delicious. I'd have to find a way to make some money while I was here. Mostly to get sweets, but I definitely wanted to buy a dress and freshen up. If I had the effect that I did on him while I was like this, I could only imagine how stunned he'd be when he sees me in a nice new dress and my hair clean. I was going to savor tormenting that adorable, nervous boy into a blush as much as possible, because I was definitely going to stay here a while if I could help it.

I continued to wander, away from the market to other parts of the small town. Perhaps I could find a place to stay, or even a job. I'd need one, no matter how much I would hate it, if I was going to stay here.

I strolled through the streets, coming close to a dead end alley. I would have passed it without a second thought if I hadn't heard a soft "mew" sound from it.

Was there a kitten in there? I carefully approached the alley, entering it and trying to sift through the trash piled up to find the cat.

I heard another meow, deeper in the alley. I moved towards where I heard it, closer to the dead end. I searched for any sign of the kitten, continuing to sift through garbage, doing myself no favors when it came to how I smelled. I stood up straight with a sigh, pursing my lips as I tried to figure out where it was.

Then I heard it. I was the last thing I heard before I was hit.

"Hello, little girl."

A dark figure leapt from the trash.

I was knocked from my feet.

And my metal body slammed into the wall.