Greetings readers!

Quick Note: For those who have missed it, I added and change the title to the last chapter so you might want to check that out before you continue.

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Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the story idea.

Chapter 10:
Fundraiser Festival

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Unknown Location

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"So… the Princess of Sand is here, hiding away in the Mushroom Princess' castle." said Dimentio. "This is interesting, very interesting…like watching a circus elephant balancing itself on a big rubber ball."

Moments ago, Shade had return with Princess' Daisy's whereabouts. Dimentio was very pleased to learn that. If he wanted, he could have Mr. L kill Peach as well as Daisy; taking out two birds with one stone.

Fawful and Midbus entered the room. Midbus had his head case down and the disappointed look on Fawful was enough to tell the jester that things didn't go as planned.

"We have problem." said Fawful. "There is no gem in Temple."

"What?" Dimentio hissed sharply.

"I am sorry." said Midbus. "But when I got to temple, there was no gem. I asked about gem but man says gem was given away."

"The family of Toadstool had taken gem long ago. It is unsure if it is still in her possession." said Fawful.

"Hmm… I see." Dimentio said. "How unfortunate…for them of course."

"My lord, I have returned." Mr. L announced his arrival. "And with me, the Crystal of Dream."

Dimentio turned to his minion and locked eyes with the item in Mr. L's hands. The Crystal of Dreams; an ancient magical crystal say to portray an image of one's dreams and desires.

Dimentio place his feet on the ground and reach out to the crystal with care. The ice crystal shine beautifully under the dim lighting and the jester couldn't help but grin madly.

"You have done well, my loyal servant. Just when my mood had been brought down even by the slightest, you manage to bring it back up again."

Mr. L smile at what he had accomplished today; very eager to please his lord. He hand the Crystal to him and took his spot next to Shade, please to see he had returned as well.

"What are we doing now?" asked Fawful.

Dimentio turned to face his partner, hovering back in the air.

"We do… what we must do. We already have one of the three items needed, with the second only an arm's grab away as well as the third. Then we can focus on the location of the Ruins. Time is of the essence. If exposing ourselves to all will get us the Gem of Form, then so be it."

Fawful nodded. "Then settle it is. We raid the castle until gem is found. Come, Midus! We must prepare!"

Midbus nodded and followed Fawful out of the room. Mr. L and Shade turned to their master.

"Mr. L," said Dimentio. "I had received news from Shade that Princess Daisy is in Toad Town. With her, the hero Mario."

Mr. L blinked from surprise and smirking evilly. With both of his targets under one roof, it will surely save him the trouble of searching.

"However," Dimentio continue, catching the look on Mr. L's face. "…I don't want you kill them, yet."

The look on Mr. L's face dropped dramatically; the jester explains.

"I know it would be hard not to after them especially when they are within arms' reach, but retrieving the two remaining artifacts and locating the Ancient Ruins are our top priority. We only have days to find the Ruins before it could appear and after that it would disappears again for another thousand years or so. This is a once in a lifetime thing that we can't afford to miss."

Mr. L frowned at his sudden bad luck, but nodded; understanding the importance of the mission.

"Aw, now don't be too sad, my loyal servant. Besides it would most pleasant to see the look on that plumber's face when he discovers the one he had lose to me will be the one to meet his end."

Mr. L tilt his head, looking a bit confuses; Dimentio shook his head.

"Don't worry so much. Just do what you are told and you'll be fine."

He nodded. "Understood."

"Good. Now, both of you, rest up for the night. Tomorrow, we're going treasure hunting."

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Mushroom Kingdom;

Toad Town

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Toad Town; it's the capital city of the Mushroom Kingdom and the doorstep to Princess Peach's castle. Most of the town's inhabitants were of the Toad species, but today it was populated by different species of all kind.

Down in Toad Town Square a small festival was being held. It has been three weeks since the attack on Mushroom City and everyone was still in a state of panic. In order to calm everyone down, Princess Peach thought it would help if they held a fundraiser festival right here in town. Not only would it loosen the tension in the air, but it could also help raise some money for the victims of Mushroom City.

Toadsworth agreed and after two weeks worth of planning and building, a festival was made right in Town Square. Everyone was welcome, even those from the neighboring kingdom. Bowser was already defeated for the week, so everyone just had to worry about having fun.

Princess Peach stood in the middle of town square, observing everyone that had came to attend the festival. Besides her royal presence, no one told paid any mind to her. They were having too much fun to notice which pleases her.

"Why am I here again?"

Peach turned to her right side where Daisy and Toadsworth stood next to her. Instead of her usual princess dress, Daisy was wearing a plain yellow t-shirt with orange shorts. She had her tennis sneakers on and a large gardening hat with a daisy flower, shading her face from the sun.

"I'm going to the Kind-Hearted booth, remember? To turn in some things I have for the victims of Mushroom City."

"And I repeat, why am I here again?"

"I brought you with me to get some fresh air. Everyone's been moping around the castle lately and I thought going out would do some good."

"If that's true, then how come Mario isn't with us?"

"I try to convince Master Mario to come," said Toadsworth. "But he wouldn't budge one bit."

Peach sighed. "Besides, it's not always a good thing to keep you inside the castle. If 'you-know-who' shows up around here, then it might be best to keep you around a large crowd."

Daisy cross her arms and sighed. "I guess you're right. So… what are you turning in to the Kind-Hearted anyways?"

"Nothing special; just some jewelry I had for a while now."

"Can I see it?"

"Of course."

Peach dug into her pocket and pull out a beautiful green gemstone. The gem was polish cut and shined brightly in the sunlight. Daisy's eyes widen from it beauty.

"Princess, are you sure you want to donate it?" Toadworth asked. "This is a priceless gem that have been in your family for years now."

"Its fine, Toadsworth. I'm more than happy to donate it away if it means I'll be helping others. Hopefully, it will bring a large amount of value."

They nodded and the three of them continue to walked through the festival. Unaware to all three of them, they were being watched by a pair of white eyes. Those eyes lingered on them for several seconds more before disappearing in the crowd.

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Ending Note:

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