"Ugh...oh God, oh God... "
Mimi groaned softly as her stomach twisted inside and out in her body. She felt horrible, like she drank a barrel of acid. Her throat was on fire and she could barely feel her tongue.
Oh God, the pain!
Slowly, Mimi rose from her bed. The room was nothing but darkness, so pitched black that she couldn't even see her own hands.
Why is everything so dark?
Clumsily, Mimi walked over to her bathroom. She turned on the lights, her eyes hurting at the intense new light. She then looked at herself in the mirror, surprised that she was still in her dress from her date. Her hair was all messed up and her makeup was smeared all over her face. She blinked a couple of times, trying to remember how she got this way. Fuzzy memories of her date with Dimentio came to her, but it was hard to make out what happened when or what was going on. The last thing she could clearly remember was dancing with Dimentio after having that wine.
Didn't Dimentio say that too much of that wine could make me sick? Did I...get drunk?
Mimi turned red at the thought of what embarrassing things she could have done.
Why did I have to drink that wine? Why, why, why?
After taking quick shower and getting in a fresh pair of clothes, Mimi felt extremely better. Glancing at her clock, she noticed that it was one o'clock in the afternoon. She gasped.
Crap! Nassy is going to kill me for sleeping in so late!
Not knowing what else to do, Mimi ran to the training room, hoping that someone would be there. When she arrived, she was shocked to see both Nastasia and Count Bleck.
Though, it looked like they were having a serious conversation.
Count Bleck paced a bit, many emotions going through his eyes. Nastasia sat on one of the pedestals, let out a small sigh.
"Count, I know you are paranoid, but I don't think Dimentio is who you think he is. If he is the same one you knew, wouldn't he have already revealed himself to you?"
"That is what I thought at first, Nastasia," Count Bleck replied without making eye contact. "It does sound crazy, I know, but I would recognize that man anywhere. Count Bleck just can't believe he didn't realize it until now."
"Maybe that's because he is over her. Maybe he has moved on."
"No. He would never get over Timpani. And once he finds out she is dead, if he hadn't already..."
There was a long pause.
"Do you think Dimentio will try to kill you?" Nastasia asked.
Count Bleck was silent for a long moment.
"Without a doubt."
Mimi's eyes widened and couldn't keep herself from gasping. Both Nastasia and Count Bleck turned to her. The three of them stared at each other for a long moment. Finally, Nastasia spoke.
"Uh...good afternoon, Mimi. I trust that you are feeling better from all the alcohol last night?"
Mimi blinked. "Wait...how did you know about that?"
"Dimentio told me. I was going to wake you up this morning when he told me not to disturb you."
"Oh..."
There was a long pause.
"Uh...is everything alright, count?" Mimi finally asked in a low voice. "Is there anything you want me to do for you?"
"The only thing you can do, Mimi, is train," Count Bleck replied. "Go find Mr. L and train with him for awhile if you like."
"What about O'Chunks and Dimentio?"
"O'Chunks went after Mario this morning. As for Dimentio...he mentioned he had to see a friend and he wouldn't be back until much later."
"Okay..."
Mimi kept eye contact with Count Bleck for a moment, until she finally left in complete silence. Slowly, she made her way to Mr. L's room. Though, what she overheard Nastasia and Count Bleck said bothered her.
A girl named Timpani hurt Dimentio. Count Bleck knew of a girl named Timpani and another guy named Dimentio, who loved her. The Dimentio Count Bleck knew wanted to kill him.
Mimi's head hurt with all of the intense thinking. But, in a strange way, it did make sense.
Dimentio didn't seemed to be close to the count like Mimi and the rest of the minions. He always seemed to be distant from him, only really talking to him if it was about training, Mario, or the Dark Prognosticus. There was always a hint of hatred, though you would have to be paying attention to notice it, in Dimentio's voice when he talked about Count Bleck. And then he talked to her about that conspiracy theory, that Count Bleck knew more than he was telling.
...Wait a second!
"For most of her life, Lady Timpani grew up being separated from everyone else," the woman at the masquerade party had said. "She didn't have a lot of friends her age to hang out with, so she was quite lonely. However, she did have one friend who disappeared with her. One of the jesters, who happened to be a magician, worked for the count had a younger son. And when the night of the fire happened, he was never found either. No one talks about it...for many reasons which I don't think foreigners need to know."
Dimentio is the jester's son!
Mimi then raced down stairs, heading for Dimentio's room. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. She tried to teleport inside, but like with Merlee's mansion, something blocked her way.
No!
"Mimi, are you okay?"
Mimi jumped and turned to see Mr. L staring at her. He raised an eyebrow.
"Is there a reason why you're trying to break into Dimentio's room?" he questioned suspiciously.
"Well, yes there is. I...uh..."
Mimi stopped in mid sentence.
Though his mask covered most of his face, Mimi could clearly see black circles under Mr. L's eyes. His face also looked extremely pale, like he hadn't seen the sun in weeks. Mimi gave a concerned look.
"Mr. L, are you feeling well? You look awful."
Mr. L avoided eye contact.
"I...didn't get much sleep last night after fighting Mario. I spent most of the night and today working on my fighting robot, Brobot."
"I guess your fight with Mario didn't go well?"
Mr. L was silent for a moment. His already distant eyes looked even more distant, as if he was trying to recall a long forgotten memory. He rubbed his forehead and groaned.
"Ugh...what a long night. And speaking of last night how was your date with Dimentio?"
"Oh...it was amazing! We went to a masquerade party in a castle and danced in a golden ball room! It was so romantic!"
Mimi let out a dreamy sigh. Mr. L smiled.
"Good to hear. So, Dimentio won't try to kill me anymore, will he?"
"Probably not if you don't anger him."
"And that's the best news I've heard all day. Well, see you later, Mimi."
Mr. L then walked away, muttering to himself a bit.
Suddenly, there was a loud popping sound coming from Dimentio's room. Mimi put her hear against the door, as she heard Dimentio's voice coming from the other side. It was hard to make out what he was fully saying, as the door muffled most his words, but Mimi could make out part of it.
"...And now that I have...from King Croacus...Yes, it should be powerful enough to take...of Mario and the heroes, for it worked so well on O'Chunks. Or should I say 'O'Cabbage?' Aha ha ha! Nothing...Count Bleck will...Tippi shall...and then I...Aha ha ha! Again for dramatic effect! Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
Half of what Dimentio said made very little sense, making Mimi feel even more worried.
Dimentio...
Dimentio continued to talk and laugh to himself. Slowly, and with a bit of hesitation, and even fear, Mimi knocked on his door.
"Dimentio, are you in there?" she asked trying to sound causal.
"Ah, Mimi!" Dimentio replied a few seconds later. "I'll be out in a minute."
Mimi stepped away from the door, feeling a bit nervous. Two minutes later, Dimentio stepped out of his room and closed the door behind him.
"Good afternoon, my bellezza," he said with a smile. "I trust you are feeling better?"
Mimi nodded slowly.
"Yes. I'm...sorry that I got drunk on you last night. I didn't think it would get to me that quickly...I guess that was the reason my father never let me go to his parties."
Dimentio laughed.
"It does take awhile for your body to build a strong tolerance to it. There is nothing to be embarrassed about, my dear."
"I know, but still. It was stupid of me. Because of it, I don't even remember most of the night!"
Dimentio laughed softly, walking a bit closer to Mimi.
"And what do you remember, bellezza, if you don't mind me asking?"
Mimi's face grew hot at how close Dimentio was and the look he was giving her.
"I remember everything until we stared dancing," she finally said. "After that it is kind of…there. I can remember some things, but not others. Like…"
She paused in mid sentence. Dimentio raised an eyebrow.
"Mimi…?"
Mimi avoided eye contact, as if it frightened her to look into his eyes.
What…will he do if he finds out I know his secret, his past?
Dimentio waited for Mimi to finish her sentence. He didn't say anything, and Mimi didn't even looked at him, but she could sense the tension rising in him. Finally, she forced herself to make eye contact and smile.
"...Like when you took me to Dimension D. It was very…romantic and calming. I don't remember the details, but I remember laying in an open field, with you next to me. Talking to me."
Dimentio blinked a couple of times, but then let out a small smile. He gently moved his fingers across her cheek.
"Glad you feel that way, for I…enjoyed the moment as well."
Staring into Mimi's eyes for a long moment, Dimentio forced himself to back away.
"Though, if you excuse me, bellezza, I have to discuss something important with Mr. L. I'll see you tonight at dinner."
Dimentio gave one last wink before he teleported away. Mimi stood where she was, a sad look appearing on her face.
She knew there was more to last night that she currently knew, what she remembered. And she knew that Dimentio was hiding something, plotting something. But the biggest question she had was if he did betray Count Bleck, could she bring herself to fight the man she loved to protect her count?
"Why? Why can't I get Mario out of my head?" Mr. L screamed at the top of his lungs. "Why can't I think straight? Why does this bother me so much? Why can't I remember my past? Why…"
Mr. L paced back and forth in the garden, ranting and raving to himself like a madman. Dimentio watched from a distance, slowly approaching him. Mr. L saw him from the corner of his eye and growled.
"What do you want, Dimentio? Can't you see I want to be alone!"
Dimentio smiled, seemingly sympathetic.
"Sorry to intrude. But you are attracting a lot of attention to yourself by yelling like that. If you want to be alone, I suggest being more quiet."
Mr. L narrowed his eyes but said nothing. Dimentio chuckled.
"Ah, but do not fret. I can see that anger and confusion on your eyes. Like a wondering ghost, you don't know who you are. At least, not before you came to Castle Bleck. And you want to know why, don't you?"
There was a pause, as Dimentio waited from Mr. L to make some sort of comment or clever comeback. When he didn't, Dimentio continued his speech, enjoying the moment.
"We may have had our disagreements, Mr. L, but I cannot say I am not a man without sympathy. I can help you with your problem, if you will accept it. For I, let's just say, know a few things that Count Bleck wouldn't want me to."
Mr. L's eyes shinned with a faint glimmer of hope. Though, there was still coldness in his voice as he said, "And what do you mean by that?"
"Well, unlike the rest of you, I didn't take this whole thing lightly," Dimentio explained, circling Mr. L. "While you all mostly focused on battle training, I did some research and learned everything I could about the count's great plan. I know his devilish scheme by heart, I know what his true goal in mind is. For he doesn't want to recreate the universe, he wants to destroy it. Completely. No reconstruction, no reformation of life itself, no nothing. Just emptiness, like a white, untouched canvas."
Mr. L's eyes widened in disbelief.
"How do you know this?" he demanded. "How do I know you're not messing with my head?"
"Why don't you let me finish before you make accusations against me?" Dimentio snapped a bit irritated. "But, back to what I was saying. From what I've learned, all of us here have a purpose for the end of the world. However, between all of us, one minion of darkness has a greater destiny then the others. For you, Mr. L, are nothing more than a puppet that Count Bleck will use to wipe out each and every living thing. For you are not even a real person! A counterpart of your former self, a shadow of your past, which you know nothing about. And deep down you know it. That you are not Mr. L, but someone else."
Mr. L stared at Dimentio, his whole body shaking. Every word Dimentio said seemed to have stabbed him in the heart, over and over again. He sat down on a bench, covering his face with his hands as he made soft pitiful sobs.
Dimentio smiled.
"Don't cry, my friend. I did not say those things to make you upset. For I can help you."
Mr. L looked up, his blue eyes seeming less distant then before, more aware. Dimentio's smile grew.
"I can rescue you from Count Bleck, if you let me. Just close your eyes, and I promise that you will return to your true self."
Mr. L stood up.
"No!" he cried. "I-I don't believe you, you stupid clown! You...you are trying to take advantage of me, trying to get me against Count Bleck! Is this about Mimi, trying to get payback or something? If you want to be mad at anyone, be mad at her! She used me to make you jealous! Yes, that's what you are! A jealous, crazy, arrogant, good for nothing..."
Mr. L continued to rave and rant, his voice cracking with great emotion. Dimentio stood where he was, waiting patiently for him to tire. Finally, Mr. L ran out of insults, his eyes full of confusion, anger, and fear. He then stormed passed Dimentio, heading back into the castle. Dimentio watched him go, smiling to himself.
And so the 'great' Mr. L starts to lose it. I can clearly see Luigi's consciousness trying to break through. It will be a battle of wits of Blumiere's mind control and Luigi's will. And it will be slow mental torture for poor Mr. L, who is caught in the middle.
Dimentio chuckled slightly at that thought. It would be a fun show to watch, as he almost hated Mr. L as much as he hated Count Bleck.
Only this time I was able to get rid of my romantic rival, who will no longer be any threat to me. After all, one cannot be too careful.
With a snap of his fingers, Dimentio teleported away back to his room. For the next part of his plan was about to take place.