A Broken Heart Chapter 18: Mourning

Chapter 18: Mourning
Mimi

      Mimi slept. She was in a calm, peaceful, dreamless sleep. Her mind floated in a blissful nothingness that was all around her like a blanket. Her head rested on her hands and her mouth was put in a calm smile. The stress from the past day was lost behind her. Nothing could disturb her slumber.
      Suddenly, her slumber was disturbed.
      A huge shockwave of energy blasted through the camp and threw everyone up in the air. Mimi's dream state was shattered instantly and she screamed before hitting the ground. Everyone else did the same.
      'Mama mia,' Mario groaned. 'What the heck was that?'
      Blumiere heaved himself up off the ground with his sceptre, a look of horrible recognition on his face. 'Blumiere?' Timpani whispered, scared. 'What's wrong?'
      'That was...' He shuddered. 'That was the Chaos Heart.'
      Mimi's eyes widened and her heart rose in her chest. 'Fawful?!' she cried out. 'Fawful, where are you?! FAWFUL?!' He wasn't here.
      'Nastasia's not 'ere either!' O'Chunks gasped.
      'WHICH WAY?!' Mimi yelled at Blumiere.
      He wearily pointed in the direction he had sensed the power from. 'That way.'
      Mimi was off in a flash, tearing through the high bushes off of the path and ducking under trees, moving as fast as possible, the rest of them joining her in her chase. She had to get to them before something terrible happened. As she burst into the clearing she saw to her horror that Fawful had Nastasia pinned up against a tree, pointing his blaster at her chest.
      'FAWFUL NO!' she screamed just as Fawful pulled the trigger. There was nothing stopping it now as a brilliant beam of light shot out of his blaster and tore right through Nastasia's chest and blew her insides out her back.
      Mimi's heart seemed to stop pounding altogether. Her body suddenly became cold and numb, as if she was instantly put into a freezer. As if she were dead. Her eyes widened and she screamed, but no sound came out of her throat. Fawful froze on the spot and dropped his blaster, turning around slowly to look at the group that had gathered. Mimi couldn't even tell what emotions she was feeling at this time; every single one seemed to be trying to claw their way out of her at the same time, so she got a maelstrom of grief, rage, hatred, shock, disbelief, betrayal, and loss all at once. She couldn't speak, she couldn't breathe. She choked out unintelligible sounds, her mouth unable to form words. She decided that her mind must be going on her, because there was no way in the Underwhere this could possibly be happening. She looked at Nastasia's dead body and then at Fawful's hopeless face then back at Nastasia.
      It was definitely happening.
      Rage was the emotion that squeezed through the gap, exploding through her like Fawful's shockwave. Pure hatred dominated her voice as she screamed at him. 'YOU TRAITOR!' she cried, tears streaming down her face. 'YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING, MURDERING TRAITOR!' Everything she knew had been flipped over. The one who she had thought was her greatest friend had just killed the one she loved like a sister, the one who had been there for her through every hardship and failure she had faced under Count Bleck's orders. Her heart had broken in two. As she looked at the Bean, standing there and looking like the world's woes had just been dropped on his head, all she wanted to do was get to him and tear him apart, one limb at a time.
      Without a sound, the traitorous worm spun around and ran out of the clearing, leaving his still smoking blaster laying on the ground. Mimi screamed and ran right after him. She didn't get far before a familiar pair of gloved hands gripped her shoulders tightly, stopping her in her tracks. 'NO!' she wailed. 'NO NO NO NO NO! LET ME GO! I'LL KILL HIM! I'LL RIP HIM TO PIECES! LET ME GO NOW! LET ME G-go...please...let me...' Her body went limp as her anger let out enough to allow the rest of her emotions to come out. A horrible, gripping despair flooded her body and she wept openly, mourning the loss of a friend who might as well have been a member of her family. Her quiet crying soon escalated into heartbreaking wails that echoed through the forest. 'She's gone!' she sobbed. 'Nassy's gone and she's never ever coming back and it's all his fault! Wh-why did this have to happen?! WHY?!' She sank to her knees and covered her face with her hands, her sorrow only increasing, along with the volume and intensity of her crying. She felt someone hold her close, the warmth and care he gave off only belonging to one possible person:
      'Mimi...' Lord Blumiere whispered into her ear. That was all that needed to be said for Mimi to attempt to stop crying. She wiped her tears away, sniffing and holding in more sobs. She would do it for him.
      'B-Blumiere...he...she...' She hiccupped and sucked in her breath before continuing. 'She's...dead...'
      Blumiere's hands tightened around her shoulders and she felt a tear drop down onto her shoulder. 'Mimi...' he said again. 'Nobody is around to bother us, so I want to say something to you.'
      Mimi sniffed again and tried to look over her shoulder at the man. 'What do you mean?'
      'I want to confide in you my thoughts, emotions, and feelings...you are the one who needs to hear them the most right now.' Mimi remained silent, waiting for him to start. She silently wondered what he was going to tell her. 'Do you know what I am, Mimi?'
      Mimi thought for a moment. 'You're not human,' she answered. 'But...you're a friend to me, O'Chunks, and...and Nastasia.' She shuddered and more tears fell from her eyes. 'You're Timpani's husband, and a great one at that...you're our ally. You helped us a lot.' She waited and he didn't answer. 'Is...that right?'
      Blumiere sighed and Mimi felt a few more tears. 'No Mimi...none of that is correct...'
      The girl was suddenly afraid and sad and she didn't know why. 'What are you talking about?'
      'I'm none of those things Mimi...or at least I don't deserve to be them. In reality...I'm nothing more than a monster.'
      Her eyes widened and she spun her head 180 degrees to look at him. His bright yellow eyes were filled with tears and he had taken off his monocle and put it in his suit pocket. 'You're not a monster!' she cried. 'How can you say that?!'
      'I am,' he insisted. 'I'm a monster and a murderer. I've killed millions of people Mimi...millions. My family...my friends...I was going to kill you as well, and O'Chunks, and Nastasia, as well as the hundreds of trillions of people that exist in all worlds. You were all going to be killed at my hands...I don't deserve your friendship or respect. I don't deserve to mourn Nastasia's death...I would have killed her if I had had my way.'
      Mimi's heart caught in her throat and she found herself crying again. 'That's not true!' she sobbed. 'You can't say that, you weren't yourself!'
      'Count Bleck or Lord Blumiere, what difference does it make? I should be held accountable—'
      'No, you shouldn't!' Mimi interrupted. 'You're a great person, and you were under the control of the Chaos Heart and the Dark...book. You can't beat yourself up like this.'
      Blumiere seemed to stare right through her, ignoring her statements. 'And you...' he whispered. 'You're a monster too...aren't you?'
      Mimi's body seized up immediately, her eyes as wide as saucers. The only two people she ever confided in regarding her past were Blumiere (who was Count Bleck at the time) and Nastasia. She told both of them how she was created by some sort of witch and how she didn't remember anything for a long time and then woke up in another dimension. A run down dimension with absolutely no good in it. It was horrible. Now one of them was dead and the other was making her feel evil about it. 'I'm...I'm not...' She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.
      'You've probably killed many people, spilled blood out on the streets, not caring who or what you destroyed. You're a murderer too...just like me...'
      Rage built up in her again. She spun her body around and slapped Blumiere across the face. 'I am NOT a monster!' she yelled. 'I was being controlled! How in the worlds can you blame me for that?! I would never have killed anyone if I had been able to stop myself but I wasn't! I'm not a monster and neither are you, now shut up!' She was on her feet now, practically screaming at the man. Nobody else seemed to notice and just looked at the floor.
      Blumiere stood up and wiped the tears from his eyes. 'Fawful ran away,' he simply said.
      Mimi tightened her fists. 'I want to kill him...' she said through clenched teeth.
      'Of course,' the blue skinned man said. 'It's only natural after what he has done.' He leaned forward on his sceptre, the jewelled top digging into the dirt yet still maintaining its magnificent shine. 'He committed the heinous sin of murder. Nothing can excuse one for that.'
      Mimi was about to protest, knowing he was trying to defend his point about he and her. Nothing would convince her of their guilt. Fawful was another story. Blumiere waved her off and she immediately turned around and ran after him. Her boiling rage fuelled every footstep, every moment of the mad dash she took. All she could think of was avenging Nastasia. Nothing would stop her, and nothing could excuse Fawful from his crimes. She and Blumiere were being controlled. Her by Dimentio and Blumiere by the Chaos—
      She stopped in her tracks, realizing what Blumiere had been trying to indirectly tell her. 'The...Chaos Heart...' Mimi breathed. She remembered Fawful's random outburst at the lake the one time. She remembered the pulsating half-heart on his chest and the thick, black veins snaking across his body. Suddenly her rage melted away and she sank to her knees. Fawful was also being controlled by the Chaos Heart, and he wasn't even a member of the Tribe of Darkness, who were by birth connected to the kind of energy it gave off. To hold Fawful accountable would be hypocritical, not to mention she would have to hold herself and Blumiere accountable for their murdering. This realization pit against her sadness at losing Nastasia made her unsure of what to do. She groaned and hung her head. 'What do I do...?'
      The bushes rustled as Blumiere walked over to her. 'I see you've made sense of my words, Mimi,' he said. Mimi just nodded. 'Forgive me for my choice of explanation. I saw no other way to make you understand.'
      'Well...it worked.' Mimi felt horrible; she had lost two friends today. 'What do I do?!' She got up and turned to face the dark tribesman. 'I...I'm so...'
      Blumiere put a hand on her forehead. 'Don't despair.' He smiled. 'The gods' greatest gift of all is that of forgiveness.'
      'But he killed Nastasia! How can I forgive him for that?!'
      Blumiere's smile only faltered for a second. 'Have you forgiven me for my crimes?'
      'Yes,' she answered even before he was finished talking.
      'Nastasia was a great friend to me. She was not killed by Fawful, the Bean boy that we know. She was killed by a force with a power greater than we can comprehend. A force with the power to wipe out all of existence.'
      'The Chaos Heart.' The pit in Mimi's stomach was beginning to disappear as she had her mind sorted out.
      'Yes. The Chaos Heart.' He looked ahead where Fawful had ran. 'The second half is away from us. If saving your friend's life from Dimentio is not enough to convince you to find him and bring him back with open arms, then keeping the rest of the Chaos Heart away from its creator should be.' When she still looked forlorn, he had to give one last push. 'He loves you Mimi. He would never willingly do anything to hurt you, and that includes killing Nastasia. He is a victim of fate and of the darkness he harbours inside of his body.' He put both hands on her shoulders and Mimi felt tears spring to her eyes as she knew she had to forgive her friend. 'Save him Mimi. You have to save him...from everything he suffers from.'
      Mimi nodded and ran. Before she really gave chase, however, she hid behind a tree and listened. She heard Blumiere's voice faintly, but it was enough.
      'Nastasia...' he sighed. 'You didn't deserve this. Death should not have taken you...' When she heard nothing she peered out behind the tree. The former count had his fists clenched and was tugging at his top hat. Without warning he tore it off his head and threw it on the ground, giving a howl of sorrow from the deepest depths of his heart. The life all around him suddenly died, shrivelled up, lost all colour. Everything in Blumiere's presence just lost its energy; the man's sorrow alone was painful enough to kill.
      Mimi ran after her friend, crying on behalf of all who had suffered from this loss.

Fawful

      The Bean had suffered many gashes and scrapes in his many collisions with trees and branches and from falling face first onto the ground. He hadn't stopped running, even after he was convinced he would be safe and his head hadn't been brutally bitten off or his body punctured with Rubees. A dark substance was oozing out of his body and sealing his wounds. One of the pros about being a vessel for an artefact of darkness.
      Fawful lost his balance and fell face first onto the ground again, his glasses ramming into his face, a deep crack going down one of the lenses. The substance was already moving up his body to mend his eyewear. He was tired. He was dead tired. He couldn't even move further he was so tired. His body ached from his injuries, cramps, and general physical exertion. He sat propped up against a tree, breathing heavily and trying to stop his tears. The only other time he had cried this much was when he'd seen Bowser's flying castle explode...with Cackletta right inside it.
      His body fell down the tree and lay on the ground. He didn't bother getting back up. He couldn't move anymore. He just laid there, knowing full well he'd be killed at any moment. He just couldn't do anymore. He closed his eyes to rest. Perhaps curling up in an Underwhere pit would be better than everything he'd had to face. Especially the Chaos Heart. He felt hopeless and alone, without a friend in the world. It was like every person he grew to like was taken from him somehow. It wasn't fair.
      'I have despair...' he muttered.
      Without warning, a pair of small hands grabbed his waist and yanked him to his feet.
      Fawful screamed out in fear and just about fell over. One of the hands clamped around his mouth and he opened his eyes to see Mimi's staring back into his. This was it, he was dead. She was going to kill him and everything was going to be over.
      Nothing happened. Fawful's heart was still pounding but he stopped making noise. Mimi's eyes stared right into his and he couldn't read her emotions. She removed her hand from his mouth and put in on his other shoulder. She seemed to be trying to keep something in check. Slowly, she unhooked  the thin golden chain from one of his big golden buttons and let his cloak fall to the floor. Fawful frowned, confused. Then she began to undo his shirt. Chills racked his body.
      'What—'
      Her head snapped up and glared at him. 'Shush.' It was a calm command. Fawful shushed. She undid it the rest of the way and took it off of him, sleeves and all. It fell to the floor on top of his cloak. He forced himself to stay calm, but he didn't know what she was doing. She looked down at his chest; he looked down too. The half of the Chaos Heart was still beating in time with his heartbeats, sending the dark pulses through the black veins snaking across his front. The veins themselves had grown quite a bit, the outbursts of energy no doubt helping. Mimi rested her hand on the half-heart, closing her eyes and making a pained expression for a moment. As she did Fawful felt a spark travel between his heart and her hand. She closed her hand into a fist and drew it away. When she opened it black sparks danced from her palm.
      'It's...powerful, isn't it?' she breathed ever so quietly. Fawful nodded.
      'I have apology...' Fawful sighed.
      Mimi looked into his eyes again. Slowly putting out her hands she gently took Fawful's glasses off his face. Mimi's features blurred, but he could still make her out somewhat.
      'Your eyes are red,' she said. Fawful thought for a horrifying moment that he still showed effects of the Chaos Heart. 'Have you been crying?'
      Fawful exhaled, relieved. He nodded. He didn't need to ask Mimi that as it was plain as day that she had. It didn't matter to Fawful though; they still looked as good as normal to him. She looked wonderful in the moonlight that trickled through the treetops, illuminating the two of them. He was still afraid that she was going to hurt him for what he did.
      'Fury...?' he asked her simply. She shook her head. 'But Nasta—'
      The green girl put two fingers on his lips, silencing him. The other hand traced his heart. 'You aren't the murderer,' she whispered. Fawful understood her and all anxiety vanished. Her hands moved up and closed around his. Tears had begun to form in Mimi's eyes. 'I don't want to lose another friend.'
      'I still have apology.'
      'I do too. I should have remembered...'
      The two just stood there, looking into each other's eyes. Seeing the forgiveness and determination in her red eyes made a new determination well up inside of him as well. 'I will have the fixing,' he said firmly.
      Mimi looked at him, confused. 'What do you mean?'
      'Nastasia will come back,' he answered. 'I will have the reviving of her.'
      'Fawful, she's...she's dead. She can't come back anymore...'
      Without a word Fawful pulled out his Spacial Matter Scrambling Device and pressed a button on it, revealing holographic projections of everything stored inside of it (save the Ultra Shrooms he had stolen). 'I had the inventing of all of this. She will have revival.' He put it away. The projections vanished.
      Mimi smiled. 'You're overestimating yourself.'
      Fawful smiled too. 'If I cannot have the repaying...then I will sooner have death.'
      Mimi stopped smiling and tears began to well up, yet she didn't look unhappy. 'Fawful...I want to tell you something.' Fawful waited. 'I want to tell you...that you don't have to be alone. I'm going to save you from this thing.' She tapped the heart. 'I'm going to be there for you. You'll never be alone...not with us.'
      Fawful felt tears of relief like he'd never felt before fall down his cheeks. 'Thank you.'
      Then, Mimi leaned forward and gave him a quick peck on the lips. In that second, a buzz travelled through his entire body, heating him to the core and filling him with sudden happiness. He had a surprised look on his face. 'We should go now.' Mimi motioned down the way they had come.
      Fawful nodded, feeling crestfallen as the feeling retreated.

      When they entered the camp everyone was still grieving over Nastasia's death. Even Bowser, Midbus, and Kamek seemed shaken by the death of one of their allies. Fawful had his shirt and cloak on normally. He was replaying Mimi's quick kiss over and over again in his mind, remembering the feeling, wishing over and over that it would happen again. He felt so cold now compared to that moment, despite it being a relatively warm night.
      Blumiere came up to him. 'So, Fawful,' he said in a hushed tone. 'Mimi found you.' Fawful nodded. 'I'm glad you're okay.'
      'I have apology...' the Bean muttered.
      Blumiere's expression saddened. 'We're all sorry for her death, in one way or another. They've come to grips on your...situation. I hope things aren't going to be too hard on you.' Fawful nodded and gave his thanks.
      'Fawful.' Mario came over to him. 'We've...well, we haven't exactly gotten over this, but we've decided your side of the story needs to be heard.' Everyone began to crowd around. 'We want to know what happened between you and Nastasia.'
      And so, he told them absolutely every single detail, leaving nothing untouched. The attempt at his life, how the Chaos Heart helped him break free of the mind control, and how it then prompted him to return the attack and eventually kill Nastasia. Everyone was quiet. 'She...she tried to kill you?!' Mimi cried. Fawful nodded. 'That's...she...'
      'So...Nastasia was betraying us all...' Blumiere sighed.
      Fawful shook his head. 'No. Just Fawful.'
      'Self defence then,' Mario said. 'That changes things a lot, doesn't it? What you're saying is that had Nastasia not tried to kill you, she would be perfectly alive at this very moment?' Fawful nodded. The plumber straightened his cap. 'That's it. There's your perfectly good, excusable reason.' Cries of protest went up, but Mario stopped them. 'We need him. He has the Chaos Heart inside of him, and even though that might be frightening to think of it in our midst, it's definitely better than having it in Dimentio's hands. Just don't be a traitor and you'll be fine. That goes whether or not the Chaos Heart is in anyone.' Everyone nodded their agreement. 'Now we need to rest. All of you should go to bed.' He put on as good a smile as he could considering the circumstances. Fawful was amazed at how he could do that considering someone was dead. Mario seemed near emotionless in the face of pure evil the likes of nothing anyone had ever seen. He had battled enormous Koopas, huge frogs, terrifying monsters, a robotic blacksmith, an ancient demon, the destroyer of all worlds, a powerful Bean witch, an alien army, and Fawful himself, all without hesitation. Whenever Fawful had fought him he had never seen a single bit of fear in the older brother's eyes. It was amazing how he could just shrug off something like the death of an ally and still be fit to command. It also seemed eerily inhuman. 'Goodnight to you all.'

Mario

      As Mario walked off, Luigi caught his arm. 'You're taking this well,' he whispered. 'I mean, Nastasia died and you seem really...well, unfazed.'
      Mario looked into his brothers eyes and, making sure he was unnoticed by all but him, allowed the weakness and grief seep into him visibly. Luigi's mouth dropped open; it was as if his brother had suddenly had decades put on to him. He looked far older than he really was, which was somewhere in his late 30s. 'I've had to deal with a lot in the many years I've lived in the Mushroom Kingdom, Bro.' He sighed heavily. 'But...I've never had a friend die. I feel so...so helpless. I've failed Luigi. I vowed to myself that nothing like this would ever happen, that I would never have a death on my hands.'
      'You couldn't help it.'
      'I could though! I could have saved her!'
      'Mario.' Luigi put his hands on his brother's shoulders. 'There are some things you need to live with. In this crazy world it's a wonder we haven't seen a million people die. We're only men Mario. We can't do everything.'
      Mario sighed. 'I guess you're right...but I still feel horrible, especially when I have to mask all my feelings. I can't let them see that their leader's so down. I need to be strong.' He clenched his fists. 'I need to protect everything in this kingdom Luigi. I need to be as Super as they've made me.'
      Luigi smiled. 'Don't worry. We're the Super Mario Brothers remember? Super Luigi's gonna fight by your side every step of the way.'
      The older brother smiled too, the stress leaving him. 'You're right. The most we can do is make sure no one else gets hurt.'
      Luigi nodded and gave him a thumbs up. 'That's my bro!' He took off his green cap. 'Well, I should go now. Have a good night Mario.'
      When he was a good enough distance away Mario's smile vanished and turned into a sad frown. Nastasia didn't have to die. He was going to make sure her death was avenged by deleting the Chaos Heart from existence and crushing Dimentio beneath his boot. No more people would die. If he let that happen...he couldn't call himself a hero.