I took a shaky breath, then stepped out of the elevator, turning to see if Brooks would follow. He didn't. 

"What are you doing?" I asked. "You're not gonna make me deal with her all alone, are you?!"

He nodded.

I couldn't help but let out a slightly annoyed huff.

"Sometimes I really hate you," I muttered.

He simply held up his wrench in response and used it to point me forward, as if silently telling me to just hurry up and go. I wasn't a fan of him thinking he had the power to tell me what to do. Even if he wasn't actually talking. 

"No, you're coming with me," I hissed, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward with me. I was a little surprised by how squishy his arm was. It was made of ink, but it felt similar to a stress ball. Not in a good way. 

I pulled him forward into another large open room, where another voice tape was waiting. He looked away from it while I pressed play. 

"It's dark and it's cold and it's stuck in behind every single wall now. In some places, I swear this Grambiforsaken ink is clear up to my knees! Whoever thought that these crummy pipes could hold up under this kind of strain either knows something about pressure I don't, or he's some kind of idiot. But the real worst part about all this... are the noises I hear in the shadows. And don't get me started on these blasted elevators... sometimes they open... sometimes they don't... sometimes they come... sometimes they keep on going. I swear, someone's sure to end up falling to their death. And it sure ain't gonna be me. I'm taking the stairs. Make no mistake, this place... this... world... heck, this whole darn thing... it just isn't natural. I'm finding Luigi, then I'm outta here."

- Mario

Finding Luigi? Was Mario trapped in here just like me? Was he searching for his brother?

How would he react if he saw me? I bet he honestly still wouldn't even recognize me as Mr. L. He was never the brightest. 

The stupid man in red couldn't even recognize me... 

Brooks quickly tried pulling me away from the tape as if it was on fire. He refused to look at it, acting almost as if he was ashamed. 

"What is it?" I asked him.

He didn't reply, not that I expected him to. 

What, was Mario's voice disturbing him? Ha, not that I blamed him. 

"Alright, alright, we're going," I breathed, allowing him to pull me away from the tape and down through the room when Brooks suddenly halted in his tracks. 

"What is-" I started, when my eyes were drawn to the section in front of us.

There were at least fifteen different tables, each with an ALMOST exact replica of Brooks on it, cut open with his insides torn out. They were all dead. I felt sick. 

Brooks was silent. 

There was something slightly off about each stripped-down version of Brooks. Some were proportions just barely incorrect. Others had uneven ears or backward hands. Still, they all looked like Brooks.

"What in the worlds..." I muttered, when my Brooks stepped away from me, looking over one of the brutally murdered versions of himself. I couldn't help but wonder who would do this... and why?! What could someone gain? By the looks of the room, it appeared someone was collecting Brooks clones and ripping their insides out, but why?! 

My Brooks looked actually, well, perfect compared to the others. His ears were perfect height, he was built proportionally, and he almost exactly resembled the cartoon character I designed aside from the missing tophat. 

He seemed tense. Almost afraid. Could these strange cartoonish creations even feel fear? 

Then, her voice came over the speakers.

"Look around. It took so many of them to make me so beautiful..." Angel breathed, her voice much higher and sweeter than before. "Anything less than perfect was left behind."

I shivered, then grabbed Brooks and pulled him away from the ripped-open clone. We had to get out of there. 

I pulled him over to another tape recorder, then pressed play. This time, he didn't seem so desperate to get away.

"Who would've thought? Me, personally having lunch with the Count! Apparently times are tougher than I thought. But I gotta say, he wasn't at all what I expected. Quite the charmer. He said in the perfect world, everything would be beautiful. I'd be even more beautiful. He even called me Angel. I liked it."

-Mimi

As soon as the tape ended, the set of metal doors at the other end of the room slowly opened. Brooks tensed up and stepped back, timidly hiding behind one of the Brooks clones. Not that I blamed him. If I saw a bunch of clones of myself having been brutally torn up, I wouldn't exactly be the bravest either.

"I take it I'm heading in alone?" I asked.

He nodded, carefully retreating back towards the elevator.

"Right," I breathed, letting out a shaky breath and starting forward. Sure enough, the distorted girl I had seen before was waiting in there for me. It was brighter, so I could get a better view of her. That wasn't a good thing. Her dress looked like it had been molded to her skin. The destroyed half of her face looked even creepier and almost machine-like. 

"Aww, Elly, you made it," She giggled with her high-pitched voice, before changing into her eerie lower tone. "Now we come to the question... do I kill you and tear you apart to my heart's delight? After all... you could be here to kill me. You could pull me back!!" 

The way she talked was rather unhinged. Her voice continued to swap back and forth between tones. One moment she would sound angry, the next she'd sound scared. She was talking more so to herself than me.

"Do you know what it's like?! Living in the dark puddles?!" She whimpered, before breaking into a fit of low laughter. "It's a buzzing... screaming well of voices. Bits of your mind swimming all around you... but it was worth it because it made me an angel!"

Um, an angel... totally. 

"I'm so close now... I'm almost perfect," She giggled, when she finally looked at me, acting like she finally noticed I was there. 

"Finished with your monologue yet?" I asked.

"Yeah... I think I'll spare you for now. In fact... I'll even let you ascend and leave this place. If... you do me a few favors..." she trailed off.

"Favors? What kind of date is this?! I don't think you understand how-"

"Get out of my sight! Return to the elevator and I'll give you further instructions, my little errand boy!"

"Don't call me that," I breathed, turning away from her and walking out.

Although, I suppose there was some good that came from that conversation. She did say that she'd let me leave this place if I did a few favors for her. 

Maybe I really was closer to the exit than I thought.

Brooks was waiting for me in the elevator.

He seemed to relax upon seeing me, acting as if he was worried I had been hurt or something. I smiled at him when her voice suddenly echoed throughout the room.

"I need you to find me a perfect Brooks. Find me one, and I can let you escape! Don't let your favorite angel down." Angel's voice chimed. "Dreams come true, Mimi... Dreams come true..."

Mimi?

Oh, THAT'S why her higher-pitched voice sounded so familiar. She was Mimi!

What the heck happened to her, thought?! She looked nothing like the cute little green girl I knew. And why did she want the perfect Brooks?

Brooks immediately tensed up upon hearing her voice.

"... Don't worry, buddy. You don't have a hat. She's not talking about you," I breathed. 

Although, when compared to all the other clones we saw, he WAS the most accurate. Even without his tophat and cane.

"Take the elevator. I'll send you down to an old friend of mine first. I just need you to get one tiny thing from her" Angel explained.

Before I could argue, the elevator suddenly began moving down, opening once again after a few seconds. 

"She's our projectionist. If you listen carefully... you can hear her sulking in the dark. She was once very beautiful... but I had to take care of that. Still... she has something that will help you find my perfect Brooks. A dog whistle. Fetch it first, for me," Angel explained.

I looked forward, stepping out of the elevator and down a few steps, into the new ink-flooded floor. All the ink was at least to my knees. 

Right next to me was another voice log. Curious, I turned it on. 

"I just naturally seek out dark places. It helps me think. Yeah, you see, I've learned all the ins and outs of this castle. I know where to go so I'm not bothered by any of the other minions. It's not shady or anything. I don't care what Mimi says. She can seek all the attention she wants. I prefer staying back here where it's dark anyway."

- Nastasia.

Yeah... sounded like Nastasia. Even so, she was clearly the Count's favorite. She was the one basically managing everything. Yes, the count was the boss, but she was the real one in charge. She was the one telling us what to do and organizing everything for him. 

Still, I never thought Mimi would dislike her. Perhaps it was jealousy. 

I looked up to see a bunch of different projections suddenly light up, playing on the walls and the ceilings. Each projection was showcasing a different moving picture of the three characters I designed. 

Weird. It was like in this world, I was the character designer, Mimi was Angel, Nastasia was in charge of creating projections, and Dimentio was in charge of the music. But why? What became of the Count and O'Chunks? Or Mario? Or the rest of the heroes? Where was everyone else?

As I walked through the ink, I could hear the flushing noises of the thick, black liquid. Grambi, I hated that place. So much. I desperately hoped that I wouldn't be stuck in that castle forever.

Just imagine it... me being stuck searching for an exit from the inky prison for all eternity. I couldn't even think about it without nearly gagging.

No, I had to escape. I had to find a way out. I didn't care if I blew up the walls or even destroyed the entire castle. I had to escape eventually. 

"Nastasia?" I called out. "Where are-"

"MIMI!" She cried from behind me, making me jump and whirl around.

I gasped at the sight.

Her entire body was black and covered in ink, similar to Dimentio. Only instead of wearing a mask, it looked like a projector box had been smashed onto her head. She looked from side to side, as if she couldn't see me.

"MIMI, GET THIS OFF!" She cried out. "MIMI?! I CAN'T SEE! GET BACK HERE!"

I couldn't help but feel slightly frightened. However, my eyes were brought away from her head and towards the dog whistle attached to a small chain around Nastasia's neck.

Great. How was I going to get that?!

I took a deep breath, doing my best to stay quiet. It was clear Nastasia couldn't really see anymore, since the projection box was on her head, so she was probably relying on her ears to be her eyes. 

I took a shaky breath, and grabbed ahold of the dog whistle, yanking it from her neck. To my surprise, the chain practically phased through her inky neck, as if it was liquid and not a neck at all. The sight of it made me nearly vomit.

Nastasia gasped, then reached towards me, diving forward while screaming. She clearly at least FELT the chain pass through her neck. I dove to the side, accidentally tripping and submerging myself in ink before standing up and sprinting back towards the lift. 

"GIVE IT BACK, GIVE IT BACK!" She cried, sounding broken and hysterical at the same time. 

Once I got back to the elevator, I snatched Brooks' wrench from him and threw it across the room, hoping the sound would set Nastasia on the wrong path and make her go the other way. Then, I frantically pressed the up button on the elevator doors, hoping that they'd close before Nastasia got to us.

Brooks gave me an annoyed expression and crossed his arms while I mumbled an apology for throwing his wrench out like it was garbage. Some sacrifices clearly needed to be made. He should have just been glad that I chose to throw the wrench out and not him.

"It seems you have acquired everything I need, my little errand boy," Angel chimed over the speakers once the elevator door closed and we began ascending. "I'll always treasure our time together... but now it's time for you to go home. For good."

I let out a relieved sigh, though I was somewhat confused. I didn't find the "Perfect Brooks," for her, or whatever. Weird. Maybe she just wanted the dog whistle. 

Meh. It's not my problem.

Brooks looked up while Angel continued talking. 

"Have you ever wondered what the Overthere is like? I like to dream that it's quite beautiful. A soft valley of green grass, blanketed by a warm sun." She paused. "... I don't think I'll ever get to see it...."

Her voice was higher pitched once again.

Then, she slowly began to laugh.

Her laughter started out soft, then got louder and louder, sounding more and more maniacal, when the elevator suddenly stopped.

There was a moment of confusing silence.

Then, we began plummeting down.

"DID YOU REALLY THINK I'D LET YOU STEAL HIM FROM ME?! DID YOU REALLY THINK I'D JUST LET YOU GO?!" Angel cried, her voice deeper once again.

Brooks began to cower in fear. He covered his head, trembling.

"NO, MR. L! I KNOW WHO YOU ARE, AND I KNOW WHY YOU'RE HERE!" Angel screamed. "YOU WILL NOT STOP WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE! Now come down, AND BRING ME BACK MY BROOKS!"

Her Brooks?!

I looked at the wolf, who was trembling and covering his head, shaking violently. He looked terrified. He looked at me as if silently pleading for help.

I didn't know what to do. We continued plummeting, further and further down.

"HE'S THE MOST PERFECT BROOKS I HAVE EVER SEEN! He was a legendary hero, you know? YOU KNEW HIM! AND YOU DON'T EVEN RECOGNIZE HIM! NOW BRING HIM TO ME! I WANT HIM! I NEED HIM!" Angel screamed. "I NEED HIS INSIDES SO I CAN BE BEAUTIFUL AGAIN! GIVE HIM TO ME!"

Legendary hero?!

I looked at Brooks.

He was still shaking.

He was terrified.

"... Mario?" I asked.

He continued to tremble.

"Or better yet, I'll take him. ONCE YOU'RE DEAD!" Angel cried.

Then, the elevator crashed.

Everything was black for a moment.

Then, my vision slowly came into focus. 

I saw Brooks leaning over me, shaking my shoulders as if he was desperately trying to get me to wake up.

Just behind him, I saw Angel slowly stalking toward us.

"Mario?" I asked.

He said nothing. He just continued trying to get me to fully wake up.

"Mario, behind you-"

He was suddenly taken. Angel screamed and dragged him back at light speed while screaming.

I reached out to him. 

But I wasn't fast enough.

In the blink of an eye, they were both gone.