Champagne

Prologue

- Far into the Future -

"So. . . what does petit rêve mean?" A small girl asks.

......

"Petit rêve?" Mr. L's voice responds after a moment. "Well, I'm glad you asked. It means... little dream."

......

There was darkness, and in that darkness, small balls of light all around, creating beautiful constellations and patterns, each with their own story. Their own solar system, planets, galaxies. 

A masked man in green stood in this distant place, surrounded by stars. There was a large, run-down spaceship not far from him. Stars and galaxies surrounded him, shining down on the pair. He was alone, with no one but this small child in front of him.

"So, you gonna tell me the story?" The young girl asked. She appeared about eight years old. Human looking. She wore Mr. L's hat over her little head, long black hair falling over her face, brushing across her twinkling grey eyes, matching the stars which surrounded her.

"Huh?" He asked, zoning out, distracted by the stars.

"The story. Your petit rêve. You gonna explain anything, or is that it?"

"Oh, right! Right!" He chuckles. "Have a seat!"

She eagerly sits in front of him and folds her arms into her lap, smiling. The two appear to be on a small, dark hill, darkness and stars surrounding them. It was quiet and it was peaceful. There was no one else as far as the eye could see.

Just them.

They were all surrounded by the beautiful atmosphere of space. 'Standing on the Sky,' As Mr. L liked to put it.

"Okay... this is the story of... people. Of love, hardships...of life." Mr. L starts, smiling at the young one. "Once upon of time... in a far-off land which I called home, there were two people in love. Their names are Blumiere and Timpani. Say their names, so they don't disappear!"

"Blumiere and Timpani," The girl repeats with a smile.

"Very good," He tells her. "Now, there are a few other names I want you to know. The heroes Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Bowser. No need to repeat these, since these aren't very fundamental to this story." Mr. L laughs. "Although, those names may briefly reappear once or twice."

"Okay..." She mutters.

"And then, there's team Bleck. Nastasia, Mimi, and O'Chunks."

"And Dimentio!" She adds. "We can't forget about Dimentio."

"Ah, yes. Dimentio. Well, don't worry. I haven't forgotten about him."

The girl smiles, as Mr. L leans forward. "Now, there's no way to accurately pinpoint where this story starts. Since the beginning is never quite clear. So... I'm going to begin at the end of another story."

"The end? Wait wait wait, so your story begins at the end of another?" She asks.

"No. My story began long before this one. But, THIS story begins at the end of another. Don't think of it as an end... think of it as another chapter being added. There's always chapters being added, so in a way, our stories never do really end."

"What about when you die? Would your story end then?" She asks, causing Mr. L to smile and shake his head. "No... believe me, I know that death is never truly the end. And when I do die, you'll still be out there. And therefore, my story will continue. Now, do you want me to start the tale?" He asks.

She eagerly nods, a smile on her face.

"Well, then let's get started, shall we? Here's the story of my petit rêve."