I've Got the Strangest Feeling This Isn't Our First Time Around

52

It's a much happier Mario and Luigi that knock on Nick's door, and upon opening the door, Mario tells him,

"You heard?"

Nicky nods, "Nastasia was exposed. Hard to miss."

"There's someone I think you're gonna wanna talk to." Luigi sidesteps away, revealing Danny, who's holding an envelope.

"Hey, Nicky."

He hands it to Nick, "I think in light of everything, you should have this."

Nick takes it, "What is it?", as he pulls out a stack of papers, seeing the name Little Nicky's .

"Everything you need for your own hot dog cart." Danny replies.

Nick's eyes go wide, "When did you do this?"

"Not too long ago. But I left it on my desk the day I was attacked. I even opened up an account and put away money to help you get started."

"That's what you wouldn't talk to me about?" Nick screeches.

"I was trying to surprise you, dum dum." Danny defends. "I wanted you to know no matter what happens, I'm in your corner."

Then he grabs Nick in a hug, and Mario and Luigi decide to leave them to it, walking away with a wave goodbye.

"You're absolutely positive you're okay?" Mario asks yet again as they stop in front of Luigi's door.

"For the umpteenth time, yes!" Luigi exclaims, but he's more amused than exasperated.

"Just get some extra z's for me, alright?" Mario begs, a little whine in his voice, then starts to walk away. "See you tomorrow, Weeg."

"Wait." Luigi says, and when Mario comes back, tells him, "When Nastasia set her chair up to full power trying to fry my brain, it...made me see stuff. A lot of stuff. Mostly from other people's dreams, and one of me. When I was a toddler. I was lying on a couch, in baby pajamas, and wearing some kind of headset."

"That chair was designed to repair the brain through electricity." Mario says. "You could've seen yourself in drag, and it wouldn't even come close to the weirdest thing imaginable."

"Maybe." Luigi shrugs. "But thanks."

Mario tilts his head in confusion, "What for?"

"For not being just some guy I work with." Luigi replies with a grin.

After a moment, Mario smiles back, then walks away.

Luigi watches him go for a second, then unlocks his door and goes inside.

"Spike?"

The no reply should've tipped him off, but the second he sees the floating red pillow...person, Luigi's whole body freezes.

"Your roommate isn't home." The pillow person says as he comes closer. "Nice to put a face to the name, Luigi."

"Where's Spike?" Luigi crosses his arms, not about to play nice.

"Probably out with Pauline." The pillow person doesn't seem too interested in that.

"How did you get in?" Luigi demands.

"Your foster mother gave your parents a key, should they ever decide to come here to visit."

The admission sends chills down the back of Luigi's spine, as he snaps, "Well it's my apartment now, so that key has been revoked."

"We're getting off on the wrong foot." The pillow person seems to be genuinely apologetic. "I'm just here to talk to you."

"We both know you're not the director of the Dream Lab." Luigi says flatly. "I'm dead tired. Nearly having my brain turned to mush tends to do that."

"Snoozemore warned me about your biting wit." The pillow person laughs.

"Are you gonna tiptoe around the truth, or are you gonna actually be honest with me?"

"You haven't asked me anything to be honest about." The pillow person says. "Give it a try, maybe I'll play nice."

"How about your name?"

"Dreambert." He says. "Prince Dreambert. Your Dream Lab is in the ruins of the castle I once resided in."

"Let's talk about Bowser." Luigi's not gonna give Dreambert a chance to keep up. "He said all the people we've been dreamwalking through is a test for something bigger than all of us. What we're actually doing. Was he telling the truth?"

"He was." Dreambert replies easily.

"Then what are we doing?" Luigi follows up.

"I don't know." Luigi hates to admit it, but Dreambert sounds like he's telling the truth.

"You'll forgive me if I find it hard to believe the Pi'illo prince that's letting us squat in his castle doesn't know what we're doing in there." Luigi replies.

"I don't blame you." Dreambert says. "But it shouldn't surprise you to know something like this is very cloak-and-dagger."

"Is that what you call it?" Luigi isn't impressed.

"The point I'm trying to make is everyone only knows one piece of the puzzle." Dreambert says. "I only know the basics: you sleep on a bed made from Pi'illo Kingdom artifacts; you wake up those petrified by the Nightmare Stone. It's a safety precaution, for all of us, just as much as you."

"Like Bowser?" Luigi quips.

"Bowser turned on us." Dreambert reminds him. "We should've known better, but we didn't. But we dealt with it."

He starts to float towards the door, then stops. "I know that barely scratches the surface, and you're nowhere close to being satisfied, but trust me when I say you're not alone. Your parents, Molly Turner, your team, me, the whole Lab—all we care about is your safety."

"So I'm just supposed to stay in my lane?" Luigi demands. "Keep being a good little puppet until someone cuts the strings?"

"Why not?" Dreambert shrugs. "That's how I've lived with it."

"You're a disgrace to your kingdom." Luigi spits.

"I'm far past the point where that matters anymore." Dreambert sighs. "Thanks for hearing a dirty old pillow out."

He starts to go, until Luigi stops him with a question, "Molly Turner didn't kill herself, did she?"

Dreambert turns back around, replying, "No, she did not."

"Do you know how she died?"

"Doing her job: hiding you from anyone who meant you harm." With that, Dreambert disappears, and once again, Luigi is alone.