001: Beginnings

Dimentio snuck through the Hall of Prophecy, heading for the Restricted Section. He tried to be quiet, but his foot hit a creaky floorboard. He froze, and waited.

Nobody came to investigate; no one expected one of the Ancient Court to be looking for dark secrets. But that's exactly what Dimentio, second-in-command of the Court of the Tribe of Ancients, was doing. Just why such a high-ranking Ancient would be tempted by the Hall's Restricted Section was a good question. Dimentio wasn't sure himself, to be honest.

It had started with a feeling, really. He felt that he needed to find the dark secrets held by the Ancients of the Ancients, the ancestors of the Tribe of Ancients. It was said they had known terrible secrets; secrets that would, if known, drive any being insane. That all by itself was enough to drive away ninety-nine point nine percent of curious minds. The other point one percent was Dimentio. Because he was prompted to find the secrets, he believed that he could take the strain.

Dimentio started walking again. The Restricted Section loomed ahead, an imposing gateway in the wall. The entrance was covered with a multi-dimensional mesh that would keep out beings except those that could work with dimensions. This was the reason why Merloo was the keeper of the Restricted Section. All the Ancients thought he was the only one to have power over dimensions.

This wasn't exactly true. Merloo may have been a master of dimensions, but there was another dimension-monger in existence. Dimentio was this second dimension-monger. Ever since he had been a little boy, he had been able to manipulate dimensions. Dimentio was not yet a master, but he was getting there.

Dimentio neared the multi-dimensional mesh and stopped. He looked at the mesh for a while, and then snapped his fingers, a smirk lighting up his face. He raised a hand above his head, and a purple and yellow energy sphere appeared there. Dimentio flicked his hand, and the sphere flew towards the mesh. There was a tremendous burst of light. When the light died down, Dimentio saw that the mesh had been ripped apart as if by an enraged Sammer Guy.

He entered the Restricted Section, and was almost overcome by a wave of dark power. 'The secrets here are very dark, to give off this much power,' Dimentio thought.

Walking through the Section, Dimentio glanced at names of the books on the shelves. Dark Secrets, Demons of the Underwhere, and Tartarus: A History were three of the most interesting. But when he looked ahead, he forgot all about the other books for there, on what looked like an oversized coffee table, was the largest book he had seen yet. Dimentio neared the book, and immediately felt terrible. It felt as though a Zombie Shroom had dropped into the pit of his stomach.

'This is the darkest of them all,' Dimentio thought. He gazed at the book, repelled and yet strangely entranced by the book. The feeling in his stomach was still there. Dimentio hesitantly reached out a hand, and brushed off the dust that sat on the cover. The title of the book slowly became visible: D-a-r-k-n-e-s-s. The title of the book was Darkness. A menacing title, to be sure.

He gripped the cover of the book, and opened it. He began to read, and a power started tugging on his consciousness. Dimentio fought against it, and was barely able to resist the power. The power faded away, but came back even more powerful than before.

As the power washed over him, Dimentio felt himself falling farther and farther into a well of darkness. His last thought before he lost all consciousness was 'Is this what insanity feels like?' Then, all was black.

Dimentio woke. He put a hand to his head and rubbed his temples in an attempt to rid himself of the massive headache that ravaged him. When the headache finally receded, he stood up. He glanced over at the oversized coffee table, and jumped back in surprise. Where the book Darkness had been, now sat a smaller book. Dimentio neared the table, and lifted the new book off the table. He riffled through it and saw that it was blank.

'Why is this new book here? Why would the old book be gone?' Dimentio paused. "Why is my thinking turned around?" he asked himself. "Is this... insanity? I thought it would be different. This feels nearly normal."

He was distracted by a strange thought: Fill me. He looked around wildly, wondering if someone was using telepathy. But no, no one was there. Then his eyes fell on the book he held in his hands. 'Could it be... the book?' Dimentio thought. 'Let me see... How should I answer? How about, "With what?"'

Fill me with what was in the other book.

'Only the book would say that,' Dimentio thought. 'It's the book. I can't fill it. What would that information do to me?' But even though he had resolved in his mind to not fill it, his hand crept to the pocket on his right side. It was in this pocket that each Ancient kept a quill or two. The reason was, like many other reasons for things the Ancients did, was that it was tradition.

Dimentio lay the book down, trying to convince himself not to fill it with what was in Darkness. He raised the quill, and opened the book. He put quill to paper, and began to write....

When all is said and done, the Monster King and the Pure Maiden must be joined in union to release the Chaos Heart....

There will be a time when the sky is filled with a dark, ominous circle. It will engulf the world of lines. It will inundate the world of green foliage and orange water. The land of bits will be taken. Outer space will be consumed. The prehistoric rock land will be overwhelmed. The Kingdom of the Sammers shall be obliterated. Though the man in red shall wield formidable powers, one shall stand against him. The man in green shall use the Chaos Heart's power to bring darkness to all. The dark one will control him, and will not be able to stop the man in red....

Four heroes shall appear, and move in opposition to the Chaos Heart's holder....

There will be a time that this book will be fought over. The Ninjis will lose their nation because of this book. The Boos will find their downfall through this book. And the Goomba country will fall to the invader Toads by this book's power.....

Dimentio laid down his quill and sighed in satisfaction. The book was partially filled, and there was much more that he wished to put in it. But it would have to wait. Now, Dimentio needed to leave the Hall of Prophecy with his book. He would keep it with him, and wait to be able to pass it on to an evil soul.

Dimentio had become what he didn't think he would. Transcribing in the book had siphoned the rest of his goodwill from him. All that was left were crazy thoughts, thoughts he had never had before. Thus was born Dimentio, Pleaser of Crowds.