Wow! I MASSIVELY apologize for leaving you guys hanging for so long. I became a bit disconnected with fanfiction stuff a while ago but now I'm officially back and ready to go! I guess what I needed was just a really long break from all of this in the end, lol.

Cast: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Birdo, Peach, Daisy, Pauline, Rosalina, Wario, Waluigi, Toad, Toadette, DK, Dixie, Kooper, Goombella, Koops, Vivian, Bobbery, Count Bleck, Nastasia, Dimentio

After the service ended at the church, Dimentio and Nastasia were nowhere to be seen, as if they fled at the speed of light the second it ended. The gang talked amongst themselves and asked each other if they should call the police, but ultimately decided that it would be of no use since no one had a clue as to where they went to. Everyone then chose to go back home for the remainder of the day and said their goodbyes.

LATER THAT DAY…

Toad was in one of the bathrooms of Peach's Castle. He stared at himself in the mirror for what seemed like the longest time and then touched his stomach. He thought about what he said at the police station, what Rosalina said to him…what Diddy said to him before he died. Toad felt conflicted. He did feel bad that Diddy was murdered and felt sorry for his family members and Dixie, but…he also secretly detested Diddy.

FLASHBACK

Toad, Toadette, Yoshi, Birdo, Diddy, Dixie, and Goombella were at an ice cream shop, laughing and having a good time.

"…So I told the customer like three freaking times, you CANNOT get your coins back for your return because it's past 30 days! You bought that crap on Christmas Eve and it's now Valentine's Day! That's far past the 30 days return mark, sweetie! Then she told me, 'That's, like, sooooo not fair I spent over 646 coins in this ratchet store so you guys should really get your shit together and gimme my money back.' So I gave up and called the manager and had her deal with that brat because she wasn't gonna listen to me," Birdo ranted and the others laughed and rolled their eyes.

"Ugh, retail customers can truly be the scum of the earth. Like, if you have never worked in a retail store before then shut up and get rid of your attitude because you clearly don't know how it works!" added Goombella.

"Speaking of jobs, did I ever tell you guys that I worked at the Mushroom Kingdom Insane Asylum a loooong time ago?" asked Yoshi. Besides Birdo, since he had told her before, the others dropped their jaws.

"What!? You were seriously working at that freaky place? Why!? What were you even doing there?" Toadette shrieked.

"Well, I have a passion for helping people and I kinda wanted work experience at the same time, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take a volunteer position that I saw posted online. It actually wasn't bad, all I did was help set up stuff, converse with patients, take phone calls, etc," explained Yoshi.

"You never witnessed anything weird there like someone talking to themselves in a different language or someone chasing down a nurse with a knife in their hands?" Diddy obnoxiously asked, receiving weird looks from the others.

"Uhh you've been watching way too many mainstream movies, Diddy. Yeah, there was some oddities, but of course, working in an insane asylum, you're bound to see weird stuff happening. I honestly was never freaked out nor did I ever have someone threaten to hunt me down," Yoshi snickered.

"I also wasn't too freaked out when he told me about it. It's an insane asylum, so what? Just as long as my man doesn't turn into a homicidal, ghost-seeing maniac, I really don't care," Birdo shrugged.

"About that actually…I heard a rumor that Doopliss, the guy from Creepy Steeple, was sent there a while back. From the article I read, it said that he was found on the outside grounds of the asylum, all battered and bruised, and he kept talking to himself saying 'I escaped them, I escaped them, I escaped them'. Did you see him there?" asked Dixie. Goombella almost dropped her ice cream. She had no idea that one of the villains she fought with Mario back in the day would have lost their mind and actually be sent an asylum.

"Hmm…no, I didn't see him there, but wow. Wonder what the hell happened to him? What does he mean by escaped them?" asked Yoshi but of course, no one knew.

"Ugh, I'm so glad my major has nothing to do with that crap. With archaeology, you can travel and see so many unique areas that you have never even imagined before! Better than being in a hostile environment, let me tell you that," Goombella bragged.

"Yes Goombella, we know how awesome archaeology is considering this is like the 1000th time you told us. And don't you dare start on that story again about your 26 page research paper on Shhwonk Fortress!" Toadette slightly teased.

"You know, I've actually been considering taking archaeology when I get to university. I mean, there has to be something interesting about it if you love it so much, Goombella," Toad said with a cute smile. Goombella smiled back although it looked forced.

While that happened, Diddy looked to Toad and scoffed a bit. "Geez Toad, that's possibly the largest milkshake I've ever seen. Drink all that down and you'll gain 5000 calories!" He laughed and so did the rest of the group. Toad laughed as well, but forced it for the fact that what he said made him feel bad. Toad ate junk food and sweets way too often and along with not exercising a lot, he gains weight. He knows it's wrong but he can't help it. His resistance was weak.

"I, uhh, have to use the bathroom real quick," Toad excused himself and rushed over to the men's bathroom. Diddy followed suit and caught Toad staring at himself in the mirror.

"I know you like her. Goombella. I've seen the way you look at her," the monkey spoke.

"Oh! Y-yeah I do, I guess. So?" Toad was startled.

"Do you really think that she would go for someone as pudgy as you though?" Diddy asked the rudest question Toad ever heard him say.

"Wha-wha-what? Diddy…how could you say something like that to me?" he gasped.

"Because it's the truth. I'm telling you straight up that you've let yourself go these past few months and you're basically turning into an alternate species version of Wario. Toad, I am your friend, and therefore, I refuse to keep this dirty secret to myself nor would I want to make a pretty little lie to you," Diddy stated, albeit arrogantly.

"Excuse me!? Where do you come off acting like this? If you were my supposed friend, you wouldn't tell me that I'm pudgy! Friends aren't supposed to be mean to other friends!" Toad raised his voice.

"I'm trying to help you, you idiot! Goombella will never give you a chance unless you drop the pounds. Do you want to become a no-life, ugly, fat slob loser like Wario? Because that's gonna be the road you're heading down if you don't take my advice," Diddy barked and gave him an evil glare. Toad saw it all now. How could he call Wario such terrible things too?

"D-Diddy…what the hell is wrong with you? I have never seen you act like this before. Why are you being so mean?" he asked.

"Because this is the real me, Toad. The Diddy you know as funny and sweet only acts like that in social situations. But whenever we're alone like this, I break down that wall. I'm not a boring goody-goody two shoes like you all think. I am the realest person you know," Diddy's tone changed to that of being slightly creepy, even Toad got chills down his spine.

"I just…w-wow. Talk about a major curveball…"

Diddy rolled his eyes and walked over to him, then made him face the mirror again. "Toad, look. What do you see in the mirror?"

"Um…me?"

"Besides that. What are some words that pop into your head when you look at yourself in the mirror?

"Umm…uhh…I…I dunno…"

"Ugh, fine. I'll say it for you. Ugliness. Disgusting. Fat. Horrifying. These are the words you think of everytime you even take the slightest or quickest glance of your reflection. Don't even try to deny it."

Toad started to cry. Those words he spoke of were the same words that bullies yelled at him when he was younger. Diddy was definitely taking this whole 'real me' thing way too far.

"I know, I know, the truth hurts pretty damn bad, like a knife to the throat. But listen to me now, I know of a quick way to get rid of it and you'll be back to your regular shape in no time!"

"R-really? How?"

"Purge yourself. Stick your finger as far down your throat as you can, and you will throw that junk back up. Do this often enough and you'll lose a decent amount of weight pretty quickly."

Toad backed away from him a bit and widened his eyes. He couldn't believe that Diddy was suggesting something so dangerous. He started to become scared. But, deep down, he DID want to lose weight. His weight gain started becoming out of control recently and he was becoming more and more depressed by the week.

"Come on. I know you want to do it. I can see it in your eyes. Go ahead. Go in the stall. I'll keep watch," he formed a smirk upon his face. Toad opened one of the stalls and kneeled down to the toilet. He has seen this kind of stuff on TV and discussed in school before. He knew how dangerous it was. He felt awkward knowing that this happens to girls more often than boys. He didn't think for one second that he would be stupid enough to do something that can harm his body.

But he did.

END FLASHBACK

A tear rolled down Toad's cheek as he continued to stare at himself in the mirror. He had lost a good amount of weight ever since that day, but his depression worsened as well. He had purged himself multiple times, but he still felt like it wasn't enough. Those words Diddy said to him kept repeating inside his head. He was truly sad about Diddy dying, but he was also angry at him for worsening his self-esteem and influencing him to get involved in a disorder. There was a lot of things Toad wanted to say to Diddy but now he will never have to chance to. He'll never know how it feels to be hurt by simple words and to never be satisfied with self-image.

Toad kneeled down to his toilet and put up both lids. He opened his mouth and was prepared to stick his finger in there, but he stopped himself. He started to cry and balled himself up on the floor.

"So, are we're pretty much, like, positive that Nastasia and Dimentio are somehow involved with Nastasia's death?" asked Goombella while she was studying with Rosalina at her apartment. Bobbery, Koops, Kooper, Vivian, and Mario were there as well.

"No, we're not. It could just be a complete coincidence that Dimentio arrived at the party the same night he was killed. There's nothing to prove that he or Nastasia have anything to do with this mess," said Rosalina as she was shuffling some flashcards to quiz Goombella with.

"Oh come on, Rosalina! Dimentio disappears after I kick his narcissistic ass for some years, then all of a sudden he shows up in the city with Nastasia right after Diddy is murdered? That's TOO coincidental. Me thinks that he knew we were suspicious of him and Nastasia, that's why they left the church so quickly after the service ended," exclaimed Mario.

"But the thing is, even if we were 100% sure one or both of them did the deed, we have no proof to show the police. We're just assuming that they were up to something suspicious…" Kooper pointed out.

"Aye…what a terrible time to be rejoining the gang, indeed. I truly apologize for just randomly popping back into your lives, everyone. I should've sent a letter to one of you or something of the matter so you wouldn't be dealing with a whole other unexpected thing," Bobbery said.

"No no no! Don't apologize! We're happy that you're here, Bobbery! It was just bad timing, there was no way you could've known something bad happened," Vivian assured.

"Alright Goombella, let's start. What's a synonym for spurious?" asked Rosalina, holding the flashcard up.

"Does anyone else remember ANYTHING from the party that could've been deemed as suspicious besides Dimentio showing up?" asked Goombella, ignoring Rosalina's question.

"Uhh hello! Focus, Goombella!" Rosalina snapped her fingers, capturing the goomba's attention.

"Whoops! Um…a synonym…uhh…fake? False? Sham?" she quickly guessed.

"Wow. All are correct!" the space queen was impressed.

"Um…what about Wario, Waluigi, and Pauline? Do you remember when we went outside after the lights shut off and we found their car was the only one left in the lot but they were nowhere to be seen?" asked Koops. Vivian made a slight gasp, completely forgetting that moment.

"Oh yeah! They totally never explained where they went to! Did anyone bring that up when they were being questioned by the police?" asked Goombella. Everyone shook their heads and had guilty expressions.

"I just kinda assumed that, since Wario and Pauline were wasted at the party, they both ran off and Waluigi chased after them. I didn't think it was that big of a deal," Kooper shrugged it off.

"Um yeah, it IS a big deal! If they had something to do with what happened that night, then we have a right to know! I'm gonna go call them!" Goombella raised her voice and swiped her cellphone but Rosalina immediately took it from her.

"Goombella, you need to stop and breathe for a second! Interrogating them is not going to help anything," she said.

"Those three just…disappeared after the party? Without their car? Very strange. According to what I heard, Pauline got 'violent' at the party so it makes me wonder if she got into any more trouble after that incident…" Mario said.

"I'll go to their house tomorrow morning and ask them about it. I'm positive it's nothing but I guess I can't be too sure…" Kooper admitted.

"I want you guys to be very careful about getting yourselves involved in this mystery. I know, I know, the police in this city are unreliable a lot of the time and you were all close to Diddy, but I don't want to see anyone get themselves in trouble with the cops due to meddling too much or with the killer," Bobbery advised.

"Alright Goombella, next flashcard. Synonym for Iniquitous?" asked Rosalina.

Goombella opened her mouth but nothing came out. She had a blank stare on the card Rosalina was holding.

"Goombella? You okay?" Rosalina noticed that sudden expression change.

"Iniquitous…I…I know this…but why can't I think of the word? Wait…did I even write that flashcard?" Goombella suddenly fell into a state of confusion.

"Um, yeah? This is your handwriting on here. You wrote two words on the back. What's going on with you?" she began to get concerned.

"How can I not remember this? I remember studying….wait, no, I don't remember studying! That doesn't make sense though, I always study for everything! A-Atleast I think I do!" Goombella started to freak out.

"You're starting to scare me now, Goombella! Why do you have this sudden memory loss?" asked Vivian.

"I-I don't know…wait…what are all you guys doing here? Did I invite you?" she asked. Everyone else looked at each other nervously then back at her.

"Um, I think I know what's going on here. You're stressed out because of what happened with Diddy and because you've got exams coming up…I think you're focusing on too much stuff at once," Koops suggested.

"No no no! That can't be it! That can't be…R-Rosalina, just…tell me what the synonyms are, please…" Goombella made a slight groan and shook her head a bit.

"…Okay then. The words are evil and corrupt. Is your head hurting?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is a lot all of a sudden. Why is this happening? What should I do?" the valley girl frantically asked.

"Perhaps you should go take an early rest. Koops may be right in that you're focusing on too many things at once. That certainly can't be healthy for you," Bobbery answered.

"I agree, you should go to bed. We'll clean up a bit here and then head on our way. I have things to do anyways," Mario said.

"Do you want me to stay, Goombella? I don't mind sleeping here for another night," Vivian kindly asked.

"No no, it's fine. I don't mind being alone. I am kind of tired too so I'll just shower and hit the hay I guess. Thanks guys for coming over…" Goombella sighed, imagining every possible thing that could be the causing this sudden headache. As Rosalina got up to get her stuff, Goombella stared at another flashcard to see if she could remember the alternate word written on there. The word was geminate. Goombella tried and tried to think of synonym, but it just wasn't happening. Something was seriously wrong with her.

Pauline was in Wario and Waluigi's house, lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling.

"I don't ever wanna go in that nasty, ghetto place again. Why are the cops in this city such perverted assholes? When they got me out of the car, I'm almost positive one of them felt up my butt. And another one stared at me the entire time I was in the cell! That's the exact same crap that happened the previous time I was arrested!" Pauline ranted.

"Well if you hate being in jail so much, maybe you should just, you know, not get wasted and hit people like a maniac?" Wario said in part sarcasm as he pushed Pauline's legs over to sit down and watch TV.

"You're such the one to talk! Waluigi told me you were wasted Halloween night and that you even blacked out!" Pauline yelled in defense.

"I was? Damn. Truth be told, I don't remember much of that night, but I guess it's good that I don't considering, you know, Diddy and all…" Wario shrugged.

"You don't remember anything either? Well, I suppose that puts you as a suspect then. You could've easily done something shady that night and had a perfect alibi of being too wasted to remember to back you up!" Pauline growled.

"Excuse me? Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" Wario gave her a very dirty glare.

"I'm just saying that anything is possible…" Pauline replied with a smirk.

"Well, at least I don't have a history of pushing people down stairs and being a homewrecker!" Wario childishly attacked. Pauline gasped.

"YOU LITTLE…at least I'm not the fattest and ugliest person in the entire country!" she retorted.

"Really guys? How many times do you two have to snap at each other each day before it gets old?" asked Waluigi as he walked into the living room, holding a beer.

"She started it! And maybe we wouldn't be arguing so much if she practically didn't live here nowadays!" Wario yelled.

"I told you before you pompous buffoon, my parents think I'm a fucking mess, so I have nowhere else to go but here for the time being!" Pauline stated.

"Or, you know, you could just stay at a women's or homeless shelter…or maybe just 'work' on the streets like you did in the past…" Wario snickered.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU!" Pauline screamed and threw one of the couch pillows at his head, kicked over the coffee table and stomped into Waluigi's room.

"You know Wario, you are DEFINITELY not the one to talk. Do I have to give you a list of all the stupid shit you did in the past?" Waluigi slammed his beer bottle down and crossed his arms off, very ticked off now.

"Excuse me, but I'm allowed to have an opinion on that bi…girl! Why do you think so few people like her anyways? Do I have to give YOU a list as well?" Wario retorted.

"Wario, just shut up! I don't want you over here tonight! Call Mario or Yoshi or whoever the fuck you want, because I don't wanna fucking deal with your shit right now! You can come back when you wise up for once in your life!" Waluigi raised his voice.

"WHAT!? You can't kick me out! This is my house too, you son of a bitch!" Wario swore.

"I don't care! Just get the hell out of my sight! I'm tired of dealing with your bullshit all of the time!" Waluigi wrote him off and was red in the face at this point.

Wario sighed and gave him a glare. "Fine then. Give me your phone. My phone is dead and I can't find the charger."

Waluigi rolled his eyes and handed him his phone. Wario pressed the phone icon and was immediately taken to the call log. As he was about to switch to the dial screen, he noticed something odd.

"Hey Waluigi…how come you called Diddy at 10:30 on Halloween?" asked Wario.

"What? I didn't. What the hell are you talking about?" asked Waluigi.

"It says on your call log that you called him October 31 at 10:30pm! Look!" Wario showed him the proof and Waluigi backed away a bit in confusion and fear.

"Wario…I have no idea how that got there. I don't ever remember calling him that night!" he began to freak out.

"Wait a second, were you the person that Peach was talking about when she said she saw Diddy talking to someone on the phone, right before he died? Was that you who he was talking to?" Wario began to get suspicious and also started to freak out.

"Wario, I just told you! I have no idea how that got on my phone! Someone must've stolen it and called him for whatever reason! I-I remember not being able to find my phone for a while until I randomly saw it on the kitchen table right before I took Pauline outside!" Waluigi defended himself, not believing what was happening.

"I…I should go. You were right. I can't stay here right now. I'll just…sleep at Yoshi's place," Wario quickly responded and ran out of the house. He wasn't sure whether or not to trust his brother at this point.

Just as Peach was beginning to fall asleep, she heard some kind of rustling noise.

"What the…?" she quietly said to herself, popping her eyes open.

She heard it again. It sounded like it was coming from the closet.

"No…no no…I'm hearing things. This has to be a dream. This cannot be happening," she said, becoming really nervous. The rustling noise was heard again. Peach quietly shrieked and got up, staring at the closet door. Her legs were shaking now. There was definitely something in there.

She went into one of her drawers and got out a pocketknife that she's been keeping for security reason for years now. The rustling noise was heard yet again. It sounded like someone was moving her clothes around in there. Peach crept toward the door, getting more nervous with each step. She could hear her heart beating louder and louder.

She grabbed the doorknob, ready to take down whatever could possibly be making that noise. She turned it and quickly pulled it open.

Nothing.

"What? But…that noise…" she said in surprise and flicked the closet light on. She didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Peach laughed a bit and sighed in relief. "Huh, guess it's just my imagination then…"

She turned the light off and closed the door. She turned around only to see Dimentio standing right in front of her. Peach screamed in shock, then Dimentio grabbed her and threw her onto the bed. The jester got on top of her and pulled out a knife.

"You and your clique are so fucking pathetic! I saw the way you cried and mourned over that asshole! Do you not realize that he's the worst thing that ever happened to this city!?" he yelled.

"D-DIMENTIO! PLEASE GET OFF ME! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!" the princess shrilled.

"That fucking monkey! He is the very definition of poisonous! And you…you're too fucking weak and blind to see what kind of monster he really is. You are nothing. You're supposed to be the princess and you let this shit happen! YOU ARE A FUCKING WASTE!" Dimentio roared and jabbed his knife into her chest. Peach screamed again and tried to push the jester off but he was too strong and heavy for her.

Peach gasped and opened her eyes. Silence.

"Oh…thank god that was just a nightmare…but…what the hell was that all about? I've never dreamed of anything like that before…" she said. She looked at her closet and was still a bit paranoid about someone being in there or just in the castle. There was no way she could get back to sleep. She grabbed her phone and called Mario. It rung for a minute, but then the voicemail came. Peach sighed in disappointment and tried calling Daisy. She thankfully answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey Daisy, do you think you can come over and sleep here again, please? I just can't do this, being all alone…I'm terrified. I called Mario but he's not picking up for whatever reason."

"Heh, I was just about to call you and ask the same thing, actually. I'm literally sitting here in bed, staring at the ceiling, wanting to close my eyes, but I'm afraid someone or something will get me in my sleep…or I'll have this really bizarre nightmare that has to do with Diddy."

"Tell me about it. It feels so awkward sleeping next to the area where someone came in here and killed him!"

"Speaking of that…did the police ever find anything in the closet like dust prints or anything of the kind?"

"Not that I know of so far. Whoever killed him must've been really sneaky and smart about it."

"Yeah…well, anyways, I'll be over in a few. Don't have a meltdown, kay? Bye!"

"Bye."

However, it wasn't just the fact that she found a dead body in her closet that made her uncomfortable sleeping in her room, it was also the fact that this killer has not been found yet and Peach had zero ideas of who it could be.

As Rosalina got out of her car and walked to her house, she got out her phone and called someone.

"Thank you for calling the Mushroom Kingdom Mental Institution, this is Amy speaking, how can I help you?"

"Hey Amy! It's Rosalina. I must apologize for not coming in yesterday even though I said I would the day before. I'm sure you've heard about Diddy Kong being murdered at Peach's castle where me and my friends went to a party at, correct?"

"Yeah, I'm really sorry about that. I kinda figured you would take the day off to clear your head and so did the others here so it's no biggie. Are you coming tomorrow?"

"Oh, of course! Definitely! You know me, I love to help as much as I can! Heh. Anyways, did I miss anything important yesterday?"

"Actually, yeah, you did. On Halloween night. You know that Bleck guy? He somehow managed to escape the institution!"

Rosalina stopped in her tracks and almost dropped her phone. Bleck escaped the same night Diddy was murdered.

"Wh-wh-what…? How is that possible? Do the police know where he is!?"

"Hold on, Rosalina. One of the nurses found his room empty at 10ish, so she alerted the staff and security and we searched all over the building but we couldn't find a single trace of him! Around an hour later, he randomly pops up back in his room, sleeping in bed. The security guards questioned him repeatedly but he kept saying that he was in his bed, sleeping the entire time. Staff is unsure of what to do with him because we know for a fact he wasn't in the building after 10, the security cameras were even checked. We don't even know how he escaped either…it couldn't have been by his window because it's bolted shut, and even so, it's on the second floor so it'd be a long drop to the ground and there would be no way for him to climb back in."

"Wait…so…you guys think he escaped then came back into the institution? Are you positive that's what happened?"

"It's the only explanation that makes sense. Every single place where he could be was checked, including the basement."

Rosalina had chills run down her body. For what reason could Bleck have escaped and come back?

EOC.

Next chapter will have another flashback of Diddy, Rosalina trying to investigate what happened with Bleck, Goombella trying to figure out what's wrong with her memory, and some other stuff. Clues for who could be the killer are all over this chapter, and the previous two as well, you just have to think deeply and carefully.