Let's Try This Again, Shall we? (A SPM Swap AU)

With the Snap of my Fingers

The heroes returned to Merlon's house, showing him the now empty pure heart.

"So... Can you fix it?" Bleck asked as Peach held the heart tightly.

"Of course, he can fix it! This is Merlon we are talking about!" Pierre beamed, eyes smiling like they used to. His old, happy, childish personality had seemed to return for the most part. "He can do anything! Right Merlon-"

Pierre immediately stopped talking when he noticed the slightly nervous expression in his friend's eyes. 

"...Merlon?" He asked, eyes still smiling and voice still cheerful, only slightly quieter now. "You can fix it... right?"

"I..." Merlon trailed off, nervously swallowing. "I do not feel the typical energy from this Pure Heart. Even if we were to set it in a heart pillar, it would do nothing." Merlon explained.

"WHAT?!" Pierre and Bleck seemed to shout at the same time, voices almost sounding exactly the same. 

It was actually odd how similar their voices sounded just then. Pierre's voice was usually slightly higher than Bleck's. "Then how do we save her?!" Bleck exclaimed, earning confused glances from everyone except for Pierre, who instead of looking confused, looked worried.

"...And by her... I mean the world," Bleck lightly laughed.

Merlon cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention. "To stop this prophecy, we HAVE to defeat Countess Tippi. The one who started all of this. But... in order to do that, we need ALL the pure hearts. So we're in a bit of a pickle..." Merlon trailed off.

Everyone nervously looked around at one another, unsure of what was to come next, when suddenly a familiar laugh echoed through the room.

"Ah ha ha. The forlorn group of heroes, how they cry! The tears flow like sad chowder~!" The voice laughed.

"...Literally no one here is crying," Mario mumbled, when Dimentio suddenly appeared with a familiar chime, floating above the group, earning gasps from everyone in the room.

"Dimentio?! What are you doing here?!" Peach demanded, clenching her fists.

"Dimentio..." Pierre mumbled, shrugging and stumbling closer, holding up his hand with an idiotic smile on his face as if he was being introduced to a new friend in the schoolyard. "I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting! I'm P-"

"OH, bad news for you!" Dimentio interrupted, floating higher to be out of Pierre's reach. The ancient's eyes seemed to dim slightly as he took his hand back and wiped it on his cloak, stepping back and mumbling to himself while the jester continued, "There is no way in this world to restore the Pure Heart... Yes, sadly, your hard work was all... in... vain." He stated.

"No!" Bleck exclaimed. "B-But there has to be a way. I must stop Timpani!" He cried.

Pierre cast Bleck a short glance at the mention of her name, but no one seemed to notice. In fact, everyone else seemed to completely ignore Bleck's remark. They were too focused on what Dimentio had said to even hear what Bleck just cried.

"Wait, are you serious?!" King Boo asked. "Dude, but I literally did so much. And now you're telling me it's all for nothing?!"

"No," Pierre whispered, eyes seeming to beam again as he expressed determination in them. "There's always a way. You're wrong."

"Oh, you're right, my friend. There IS a way," Dimentio teased, looking right into the ancient's deep blue eyes. "Which is why I decided to give you all a consolation prize...."

"What are you talking about?!" Bleck asked when Dimentio snapped his fingers, making sets of execution boxes start forming around the heroes one by one. Pierre immediately gasped and grabbed Bleck, pulling him out of the way as all the other heroes became trapped, all frantically looking around in confusion and worry.

Then, with the snap of his fingers, he set off explosions in each of the boxes, causing all of the heroes to disappear, earning screams from Bleck and Merlon while Pierre squeezed his eyes shut, holding Bleck tightly.

"What...just happened?!" Merlon asked once the explosions ceased and the heroes were gone. Bleck wiggled himself free from Pierre's grip and floated over to where everyone had just been standing, worry lining his tone. "Oh no... PEACH?! PRINCE MARIO?! KING BOO?! PEACH?!?! WHERE'D YOU GO?!" He desperately cried as Dimentio calmly floated down next to him.

"It's quite simple," Dimentio started, in an amused tone. "I fulfilled their wishes! I sent them to the next world!"

"What just happened..." Pierre squeaked with wide eyes. "And to think, I was going to offer my friendship to you...."

All three of the people remaining seemed frozen in shock as Dimentio laughed at their expressions. "You do know who I am, right? I am your enemy. Dimentio! I serve Countess Tippi!"

"W-What are you going to do...?" Pierre asked, slightly nervous as Dimentio seemed to approach Bleck.

"Right now? Leave~!" Dimentio chimed. "My work here is done! Ciao!"

And just as soon as he came, he went.

Bleck just floated there for a moment, seeming utterly starstruck. "Why... why did you do that?" He asked in an almost low voice.

"Huh?" Merlon questioned when Bleck slowly turned to Pierre.

"You. Why didn't you save Peach?! Or why didn't you let me go with them?! I could have helped them!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Pierre nervously exclaimed. "I-I panicked. I don't know what I was thinking! I'm so sorry!"

"You should have saved one of the heroes instead," Bleck sadly stated, looking down. "That way we'd at least have one. What are we to do now....?"

______

Dimentio returned to Castle Bleck, somewhat tired. He had let Mimi know that Ms. D and the heroes were no more, then returned to his mirror hall, watching as all his reflections walked with him.

"I'm fine..." He reminded himself. "I'm fine."

Dimentio? You okay? He remembered Mr. L asking. Is something troubling you? You... look uneasy.

He had been the only one to ever care or notice when Dimentio wasn't alright. 

Back then he thought it was suspicious.

Now... he wasn't quite so sure what he thought. Just... seeing how differently Ms. D acted... he was confused.

"Why... are you here?" Dimentio asked Luigi, back down where the man in green was currently being locked up. Only this time he didn't seem mad or accusing. He seemed... almost sad. His voice was gentler and quieter, his posture slightly hunched over so he seemed smaller.

"... Did you do it?" Luigi asked him after a long pause, refusing to answer Dimentio's question.

".....Yes," Dimentio admitted.

Luigi seemed to sigh a sad sigh, looking down. "... It wont work," He whispered.

Dimentio slowly looked up at him, eyes almost watering. "It will work," He quietly stated. "It'll work this time."

"No, it won't!" Luigi exclaimed, grabbing the cell bars. "You can change the people around all you want, but it won't work!"

"Yes. It will." Dimentio replied, voice slightly harsher. "If you haven't noticed, those princesses are much smarter and stronger than you and your brother ever were!" Dimentio exclaimed, voice getting louder and louder. "First, they probably won't be idiotic to turn their noses at my offer. And if they were... Ms. D would prove a FAR better host for the chaos heart than you EVER would! She is far stronger!"

"EXCUSE ME!" Mr. L shouted in Luigi's head. "I AM TEN TIMES STRONGER THAN THAT-"

"No, no," Luigi interrupted. "He's got a point."

Dimentio raised a masked eyebrow at the man in green as he seemed to talk to himself, unsure how to even respond to him as the prince continued to argue with the invisible voice only he could hear.

"... It'll work," Dimentio stated, turning away. "It'll work."

"....And if it doesn't?" Luigi asked him.

"... Then I'll try again until it does."