Chapter 37: The Impetus of Light

Bowser

Bowser swung his fists, his powerful arms giving him the strength to punch through armour and shatter bones. Blue-skinned people went limp against his force, and broke down into paste. 'GRAAAAAH!' he roared. 'LONG LIVE THE KOOPA KING!' His army, the Koopa Corps, shouted simultaneously in response. Bowser blew fire out from his gullet and many soldiers went up in flames.

A man with an axe silently swung it at his back; it bounced off his thick, spiked shell. He turned around, grabbed the man's entire body, then lifted him up and smashed him on the ground. Another man jumped onto his back, then another, and another. He bellowed in frustration, shaking around, but they held fast. 'Get off of me you losers!' He fell backwards onto his back, impaling them on his spikes, but found a problem. '...uh oh. I can't get up!' He teetered on his shell, attempting to get to his feet, but to no avail.

A soldier hopped up on him and stabbed in him in the stomach with his sword, the cold steel puncturing the weak underbelly and digging into blood. Pain shot through Bowser's body the likes of which he hadn't felt in his entire lifetime, and he cried out in pain. Mario and Luigi had never used swords!

A multicoloured blast of magic blew the soldier off of him, making him roll around in the dust. 'Your Bossiness!' Kamek shouted, running over to him. 'Are you hurt?'

'I'VE GOT A SWORD STICKING OUT OF ME WHAT DO YOU THINK?!' he snarled furiously. 'AND I CAN'T GET UP! HELP ME OUT HERE!'

The Magikoopa waved his wand and lifted Bowser to his feet, then waved it again and the sword dislodged from his stomach. 'I've got some Mushrooms here if you want them.' He held them out. 'They're a bit dirty from the fighting, but—'

The great Koopa snatched the items from Kamek's hands and snarfed them back in half a second. 'Awesome, ya old koot!' he said between munches, then hopped over Kamek and ground pounded a man about to stab the wizard in the back. 'And watch out, will you?! This is way more dangerous than anything we've done before!'

Kamek waved his wand, rainbow light pulsating in its core. 'I dunno, I'd rather be on the end of a sword than the underside of one of those two bozos' boots, personally. Reicio!' A powerful magical fireball shot out of his wand, striking another emotionless soldier in the chest, exploding on contact and making him fly into several of his comrades. 'And I'd rather have "stabbed by soldier" on my tombstone than "crushed by fat Italian plumber" any day!'

'BWAH HAH HAH HAH!' Bowser laughed. 'You're cracking me up!' He took a deep breath and blew fire out of his mouth, setting several soldiers ablaze. To his shock, they kept on fighting as if nothing had happened, their blank expressions looking eerie amidst the crackling flames. He ducked into his shell and spun rapidly, turning himself into a whirling vortex of spines and knocking them aside. When he got back out, he said, 'I don't think Dimentio's gonna give us any tombstones though.'

'Probably not.'

A red blur pounced on one of the soldiers and bit through the chainmail over his throat, puncturing the skin and making black blood gush over its mouth. It jumped off of the rapidly-dying man and slashed out with claws at another, ripping through steel and digging through bone. It dodged and weaved through the clamouring armies of humans, dolls, and Mushroom denizens, making mincemeat of any of Dark Dimentio's people unfortunate enough to stand in its way. It grabbed one solder by the throat and threw it into another, then snarled at it.

'Holy cow,' Bowser said, gaping. 'What the heck happened to you?!'

Esmine looked sideways at the Koopa, who backed up nervously. The succubus' demonic features were out in full force; her eyes were fully yellow, with two black, horizontal slits of pupils slashing them down the middle. Her teeth were complete fangs, their tips glinting as she bared them, and her hands ended in razor-sharp claws. Her skin, normally smooth and creamy, was rough and smeared with dirt and blood. Black liquid dripped from her claws and fangs, and a trail of the dark stuff was smudged around her mouth where she'd attempted to lick it off with her tongue.

The demon grinned, showing off her rows of dangerous teeth, but said nothing. She ran at the Koopa, jumped up, and bounced off his head, making him growl in annoyance. She landed in a group of soldiers attacking some of Light Dimentio's people and gouged out their eyes, cackling madly. 'LET ME SEE YOUR BLOOD!' she screamed, her voice reverberating along with a thousand others. 'SHOW ME THE FAKE SLUDGE FLOWING THROUGH YOUR SHELLS!' She caught a sword by the blade and tossed it up, gutting the man who had stabbed at her with her claws, then grabbing the sword and ramming it through the skull of another.

Bowser headbutted more soldiers, who fell to the ground without a reaction. 'Kamek!' he shouted. 'Do your magic thingy at me!'

Without a word of caution, the Magikoopa shot a multicoloured, magical projectile at his king, who chomped down on it and swallowed. Then he took a deep breath and blew out fire; instead of the billowing flames that he usually had, a rainbow-coloured torrent of flame and magical shockwaved shot out, burning soldiers to cinders and sending them into the air.

Bowser burped and patted his stomach. 'Booyah,' he grinned.

A loud boom made him flail about, followed by a deep rumbling that shook the world to its core and a flash of black lightning that hit the earth and extinguished the plant life when it hit. The world shifted and shimmered, and the Void groaned. 'Your Surliness!' Kamek cried, scrambling over to him, blasting himself through enemies. 'I think the world's becoming weaker!'

'Guh!' the Koopa King grunted. 'I'm tired of the world being destroyed! Why can't it just stay...undestroyed for once?!'

Kamek drew up a magical barrier around them as soldiers approached. He winced under the strain of keeping it up against the blades pounding against its surface. 'What...what if they don't do it?' he asked, the hope in him disappearing. 'We've gone through so much, but what if this is the time we actually lose? What if the Mario Bros. crush them? What if the kid...?'

Bowser looked at his Magikoopa aide. This was one of the first times he had ever seen Kamek seriously lamenting anything.

It made him angry.

'NO!' he roared, and Kamek was so startled the barrier disappeared. Bowser let loose a deep, rumbling battle cry to the heavens and blew out a torrent of flame, then brought all the soldiers down with his bare hands. 'YOU AREN'T GIVING UP! NOT IN MY ARMY!' He towered over Kamek, who was inching away on his hands and rear end. 'THAT'S HOW WE DO IT IN THE KOOPA CORPS! WE LAUNCH OUR ATTACK, WE FAIL, AND WE TRY AGAIN! BECAUSE WE! WILL! WIN!' He turned around and blew such a ferocious blast of fire at a group of soldiers they turned to armour and ashes. 'GEEZER!' he commanded, pointing at the castle. 'I WANT YOU TO GET ME OVER THERE RIGHT NOW!'

'Wh...what?!' Kamek sputtered. 'But...who'll lead the army?!'

'You! Now get me over there or I'll eat you for breakfast tomorrow!'

Kamek got up to his feet and cracked his back. 'Let's hope there'll be a tomorrow so we can eat breakfast...' he sighed, waving his wand.

*Chaos*

The dark king's hideous face was contorted in a pained horror that reached all the way into the deepest depths of his heart. His mismatched teeth were clenched and grinded against each other, both of his eyes were wide, the large one throbbing red with magic. His clawed fingers scraped against the metallic arms of his throne, gouging large marks in them. He was shaking, and out his mouth came choking sounds, as if he were trying to formulate a sentence but couldn't find even the first word to begin it with.

'D...Dimentio...?' Mimi asked nervously, shrinking under the crazed stare of the magician's dark side. He leaned forward in his throne and she stepped back, but he still didn't speak. 'Um...we've come to stop you.'

When the villain spoke, it was a low, chilling hiss that wriggled into their ears and sent shivers down their spines and back up again. 'So...it...seems.'

A rumble from the Void above the castle shook the glass windows of the throne room. 'Does...does it really have to be this way?' she asked. 'All this destruction?' The man didn't respond, only giving that same dismantling glare. 'You could...stop now, you know. You could end this.'

'And why,' he responded, 'would I want to do that?'

Mimi shifted and cleared her throat. 'To...to be with me?'

'YOU?!' Dark Dimentio suddenly screamed. His counterpart, hands behind his back, was preparing to use magic if necessary to defend her. 'YOU ARE A DISGUSTING WRETCH OF A BEING! WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD I WANT TO BE IN THE SAME DIMENSION AS YOU?!'

'Be...!' she squeaked in fear, but steeled her nerves. 'Because I...know you love me.'

'ABOMINABLE SHREW!' he bellowed, leaping out of his chair and flying straight at her. She shrieked and recoiled, and Dark Dimentio flew right into a dimensional barrier. Dark power crackled around it, trying to tear the barrier open. 'I'LL SEE MY WHOLE WORLD CRUMBLE TO ATOMS BEFORE I ENTERTAIN THE THOUGHT OF LOVING YOU!'

'Mimi, are you okay?' Nastasia asked, tense. Her fingers were already on her glasses, though what amount of good her mind control could do against the godlike being nobody could say.

'Yeah, I...' she answered, shaking. 'I'm fine.' Everyone else's fear was reflected in their expressions, and the fact that Mimi could remain as collected as she was was a testament to her strength.

'HOW DARE YOU MARCH INTO MY CASTLE?!' the magician raved; tendrils of darkness had begun to creep inside of the barrier. 'HOW DARE YOU STROLL PAST MY DOORS AND TRY TO PLAY WITH MY HEART?!' His red eye was practically overtaken by the glow, and his snarl was primal. 'I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF YOUR SHOULDERS AND MOUNT IT ON MY THRONE!'

That was enough. Light Dimentio teleported in front of Mimi, who had stared defiantly at the enraged tyrant, and gave his counterpart a smile. 'My my, such a temper! You'd hardly even know it was Dimentio himself~' He plucked one of the tendrils out of Dark Dimento's aura and crushed it between his forefinger and thumb. It fizzled out, sparks of light destroying it. 'Enough of this embarrassment to our name. Why don't we get the formalities out of the way?'

Light Dimentio snapped his fingers and a trail of light swirled around his palm. He smacked it against the barrier, which flashed with the Purity Heart's energy and sent Dark Dimentio flying back through the air. The Chaos Heart's barrier, which had sprung up to protect him, shattered to pieces. He landed on his feet, the shock of the assault wiping away his rage. He stared at his clone, blank-faced. 'My barrier is gone...' he said quietly.

'Indeed,' the good magician replied. He spread his arms out. 'Well? Are you not pleased?' He gestured to everyone. 'It is the grandest of reunions! Your old family is here, and the Heroes of the Light Prognosticus as well!'

'Yes...' Dark Dimentio agreed, his voice full of threatening sarcasm. 'The greatest reunion I could ever hope for.' His eyes travelled back to Mimi, and a shadow passed over his face. 'And yet, you lack Light Fawful. Has he shunned our meeting?'

'He is busy taking care of his darker counterpart,' the jester responded. 'But I assure you he will be along shortly. There is no way he will lose.'

'Oh, I should hope so. It would be so disappointing if my favourite Beanish boy did not show up for the final confrontation.'

'He'll be here,' Rose said firmly. Others nodded.

There was a powerful pause as both Dimentios locked onto each other's gazes. 'So here we are,' the benevolent one sighed. 'Two identical beings, one rallying for the worlds' restoration, the other battling for their continued inexistence.'

'I would sooner erase myself than see the destruction of my perfect world. Do you not understand how precious this is to me?'

Light Dimentio nodded. 'Yes, I do understand. The desire is mine as well. However...' He looked around. 'This world is not perfect, and never was. No world brought about from the destruction of the others will ever be free of imperfection.'

Dark Dimentio set his face in a growl. 'You're wrong.'

'Whether I am right or wrong, it is might that will decide the fate of existence.' He reached up and took the mask off his face and, with a flourish of his hand and the sound of magic slicing through matter, tossed something to his evil self, who caught it. It was the white half of Rosabella's jester mask, set in a neutral expression. In his hand, the heroic magician held the black half. He put it on his face, and it went through a series of expressions before matching the one that his pale, exposed face had on the other side. 'I wonder...which side of the Charming Magician shall win out?' The mask mimicked his facial movements.

The villain waited thoughtfully for a moment, then put his mask-half on his face, leaving his large, glowing, red eye exposed. He stood up, his shadowy aura growing in intensity; it made a sound like a hushed whisper as it curled about his body. 'Imperfect fools,' he said. 'Your only fate is to rest in the Void's embrace, for all of time.' He raised his hand and the aura flared up, dark magic crackling around his body and making the hairs on the heroes' necks stand on end. Everyone took on a fighting stance, taking out their weapons. Light Dimentio floated up in the air and crossed one leg over the other. 'I'll blacken your souls to the core with my power!' he shouted. 'Even if this entire world crumbles around me, your games end here!'

'Ahahahahahaha!' Light Dimentio cackled with glee. 'Time for the most magnificent show the worlds will ever see!'

Dark Dimentio raised his hand and sent a blast of dark magic at them that rippled the dimensions around it; the entire party of ten leapt aside before it burst and sprung into combat. Light Dimentio headed the assault, flying at his dark doppelganger with light trailing from his palms and between his fingers. The two magicians met in mid-air, bringing their fists forward and striking each other with blows powered by the energy of the Hearts. The bursts of magic pulsed with an opposing force, sending them flying away from each other. Light Dimentio hit the ground with his feet, spinning his body and teleporting back in front of Dark Dimentio, who blocked the series of Purity Heart-powered blows with his own magic. The good magician hopped away and gathered light energy behind him in his hands, which was duplicated by his foe's dark energy. The magical projectiles hit each other and sent a powerful shockwave throughout the room and put deep cracks into the stained glass windows on the walls.

Mario and Luigi leaped over Light Dimentio, who gave Luigi a boost. 'I'll take you down again, Dimentio!' Luigi shot, brandishing his Ultra Hammer. He struck down with it and the king blocked it with his hands; he was knocked down to the ground, where Mario threw a flaming punch, striking him in the stomach. He cried out in pain, then swooped his arms up, knocking the red plumber back with a dark blast. Luigi came back down on his head feet-first, then turned in mid-air and delivered a powerful bolt of lightning to the magician. Dark Dimentio physically grabbed the bolt, which rippled as dark energy arced back through it and into Luigi's hand, exploding and sending him away from him.

Mario grabbed Luigi's hammer and took out his own, running at Dark Dimentio. Taking a leaf out of Luigi's book, fire blazed out his left hand and engulfed the hammer. He reached Dimentio and spun, turning into a whirlwind of golden steel and fire. The magician blocked the first blows, but was struck by the next; he was buffeted backwards, and Mario jumped and brought the hammers down upon him. Dark tendrils came out of his aura and wrapped around the hammer heads, extinguishing the fire around the left one and slamming the plumber on the ground. He wrenched the hammers out of his hands and then threw them back at him, hitting the man at the speed of cannonballs.

He jumped up in the air and a hail of Rubees were shot at him, which he teleported out of the way of. A look of rage spread across his face and he flew down to Mimi, who jumped back away from him. More Rubees encircled her, glinting menacingly. 'Dimentio...listen to me!' she pleaded. 'You can stop this right now!'

'There is nothing that can be stopped!' he yelled back. He compressed dark energy into a block of dimensional magic and threw it at her; she cried out and flew out of its way, and it blew a hole into the floor. The Rubees shot at him, whistling through the air. He avoided most, then drew up a barrier for the rest. He jumped up to give pursuit, but a blast of energy shot by Rose hit him in the back. He howled in rage and turned, summoning magic again, but more Rubees from Mimi made him teleport away. He grabbed her by the head and pulled her close. 'You think I love you,' he whispered, irate. 'But I loathe you. Aha. Ahahahaha.'

'Release her!' Blumiere shouted, and Dark Dimentio teleported again, leaving Mimi floating in the air alone. The prince swung and met the magician's blow with his sceptre, and the aura of the Void trailed off of both of them and mingled in the air.

'How ironic that you, of all people, would oppose me!' Dark Dimentio shouted. 'Why not embrace the power of the Void once more and tear it all asunder?!'

'The man known as Count Bleck is dead,' Blumiere said coldly, pushing against the king's strength. 'Now I am what is left.'

He blew Dimentio away with a magical blow, then flew at him at high speed, his sceptre forward. The former jester shielded himself from the attack, then created a blade made from the Chaos Heart's energy and struck back. They parried with their weapons, and Blumiere struck at Dark Dimentio's throat, who blocked it, then jumped up, compressed the weapon into a pinprick of darkness, and blasted the prince with it. The force was too much, and he flew down to the ground, smashing off of the floor, his sceptre clattering on the stone away from him.

Dark Dimentio descended, energy pulsating around him. His red, unmasked eye glowed almost entirely. 'How I wish you would stay dead, my half brother,' he hissed.

'The feeling is mutual,' Blumiere retorted.

'Aha. Only I shall get my wish!' He raised his hand.

A blast of bright energy exploded against his side and sent him cartwheeling. 'Get away from my husband you psychopath!' Timpani yelled in rage.

The dark king steadied himself, his eyes shooting blades at the woman. 'Pathetic woman! Leave my sight!' He shot dark magic at her and Blumiere leapt up and grabbed his sceptre, jumping in front of his wife. He waved his hands and the darkness swirled around them and back at Dark Dimentio, who teleported out of its path and in front of the former Tribe of Darkness heir. Dimentio stopped Blumiere's attack by enclosing him in a box of magic, then brought his palm forward and destroyed it with a burst of darkness. Blumiere stumbled back and Dimentio gathered the dark mist in his palm for another quick blow. Timpani shot him in the head with her blaster, then once more at his stomach. Despite his recoiling, he deflected the second blast back at her, which she ducked under. The magician spun to parry Blumiere's blow, then ripped the sceptre out of the man's hand and jabbed it through another projectile from Timpani and swung it back at Blumiere, the tip irradiating energy. It knocked the prince aside, then Dimentio turned to Timpani.

The woman shot blast after blast at the king, who redirected the bolts with swipes of his hand. 'A weak human such as yourself has no business going up against a god,' he said. His dark aura had grown stronger, and was beginning to snuff out the blasts before he even had to react. 'I'll make you relive your death. Perhaps you'll enjoy another few minutes of agonizing life before you die of bloodloss out your waist!'

A hard, metal object hit Dark Dimentio between the eyes and his head jerked back; Timpani had thrown the blaster at him after the shots proved ineffective. 'Go right ahead then!' she seethed.

The magician brought his head back forward, a mark on his forehead, and his aura sizzled with anger. He roared and sent a magical assault at her, which exploded and sent a shower of black dust and stones everywhere.

When it cleared, Peach was standing in front of Timpani, her parasol protecting them. 'Are you okay?' she asked the woman. Timpani nodded, smiling, though shaken.

'Pernicious women,' the former jester snarled.

Timpani ran to safety, lacking a weapon now, and Peach ran at Dark Dimentio. 'Women can beat you just like men can!' she shot, blocking another attack with her parasol and then hitting him with it, still fresh with energy. He struck blows at her, and each one was weathered by the umbrella.

'What in the name of the worlds is that thing made of?!' he screamed.

'I don't know!' the princess responded, then closed it and rammed it into his eye.

He howled in agony, the parasol jutting out of his face, his eye gushing black blood. 'Holy crap,' Rose exclaimed, her mouth open. Dark Dimentio grabbed the parasol and wrenched it out of his eye socket. The Chaos Heart's energy immediately travelled through his body and into the eye, restoring it rapidly.

'GRAH GOOGLY!' belted a Scottish voice, and the sound of an expulsion of gas got everyone's attention. The dark magician turned and opened the umbrella, stained with black blood, blocking the human cannonball that was O'Chunks. He crashed into it, knocking Dimentio back. The king threw the parasol aside and punched at the burly man, who met Dimentio's fist with his own. The man's pure strength held its own against the force created by the magician's dark magic, and knocked the smaller man back. O'Chunks stepped forward and pounded Dark Dimentio's entire body with his fist; he skidded along the ground and threw a projectile of darkness at him, which O'Chunks ran right through, ignoring the blast of power. The man delivered a bone-breaking uppercut to the magician, knocking him into the air. Then Peach jumped up and threw her body into his knocking him back away. He hit the ground and then waved his arms, trapping the two individuals in explosive boxes of magic.

Another gun blast shattered his control, and therefore the boxes. He turned to see Nastasia holding the gun that Timpani had dropped. Dark Dimentio flew towards her and she tossed the gun aside, lowering her glasses; her eyes glowed with a shimmering red light. 'Stop,' she commanded.

Red spirals danced around Dark Dimentio and he lurched. Slowly, agonizingly, he advanced with murder in his eyes. 'You...won't...control...me...' he hissed.

'Die.' The king physically stumbled against the command, and his aura shifted in towards him, but he resisted. Nastasia sighed. 'Can everyone just get this over with?'

All ten of the combatants immediately converged on Dark Dimentio. He yelled and shattered the mind control bonds. 'I'll drag all of you to inexistence in chains!' he roared.

Mario and Luigi both struck first, jumping up with their Ultra Hammers. Tendrils of darkness shot out of Dark Dimentio's aura and grabbed them both, slamming them together and swinging them at O'Chunks, who had jumped next; the three men soared away from the scene. Blumiere flew up, the Void's energy encircling his sceptre, and blasted Dimentio. The malevolent magician screamed and overpowered Blumiere's magic with sheer, overwhelming, dark force, throwing him away too. Rose and Timpani both shot at him with blasters, but were quickly swatted aside. Peach, her parasol in hand, jumped up and tried to slam into the king, but he froze her in the dimension and countered with a pulse of dark magic, making her join the rest of her allies.

'Anyone else?!' he shouted. Rubees sailed in his direction and he dodged them all.

Mimi floated down uneasily to the ground. 'Dimentio, pl...please stop this!' she begged. Her eyes pleaded with him harder than they ever had before. 'I...I know that you can, I know that you want to!'

The villain growled. 'Don't speak such blasphemy.' He waved his hands and trapped her in a box. 'Not until you die.'

Mimi teleported out of the box and Light Dimentio transported right in front of his wicked counterpart. 'Now now, don't you know it's not polite to kill the love of your life?' Dark Dimentio tried to blow him away with magic, but he'd already teleported. When he reappeared, he did so with a host of illusionary clones, each of them speaking in tandem. 'Come now, you are me! And I love her. That means you do too. Ahahahahahahahahahack!'

Dark Dimentio grabbed Light Dimentio's throat, his darkness destroying the illusions. He held him close, his hand a vice grip. 'What we are...' he said quietly, 'are two opposite beings. And I will be the one to survive this battle!' The dark aura was suppressing the Purity Heart's energy exuding from Light Dimentio, and his lack of air made the power weaken even still. Rubees appeared and shot at Dark Dimentio, but they disintegrated in mid-air. Light Dimentio struggled for breath; Dark Dimentio grinned. 'Ciao, my other half.'

The doors to the room exploded. The stone gates broke apart, their debris flying through the air and smashing to the ground. A large rock collided with Dark Dimentio's head and Light Dimentio fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

'In the battle of finality of the battles of finality!' a voice cried from the entryway. 'When hope is being lost and your souls cry for saving like lost babies, the one who is coming to your rescue is one which was lost and is now here, and his voice rings with fury!'

Everyone's eyes darted to the archway to see a familiar green-skinned boy, his red cape blowing in the air and his blue eyes glowing with life. His clothes were immaculate save for his left sleeve, which was completely gone, ripped and blackened at the seam. From his shoulder down to the tips of his fingers, his entire left arm was a noticeable shade darker, green tinted with dark blue. 'No...' Dark Dimentio said, the word coming out in a guttural growl.

'The Beans of Light and Darkness are being no more! In their place is I!' The boy grinned, raising his darker hand and pointing at the blue-skinned magician. 'The one and only Fawful, come to have the destroying of you!'

Fawful

Standing in the entranceway, Fawful had never felt more alive than he did right now. His entire body trembled with an energy that bubbled against the surface, and a lightness was in his being that felt complete and whole.

Light Dimentio raised an eyebrow, looking directly at Fawful with wonder in his eyes. Memories were swirling around in the boy's head, entirely separate from one another: memories of travelling and fighting for his life against Dark Dimentio's constant onslaughts, and memories of commanding the troops and scheming for the usurpation of the evil king's throne and Chaos Heart. When his two halves had joined to one, all of their memories came into his mind. The most confusing memories by far were the ones where both Light and Dark Fawful confronted each other; it was absolutely disorienting to have two different memories of the exact same moment, not to mention two different emotional states attached to each one.

His arm had grown back too, albeit in Dark Fawful's skin tone. Part of him loved this, but the rest of him didn't care as much.

'You stubborn child!' the Dark Dimentio shouted. The magician, cloaked in a veil of shadowy energy, sent chills down Fawful's spine, but he didn't flinch. 'Why can you not just die?!' He raised his hand. 'I'll banish your new soul to the Void's dep—'

With a crash, a hole crumbled in the ceiling. 'RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!' a growling figure cried, and fell to the ground.

Dark Dimentio leaped out of the way. 'WHAT NOW?!' he bellowed.

'Bowser?' Mario and Luigi both said, dumbfounded.

The giant Koopa got hastily to his feet. 'What's up?! I'm here to kick butt!'

A trembling silence came down on them all. Everyone looked at the two new arrivals, and then at Dark Dimentio; the man looked ready to pop a blood vessel in his brain. 'I...have had...enough...' he fumed, 'of this idiocy!'

'Well I've had enough of your ugly face!' Bowser roared, and threw himself into the fray.

'I am sharing the sentiments of the Bowser!' Fawful chimed in, powering up the rockets on his Headgear. 'Now is the time when our grudge will be settled!'

Dark Dimentio flew up into the air, the dark power so thick Fawful could feel it on his skin. Light Dimentio hopped to his feet and threw his hands up, hurling Bowser into the air before taking to the skies himself. The Koopa King overtook Fawful in an instant, slamming into their enemy and wrapping his fingers around his torso. They fell for a moment, then Dark Dimentio held them aloft. Tendrils came out of his aura and ripped the Koopa off of him, pulling his arms and legs apart. 'I wonder how much it will take to tear the Koopa King into pieces?' he sneered.

'Not enough!' Bowser shot back, then blasted the king with fire. He hollered and the tendrils released Bowser, making him fall to the ground.

Fawful swooped up around the man, joined by Light Dimentio. 'How about we make your machine more effective?' the jester said, then snapped his fingers at the Headgear; light energy zapped into the helmet, and its glass dome radiated with the Purity Heart's magic.

'Your Purity Heart cannot save you!' Dark Dimentio shouted, summoning magical energy.

'We will have the seeing of that!' Fawful flew over the dark blast that came their way, and soared at Dark Dimentio. The ruler of the world threw up his hands, creating a wall of darkness to protect himself. The Bean flew right into it, shooting a steady beam of Purity Heart energy that cleaved right through the mass and struck Dark Dimentio in the chest. He screamed in pain and flew erratically around the room, the dimensions warping around them; a glowing hole was burning itself into his chest that the Chaos Heart was slowly repairing, hindered by the pure energy.

Light Dimentio warped back into the battle, accompanied by a host of illusion copies. 'Your reliance on the Chaos Heart's power saddens me,' he sighed dramatically. 'The Pleaser of Crowds is but a mechanism of the Void now!'

'I am a tool of no one!' his dark self roared, creating clones of himself. The copies soared around the room, engaging themselves in combat.

Fawful blew apart a shadowy projectile that had almost hit Bowser, then blasted the copy of Dark Dimentio to pieces with his Headgear. 'Bowser!' he warned. 'They are not being illusions, they are being real!'

Bowser punched his fist into his palm. 'More stuff to clobber then!' Fawful latched his Headgear's mouth onto the Koopa's tail. 'H-hey, ow! What're you doing?!'

'I am being like an old enemy!' he responded with elation. He spun Bowser around and tossed him skyward at another dark clone, which he grabbed onto and disintegrated with fire before hopping onto the next one.

'Bwah hah hah! That's right, no one can match the Koopa King!' he taunted, then bit down on its head, which turned to mist. 'BLEGH THAT'S DISGUSTING!' Bowser fell slowly down on the copy's body, spitting and trying to get the taste off his tongue.

Fawful flew through the sparkling remains of one of Light Dimentio's clones and right into the real Dark Dimentio; his Headgear's throat shimmered with energy. 'It is time to have the destroying of you!' he yelled.

Dark Dimentio's aura shifted and stuffed itself down the Headgear's throat. The Purity Heart's energy travelled into the aura and exploded, throwing both combatants away. The king spun in mid-air and struck at his light half, his palm in shadows. Light Dimentio blocked it with a shield of opposite power, then threw his own hand forward and broke through the shield Dark Dimentio created in response, making him fly backwards. 'Ahahaha! The Chaos Heart's power is no match for the Purity Heart's!' the benevolent magician laughed. 'Just as your hatred cannot quell your true emotions.'

'You know nothing of my true emotions!' Dark Dimentio spat back.

A Rubee imbedded itself in his back and he lurched, then spun around and destroyed the next few that came. Mimi walked towards him carefully, the large gems hovering around her. 'Yes, he does,' she said. 'And I do too.'

'I have had enough of you toying with me!' The magician threw magic at her, which she flew over with a cry. The Rubees around her sailed at him, one after the other, but all were dodged or destroyed. A shield from Light Dimentio protected her from the next attack, and then the jester hopped up and delivered a blast of his own. Dark Dimentio teleported away and showered dark projectiles down on them from all directions. Mimi jerkily weaved and avoided the blasts and Light Dimentio made them vanish with his magic.

'Don't worry,' he said to the girl. 'I'll protect you.' Mimi nodded.

Dark Dimentio reappeared. 'If I can kill just one of you tonight, it will be you!' he screamed at the shapeshifter. His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were wild with madness. 'I'll destroy all of you! Every speck that exists within every heart!'

He flew through the air and Light Dimentio started, bringing up a barrier. The dark force cracked and shattered it, blowing him back. Dark Dimentio jumped above him and blasted at Mimi. The good magician put his hands behind his back and flicked his hands upward. 'Up you go!' he said, and the girl shot into the air. More Rubees appeared and shot at the villain at the speed of bullets; two missed, one was blocked, the other grazed his cheek. Black blood dripped from the small wound.

Mimi suddenly set her face in a scowl. 'I am so tired of you!' she yelled, then kicked off of something unseen and went flying at him, her fist forward. Dark Dimentio prepared to retaliate, but Light Dimentio snapped his fingers and a pulse of light threw him off. Mimi punched him in the face and he fell back in the air, recoiling from the blow. 'Hah! That's for killing me!' she spat.

'Oh no...' Rose whispered, her red eyes wide.

Dark Dimentio's exposed eye was murderous. He threw his hands forward and unleashed the most powerful blast he could give directly at the floating girl. Light Dimentio flew up and brought up a barrier again; the darkness exploded and ripped the shield apart, and the jester was tossed across the room and into a wall, falling to the ground. Mimi dropped down to the ground, backing up with a terrified look on her face. The dark magician went down to the ground and advanced on her.

More Rubees materialized around her and flew at Dark Dimentio, who knocked them aside and caught one in his hand, crushing it. 'I'll make you rue the day you took root in my heart!' he shouted, and threw another magical attack at her. A wall of Rubees sprung up to protect her; the attack hit them and blew them to shards in the air. Mimi stumbled back, knocked by the force. Dimentio waved his hands and the shards swirled around, then collected into a large Rubee, sharpened to a point. 'Die you monstrous girl!' He shot the bladed jewel at her and she flew above it quickly. Then a ping! sounded and the Rubee reappeared before her.

She barely got a sound out before it stabbed right through her chest and pinned her to the wall.

Everyone froze in horror; Fawful's heart stopped and he felt like a hammer had slammed against his chest. 'Mimi!' he cried. Every hero in the room voiced their shock. An intense ripple of emotion went through Dark Dimentio and he stared at her and her fatal wound, his face paralyzed.

'No!' Rose yelled, throwing the blaster to the ground and running across the room, right past Dark Dimentio, and up to the green girl. The king stared at Mimi, his arms hanging at his sides, eyes wide, shivering. Red blood had begun to flow from behind the Rubee, which had imbedded itself into the stone wall.

Tears were flowing down her face as she hung there, staring at Rose. A small, sad smile crossed her lips and she began to laugh softly. 'Ha ha...ha ha ha ha ha...I knew...it would be me...'

Her body shimmered, losing its form, an illusion blinking away. It vanished completely, and now the girl stuck to the wall had white skin and hair.

'Wh...what...?' Dark Dimentio said as if he'd been struck.

The Rose standing on the ground shimmered too, and when the illusion had disappeared it was Mimi standing in place instead. Fawful had a brief moment of relief as he understood that Mimi was safe, which then turned right back to terror when he realized that it meant Rose was the one dying. 'I'm sorry this had to happen Rose...' the green girl whispered.

'Ha...it's okay...nothing would have changed...'

Anger welled up inside of the Bean. 'You!' he yelled, looking sidelong at Light Dimentio. A grim look was on his face. 'What is the meaning of this?!'

'We...' he responded, struggling to find the words. 'We had to preserve Mimi as much as we could, because of her significance.'

'So you used her as bait?!' Mario exclaimed, balling his fists. 'She's just a human girl!'

The jester shook his head. Dark Dimentio was staring in shock at the girl on the wall. 'You don't understand. Mimi was created from Rose's dead body. Their bodies, their DNA, the imprint of who they are...it's exactly the same. However, the souls are completely different. Such a thing does not bode well for either of them.' He gave a firm look. 'No matter what, one of them had to die. The multiverse had to eliminate at least one of them. Even if I had done not set up the illusion, Rose still would have died here.' Fawful was mortified, and couldn't shake the feeling they had all been tricked.

The girl's head was tilted and she was sobbing. 'It hurts...' she breathed.

Mimi reached up and grabbed her hand. 'It's okay...remember what I told you.'

'You said there'd...be an Overthere to go back to...'

The shapeshifter nodded. 'There will be. I promise.'

Rose sighed a weak sigh, smiling. 'I guess...it's okay then...' She closed her eyes. 'Don't...forget me...'

'I won't. I swear on my life.'

There was a moment of heavy pause. Then, Mimi let go of Rose's hand; it drooped down to her side and she moved no more. As Fawful looked at her, he could see a faint, mist-like substance exude from her mouth as her spirit escaped her body.

Another scream from Dark Dimentio brought them out of their shock. A wave of dark power rolled towards Mimi and she immediately flipped out of the way; the energy engulfed Rose's spirit, turning it pitch black. It shuddered for a moment, then let loose a high-pitched screeching noise that pierced their ears before vanishing into the Void, unable to be revived. Their enemy raced at Mimi, bloodlust in his eyes. 'HOW DARE YOU TRICK ME?!' His voice was insane and permeated with turmoil. The girl leaped up in the air, summoning Rubees that spun around her body. Dark Dimentio began to fly up to give chase. 'YOU WON'T ESCAPE FROM ME!'

A deep, powerful roar split the air and overdid the king's rage-filled voice. Bowser, with help from Light Dimentio, flew up into the air and lifted his fists, positioned above the man. 'YOU UNDERWHERE-SPAWN!' he bellowed, his voice reverberating with ire. 'I'LL POUND YOU INTO GOO!'

Dark Dimentio started as he flew, so concentrated on Mimi he had thought of little else. 'Wh—' he started to say. Then Bowser brought his scaly fists down on his head, shaking his body and making him fall fast at the ground.

He crashed against the rock floor, coughing and trying to struggle to his feet. O'Chunks gave a war cry filled with the same anger and revulsion as Bowser and ran at the magician. 'This is me one last gift to yeh!' he spat, putting all his motion into a powerful uppercut to Dark Dimentio's stomach.

The king was back in the air. 'N-no!' he hacked, his voice gone.

Princess Peach was the next one, jumping into the air and floating to him with her own brand of magic. 'The Heroes will always make you pay, Dimentio!' she said defiantly. 'Ha-CHA!' She slammed into him and he crashed into a wall.

He fell to the ground while desperately trying to get away. He floated along the ground, weak, being battered faster than the Chaos Heart could heal him. Timpani went up to him. 'No matter how many times you try to destroy the worlds,' she said, 'you'll be stopped by us!' She took Fawful's blaster and, as he was standing up, struck him in the chest with it, pulling the trigger as she did and strengthening the blow with a blast of energy.

Luigi hopped over the woman and, brandishing his Ultra Hammer, dashed with great speed to the king. 'This is for that girl!' he yelled, electricity sparking along the weapon. He winded himself up and jumped, smashing Dimentio up with a corkscrew of hammer blows. He grabbed Nastasia's hand and tossed her up. 'Do what we do!' he told her.

The secretary flew above the magician and her eyes glinted with cold rage. 'I've always wanted to do this,' she said, her voice hard, and brought her feet down on his head; her shoes cracked against his skull and he flew back down towards the ground.

Mario jumped up and punched Dimentio forward, landing back on the ground and running up to meet him. His fist blazed with a hot fire that matched the intensity in his face. 'The worlds have no place for devils like you!' he roared. 'For the first time, I'll be glad to see you die, Dark Dimentio!' He pounded the dark man's body with punches bursting with strength, ending in an uppercut with power rivalling O'Chunks'.

Dark Dimentio's body was being destroyed beyond repair. Burned, bruised, and broken, he could only take the assault in panic. Blumiere flew up to meet him in the air, his sceptre surrounded by swirling dark energy. 'This is for what you did to Timpani before,' he growled, his voice low and carrying a hint of sadism. He drove the sceptre through the man's chest and the Void's power ravaged his body, blasting him away. He would have screamed, but he was too beaten to accomplish the task.

It was Fawful's turn. He blasted off with his rockets, the Purity Heart's energy gathering in his Headgear's mouth. He grabbed Dark Dimentio by the collar and stared into the man's eyes, every ounce of the fury he felt contained within his own. 'This is being for the pain you have been causing to all!' he shouted, and released the blast of light. It seared over his body and ate slowly through his skin, the Chaos Heart's power no match for the Purity Heart's.

The king hit the ground, panting and groaning in pain. 'N...no, I can't...' he said, struggling to talk. Light Dimentio landed in front of him. 'This,' he said, his voice carrying the bottomless guilt he carried, 'is for all of the worlds that we destroyed together.' He snapped his fingers and a pillar of light erupted up under the man's body and threw him up into the air, sizzling as it contacted his body. He seemed to hang in the air for a moment, and it seemed like his endless torture was over.

Then, a massive collection of Rubees appeared around him at every angle, each aimed at him like knives. Mimi was floating in the air before him, looking at him with pity in her eyes. 'This...' she said quietly. 'This is for me.'

All of the Rubees converged on Dark Dimentio and punctured his body; a pained gasp escaped his mouth. When he fell to the ground, no one stepped forward to fight. Everyone simply approached the bleeding mass on the ground, Rubees sticking out at every angle. Mimi and Light Dimentio approached his front. The two Dimentios looked at each other, Light through pitying eyes, and Dark through weak ones.

'Such is the end of this world's king,' Light Dimentio said. Dark Dimentio didn't respond. 'In the end, light triumphs over darkness, as it did before.' He reached into his counterpart's person and took out the Dark Prognosticus, which the dark magician had kept close to him. 'And now both books are in our possession. They shall be destroyed as soon as possible.' The world rumbled and shifted; it was falling apart.

Fawful walked up to them. 'Nowing what?' he asked.

Light Dimentio tapped Fawful's darker left arm, which got the message across. He knelt down to his dark half. 'You know,' he said, 'I am drawn to you. My soul wants to be with yours. I know you feel the same.' The man shifted, conveying his protest. 'I understand that you, on the surface, desperately wish it were not so, but I know it is.'

'Dimentio...Dark Dimentio,' Mimi said, sitting down next to him. 'It's over. You can stop fighting. Your world's crumbling down. We beat you.' She sighed. 'When you...killed Rose with that Rubee, I...I saw your eyes. Your face. You thought you killed me, and for a second...you were scared. You weren't sure if what you did was the right thing. You doubted yourself, because you're in love with me.' She reached over and put a hand on his head. 'And even though you're Dimentio's dark half, you're still Dimentio. You're a part of him that's important. We all have dark parts of ourselves which are with the light parts. You're just all dark.' She looked into his eye, which had begun to dim. 'No matter what has ever happened, I love Dimentio. And that means I love you too.'

Tears were falling from his eyes. 'L...love...' he whispered. 'Aha...ha...ha...' He grimaced and howled. 'LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!' A smile was across his face that was not the least bit happy. 'That...imperfect emotion...' His voice was coming out in laboured breaths.

'It's not imperfect,' the shapeshifter replied simply. 'And I know you know it isn't.' She leaned over him and looked deeper into his eye. 'Look closely. What do you see?'

Dark Dimentio's expression softened, and it was like he had finally let go of a massive weight he had been struggling to carry with him for his entire existence. 'I see...you.'

Light Dimentio stood up. 'Oh, my dark brother,' he said, his voice sombre. 'Such blackened and stained souls we have.' He extended his hand. 'Come. Let us cleanse them together.'

The dark magician stared at the hand for a moment; his expression had glazed over, as if guided by something other than himself. 'Mm...' he murmured. 'Together...' He slowly, painfully, lifted his hand. Trails of light weaved through their fingers, and they clasped each other's hands. The light slowly built up in intensity, enveloping their bodies.

Light Dimentio took one last look at the shapeshifter. He was smiling widely. 'Mimi,' he said to her. 'It has been nice getting some fresh air. You are the most incredible person I have met in all these dimensions. Thank you.' Mimi smiled.

They vanished in the light, their bodies disappearing, shifting and joining. Then the light moved in on itself and burst into a wave of energy.

A scream of pain came from within the light and a figure blasted up into the air, dark and light energy peeling off of its body. With two flashes of white and black light, the Purity Heart and the Chaos Heart burst out of the figure's body, floating down above the spectators.

The figure fell slowly down and rested on the floor, breathing with weariness. He was dressed not in the kingly garb of Dark Dimentio, but the familiar jester attire of the benevolent magician. The two halves of his mask were on his face, a crack down the middle. Slowly, they fell off his face, revealing it to be as it was before the split: dark blue like Blumiere's and Nastasia's, and free of deformations. His one eye, once red, had returned to its bright yellow state. Everyone stood, tense, looking at the now-whole Dimentio lying on the ground.

'A king falls,' a voice said to them all, and they looked around hectically. Only Fawful, who knew the voice well, looked to the source: the Chaos Heart. 'Just as I had intended.'

Dimentio tilted his head up. 'You intended...?!'

Fawful kept staring at the Chaos Heart. 'Yesing. The Chaos Heart had partnership with the Fawful of Darkness.'

'A plot to free me from my servitude to a snivelling wretch,' the Heart confirmed. 'I used Dark Fawful to ensure the Purity Heart's unveiling. Now the bonds between me and the fool have been broken.' Everyone was looking at the Chaos Heart now. 'And now, it is time for my proposition.'

Everyone started looking at Fawful. 'What's he talking about...?' Mario asked suspiciously.

'Fawful. Become my master. Take hold of my power and become the most powerful being in all of existence. With that power, do as your heart desires.'

A ripple of discontent passed through the group, but no one reacted. All eyes were on Fawful. This was his choice. The time he had spent in the Void that his soul had created, led by the Chaos Heart, stretched out before him. Alongside himself, he could see all of the different versions of him that had appeared in the ocean, transforming into people he knew. He could see the doors, each one containing a possible future, and only one being true.

It all boiled down to him now. The future was in his hands. Take the Chaos Heart and rein as a lord? Or destroy it with the Purity Heart, and return all worlds to the way they had once been? Light Fawful and Dark Fawful wouldn't have even thought twice before choosing, but to him, right now, both of them tugged at him, desperately begging to be chosen.

In all your life, has any one decision been your own?

For how long have you been a puppet of others?

What do you want for the future, Fawful?

He had to choose. Not for anyone else. Not for Cackletta. Not for Mario. Not for Mimi. For him. What did he want? He looked inside of himself: what was going to be the first real decision he ever made?

The answer, he found, came easily.

'I am thinking...' he said slowly. 'I am thinking that you have had the overstaying of your welcome.' He lifted his hand and the Purity Heart floated down to it. 'Heart of Chaos! Disappear from the worlds and have existence no more!' He flung his hand forward and the Purity Heart flew towards its kin, glowing with a powerful light.

'Such a pity,' the Chaos Heart sighed. 'I had thought you would be more entertaining.' A pulse went through the room and a shockwave of energy struck the Purity Heart and blasted it away.

'WHAT?!' everyone screamed. Fawful's entire body revolted in disbelief.

The Chaos Heart began to shape and form, shrinking. 'Your good jester made a grave mistake,' it droned. 'In creating me, he blessed me with a mind. A heart. A soul.' Energy was swirling around the Heart, seeping into it. 'I have desires of my own, and I shall not idly stand and have them destroyed!'

The Chaos Heart gave off a pulse of power and a leg came out of the body it had created. Then another leg, then the arms. He planted its feet on the ground, struggling as its neck bulged. Fawful recognized the shape from his brief time as a wandering spirit and realized that their efforts had been futile.

The head of the Chaos Heart burst out of its top and let loose the most chilling, agonizing scream that Fawful had ever heard. Everyone in the room recoiled, clutching their ears. The Chaos Heart laughed a laugh the Bean had never heard it make; it was a demonic, gleeful, sadistic screeching that stabbed his eardrums and filled him with more fear than Dimentio ever had.

It stood before them, panting, shadowy matter curling around it. 'In my time lying dormant,' it said, still chuckling, 'I created a body out of Dimentio's DNA.' It pointed at Fawful. 'Your memories supplied the idea. The Dark Star was my inspiration.' It spread its arms apart.

'What do you even want?!' Luigi demanded.

'HAAA HAAA HAAA HAAA HAAA!' it laughed again, and everyone grit their teeth. 'The Void calls to me, Destroy! Destroy! It yearns for the destruction of all things, and it is destruction which I shall deliver!' It slouched, not taking its eyes off all of them. 'I will tear this world apart and, in time, create a new one. When I tire of that, I will destroy it as well. Existence will become an endless cycle of creation and destruction, of pure and immaculate chaos!' It then looked to the castle's ceiling. 'But it shall begin with the destruction of this world! Void! Tear this world asunder!'

A blast of energy erupted from the Heart and blew the entire castle apart. Stone cracked and flew off into the distance, furniture and tapestries took to the skies in disintegrating splendour. A cyclone of dark power whipped them up in the air and they floated upwards, slowly, towards the Void. What was once a fortress had become a spiralling monument to the Chaos Heart's power. The Void expanded and destroyed the Purity Heart's bonds, ripping into the dimensional fabric and pulling the world into its depths.

Fawful grabbed the Light Prognosticus while Blumiere took the Dark one. The Bean put his will out to the Purity Heart and it floated across the room and into the tomb's pages. A rumble and crack over their heads sounded and a bolt of black lightning struck the ground at their feet. A deep gash of swirling blackness was torn into the ground, expanding and threatening to swallow them whole. The Chaos Heart was gone, up into the mouth of the Void.

'We've gotta get outta 'ere!' O'Chunks cried. 'Where're we gonna go?!'

'There is being another temple behind the castle of this!' Fawful yelled back, his Dark half's memories supplying the solution. 'We must have the fleeing to there!'

'Let's-a go!' Mario shouted. Everyone began to run.

'No!' Mimi protested, pointing at Dimentio. 'Bring him with you!'

'Why would we wanna bring that bozo?!' Bowser growled.

'JUST BRING HIM OR I'LL MAKE YOU ALL PAY!'

Bowser scooped the jester up without a second thought. 'Ack!' he yelled, mortified. 'Let go of me!'

'Quit your whining, we're saving your butt!' the Koopa spat back.

The party of eleven ran as one past the boundaries of the destroyed castle, attempting to avoid Dark Dimentio's citizens, who stared blankly up at the Void that was growing and ripping their dimension to pieces. Dimentio, on Bowser's shoulder, stared up at the expanding black hole, dread and fear on his face. 'My...my world...' he breathed.

'Now you know how we feel,' Timpani told him. He fell silent.

Cracks in the dimension were appearing with great frequency, and they had to avoid a number of them on their dash across the courtyard. 'How far away is this thing?!' Nastasia called to Fawful.

'It should have closeness now!' he answered. He continued running for his life.

Suddenly he ran into someone, the body hitting his and knocking them both over. 'Fawful!' Mimi yelled.

'I am coming!' he said. 'I am...'

He froze. His heart was pounding; the girl lying on the ground, her yellow eyes looking at him with disinterest, was someone he knew. Someone who he had met in this world alone, and who, despite everything, had made an impression on him.

It was Danni.

'Danni!' he exclaimed, getting to his feet. 'The world is having destruction! Come with us!'

'Fawful, what are you doing?!' Blumiere shouted desperately. 'Leave her!'

'Please!' he begged, but she wouldn't move. 'You must have the—'

A crack ripped open the ground and she slipped; her body tumbled over the edge. Fawful cried out and lunged, grabbing her hand before she fell into the Void, grabbing the grass with his other hand. 'Danni! I will have the pulling up of you! Just have waiting! Just...'

He stopped, staring at the girl's face. It had once held a youthful and oblivious energy, a joy at life and a curiosity in all things that, even though she was one of Dimentio's creations, made Fawful pleased somehow. It had comforted him to know that in the midst of all this chaos, there were people like her who could live without a care. Now, that face was devoid of everything. All emotion had been wiped clean, and though her eyes were bright yellow in colour, their depths were dull and grey, lacking the life they had once contained. She stared up at him, feeling nothing, seeing nothing. Her existence was in peril, and she didn't care because she had no capacity to.

You talk funny. And why is your skin green?

Tell me I'm awesome.

She dangled limply in his grip, and Fawful realized that she wasn't truly alive. She was no more than a doll, and, in reality, never had been anything else.

He sighed, sadness in his chest. 'Goodbye, Danni...' he whispered to her.

He let go, and the emotionless girl dropped into the Void without an expression, gesture, or sound. Fawful stared until he could not see her any longer.

Dimentio

They ran until the temple was in view, and wrenched open the doors to the dark interior. They ran into the entranceway, panting. Bowser threw Dimentio onto the ground haphazardly. 'Shut the doors!' Mario told them hastily.

Bowser and O'Chunks ran over to the doors, then stopped. 'What's going on?' the red plumber demanded.

'Dimentio.'

The voice threw the jester into full awareness; he jerked his head up. 'That...' he breathed. A sense of fear had taken hold of him, but also excitement. 'I know that voice!' He got to his feet and ran over to the doorway. Standing outside the temple, while the world was breaking apart, were two women: Rosabella, and a woman he knew all too well.

'Hello Dimentio,' the woman said.

'M...' His voice was quiet. 'Mother...'

'My son.'

Nobody knew what to say.

'You're...you're cured!' he exclaimed, and suddenly he felt happy. A smile spread across his face. 'Your disease is gone!' She nodded. 'Come! Come in with me! Come to safety!' The woman stood where she was, shaking her head. Rosabella had the saddest look on her face, and stayed at her side. '...mother. Come into the temple. Mother! Raphaella!'

'Look at what you've done!' the woman screamed at him suddenly, anger in her eyes. The shout hit him like a hammer and his eyes widened. She gestured around and behind her. 'Look at all of this! Look at this death! Look at this carnage!'

'M...mother, no...' He suddenly felt like he wasn't in his own body. His smile had disappeared.

'So many people have died I'm not sure there is a system that can count it!' she continued to rave. 'And all of it is on your head!' Tears had begun to stream down her face. 'I have not seen you for thousands of years! Those horrid caretakers in that world, they kept me alive, beyond any definition of sanity, for so long! And you would come, and we would talk, but I would not hear! And now I know that all that time you spent with me, you spent plotting the deaths of everyone who ever lived?!'

His heart was withering in his chest. 'No!' he yelled. 'No, don't do this to me! You can't do this to me!' He ran to her, but Bowser and O'Chunks both grabbed him. 'Let go of me you blithering imbeciles! Mother!'

Raphaella was openly weeping now. 'I loved you so much. You were my son. But now...now you're an unrecognizable demon from the deepest depths of the Underwhere! You aren't my son! I don't even know who you are!'

'STOP THIS NOW!' he cried. 'PLEASE! I NEED YOU! I LOVE YOU!' The one person he still cared for even when the Chaos Heart had closed off his heart. His mother. Why wouldn't she come?

She shook her head. 'I'll stay and be destroyed with this world. Look at me. Don't run. Don't hide. Face it. This is the pain that you have caused to everything that existed.' She gave a shuddering sigh. 'Goodbye.'

Dimentio screamed the entire time as Rosabella and Raphaella parted, shutting the doors tightly. 'NO! THEY'LL BE DESTROYED! YOU HAVE TO RELEASE ME! YOU HAVE TO LET—'

A powerful sound travelled through the doors, a rumbling and crashing, the sound of a dimension ceasing to exist. When it stopped, it felt like his heart had fallen to the ground from the edge of a cliff, and was lying there, bleeding out. Now it was just him and his rescuers, floating in the Void, alone.

Bowser and O'Chunks let go of him and he slumped, dropping to his knees. He was shaking, his face was held to the floor, his hands were gripping his head. He had lost his world. He had lost his mother. Suddenly, with unbelievable clarity, he understood the pain he had caused an endless number of people over his lifespan. The sheer numbers, the grief, the endless stream of displaced souls clamoured all around him, burying him under a mass of infinite weight that bore down upon him and threatened to crush his entire being to death.

He screamed at everything, a victim of his own ambition and hubris.